[VWikram]

Originally Posted by aargee

Do not worry over on your backache, the more you spend time on saddle, you will definitely get over the backache for sure. Enjoy riding

Yes aargee, this was one point which has been lingering in my mind since long. But again, what I felt was I had ridden it on really long rides - long in the sense not in terms of kms but the time I took covering them, through some heavily crowded roads, stop and go traffic, etc. Nevertheless, I think its just not enough, I need to spend more time on the saddle. The back-ache was another reason for me not being able to spend a lot of time riding it.

Originally Posted by saket77

What I want to say is that I am not a gym goer, just a lean guy who is fit. Aargee has a lot of experience on the saddle and I second his opinion that probably you should spend a little more time riding. Do not get any after market seat-covers on the bike. They ruin the seating setting. Try to do some 100-150 kms day trips and slowly you will build the endurance. Riding safe is so much fun and don't let such things come into your way. You will definitely get better and start enjoying riding to far off places.

Thanks for that tip Saket, I'll keep that in mind. Probably take inspiration from both aargee and you and start going on longer rides and test my endurance, hoping my back-ache issue gets sorted

[supremeBaleno]

@VWikram, thanks for starting this thread. Apart from the back-pain part which I don't have, there are quite some similarities (the bike, almost same height & weight, sparse bike usage etc) with a problem I have been facing (wrist pain & numbness in fingers). The tips by Added_flavour early on in this thread are good and something I plan to try out during the weekend.

Originally Posted by aargee

When I took the bike in June 2011, I had immense pain on both wrists, thighs & palm for couple of months...

Got the CBR 1.5 months ago and my riding is usually a total of 100kms over the weekend and this is on the NH-47. After the first 15-20kms, I feel numbness in my fingers of both hands (more on the right hand) and mild wrist pain. Possibly related to the posture and thus plan to work on what Added_flavour posted. But any specific tips that helped you avoid this pain ?

[VWikram]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

OP, this might be something you are not asking, but if you are suffering for 3 years, I'd say forget it. The bike is not your wife, to have to keep on adjusting yourself around her. Heck even marriages won't last if there were constant troubles for 3 years!

Yes ani_meher, this thought too crossed my mind, had thought of letting it go but again factors like - lack of vitamin M and the love for it doesn't let me go ahead. This is the reason I had put up the ad for sale of my bike multiple times and then removed it . Infact, its still there on team-bhp classifieds . I'm still in two-minds.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by VWikram

I need to spend more time on the saddle. The back-ache was another reason for me not being able to spend a lot of time riding it

Enjoy maadi

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

But any specific tips that helped you avoid this pain ?

Keep adjusting & moving the hands, riding posture, butt, neck & almost everything you could; the numbness happens due to the continuous riding without self adjusting the body. Like I said in one of the post above, keep moving between the front & back (seated towards & away from fuel tank) every now & then. Apply your body weight occasionally on your hands for few minutes for the body to rest, then, once again distribute the weight of the body to back, shoulders resting on elbows & wrist should be nearly free of weight distribution. Hope I've not confused you

[bravo6]

Originally Posted by VWikram

I never had a problem riding upright posture bikes like a P150. Never looked at the suspension setup though, will change it to the softest if it isn't already, then verify.

Unless the suspension/air pressure is the culprit, I'm afraid, this back ache is something that won't just go away. You might have to resort to a back support/protector.

Originally Posted by aargee

you will eventually learn what works for you the best.

When I took the bike in June 2011, I had immense pain on both wrists, thighs & palm for couple of months considering the fact I did the run-in in 2.5 days. But eventually I got over & these days I get only back ache & mild bruise

...the more you spend time on saddle, you will definitely get over the backache for sure. Enjoy riding

Three years is long enough for anyone to find a comfortable posture, don't you think? While I agree completely with your points, there are 2 key differences here:

1. The ache develops in an hour: An hour is too short to develop a posture related back ache
2. No mention of pain in wrist/palms/other areas: Like you said, bad posture will result in more than back ache alone. Wrist pain will usually be the first sign.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

OP, this might be something you are not asking, but if you are suffering for 3 years, I'd say forget it. The bike is not your wife, to have to keep on adjusting yourself around her.

You shouldn't have to suffer needlessly to enjoy riding. Get a more comfortable bike and stop tormenting your back.

[anand.shankar82]

I have to agree with ani_meher here. A bike should fit you and not the other way around. I owned a RE bike for a couple of years and everytime I would ride it in the city, my back would ache.

Fitness is a good-to-have for us casual bikers unlike the MotoGP guys who need to be in top shape for racing but is not mandatory. We are just casual bikers and if we find a bike does not suit us physically or causes some pain/damage to us then should definitely think of moving on from the machine

I recently sold my RE and "DOWN"-graded to a Hero Splendor (huge jump down) but find that the light weight and ease of riding in the city helps with my back. For the highway runs which I used to do with my RE, I now prefer my Scorpio and keep my Splendor strictly for in-city use

Biking is a way of life for sure, but if biking affects the quality of life, then maybe the "way" is not right

Just my 2 cents on this

[arepalli99]

guys - What about pain in the right palm? I have been told its because of holding the handle too tight. is that right ? i dont use any gloves (would it help if i did ?)

