Tenere handle bars and posture, comfortable or not

[2wheelhuble]

I noticed a few conversations about the Tenere handle bars, and would like to adjust mine. However to what I am not sure. My last long trip the back of my neck and head gets stiff and sore after a few hours. Never noticed on my other bikes, plus I had Jaw surgery a few years back so it could just be a return radianting pain or not.
However how about the rest of the riders finding the handle bars.

If you did adjust it, did it solve your problem?

 

[barts]

I've not yet done any long trips on my Tenere (I've only had it since Thursday , so the best I've managed is about 6 hours) but from my experience with other bikes, I'd try grabbing the tank with one's knees and consciously relaxing the shoulders and hands. You can also try the seat in the other position from what you have it now to see if that helps.

I've had bikes with very adjustable bars; I found it was more important to relax and not carry stress in my muscles than the exact angular position or height of the bars.

You might try rotating the existing bars a bit back toward yourself, adjusting the clutch & brake master cylinders as needed to keep the levers at the right angle for you.

Good luck. From personal experience, if this is nerve related, don't wait to deal with it. Muscles on the other hand can be trained to behave .

- Bart

 

[creggur]

I've done a number of long days on the Tenere - (700 miles is my longest).

And this is where I'm maybe different than many here - I like the ever-so-slight forward bend at the hips - the stock ergos provide me (6' 32" inseam, 180 pounds). I don't like sitting bolt upright - I find that slight forward lean perfect for me.

 

[KPK]

The sweep and angle of the stock bars did not feel right for myself. I bolted on the Pro Taper "Raptor" bars and could not be happier! Around an inch taller, along with a straighter angle, feels much better to me and when standing they are just about right. Try adjusting the stock bars around some tilting forward and rear to see what direction feels better.

 

[Travex]

I find the 14's comfortable until about 300 miles, then I get a familiar ache between shoulder blades just as I had with the 2012. The new bar/position is better, but unfortunately not enough for my liking. Tried moving the bars but the solution isn't within adjustment. Currently I'm looking at riser options as they were the silver bullet on the 12, but with the new angled stems I'm not jumping in too quickly. It'll be interesting to see what pops up here.

 

[Boondocker]

I find that I need to consciously relax on longer rides. Sometimes, when my wife is in the back seat, she puts her hands on top of my shoulders, which is my que to relax and let my shoulders down.

I heard some sage advice once on the question of how tightly should you grip the handlebars? The answer was, think of the grips as a canary (the bird). Hold tight enough so it doesn't get away but gentle enough to not hurt it. That's really all you need 99% of the time.

That being said, I too prefer higher, straighter, wider bars. It's amazing how much difference a few millimeters makes to your ergonomic comfort. The cheapest and easiest thing to do is adjust what you have. That might give you a clue on which direction to go. There is plenty of handlebar and seat discussion on this forum, just like on every other motorcycle forum.

 

[Travex]

That's great RonH. In the meanwhile we less mature riders are looking for a way to get along a little better with these bars.

 

[2wheelhuble]

I've ridden 700 miles in a day and the seat, bars and windscreen worked fine for me. Some mods are somewhat understandable, but the riser thing to me is just like a baby that can't reach the table and needs a high chair. I outgrew that back in about 1962.

Not sure what you mean by the last sentence. Perhaps your arms got longer and hairy? My family dumped that gene a few millennium ago.

Just looking for options. On my KLR 650 I had a 12,14,14 hour days in a row, dont let the number of posts fool you.

 

[Travex]

Had a KLR too and there weren't enough hours in the day to make me sore, but that was after I put ProTaper ATV High bars on it. Before that, I was stopping for calisthenics every few hours.

Have you tried adjusting them yet, and if so, how's it working for you?

 

[Mikeybikey57]

Had a similar issue with the stock bars on my S10 too, as my trapezius muscles (joins neck to shoulders) would really start burning after only a few hours riding. I liked the height but for me, the sweep was way too far back for comfort. I also suffered with a numb right hand at around the same time too. So I ended up getting a pair of 2" vibration isolating Rox risers from e-bay and fitting a pair of Road Ultra Low Renthal bars, which gave more or less the same height as stock but with a less dramatic backward sweep. That did the trick for me at least, as i'm now pain (and numbness) free all day long.

Now, pass my sippy cup off the table please…………….I may be a big boy now but I still can't reach it, apparently.

 

[Bigbore4]

The stock arrangement just sucks. You get out around 1200 - 1300 mile days and ya just can't wait to get off the Bich.

 

[2wheelhuble]

OK I went with the Rox risers, it does feel more natural now. But I need more testing. The trip to Seattle July 30 will be the test. ::021::

 

[zzzzip]

That may be the answer for you.

I went from an FJR1300 to the S10 because of neck and shoulder pain. While the FJR wasn't a really squidly riding position, I found after all these years I couldn't do more than 200 miles with out pain. Got the S10 and started doing 500 mile days before pain set in, and after 3 or 4 days did a 965 mile day with no more than what I considered normal discomfort for any bike and 17 hours.

Then I added Rox 1" up and 1" back, and pretty much eliminated the neck and shoulder pain while doing 450-750 mile days for a week or so.

Now, if I could do something about that knee that pains me.....

 

[twinrider]

I'm 5'7" with arms proportional to my fairly short height.

I started with the SW Motech 20mm risers. Then I went to the Rox 1" up/ 1" back, which worked better.

Last week I switched to the Rox 2" adjustable risers. They work the best for me, allowing me to sit further back on the seat and still have the bars comfortably within reach. I used the tips featured on Altrider's install vid.

 

[Don in Lodi]

6'2", pass the sippy cup... ::025:: ::025::

 

[ejy712]

I too got sore in the neck and shoulders on long rides. I found out that the problem was temperature related, even in the high 70s (degF). My Darien Light jacket pumps enough air around to cool my shoulders so they cramp. My wife made a shoulder and arm warmer for me when riding in cold weather (20s). I tried that and the pain went away.

On the other hand I am 65 - YMMV...