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Wrist pain from handlebar angle

34K views 88 replies 20 participants last post by  depot picker 
#1 ·
Does anyone else have wrist pain from handlebar angle?

I have been riding Harleys for a long long time. Since I have started riding the XCT (about 2500 mile so far) my wrists have started to hurt after riding. I think the angle is ergonomically incorrect.

Is this happening to anyone else?
KEN
 
#49 ·
Feels pretty good. It does force me to lean forward more; even to the point of not needing the backrest. This is not a bad thing for me personally because for whatever reason; my dang tailbone doesn't like to be sat on for very long.

I think they are fine for what I want them for but for touring I think the HMD bars would be better. Especially if they were $50 less. At $300 I think the HMD bars would be a solid choice for those looking for comfort, better wrist angle, and good looks. At $350 I would just buy the Ness bars again. Hard to beat that adjustable grip angle for the price. Then again I did buy the Ness bars on sale and got the $50 gift certificate which made the Ness bars $354.
 
#53 ·
From what I'm seeing, there is only a few options for the XCT.

Stock bars if you are over 6'2' tall
Stock bars bent to fix the poor angle of the pullback
Victory 2 over bars with the poor angle
HMD pullback bars
Ness modular bars
 
#55 ·
Well HMD pullbacks in black it is.......see if my dealer can install them when they do the 500 mile service....
 
#56 ·
Heli-Bars are another option, just prepare yourself for the sticker shock! If I go to Sturgis in 2013, I will probably go this route as they will install for free, and ship your old bars home. Expensive, but good adjustability, and quality.

D2
 
#58 ·
Yepper. $750 normally but right now they are on sale for $600. If I were you I would just buy them now and put them on. It's a good time to get to know your bike a little better as well. Pulling the outer fairing and the 4 bolts that hold the inner fairing to the bike is a piece of cake. Just takes a little time the first time.

https://www.helibars.com/product/horizon-ccr-multi-adjustable-handlebars-victory
 
#61 ·
The hardest part of D-I-Y bar-changing -- at least, the part that worries me the most -- is removing and preserving the heated grips on my XCT.
I think I read something about a couple of bolts on the heated grips that are kinda hidden. Otherwise folks are saying it goes fairly easy. If memory serves, the rubber on the grip needs to be pulled back to see the bolts to remove them, then it goes as any other grip would. I'd look into more before taking this as gospel though.
 
#63 ·
BBob and orbiker,

Thanks for the follow-up info on heated-grip removal. (BBob: I was going to say that I take everything you say as gospel, and then orbiker confirmed that.)
 
#65 · (Edited)
One more thought I forgot to mention when I installed the Ness Modular bars.

The stock handlebar ends will not fit the ness bar end without a slight modification. There are little ribs on the part that fits into the bar ends. The ribs need to be filed or ground off to fit. No big deal; just a little added issue. KEN
 
#66 ·
I thought I'd take a minute to give my opinion on these bars after having some more seat time behind them.

They are exactly what I needed; even for touring which kinda surprised me. The width is just right and obviously I was able to adjust the grip angle just right for me personally.

They also changed the feel and ride of the bike. I don't know how to explain it but the bike just feels lighter and more manageable all around. It doesn't feel as light as the KP but it does feel less sluggish for an 850 lb bike. I haven't tried them with the trunk on yet but have no reason to think the bars would have a negative effect on the extra weight of the trunk.

For comfort; I'd have to say the bars and the Ultimate seat are the best mods I have done to this bike. The fact that they add to the looks is the icing on the cake. :D
 
#67 ·
BBob:

1) Thanks for posting your impressions.

2) This thread has comments on all sorts of bars, so let me get this straight, if you have a minute:

A) You got the Ness bars, right? Exactly which ones, you have a link, etc.?

B) You like the adjustability, okay, but do you feel that they have any pullback to them, vs. the stock XC/XCT bars? I'm 5'9", 30" inseam, normal torso, and a sleeve length of 33" - 34" (as I recall -- been a while since I bought a dress shirt). I don't mind leaning forward a bit, since it makes doing twisties easier, takes some weight off the tailbone, and makes you less like a sail. OTOH, when I start doing a fair amount of really long superslab rides -- I'm talking 500 miles (the most I've done on the XCT so far, and fortunately without pain) to 800 miles (which I did four times on my Burgman 650, for instance), I wind up with stinging pain in my shoulder blades... which, on three bikes now, went away with pullbacks. Thus, I'm still thinking about new bars, but I'm not yet at the point that I absolutely must have them.

Thanks for your time.
 
#70 ·
Orbiker & BBob: thank you very much for your time and effort in getting back to me. I'll have to ponder all this information for a while...
 
#72 ·
Bill
Did you decide to get the bars or bend the old ones?

On another thought;
How loud is the Stebel horn under the fairing?
KEN
 
#78 · (Edited)
Ah, heck, as long as we're off-topic, I might as well finish this, and then I'll shut up.

Attached is a pic with the Burger loaded for bear (before I had a local upholsterer make a better backrest for the Givi topcase). My wife and I were doing a trip up and back to the Gaspe peninsula in Canada. This was 800-900 miles each way, which we did in two days each way (using different routes to and from Canada).

When Motorcycle Consumer News tested the 650 in 2004, they pointed out that it was faster in both 0-60 and the quarter mile than a 750 Honda (Aero or Shadow or something) they had tested the previous month... despite giving away c. 100cc and 100lb. to the Honda. [Edit addition: MCN also measured (radar gun) the 650's top speed at 101mph.]

Adding the 52-liter Givi topcase to the 55-liter underseat storage gives this thing serious storage, e.g., more than an XC. Add a "hump bag" and some throw-overs, and you're approaching XCT storage territory.

One last(?) thing. That Exec model has something I've never seen on another bike: electrically folding mirror enclosures. I know this sounds silly, but actually every time I'd park, I'd click them into their folded position. Makes it harder for people in parking lots to bump into them, more room in the garage, etc.
 

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#80 ·
I did notice some hurting today riding only 100 miles. I was at Strokers Dallas and he is making a new handle bar that I really like. Its a ape hanger style but so easy to ride with. I was hoping he had them on there website but nothing so far.
 
#81 ·
Here is a little install tip for the Ness Modular Bars.
To get the bars adjusted the same, measure from the tip of the fairing to the tip of the bar ends and make that measurement the same.

 
#82 ·
That is a nice looking bike

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#86 ·
Speaking as a former Burgman 650 owner (and I'm pretty familiar with the 400, too): nope, not a Burgman.
 
#88 ·
I have no issue with my wrists but I do get some lower back pain. I'm also 5'10" and think maybe the Victory backrest or the 2" longer bars would help.
 
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