I have tried holding it a little easy but tend to go back to a tight grip. any pointers on mitigating this ?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by arepalli99

guys - What about pain in the right palm? I have been told its because of holding the handle too tight. is that right ? i dont use any gloves (would it help if i did ?)

I have tried holding it a little easy but tend to go back to a tight grip. any pointers on mitigating this ?

Which bike are we talking about? Some bikes have more of a slanting-leaning forward posture which do put more strain on wrists & palms. R15 is one supreme example. However, I believe people get used to it with time and the problem eventually subsides.

[arepalli99]

Originally Posted by saket77

Which bike are we talking about? Some bikes have more of a slanting-leaning forward posture which do put more strain on wrists & palms. R15 is one supreme example. However, I believe people get used to it with time and the problem eventually subsides.

CBR250 & I have been riding it for the past 3 months in peak traffic for about 45 kms everday.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by arepalli99

CBR250 & I have been riding it for the past 3 months in peak traffic for about 45 kms everday.

The CBR does have a forward leaning riding position, but is more upright when compared to many other sports bikes. IMO, you will get to terms with the bike as you spend time with it. On another note, quite a few users having problems adjusting to the CBR riding posture, which I felt is more practical than the likes of R15.
Aargee may be in a better position to help.

[tharian]

VWikram,

Is this your first bike?
Have you experienced the same after riding an hour on a different bike?

Before bumping off the CBR , and if you have not ridden another bike, I would suggest doing that so we can figure who the issue is with.

Like many here have said, an hour on the bike shouldn't be giving you pains that makes you get rid of the bike.

I wouldn't suggest spending more time on the bike as well until you conclude if it is the bike that is the culprit or not.

On a recent test ride of the HD Street 750, I got such bad cramps on my legs, the pain was there for few days after and the reason was the low slung seating of the bike and I was coming from a Bullet which is one of the best and comfortable bike to be on. So, in that case, it was the bike and not me.

[VWikram]

Originally Posted by bravo6

You shouldn't have to suffer needlessly to enjoy riding. Get a more comfortable bike and stop tormenting your back.

Originally Posted by anand.shankar82

Biking is a way of life for sure, but if biking affects the quality of life, then maybe the "way" is not right

Thanks for that advice bravo6 and Anand, though I dream of getting a Duke 390 day-in and day-out, oogle at the Dukes parked in my office parking, I still haven't been able to muster enough courage to do so due to lack of vitamin M and poor resale value of the CBR, which is making me incline towards 'adjusting with my first wife' . Let's hope I get somewhere with the help of all my Team-Bhpian friends here, if unable to do so, then it wouldn't take long for me to let go off my ceeber.

Originally Posted by tharian

VWikram,

Is this your first bike?
Have you experienced the same after riding an hour on a different bike?

Before bumping off the CBR , and if you have not ridden another bike, I would suggest doing that so we can figure who the issue is with.

No, my first bike was a Pulsar 150, and I never ever had any sort of riding posture issues with it. Have ridden other bikes too, like a CBZ xtreme and Honda Stunner and was extremely comfortable on those. So, I strongly feel the culprit here is my 'unable to adjust' thingy with my CBR or probably the inclined riding posture. As I write this post, I still feel slight pain in my lower back as I've been riding it for the past 1 hour and this time it started within a span of 30 minutes

[rockyb]

I use http://cycle-ergo.com/ for reference - Quite accurate site. Comfort is first priority as distance and age increases

[VWikram]

Originally Posted by rockyb

I use http://cycle-ergo.com/ for reference - Quite accurate site. Comfort is first priority as distance and age increases

Hey thanks for the info rockyb. I did check out the site and compared different bikes with their lean angles. However, is there a way I can determine what can be a 'comfortable lean angle' on any of these bikes, if such a theory exists, or is it completely a personal thing which differs from person to person?

[yatin]

@VWikram I had a similar experience, but found a resolution quickly.

After 10 years of riding upright on an LML Freedom, I moved to a slightly-leaning-forward posture on a Yamaha SZ-RR. For the first few weeks, I used to get a little lower back pain & mild shoulder strain.

What seemed to be the problem was that, I was trying to plant my feet on the footrests the same way as before. But the foot pegs on the Yamaha are positioned a little back from the seating position, compared to the LML.

So, apart from leaning forward slightly, I started sitting a little further forward; this gives a more angled-back leg posture & my feet rest naturally on the foot pegs. It makes the handlebar a little more easy to use too. I have been as comfortable as before with this change of posture.

Maybe the other thing you could try is to change to a normal posture at traffic lights; you know, let go of the handlebar, plant your feet flat on the road. This could relieve some of the strain.