Too old for a Sportsbike

[LoonR1]

No Stomp Grips on the road bike. I also position my feet and therefore legs, as the bike wants you to be, not with the heel wedged into the foot peg, as seems to be de rigour recently for some reason.

Tribal Chestnut said:

Me thinks a certain someone is a smaller gentleman, hence the lack of discomfort on sports bikes.

This theory of mine would also go some way to explaining their aggressive style of internetting.

I'm 6 foot dead, so neither tall nor short. I'm also not what an exerciser would call healthy. I have an over fondness for rich, unhealthy foods and appetite that keeps on demanding.

[hebegb]

Tribal Chestnut said:

sc0tt said:

LoonR1 said:

I bet I'm older than you and there are others on here older still who are still riding sportsbikes, I've never understood the struggle to get comfy on them and I'm far from a healthy specimen. I rarely ache much after a long ride and wonder if this is because I don't ride on my wrists, I have the levers moved to suit my arm position and stay relaxed.

I'm not the fastest rider out there, nor the slowest either.

You probably have 25 years on me and I find sports bikes uncomfortable.

I am a fine specimen but get back problems. Maybe certain peoples frames don't suit sportsbikes. Unfortunatley for me they just look too damn good.

Me thinks a certain someone is a smaller gentleman, hence the lack of discomfort on sports bikes.

This theory of mine would also go some way to explaining their aggressive style of internetting.

Although it matters not a jot - to me not anybody else , I guess, and I can understand you arriving at that theory on occasion - you are, in fact, well wrong : I do not wish to publish somebody else's picture - mine , you can have , I am the one on the right, without the helmet , I am 6' barefoot and 13 stone 10 lbs, I am too old for KGs, as I have 25 years plus Vat on young Scott, your pal Loon is actually a larger specimen ...his personal demeanour is spot on - the Internet ...... Well, it's not actually real life is it ...its drama ...beats st telly ...sometimes ...!

Edited by hebegb on Monday 29th June 22:26

[ThrottleBod]

I guess different sportsbikes must be different for everybody as well. I swapped from an 03 R6 to an 03 R1 and the 6 felt like a sofa in comparison. The riding position of the R1 is really uncomfortable for me!

I'm 27 and fairly fit so don't think that's the problem. I'm hoping some adjustable rear sets may help but haven't got the money yet. Ive had the suspension set up but I think the way it was designed means it's fairly jacked up at the back anyway so hard to not sit forward around town.

Like someone said I wish I could just buy a different type of bike sometimes but I love sportsbikes so the pain is worth it!

[LoonR1]

hebegb said:

Although it matters not a jot - to me not anybody else , I guess, and I can understand you arriving at that theory on occasion - you are, in fact, well wrong : I do not wish to publish somebody else's picture - mine , you can have , I am the one on the right, without the helmet , I am 6' barefoot and 13 stone 10 lbs, I am too old for KGs, as I have 25 years plus Vat on young Scott, your pal Loon is actually a larger specimen ...his personal demeanour is spot on - the Internet ...... Well, it's not actually real life is it ...its drama ...beats st telly ...sometimes ...!

Edited by hebegb on Monday 29th June 22:26

In my defence, there is a large back protector and chest protector in those leathers, as well as me and my belly.

[Tribal Chestnut]

bass gt3 said:

Tribal Chestnut said:

I suspect Stomp Grips or similar would make a huge difference. On my old Thundercat, which is a relaxed old barge next to a current sports bike, probably compared to any other sports bike actually, is so much more comfortable in leathers as I have a lot more thigh grip on the tank, as opposed to with textiles that have me sliding all over the place no matter how hard I clench.

Re your thigh grip point, are people trying to sit too far back on sports bikes?? If your nadgers are closer to the tank, there's more leg surface area against the tank and the arms are more relaxed. With more leg against the tank there's less need to grip really hard...

Possibly a bit of that, I still tend to move a bit more under heavier braking, even when close. If I'm too close though I tend to find it uncomfortable. I'm probably going to invest in some grips & see how it goes.

[Tribal Chestnut]

6' wearing a helmet...

[LoonR1]

Tribal Chestnut said:

6' wearing a helmet...

Have I messed up your small man syndrome theory, cupcake?

[Wedg1e]

If you sat in your favourite armchair for hours on end you'd find something aching when you got off that, too.

[theshrew]

ThrottleBod said:

I guess different sportsbikes must be different for everybody as well. I swapped from an 03 R6 to an 03 R1 and the 6 felt like a sofa in comparison. The riding position of the R1 is really uncomfortable for me!

I'm 27 and fairly fit so don't think that's the problem. I'm hoping some adjustable rear sets may help but haven't got the money yet. Ive had the suspension set up but I think the way it was designed means it's fairly jacked up at the back anyway so hard to not sit forward around town.

