Gloves

[Nobbylad]

Apologies if there's a thread on gloves somewhere else, but I'm new so using that as an excuse to start another...

Anyway, I've got some (leather) Richa waterproof gloves which are a snug fit but not too tight. The next size up had about 5mm to 1cm gap at the end of most of the fingers, so I went for the ones I've got now.

Anyway, rode to work today, 1st time I've done an hour solid on the motorway and after about 45 mins, right hand/forearm starts to go dead...pins & needles/numbness etc.

Could it be the gloves are too tight or is it just likely to be something else like me holding on too tight at 70-80mph coupled with the vibration of the bike?

Reading this back it sounds like such a stupid question but just wanted thoughts/experiences etc.

You could be holding on too tight, it could be your gloves.

Have a look at your brake and clutch levers, you can pivot them down a bit for added comfort. Many people find that the levers positioned to high up, this cases aches and pains in the hands and wrists. Might be worth doing this before you next run.

[Nobbylad]

Thanks mate, might give that a go, although the brake lever doesn't feel to be too high (must say the click wheel adjuster is a good idea though).

I'm putting it down to holding on too tight at the moment, the bike's still new and so is my experience of long motorway runs! Think I need to get a double bubble screen sooner rather than later as anything over 60 and the wind does pick up considerably.

Maybe I'll soften my grip with a few more runs.

Sit on the bike, if the levers don't feel comforatable in the riding position then pivot them to suit you.

I agree with the holding on to tight theory, didn't realise you are new to bikes. It is hard to explain to somebody that you need not hold on for dear life, you need to relax on a bike to enjoy the ride.

Oh, welcome to the site and of course to the SV650.

Adjusting the levers does help with general riding, but I dare say on the motorway you didn't change gear or brake too often!

The gloves could be a factor, but its probably just that your arms aren't used to it.

I still get what you describe occasionally, but its no where near as bad as it was when I first started riding. So just give it a bit of time and I'm sure it will improve.

When describing the holding on too tight thing to my housemate who wants to ride, I said that I can quite happily let go of the bars at NSL speeds and nothing bad happens, and also that the bike weighs a lot and won't fold like a bicycle if you're not holding on; also relaxing your grip as I've read helps the handling a lot, lets the front do it's own thing, I believe.

I would be more inclined to say it was a case of holding on too tight , then again , this weekend I rode with Alpinestars winter gloves on and both hands went numb quite quickly . Grip the tank with your thighs and relax the hands a touch more , takes time to learn but each week gets better and better . Things got quite bad for me on the SV and this weekend I am installing my ABM comfort bar kit

[Nobbylad]

Thanks for all the replies...going home last night I was more relaxed, let go every now and then to get the circulation going again and experimented with different riding positions (on the bike!), squeezing the tank with my knees more/putting more weight on the pegs etc.

Nothing seemed to cure the numbness totally, however I did get some brief respite, so I guess it's down to a combination of riding position and just getting used to riding a bike again instead of being sat on my **** in a people carrier in traffic jams!

[Luckypants]

I would agree with the holding on tight being the most likely cause.

However, I have a tendency to do up the wrist restraints on my gloves to tight, leading to numbness in my hands / forearms due to restricted blood flow. So just check you are not strapping up your gloves too tight, they should only be comfortably snug, not tight. Also do them up with the hand in a fist to make the tendons in the wrist flex and so 'expand' like they will when gripping the bars (although relaxing your grip as already suggested helps with this)

+1 to all the advice above. But also, to make sure you aren't overloading your wrists (and consequently hands) try to avoid locking out your arms fully at the elbow. It can be all too easy to just lock out your arms and end up putting a big strain on your wrists, can be jarring over bumps too.
If that's what you may have been doing, try to ride with elbows slightly bent, you'll find your grip on the bars relaxes, your control and feel improves, and you automatically transfer some of the load elsewhere, without having to really think about it.