New rider- cmc joint/base of thumb paint

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I'm a new rider and today I rode from Manchester to Kirby Lonsdale and back via the twisties.

I've got an element of death grip etc due to being relatively new to riding but I'm suffering soreness mainly in my dominant thumb at the base and to a lesser degree my other thumb


Pulling straight whilst turning the thumb rotationally eases it abit but has the bike pointed to early arthritis?

Any experiences etc. I'm abit too young for arthritis at 51

[Onelastattempt]

If like you say you have a bit of a " death grip " then you know the probable answer, just relax a bit more. Easier said than done but the more experience you get the more you will relax.
How your gloves fit could cause it as well, new gloves need a bit of use before they fit like a glove , but old worn out ones can be worse as your hand can move inside them.
How are your clutch and brake levers positioned, they should be adjusted on the handlebars so that your hands feel in a natural position.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I had seriously tight summer Dainese gloves on my mod1/2. Left grip impressions in my skin for a long time. Possibly ..

[KTMsm]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

Any experiences etc. I'm abit too young for arthritis at 51

Unfortunately you're not as my hip can attest

Although I suspect the first reply is bang on

[Kickstart]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I'm a new rider and today I rode from Manchester to Kirby Lonsdale and back via the twisties.

I've got an element of death grip etc due to being relatively new to riding but I'm suffering soreness mainly in my dominant thumb at the base and to a lesser degree my other thumb


Pulling straight whilst turning the thumb rotationally eases it abit but has the bike pointed to early arthritis?

Any experiences etc. I'm abit too young for arthritis at 51

Had a bike once that gave lots of hand/wrist pain I changed the wrist grips to a bit bigger which sorted it out might be worth checking if new gloves don’t sort it out

What bike have you got ?

[bgunn]

You're bearing too much weight on your wrists, and holding the grips too hard.

Get your position right, squeeze the tank with your thighs, balls of feet on pegs, and then a light grip of the bars. Ensure your brake and clutch levers are inline with the line created from elbow, through wrist to fingers. Otherwise you're straining yourself and not able to get to the controls as quickly as you should. Adjust gear lever and brake pedal too.

All of these seemingly minor adjustments will make a major difference!

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Thank you. I noticed when the turbulence picked up on the motorway I gripped the bars harder..

Psychologically I think if I keep hold of the bars rock solid the bike won't be blown off course.

The jacket moves abit in the wind which adds to the oh I could get blown off the bike.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Thursday 23 June 06:03

[Kawasicki]

It’s hard to do, I still struggle with it, but holding the bars tight is not a good strategy.

It degrades many aspects of bike control and stability.

Like others have mentioned use your legs to stabilise yourself when necessary.

Good on you, by the way.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

OK I've been down to the garage in my flip flops and boxer shorts- bars were inclined back. Way back. The levers as such set almost horizontal. So I tipped the bars forward just off straight/lean back alittle and sat on the bike the levers now appear inline with my arms/hands.

I'll go out and play with the set up but the extreme rake back of the bars was crazy.

No doubt it'll feel and steer completely different too.

Bike is a 2016 immaculate Triumph Tiger 800. Last owner gave up riding for health reasons. Possibly played with bar angle to help those issues.

[hiccy18]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

Thank you. I noticed when the turbulence picked up on the motorway I gripped the bars harder..

Psychologically I think if I keep hold of the bars rock solid the bike won't be blown off course.

The jacket moves abit in the wind which adds to the oh I could get blown off the bike.

If you grip the bars tightly during windy conditions, when the wind hits you the force will be transmitted into the opposite bar e.g. crosswind from the left, pressure on the right bar. You know that means you will move right, but it wasn't the wind blowing the bike, it was you steering it.

If you hunker down in windy conditions the wind will have less leverage on you thanks to your lower profile and your arms will be bent making it easier to keep a light grip on the bars and maintaining steering authority.

[bgunn]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

Thank you. I noticed when the turbulence picked up on the motorway I gripped the bars harder..

Psychologically I think if I keep hold of the bars rock solid the bike won't be blown off course.

The jacket moves abit in the wind which adds to the oh I could get blown off the bike.

Edited by Hugo Stiglitz on Thursday 23 June 06:03

Exactly. When in reality, the geometry of the bike, the gyroscopic forces and Newton's first law of motion means it'll track straight IF you're not putting any other forces on it. Gripping the bars tight is influencing that, exerting steering forces.

Let the bars jiggle around a bit whilst you guide them and the bike will move under you but fundamentally track where you want it to go. Get forward on the bike so your lower arms are 'loose' and not tense to the rest of the arm, i.e. locked at the elbow. This will help you steer quickly, too.

And I won't open up the counter steering can of worms, either.

Edited by bgunn on Thursday 23 June 21:07

[BobM]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I'm a new rider and today I rode from Manchester to Kirby Lonsdale and back via the twisties.

I've got an element of death grip etc due to being relatively new to riding but I'm suffering soreness mainly in my dominant thumb at the base and to a lesser degree my other thumb


Pulling straight whilst turning the thumb rotationally eases it abit but has the bike pointed to early arthritis?

Any experiences etc. I'm abit too young for arthritis at 51

I agree with the other posters about riding position, how you grip the bars etc., but to add the medical perspective, the CMC joint at the base of the thumb is a common site for developing osteoarthritis. And I'm afraid your tender age doesn't exclude that

[epicfail]

This is interesting, I'm also a new rider - test passed in March. I'm having a lovely time on my SV650 but I am aware of my tendency to grip too tight (particularly right hand) and have my arms too straight. I am making a real effort to lean forward a bit more and allow my arms to bend, cornering is much better - add this to looking right through the corner and I feel my riding is much better.

My DAS training was great, I felt well prepared to begin my motorcycling life; however I don't think I had any direction as to how to actually sit on the bike.

[66mpg]

I sometimes find I’m tensing up and gripping the bars too tight when I’m getting tired. I remind myself of a term that YouTuber Moto Jitsu uses: “piano hands” to remind me to relax. It’s also probably time to stop for a rest, get off the bike for a few minutes and unwind.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

So tonight using the lightest grip, overly light in face of crosswinds at suitable motorway speeds..it was beautiful. I'm 105kg on a 230kg bike. I don't need to grip hard as rightfully mentioned above!

[bgunn]

epicfail said:

however I don't think I had any direction as to how to actually sit on the bike.

This. I think it's tough to teach this in the time available, but I could have definitely done with some pointers even though I've always been reasonably comfortable (ish) on a bike. The difference in how you feel on the bike when your body position is approaching correct is very marked.

[hiccy18]

66mpg said:

I sometimes find I’m tensing up and gripping the bars too tight when I’m getting tired. I remind myself of a term that YouTuber Moto Jitsu uses: “piano hands” to remind me to relax. It’s also probably time to stop for a rest, get off the bike for a few minutes and unwind.

I quite like MotoJitsu, he's ex-Marine Corps and you can see it in his thought patterns at times, especially in relation to the purpose of drills and practice. Plenty of good content.

[Rockets7]

Use your little finger to control the throttle. This will relax the thumb and forefinger ‘tight’ grip.

[Kawasicki]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

So tonight using the lightest grip, overly light in face of crosswinds at suitable motorway speeds..it was beautiful. I'm 105kg on a 230kg bike. I don't need to grip hard as rightfully mentioned above!

Good on you man. Motorbikes are amazing, and learning to ride them a joy. Get those big wheels rotating at speed and they are amazingly stable.