Hi Just had my first little go of riding not only a blade but a racing bike. I need to learn to relax! My thumbs were killing and the back of my neck HELP and suggestions? Is it due to being a short arse? I am 5ft 8 cheers John
Adjust the controls (levers) so everything is comfortable for you. Race bikes especially are setup to suit individual riders. You'll never be properly comfy though
I'm 61 and can manage runs in excess of 300 miles in a day without too many problems - as JM1 said the levers need to be set in a comfortable position ( in a line straight down your arm). The other biggy is improving your core muscle strength so you can hold yourself up without putting loads of weight on your wrists. Gripping the tank with your knees when braking also helps to take the load of your wrists. A change of helmet or a higher screen should help with the battering your neck gets from wind pressure at speed. Also the more you ride the stronger you get and the less it hurts. Good Luck - Steve
I changed from the standard screen to a tinted double bubble and it stops that buffeting you tend to get at speed.
I'm 5'9" and I just picked up my blade today, same as the op my wrist and back were hurting after 30 miles or so riding. Have been told I need to relax, grip the bike with my legs and turn with my body, my neck only hurts when I'm in an open stretch of road and its windy, my head/helmet gets seriously buffeted by the wind....need a better helmet I think for that problem but I guess more I ride the more easier its going to get. EDIT: Plus this is my 1st sports bike, i have only been riding 125cc, 153cc, 185cc bikes, so jumping up to a 1000cc bike is a huge step...half the time im scared of the bloody thing that i might end up in a hedge or something! So im having to learn and build my confidence up on it....straight line im fine but corners are my problem, seem to find them difficult...anyone know of any good youtube clips on cornering on a bike?
I'm 5' 8' and disproportionately short in the body (33" inside leg). This means not only am I balls to tank on the blade but even then, I'm leaning forward so far, I struggle to be able to take the weight off my wrists. I rolled the levers down as far as I could and it made a noticeable difference to my comfort. Swapping the standard screen for a DB added a bit more comfort again and recently, I've been forcing myself to ride more with the balls of my feet on the pegs. This really shifts my body position a lot and does let me grip the tank better with my knees which, again, makes the ride a bit more comfortable. Now, if I could work out what to do to get rid of this fecking sciatica I might consider a tour.
Nice to hear Mo I think my problem was that I tries to look parallel with the bike. I need to try and look through the top of my eyes like i do when i have my readers on LOL PLUS relax but i know from my racing days that comes with time..... enjoy the bike. As soon as I put it away I wanted to get it out again, reminded me of my first wxxk LOL
Get a taller screen for starters it helps tremenously.Next move your levers down a bit so that the wrist is not crooked when squeezing the levers.This I did and helped with my old broken wrist wound which used to give me pain after 20 minutes on mine. I eventually bought some shortie levers which helps even more.Hope this will make it a bit more comfortable for you.
I set out to make my Blade the comfiest in 'Town' It's got Gilles Vario Riser bars Comfort seat ZG Sport Touring screen TechSpec Tank Grips 55 series rear Tyre to make it taller at the rear. Not owt else ya can do TBH bar adjustable rear sets which I may fit but currently it's just fine as it is.
I came from 10 years of nakeds so when I got the Blade it was like torture, to top it up I'm 5'4 on a good day. Took a few weeks of riding until I learn I needed to take weight off my hands and grip more with my legs. Stomp grips or similar really help with this especially under braking. I also have a tall screen which means I dont really need to tuck in that much
Please remember my blade is not one of those tiny 600 look alikes LOL its a proper 900 FROM THE 1990S LOL For men over 6ft
Yeah, had one of those, 1993 K Reg to be precise! Uncomfy as fook that thing, vibrated ya fingers to death in 30 mins too! 16" front wheel was dodgy also!
Ha ha my 94 blade was quite comfy apart from the vibration into the hands. Pins and needles after 20-30 mins.
Think its more the double bubble bit that helps but the tint can stop the dash melting in the sun! just ask Barney bout this as he now knows from experience. oh and the tint looks cooler its like puttin shades on the bike!
