Need help getting ergonomics to work

[blueten]

Hello all,

I am hoping to receive some suggestion about how to adjust the ergonomics to make this bike work for me. Within just 30 minutes of starting my ride I keep getting what feels like a pain due to a pressure point somewehre between my shoulder blades.

I'm 5'8" about 165lbs with moderately athletic build. So far I've tried the flat seat mod (with and without airhawk cushion) and I had a 1" bar riser for the last about 4 months. I installed a 2" riser last week but that did not help and within 35 minutes the pressure point and pain feeling was back.

Strange thing is if I am on highway and adjust my upper body posture too much to try and avoid the pain between the shoulder blades then I start getting a strange uncomfortable pressure in my left rib cage.

I have order a corbin seat which I'm going to try next week and if that also doesn't work out then I'm running out of options and I'll have a start considering getting another bike which I don't want to because I really want to like this bike.

I am also not a new biker, I've been riding for over 11 years and used to have a yamaha stryker on which I've done 2500+ miles ride and I have never experience this strange pain.

Any suggestion of what I should try next is welcome.

 

[Sierra1]

Are you new to this bike? It might be a conditioning thing. From cruiser to straight up, is going to activate/agitate different muscles/tendons/ligaments. When I first got mine, my right elbow was sore after riding. Now it's not.

 

[sjh]

This will be due to the relative positions of seat & grips, no idea what'll work for you but I had something similar on my v-strom, I found the sweep was too much & the bars too close - going to a shallower sweep & straighter bars sorted it right out.

 

[Paul466]

ProTaper raptor bar cured the issue instantly. There is other choices but it’s all about too much sweep on the oem bar. If you stand up offroad take advantage of going little taller also to ease pressure on your back.

 

[blueten]

@Sierra1 Won't say new to this bike, I've done about 9k miles on it over the last 11 months approx. and I go out for ride almost every other week if not every week and have been trying to tough it out since day 1.

 

[blueten]

@Paul466 would you happen to have a link, there are too many option with protaper raptor (contour, atv bend etc). For tenere I should look for 1 1/8th inch right?

 

[WJBertrand]

Maybe a different handlebar bend that changes the angle of the grips? Compare the angle of the grips to your other bike that does not cause the issue. Maybe you can kind of replicate that? Also don't overlook the windscreen, too low and you could be straining to hold your body against the wind, even if just slightly. Too tall a shield can cause the reverse; air pressure on your back that wants to push your body forward causing you to exert effort, again maybe slight enough not to notice directly, to resist it. Settle on the seat and bars first and then fiddle with the windscreen position or even a different windscreen.

 

[blueten]

Luckily for my 5'8" height the windscreen is good height and creates a nice pocket of stable air.

 

[Paul466]

@Paul466 would you happen to have a link, there are too many option with protaper raptor (contour, atv bend etc). For tenere I should look for 1 1/8th inch right?

I got the contour, look into their adv bend, almost same sweep but slightly taller than the raptor.

 

[keithert]

I bought a new 2019 on March 30. I'm also having a hard time getting used to the bike. I came from a 2011 V-Strom 650. That bike was very comfortable for me. It had 1 inch up and 2 inch back risers on it and peg lowerers. I've added Helibar risers to my Tenere. I've also done the flat seat mod as well as buying a Saddlemen adventure tour seat. The Saddlemen seat is very hard. The stock seat is very soft. I'm also almost at the point of trading the bike for another V-Strom. I've also began going to a chiropractor this week. I have 1000 miles on my S10. I really hope I get used to it soon. I have other bikes I can ride so I can give it some time.

 

[tallpaul]

I bought a new 2019 on March 30. I'm also having a hard time getting used to the bike. I came from a 2011 V-Strom 650. That bike was very comfortable for me. It had 1 inch up and 2 inch back risers on it and peg lowerers. I've added Helibar risers to my Tenere. I've also done the flat seat mod as well as buying a Saddlemen adventure tour seat. The Saddlemen seat is very hard. The stock seat is very soft. I'm also almost at the point of trading the bike for another V-Strom. I've also began going to a chiropractor this week. I have 1000 miles on my S10. I really hope I get used to it soon. I have other bikes I can ride so I can give it some time.

I had a 2009 DL650 with lower pegs, custom seat etc and like you I found it to be superbly comfy. I also had issues with my S10 but I have been slowly tweaking things here and there and now have a setup I like. I hated the original seat and much prefer the tall Touratech seat (#yorkshirebattlecry) along with the up+back risers. I encourage you to persevere if possible and you should get the comfort you miss. Everyone's needs are different and what fixes it for me may not work for you but incremental changes are all it takes.

 

[keithert]

I had a 2009 DL650 with lower pegs, custom seat etc and like you I found it to be superbly comfy. I also had issues with my S10 but I have been slowly tweaking things here and there and now have a setup I like. I hated the original seat and much prefer the tall Touratech seat (#yorkshirebattlecry) along with the up+back risers. I encourage you to persevere if possible and you should get the comfort you miss. Everyone's needs are different and what fixes it for me may not work for you but incremental changes are all it takes.

