Triumphrat

rskeenan · 05-23-2007, 06:54 PM

Hey guys,

So i just bought myself a new 06 ST sprint and am breaking it in rapidly. Much faster than I thought and great in traffic.

Have a couple of questions:

I am looking for a cool decal set for the bike. It is blue and truthfully looks a little boring - does anyone have any ideas?

Also the wrists are a bit sore (after being used to my Trophy) again, any ideas on the best way to handle that?

Thanks guys.

Bk

dolson · 05-23-2007, 07:26 PM

Can't help you on the decals but the sore wrists. Coming from a sit up bike to a weight forward bike you'll need to use your abs and thighs to support yourself. I'll bet you are leaning and supporting yourself with your hands and arms. This will only make your wrists and shoulders sore, and tire you out rapidly. If you have to work out on your abs, thighs and back muscles. You'll be thankful if you do.

Also, make sure that your levers are adjusted so that there isn't an angle at your wrists. This will stretch the tendons if there is an angle making you feel like you are getting carpel tunnel.

It's important to keep you weight OFF your hands and wrists because the front is where it's all happening and you won't be able to feel what the tire, suspension or brakes are doing if you are leaning on your hands.

Proper support and posture will go a long way toward keeping you from getting sore and tired.

Don

GTS1998 · 05-23-2007, 08:33 PM

GENMAR Risers! It cured all of my wrist pain on my 2006 Sprint.

steventhechef · 05-23-2007, 08:42 PM

I'm with Don on this one. I did heaps of ab crunches prior to getting my RS for the same reason.

You can then support your weight by your body and not on your wrists. That is the key, and relax your grip a bit.. :-D

duckie · 05-23-2007, 09:11 PM

Yep this subject has been visited loads of times - seems a common problem for those coming from more upright bikes...

You know it's you and *not* the bike if your arms are locked straight and your putting your weight through your arms/hands. As dolson pointed out it's very important as it effects everything i.e your control over the bike.

If you've ever done horse riding it's similar to that i.e
Put your weight through your legs and feet whilst gripping with your knees and using your abs to keep your torso in position and keep a feather light hold on the controls (the reigns on a horse, the handlebars on a sports bike...).

denman13 · 05-23-2007, 11:18 PM

I had the same problem when I switched from a cruiser to a sport style and forward position. I don't know if you've played any golf but a friend told me imagine you're gripping a golf club. It should be a relaxed grip, enough to feel the bars but not "clutching" them. Also, if you're putting your weight on your wrists, this not only fatigues your elbows and shoulders but your clutch hand can get stiff to the point where it gets painful to operate the clutch. This happened to me and a couple times I didn't pull in far enough and got some nice crunchy breakfast cereal sounds. :razz:

Try yoga (seriously) for strengthening your torso (abs, back, neck). It makes a huge difference on long rides. You won't get fatigued as quickly. Good for the knees too.

OUTLAWD · 05-24-2007, 12:02 AM

I was experiencing the same thing switching from my Nighthawk to my 03 ST. It already had the genmars on it, but I found that it was the angle I had to hold my wrists to operate the clutch/brake that was bothering me.

I am going to adjust the levers and try it without the risers to see how I like it.

I need to work on correcting my posture as well, and working out a little never hurt anyone...

SprintStRidinRat · 05-24-2007, 01:01 AM

With my corbin on the bike, I tend to sit back too far. I find that sitting up to tank and or tankbag and bending my elbows helps and lot. And agree with Duckie... Feather light hold! I have more trouble now on my new Thruxton. And going back to the ST makes it feel better than ever before. :-|
I have used a banner shop to make custom RAT decals. I prefer the 3M Reflective stuff. Cost a bit more but I like to be seen. :-D MJ

NikosR · 05-24-2007, 02:05 AM

Let me just stress again what others have said.

Correct posture, will not only alleviate wrist pressure but provide for better bike control. Too much weight on the wrists will tend to mess up correct counter-steering technique.

Ideally you should be able to ride the bike (in the straights) with hands off the grips and turn in bends quite fast single handed. (Let me just add here all relative disclaimers about trying this...)

If you feel you don't get enough weight on your pegs and enough knee pressure on the tank, that's a sign of bad posture. You don't sit on the bike like you do on your sofa.

Django · 05-24-2007, 04:39 AM

Agreed with all that has been said.

I came from a Trophy too and after a small period of adjustment, you will probably find, like me, that the Sprint allows you to go a lot further with a lot less pain because of the riding position.

On the Trophy, 400 - 500 miles in a day was quite enough for my back. On the Sprint, I have done 1000+ miles with no issues.

Cheers,

Django