Like someone said I wish I could just buy a different type of bike sometimes but I love sportsbikes so the pain is worth it!

I thought this with mine when I first got it. First couple of rides I was on my wrists all the time but you adjust your position accordingly. I've still got lots to learn and am far from perfect but certainly didn't have any wrist issues after a few rides out.

Loon gave me a tip a when I first got the bike and I've also been riding about doing the chicken wing flap thing that someone else mentioned off here. Both have helped a lot.

[LiquidGnome]

Yeah

theshrew said:

Loon gave me a tip a when I first got the bike and I've also been riding about doing the chicken wing flap thing that someone else mentioned off here. Both have helped a lot.

Chicken flap thing? I can imagine what it looks like, is this just to relax your arms?

[LoonR1]

LiquidGnome said:

Chicken flap thing? I can imagine what it looks like, is this just to relax your arms?

It's just to make sure you stay relaxed,mas you should be able to do it all the time. It's one of those Twist of the Wrist things, that I agree with. I'm not a huge CSS fan at all though, the whole thing is just too cheesy, "yeehaw Murica, fk yeah" for me.

[Triaguar]

Esceptico said:

I try not to put weight on my wrists and don't have a problem with the BMW but ended up having more weight than usual as legs were so uncomfortable. I don't remember having such problems pre accident (but it was a long time ago and I was obviously younger). Maybe I just need to spend enough time on a sportsbike so that my body adapts.

There is definitely a time spent on the bike element to all this, like any physical exercise. I am within touching distance of 60 and I spend regular long days in the saddle 8am to 9 pm is not unusual and have no problems at all on a sports bike. However I usually have a couple of months off during December, January , sort of time and when I get back on it takes a couple of rides to get the aches and pains out. I will stop riding when I cannot use a sports bike.

[Tribal Chestnut]

LoonR1 said:

Tribal Chestnut said:

6' wearing a helmet...

Have I messed up your small man syndrome theory, cupcake?

Yes.

Perhaps hebegb is actually 5'2"...

Back on topic, I find knee discomfort to be the only real problem for me, but I'm due a go on a GSXR600 soon, so it'll be interesting to see how that fares on the old back/shoulders/wrists. Should be fine, hopefully.

[Esceptico]

LoonR1 said:

In my defence, there is a large back protector and chest protector in those leathers, as well as me and my belly.

So is the lack of weight on your wrists because of core strength or are you just belly surfing the fuel tank?

[Tribal Chestnut]

Esceptico said:

LoonR1 said:

In my defence, there is a large back protector and chest protector in those leathers, as well as me and my belly.

So is the lack of weight on your wrists because of core strength or are you just belly surfing the fuel tank?

(I'll probably get told off for laughing at him)

[keebz91]

Just get an XR

[wtdoom]

Biomechanics and correct seat time are very important .
Unfavourable biomechanics can be largely overcome by increasing core strength and leg strength and correctly setting control points on the bike .

[clarkey]

keebz91 said:

Just get an XR

Yep, I test rode one at the weekend, very impressive. Comfy, really fast, handles superbly.

[ajcj]

Tribal Chestnut said:

bass gt3 said:

Tribal Chestnut said:

I suspect Stomp Grips or similar would make a huge difference. On my old Thundercat, which is a relaxed old barge next to a current sports bike, probably compared to any other sports bike actually, is so much more comfortable in leathers as I have a lot more thigh grip on the tank, as opposed to with textiles that have me sliding all over the place no matter how hard I clench.

Re your thigh grip point, are people trying to sit too far back on sports bikes?? If your nadgers are closer to the tank, there's more leg surface area against the tank and the arms are more relaxed. With more leg against the tank there's less need to grip really hard...

Possibly a bit of that, I still tend to move a bit more under heavier braking, even when close. If I'm too close though I tend to find it uncomfortable. I'm probably going to invest in some grips & see how it goes.

I think there is a trade-off between arms and legs there. I'm tall (not freakishly so - 6'2") with long legs (33" inside leg), and 30 years of playing rugby means the knees aren't as flexible as they once were. So I tend to find myself sitting at the back of the seat to keep the legs at a comfortable angle, which puts more pressure on the arms and wrists. Raising the bars a touch helped me.

[Charliecloud]

Triaguar said:

There is definitely a time spent on the bike element to all this, like any physical exercise. I am within touching distance of 60 and I spend regular long days in the saddle 8am to 9 pm is not unusual and have no problems at all on a sports bike. However I usually have a couple of months off during December, January , sort of time and when I get back on it takes a couple of rides to get the aches and pains out. I will stop riding when I cannot use a sports bike.

I have touched 60 and got back into sports bikes after a 12 year lay off. First few rides on my 954 made me ache but that was down to being too tense and not relaxing. 2 months on and no aches.Track days next!