I've got a noob question about my SS, but it may be more of a general riding question. When riding longer distances (30 min+) i often get a tingling sensation in my hands, sometimes to the point where they start to go numb. It's similar to pushing a lawn mower for an hour, a combination of constant vibration and pressure on my hands. Question is, could something about the bike or my riding position be contributing to the problem? I've noticed that the low handlebars and sloped seat of the Sherpa tend to force my weight forward so i lean on the bars ... could raising / adjusting the bars help? Modifying the seat? I make a conscious effort not to white-knuckle the grips and keep my hands pretty loose, but still i find my palms end up supporting alot of weight on the grips. Anyway, any suggestions appreciated ... nothing more disconcerting than having your hands fall asleep while you're rolling down the highway.
Sherpa is pretty smooth for a small thumper, so your guess about ergonomics being the cause sounds likely. Tusk brand 1-1/4" risers from Rocky Mtn ATV are only $20 and may help. Wifey has a set she hasn't gotten around to installing. I have the same on my WRR.
We had the seat redone by Seat Concepts with their new medium gripper material on top. No more sliding towards the tank.
Likely both things mentioned. You are probably sitting in enough of a lean to put extra weight on your hands (depending on your height and arm length), but it also sounds like you have the death grip on the handlebars. We tell our students to hold the bars the way hold a small child's hand. No so hard as to crush it, but not so loose as to slip away. The Sherpa is one of the smoothest small singles I've ever ridden. Even the mirrors stay clear at speed. So you might want to double check that everything is mounted correctly. Sometimes an accessory mounted on the bars can add some vibration. Is it both hands, or just one? Just one side usually means something is mounted improperly or causing the problem. It is a great bike, you will find it very difficult to ever come up with a reason to get rid of it.
Yep when I first started riding my hands would go numb after about fifteen minutes of riding . I told a friend of mine thats been riding a long time and he told me to loosen up my grip to how you would hold an egg and relax . I did and no more numb hands , except the other day when I was on a dirt road that was the slickest mess Ive ever rode on , it was worst than snow and ice . I kept death griping the bars even I told myself to not to, I kept doing it :huh I guess I need to ride more on that road .
Thanks guys for the suggestions, i might start by looking at the Tusk risers. There's no noticeable vibration when riding at any speed, other than that caused by rough road. When i do get tingly hands it's both hands so probably nothing out of alignment. As for death-gripping, as i said i make a conscious effort to relax but i do so because sometimes i find myself holding too hard, so maybe that is still part of the issue and i'll focus on that more. Modifying the seat would be a last resort ... tempted to also try some bigger pegs so i can control my position better with my legs, i kind of tender-foot on the small pegs which might contribute to the forward lean. Lots of ideas to try. Thanks again.
Unless there's something wrong with your Sherpa, or you're riding with very aggressive knobbies . . . it's probably not the bike. Try this - it works. http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2744
Thanks for the link Hannda. Yoda is a little caps happy but presents some good information. I think my riding position is as much to blame as anything so I'll work on that prior to any bike modifications. Still thinking longer pegs and risers will help but in the meantime I'll work on the main culprit (me).
If it is a nerve, it could be the seat. Seat Concepts? Before you order the Tusk 1-1/4" risers, you may want to free up the bars and verify your cables will reach. As I noted earlier, Wifey has a set on deck, but hasn't installed them yet.
Thanks for the link, that's a little pricy but an option if the free / cheap fixes don't do the trick. Do you know, does that pad and cover just fit over the original or do you need to remove the original seat cover? Couldn't tell from their info.
You remove the old seat cover and foam, they supply new to mount on your seat pan. SC pretty-much owns the thumper seat market due to the relatively low cost, and most folks seem quite pleased with the results. Much less $ than a new seat from Renazzco or similar.
Thank you Hawk! I will look into this direction, but I am concerned if spring from KLR650 would not be too...hard...for Super Sherpa. Also could you please clarify what 'drill the holes larger' means =) Sorry for being annoying, but this problem bothers me a lot. A need to find some solution. I was looking for springs in the internet, and found Race Tech shock spring costing around 100$, but there is no option for Super Sherpa. Is there any other bike that is similar to Super Sherpa in terms of measures (length of spring, diameter, spring rate)? Also I could not find these measures (length of spring, diameter, spring rate) in Super Sherpa Service manual. Can anyone please help me find them =) Thanks a lot for your suggestions!
Seat Concepts does a nice job with their seats. When we did my wife's, we took it to a local upholstery person that repaired the hole in my riding pants-oops-and removed the old cover and foam and installed the new cover and foam for $35.00. Looks great, and more importantly rides well. A big plus is there is no more sliding around like there was with the stock seat, and that's something that will have you holding onto the bars harder than you should have to.
The techniques others have posted are worth trying (I'm going to try some of them too) but I have one thing to add. When my hands get numb I will take one hand at a time and hang it from the grip at the last joint of my fingers with the rest of the hand open. For some reason the numbness goes away very quickly that way. It is harder with the throttle hand of course because you have to maintain an open throttle while doing it, but it is possible. I wouldn't do it in traffic or any other case where you might need to make emergency manuvers and only do one hand at a time. On another subject, does anybody know of a low pipe option for the Sherpa? I thought I saw a picture of one but can't find it any more. I want this to make it easier to throw a saddlebag on the bike. Perhaps there is some kind of flex exhaust pipe I can add to the system to use the stock muffler low?
legends of the sherpa community: My one isn't starting following a tank swap. I've plugged the old vacuum hose, and everything is hooked up as it should be. what should I check first? I have spark, as last time I bump started it to get home......check plug to see if it's wet after trying to start it? After 27000ks, this is the first time it hasn't fired up.
Given you've changed tank, check you've actually got fuel flow and that you've got fuel in the carby bowl.
Found a 00 model locally with 6k on the clock for around $1300. Supposedly it's been meticulously cared for. Assuming everything is order I might be a SS owner in a couple days. Any big issues that I'll be able to check out with a fairly quick glance? I'm just getting into riding, so "just do a test ride" probably help me much.
If it starts and runs smoothly, buy it. That is a great deal and you will love it as you learn to ride. I rode my wife's 2000 all last summer and it really changed the way I now ride a 400. I still ride the SS all over town as it is super fun on the street as well.