Since selling my DL1000 a little over a year ago, I've been trying to turn my 17 CRF250L into a do it all bike (or at least all I want to do). The seat was the first limiting factor for long rides but Terry Adcox took care of that. Now its the shoulder pain after 4 hours or so. Even with stretching and short breaks at fuel stops and changing ride position, the shoulder discomfort persists. So....if you've had this problem and tried bar risers, did they help?......or, other than large amounts of your favorite pain reliever, what did help?..Thanks.....Dave.
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Did bar risers help with your shoulder pain?
- Thread starter slowindown
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I won't say risers specifically, as there's a lot that goes into bar geometry, but getting it right works.
Leaning forward even slightly puts a lot of pressure on your shoulder and will quickly add up. Go for risers or taller bars! If you have factory bars, I would change those first.
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Yes! I put risers on the Wing that brought the bars back and up. After that, no issues with pain between my shoulder blades.
Thanks for the input. Now I need to figure out how high I can go without needing longer controls.
I had a CRF 250 L I added bar risers too. This made the cables too short so I rerouted them which worked fine.
jsb223
0
after bar risers on my DRZ i found some atv bars on sale and took a chance. worked perfect for me after i removed the bar rises.
ive got risers on the GS and the Africa Twin as well.
Still get tingling in my fingers after a few hours but its much better.
ive got risers on the GS and the Africa Twin as well.
Still get tingling in my fingers after a few hours but its much better.
To the OP, it might be the seat that’s causing the issue since it changes the seating geometry. I put a riser on my Vstrom, and didn’t help much. In fact I think it made matters worse. My last ride from Houston to Waco and back last year got me pinching between my shoulders after about 5 hours, and my back was sore for a few days after that. This was with a Sargent seat and 2” riser. A year before that we drove it up to Hot Springs with a Corbin seat and no riser and didn’t really have any fatigue to speak of. For my next long ride I‘m going to put the Corbin back on and see if the problem goes away.
Believe it or not, my XT250 is the most comfortable bike I own right now. I replaced the factory bars with these.
ProTaper Sport 855-896 7/8in. Sport Aluminum Handlebars - ATV Bend - Black
Took a few hours to do because I also had to reroute the cables and brake lines. I also cut the ends down so each end is about 1/2” shorter than the stock bars. I can ride all day long now without any issue. This is with stock seat and Coleman ATV top pad. They do almost feel like ape hangers though and I feel like an old man with them on the bike, but comfort trumps all else. Putting them against the stock bars, they are quite a bit taller
Believe it or not, my XT250 is the most comfortable bike I own right now. I replaced the factory bars with these.
ProTaper Sport 855-896 7/8in. Sport Aluminum Handlebars - ATV Bend - Black
Took a few hours to do because I also had to reroute the cables and brake lines. I also cut the ends down so each end is about 1/2” shorter than the stock bars. I can ride all day long now without any issue. This is with stock seat and Coleman ATV top pad. They do almost feel like ape hangers though and I feel like an old man with them on the bike, but comfort trumps all else. Putting them against the stock bars, they are quite a bit taller
I have the Pro Taper SE ATV high bars on my 2014 CRF250L and find them very comfortable. Can you post a picture of your Terry Adcox seat please. I would really like to see his product on the CRF.
Audiovox cruise control will fix rhe shoulder.
Not the style of seat you would usualy see on this sort of bike but it is so much better than the stock for longer rides.
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Bar risers helped my 950 KTM a little , more conservative throttle control helped my shoulders and back a lot , also made my back tires last twice as long .
Thanks again for all the response. I'll have to put some thought into all the options and suggestions y'all have given me. I have a habit of trying the cheapest route first but it doesn't always end up being the cheapest or best in the long run. Have to start somewhere.
New Bars are only about $70.
SwampFox
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Our used CRF250L came with 2 inch risers already installed with stock bars. I haven't studied how the routing of the cables. It is more comfortable for me, but actually more rise than I truly need.
We installed the ATV-High bars on our TW200, but had to reroute some cables to outside the triple tree. These bars definitely improved the ride and comfort for me. The sweep of the bars (angle of the grips) play into comfort as well. As i recall, the ATV bars do have more sweep-back than most motorcycle aftermarket bars.
An easy option to test benefit from risers is to install a set of Tusk 30mm bar risers to see if it helps. We did such on the TW before mounting the ATV bars.
We installed the ATV-High bars on our TW200, but had to reroute some cables to outside the triple tree. These bars definitely improved the ride and comfort for me. The sweep of the bars (angle of the grips) play into comfort as well. As i recall, the ATV bars do have more sweep-back than most motorcycle aftermarket bars.
An easy option to test benefit from risers is to install a set of Tusk 30mm bar risers to see if it helps. We did such on the TW before mounting the ATV bars.
Looks Comfy
Ordered the bars you mentioned. 40 bucks on amazon delivered!! Got'em yesterday and installed today. If I measured right, they are 1 3/4" taller, 3/4" wider with 1 1/4" more pull back. Like you said, I had to re-route the clutch cable and brake line. Now to find the time for a good long ride to see how my shoulders and back like'em.
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Bar risers on my FJR made a huge difference in my opinion. It set the bars back just enough to allow me to sit comfortably with relaxed arms. I put them on both FJR's I owned. I added them to each KTM for a different reason, to allow me to stand and reach the bars more comfortably. Good thing about them is that they're not a huge investment so putting them on and finding out they do little or nothing to help won't break the bank.
Yes
I continue to be mystified at how difficult motorcycles are to adjust to fit the rider. Fit is critically important.
That said, think about bar risers as a solution. Assuming the manufacturer actually built the bike for some average proportioned person, then bar risers are indicated if you have average proportions but a longer than average torso. If you are just taller than this average person then you need bars with less pull back to go with being taller because your arms are also longer than average.
Something I have found over nearly 3 decades of bicycling and other exercise (most recently rowing) and lot of physical therapy is that shoulder pain is elusive to diagnose and can be tricky to treat. It's not always just shoulder activity that is the cause. If you have shoulder pain from motorcycling then I'd suggest trying doing bent rows and a stretching routine to try to get your shoulder static joint position to be more balanced. Changing handlebar position may be a temporary band aid but not a fix, IMHO.
That said, think about bar risers as a solution. Assuming the manufacturer actually built the bike for some average proportioned person, then bar risers are indicated if you have average proportions but a longer than average torso. If you are just taller than this average person then you need bars with less pull back to go with being taller because your arms are also longer than average.
Something I have found over nearly 3 decades of bicycling and other exercise (most recently rowing) and lot of physical therapy is that shoulder pain is elusive to diagnose and can be tricky to treat. It's not always just shoulder activity that is the cause. If you have shoulder pain from motorcycling then I'd suggest trying doing bent rows and a stretching routine to try to get your shoulder static joint position to be more balanced. Changing handlebar position may be a temporary band aid but not a fix, IMHO.
I'm not sure who they use for the proportioning, but boy am I familiar with the long torso issue! I'm 5' 10", but have enough body to be 6' 3". Bar positioning can be a real pain with my short arms. The silver lining is that I find the peg position on most Japanese bikes to be appropriate sure to my short legs. I just have to be mindful of seat height.