Where were you having discomfort on the S10? Mine is in my middle back. What did you do as far as handlebar angle? Did you change your bars? I'd really like to avoid doing that if possible. Also what suspension settings are you using? I'm using rider with luggage since I weigh 240 in gear. And using std to soft dampening.

 

[blueten]

I am starting to agree that handlebar sweep might be the cause of the pinching/pain in my middle back between shoulder blades. After reading the messages above I went for an experiment ride yesterday and after the pain started I tried to change my grip so that I was holding the bar with my index finger and thumb firmly keeping the rest of the fingers flat on top of the bar and moving my palm slightly forward as if I was holding a bar which was slightly straighter at that point and I was certainly noticing a change in the pain within 15-20 seconds. Many times I tried changing my grip and holding the bar firmly and the pain came back very quickly. I was able to do a 2 hour ride holding the bar this way with my fists slightly more straight with much less discomfort than I would have experienced holding the bar normally.

Next as @Paul466 suggested I am going to try and get a ProTaper bar when become available, so far they are showing out of stock almost everywhere I look. I am considering between Evo Adventure and Evo Adventure High. The adventure is showing 122mm (4.8 inch) height and adventure high is 174mm (6.85 inch) height (source - https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/pro-taper-evo-adventure-handlebars-1-18?sku_id=1072309) so I'm thinking adventure high might be too tall compared to stock 82mm (3.22 inch)

Stock - https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?attachments/s10-bars-jpg.10007/

 

[keithert]

Do you currently have any bar riser installed? I'm thinking I could get away with a shorter bar since I have bar risers.

 

[blueten]

Do you currently have any bar riser installed? I'm thinking I could get away with a shorter bar since I have bar risers.

Yeah I currently have 2" rox riser but I ordered the high bar so that I could avoid the riser if the bar is sufficiently high.

 

[keithert]

Please post if you find a bar in stock somewhere.

 

[blueten]

Please post if you find a bar in stock somewhere.

Turns out amazon have them in stock.

 

[PineLaneRider]

I came from a 1st Gen Vstrom with lowered pegs, bar risers, bead pad with sit n fly over it. It was amazingly comfortable for me, but only after those adjustments. I found the S10 to be much less so, even with risers, the bead pad. The flat seat modwith helped. Now that I have 5,000 miles on the S10, it feels just as good as the Vee. In my case it was just conditioning my body to the new angles, especially the knee angle in my case. I love this bike, btw!

 

[ballisticexchris]

I find the very most reliable way to get perfect ergo is to sit in a comfortable riding position, close your eyes, and let your hands drop naturally. This way you can measure for sweep, pull back and rise accurately.

On a dirt bike it's a little trickier. Out here in the West we pretty much stand the whole time when in the desert. So you stand with elbows up, centered on bike and squeezing with knees. Bend at the hips in an attack position for whoops and single track. For dual sport you do the same only now you do both standing and sitting splitting the difference for bar bend.

Another big ergo to consider are your controls. I am super picky with mine. Long clutch/short brake lever and pointed so its comfortable both standing and sitting. I always have a finger or two covering the brake and clutch when riding. Other riders rely on their reflexes. So you adjust levers accordingly.

 

[Paul466]

I am starting to agree that handlebar sweep might be the cause of the pinching/pain in my middle back between shoulder blades. After reading the messages above I went for an experiment ride yesterday and after the pain started I tried to change my grip so that I was holding the bar with my index finger and thumb firmly keeping the rest of the fingers flat on top of the bar and moving my palm slightly forward as if I was holding a bar which was slightly straighter at that point and I was certainly noticing a change in the pain within 15-20 seconds. Many times I tried changing my grip and holding the bar firmly and the pain came back very quickly. I was able to do a 2 hour ride holding the bar this way with my fists slightly more straight with much less discomfort than I would have experienced holding the bar normally.

Next as @Paul466 suggested I am going to try and get a ProTaper bar when become available, so far they are showing out of stock almost everywhere I look. I am considering between Evo Adventure and Evo Adventure High. The adventure is showing 122mm (4.8 inch) height and adventure high is 174mm (6.85 inch) height (source - https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/pro-taper-evo-adventure-handlebars-1-18?sku_id=1072309) so I'm thinking adventure high might be too tall compared to stock 82mm (3.22 inch)

Stock - https://www.yamahasupertenere.com/index.php?attachments/s10-bars-jpg.10007/

It’s been a while since I got my pro taper,just remember it wasn’t as simple as swapping bars, while you’re bar hunting maybe you can get ahead of the game by sourcing correct threaded bar inserts that the hand guards screw into ( i.d. Of the taper is smaller than oem).For the life of me I can’t remember where I got the anchors so maybe someone can help out? Other issue is, the oem bar is drilled where the throttle connects to prevent spinning if the throttle bolts came loose, transfer those point to the new bar.. I think there is a thread about this. Hope this helps...