Okay, here's a new one. I think.

I went out for a ride today, and got a good two hours or so to myself. Can't beat living in Virginia and saying you got to ride in January. (Nah, I'm not that bold; it's exceptionally warm here today.)

Anyway, after about 15-20 miles, my fingers were a little numb. WTF? I'm wondering if a) I need better padding in the palms or b) the fingers are a bit too tight, restricting circulation in my fingers when my hand's wrapped around the grip.

I don't see this effect when I'm mountain biking, though that involves different gloves, much warmer weather, and frequently varying riding positions.

Ideas? Suggestions? Thanks.

-Dan

It could be any of those things. Maybe you were just too cold?

Some people are more sensitive to vibration than others. Too much vibration can lead to white finger syndrome. (my degree is in ocupation safety and health)

If that is the case check out some anti-vibration gloves.
gloves (http://www.labsafety.com/search/vibration+gloves)

Don't worry about them not being motorcycle gloves. In fact most motorcycle gloves have crappy construction. Welders gloves are far better in a crash.

Or, your problem might just be that you were leaning on your hands too much. Only you will be able to figure that one out.

are you new to motorcycle riding? i had the same problem when i started riding. took about a month to figure what my problem was. actually it was a combination of things. my grip was too tight, too much weight on my hands, stiff arms etc.. had a few people suggest the same things that steve just mentioned. i don't experience anymore numbness on my hands when riding. one thing that worked well for me was getting use to gripping with my legs instead of mmy arms and hands.

if you don;t find your answer here go to a few other forums and ask the same question. i think your problem can be solved just by changing a few of your riding habits. let us know what you find.

I'm not really new to it, I suppose, though I did take a break from it for about ten years. (Getting married and buying a house will do that to ya.)

I did wonder if perhaps I'm putting too much weight forward... sort of can't help that given this bike's riding position (as compared, say, to a VTX). Maybe I am hanging on too tightly -- I know I'm taking a good while to build my confidence back up.

Two of my VTX-riding friends and I were talking about taking a couple of trips over the coming summer (Honda Hoot, Tail of the Dragon perhaps) and I surely don't want to go all numb-handed during something like that.

I'll keep y'all posted....

i read an article in cycle world not too long ago about this issue. it could be your jacket (if you were wearing one) pinching a nerve in your underarm. the person who wrote in the the mag suggested a different jacket that was a bit looser in the armpit. just a thought, it may work

Wow! Didn't think of that. I did have the liner in my jacket yesterday. Now I'm really looking forward to the return of warm weather!

Seriously, though, thanks for that idea. I'll pay better attention to that the next time I'm out.

...a combination of things. my grip was too tight, too much weight on my hands, stiff arms etc.. had a few people suggest the same things that Steve just mentioned. ... getting use to gripping with my legs instead of my arms and hands...
:thumbsup To Steve & lo39cal

Biggest thing is to just relax...hard on the 599 at first...know when I first jumped to her I had the occasional numb hands & neck pains till I built up some muscle and relaxed, totally different bike than the one before her. Can still remember when I was first winding the bike out and how much it scared the piss out of me... Was holding on for dear life I was.

i read an article in cycle world not too long ago about this issue. it could be your jacket (if you were wearing one) pinching a nerve in your underarm. the person who wrote in the the mag suggested a different jacket that was a bit looser in the armpit. just a thought, it may work

this is a very good point. i have experienced this. definitly something to look into.

Biggest thing is to just relax...hard on the 599 at first...know when I first jumped to her I had the occasional numb hands & neck pains till I built up some muscle and relaxed, totally different bike than the one before her. Can still remember when I was first winding the bike out and how much it scared the piss out of me... Was holding on for dear life I was.

I can relate. I grip harder on the freeway and it causes a lot of fatigue. I think this will get better when I'm more experienced (I've had my 599 less than a month). At this point it's hard to loosen my grip at freeway speed with the wind blast on my chest. I have a Givi A305 windscreen and if I crouch low it really eliminates the wind blast, but that is not a very comfortable position.

On the subject of gloves, can anyone suggest a good cold-weather glove? Last week was really cold in SF (in the 30s during the day, which is unusual) and my hands were totally freezing after three minutes on the freeway. The wind chill factor was killing me. I have waterproof Racer gloves with kangaroo skin, but they aren't warm enough for a day like that.

...On the subject of gloves, can anyone suggest a good cold-weather glove? Last week was really cold in SF (in the 30s during the day, which is unusual)...
I've used full leather gloves with ski glove liners (my leather gloves are a size larger than normal)...worked great. But if I were going to ride a lot in cold weather I think I'd start looking at heated gloves or grips...or those “cool” kooszy things that cover the whole grip/bar like little parkas. As has been pointed out, at a certain point fashion must take a back seat to comfort/safety.