handlebar vibration - .: XT660.com

Petenz · # 1 24-03-13, 07:45

The handlebar vibration almost makes the bike un-rideable..
hands go numb , can't feel the brake & clutch levers..
the bike has risers & fat bars , seems worse since I put
the bars on....
has anyone found a cure for the vibration ?..
i have read that filling the bars with sand can help ?...

Kev · # 2 24-03-13, 09:44

I do.

http://www.xt660.com/showthread.php?t=12164

Just fitted some to my new bike with hand guards.

http://www.ktmsmt.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5414

Black Dog · # 3 24-03-13, 11:41

Have you had this issue with other bikes? (Sorry, but I don't know your history and don't want to insult you.) I had this with my first XTR, and sold it because I couldn't live with what I thought was an unacceptable level of vibration. After as little as 20 minutes' riding, I couldn't operate the front brake, it was that bad. The XTR was my first bike after a bikeless period of 10 years, and I blamed the engine. I sold it for a big multi - same issue with numb hands. Then a V-twin. Same. Then a V-4, then a parallel twin. Then a triple. You get the picture. Turns out it was carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in both hands, mainly the right one, probably caused by excessive mouse use on PCs at home and work. So I didn't need to sell the XTR after all. I haven't had any treatment, and strangely the CTS has improved over the years and now rarely bothers me.

All I am saying is, are you sure it's the bike?

Adioz · # 4 24-03-13, 21:29

Hi guy's same here i had a 1200 bandit and within 10mins i was shaking my hands to get what i thought was blood flow moving again, holding a newspaper for 15mins was also the same, when your hands go numb just check if it's all your fingers or just just the smaller ones,(mine was just 3 smaller fingers) it turned out i also had bi-lateral carpal tunnel syndrome, 10yrs on after both hand opps all is well and the xtx is fine to ride 2hrs at a time no probs, get off to docs to see, hope all goes well.

Kev · # 5 24-03-13, 22:21

Been there done that, had my hands operated on for carpal tunnel & after 3 years the carpal tunnel is back, RSI, so found a way to reduce the vibration through the bars to make the feel a much smoother ride with less irritation.

Adioz · # 6 24-03-13, 22:55

I think most of us Bikers suffer with some form of muscular skeleton disfunction of some sort and anything to help is a useful addition, the bar end weight is such a device and the modification u have made Kev is a credit to your Engineer's instinct, thanks.

Pleiades · # 7 25-03-13, 19:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Petenz

the bike has risers & fat bars , seems worse since I put
the bars on....

Another long-term CTS sufferer here, never had the op as my dad and brother both had the the op and it came back again (just like Kev's). I found that raising the bars made it a whole lot worse for me, lower seems better? Gone from a 50mm rise down to 20mm and it made a big difference (sitting down obviously!) Also found that bars with too much sweep don't help either as they twist your wrists outward.

cca · # 8 26-03-13, 00:28

Fat bar, out, normal one, 22mm al, in
bar risers, out
hand guards, in
bar end weights...not so important

Black Dog · # 9 26-03-13, 16:57

There seems to be a lot of CTS sufferers here. I used to have it really badly (up to the point where i didn't have the strength or feeling to use the front brake) and discussed the surgery with my GP, but decided against it for various reasons. However, I did a bit of research and I have managed to reduce the symptoms to a fraction of what they were, to the extent that I don't really think about it any more. For what it's worth, and bearing in mind that I am not medically qualified in any way (except First Aid at Work!), this is what works for me:

The problem is with inflammation of the radial nerve that serves the thumb and first two fingers. It goes through the carpal tunnel between the bones of the wrist. If the nerve gets irritated, it swells and rubs on the inside of the carpal tunnel. This makes the inflammation worse, and the cycle continues until the fingers are numb and painful and you have to stop what you are doing. The standard non-surgical answer is a cast that you wear on your forearm and wrist that keeps the wrist straight. It places the nerve in the best position so it doesn't get irritated and used long term can actually heal the condition. I took the logic of this and applied it to riding a bike. When we ride, we often hold the bars with the wrist cocked back slightly. This is putting strain on the radial nerve and forcing it into contact with the carpal tunnel, which then starts to irritate it, and so on. Same with using a computer mouse, which is also a problem for me. If I start getting numb fingers, I consciously straighten my wrists, so that from the forearm to the first knuckles is a straight line. It feels a little odd to ride like that, and I can't do it for long, but it seems to ease the problem. Sometime I add a few fist crunches for good measure.

The bar position thing might explain why people are getting it worse with raised bars. The lower the bar, the straighter my wrist is, perhaps others the same?

So, first sign of tingling or numbness:

1. Wait for a period of light traffic!

2. One hand at a time, take it off the bars and dangle it straight downwards

3. Fist crunches to relax the fingers

4. Hand back on the bar and keep wrist straight for 5 minutes if possible.

Left hand is easy to do. For the right, I wait until I have a slight downhill and run with the clutch in for a while. It only takes 10 seconds or so before you are back with both hands. Choose your moment wisely

As I say, this works for me and may help someone else.

Pleiades · # 10 26-03-13, 18:06

^^ +1 That's pretty much what I've found helps too.

Oh, I almost forgot, the addition of these made a big difference.

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