clutch hand cramp

Ish

Ish

Ish

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Joined
11 Jan 2006
Posts
1,813
Location
West Midlands
Hi

I've been riding for a year but whenever I ride for more than an hour of 'quick' riding I get bad cramp in my left hand. I can just about pull the clutch lever in when it happens. The pain then doesn't go away for a couple of hours.

What am I doing wrong and when it does happen is there anything I can do to make it better?

Thanks
 
'quick' riding suggest heavy breaking. Sounds like arm pump to me tbh, your left arm can't take the increase in body weight that the 'quick' riding gives it.
 
PardonTheWait said:
How relaxed are you when you ride? Do you grip the bars very tight?

Do you ride with your arms locked and lean on your wrists?
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I try and keep the weight off my arms as much as possible but maybe I'm leaning on my wrists too much without realising.

desires said:
'quick' riding suggest heavy breaking. Sounds like arm pump to me tbh, your left arm can't take the increase in body weight that the 'quick' riding gives it.
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I try and grip the tank with my legs when braking. I only get the cramp in my hand, my arm is cramp free!

YarwoodUK said:
How many fingers do you use for the clutch?

I was having a problem with thumb ache on throttle side.
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I have to use 4 fingers with my clutch lever as it would be very diffucult to pull it in with just 2 fingers



To add to my original post I never get any cramp in my right hand.
 
Have a look at the cable routing, & the actual physical state of the inner cable as it might benefit from a bit of lube, doesn't look like there's any clutch issues to report on the Thundercat forums, so ide deffo look at the cable & your posture.
 
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YarwoodUK said:
When riding, are your arms locked straight, or flexible/bent?


Also, what bike are you riding, would give a better idea :P
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flexible and bent most of the time. I have Yamaha Thundercat.

VoG said:
Have a look at the cable routing, & the actual physical state of the inner cable as it might benefit from a bit of lube, doesn't look like there's any clutch issues to report on the Thundercat forums, so ide deffo look at the cable & your posture.
Click to expand...

Will check this out.

wazza300 said:
rub some deep heat onto your wrist,will help with circulation ect
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Will give it a try.


I noticed on the way to work that on my bike only the tips of my fingers reach the clutch lever so I'm only pulling it in with the ends of my fingers. Is this right?

My daily ride to work is only about 20 minutes. Could it be that I'm not used to riding longer distances?
 
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Buy a hand exerciser. I'd say it's purely down to lack of strength in your clutch hand. When I've not ridden for a long time I also get it until I've built the strength up again.

Adjusting your clutch lever in a bit may help. Fingertips is a bit far out for my liking.
 
What position have you got your clutch lever at, If you have to reach over the top of the lever bending your wrist upwards awkwardly that will be the cause of your issue, Loosen the clutch lever & twist it down so that you don't have to twist your wrist or lift your fingers up & over the lever. Hope that makes sense.
Also has the lever got an adjustment wheel on it ? If not you can buy an aftermarket lever that has adjustment built in then you can get the lever closer to the bars so its not so much of a reach.
 
Rilot said:
Buy a hand exerciser. I'd say it's purely down to lack of strength in your clutch hand. When I've not ridden for a long time I also get it until I've built the strength up again.

Adjusting your clutch lever in a bit may help. Fingertips is a bit far out for my liking.
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4T5 said:
What position have you got your clutch lever at, If you have to reach over the top of the lever bending your wrist upwards awkwardly that will be the cause of your issue, Loosen the clutch lever & twist it down so that you don't have to twist your wrist or lift your fingers up & over the lever. Hope that makes sense.
Also has the lever got an adjustment wheel on it ? If not you can buy an aftermarket lever that has adjustment built in then you can get the lever closer to the bars so its not so much of a reach.
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I think you guys are right in that it's a combo of me not being used to riding longer distances especially when out with mates and constantly being on/off the clutch so I've ordered a hand excerciser.

With regards to clutch position ideally I would like to have the lever a a few cm further in but mine doesn't have an adjustment. Is it still possible to move it in?
 
Ish said:
Standard Thundercat levers.

IMAG0120.jpg
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OK, i see the problem, you've got standard wide span levers, swap them for a set of dog legs, as only being able to reach the clutch lever with the tip of your fingers will be putting undue stress on your hand. clicky clicky
 
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If youre riding "spirited" then you dont need to clutch on your upshift. Ease off the throttle and kick it up. Should save your arm a bit. Dont do it going down the box though

Also try to ride less with your arms and more with your body/legs. Your arms should be light on the bars and legs tightly gripped in
 
@ Vog - that lever is the same as the standard lever

@ Souleh - thanks for the tip

@ Dogbreath - I''ll check that out.

I also checked the position my hand rests at on the lever and it's a natural position so adjusting the lever up or down is not needed. I just need to find a way of moving it in a few cm.
 
Ish - just get an adjustable lever! You can get them with the same sort of adjustment as you've already got on the brake lever.
 
Help me out...give me a link as I can't find one anywhere listed for the Thundercat.
 
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