Loads of motorcycle riders experience numb hands during their rides. Trust me if I tell you that you’re not the only one having the problem.
I’ve looked up 18 tips against numb hands on a motorcycle, to help you get rid of this discomfort. Most people think of a carpal tunnel syndrome when they have this feeling in their hands and wrists, but often it’s caused by the vibration in the handlebars.
Please note that not every tip will work for you. You should try them out and find out what works best for your situation. Do these tips not work? In that case, you might consider visiting a doctor. Now, let’s get started. Here we go!
Grab your handlebar by the end and rest your pinky finger on the bar end
This is something I do personally, just because I feel like I have more control over my gas. I rest my pinky finger on the side/end of the handlebar, whiles grabbing the handlebar with my other fingers.
This makes me feel more in control and I can hit the gas more precise. Some riders have experienced that this makes a difference for their numb hands.
Wear carpal tunnel arm braces
Carpal tunnel arm braces might help to reduce the numb feeling in your hands. They are not specially designed for motorcycle riders, but you could wear them on your bike.
Just keep in mind that your gloves might not fit anymore. You’ll have to wear larger gloves since the braces increase the thickness of your wrists.
Do you experience numb hands on a bicycle as well? Then you could wear the braces on a bicycle first, to see if it makes any difference. This saves you quite some money since you know if the bigger gloves will be worth it or not.
Use padded (gel) gloves
One of the best tips is to wear the right gloves. Go for gloves that are well padded. Some motorcycle gloves even come with gel in the palms, to reduce vibration from the handlebars.
This is so important, that we made a complete article about the best gloves for numb hands.
Exercise when you’re off the bike
Exercising will improve your overall fitness and core strength, making you stronger. A fit and strong body can handle a bigger impact, so you might benefit from it on the bike.
You can also do some finger exercises when you’re off the bike. You could squeeze a little stress ball to increase your finger strength over time.
Use heated grips
This is a tip for all riders that use their motorcycle during cold weather. Every single motorcyclist will have a hard time riding his/her bike when it’s freezing cold outside.
Heated grips will keep your hands and finger warm, preventing loss of feeling in the fingers.
I don’t have any problems with numb hands, but I also lose the feeling in my fingers when it gets too cold outside.
Remove rings before riding
Your wife or man might dislike this one, but some riders experienced that they had a better feeling in their hands when removing their rings before riding their bike.
I would suggest you just try it at least once, to see if it makes a difference for you. I’m not married or engaged, so I don’t have any experience in riding with a ring around my finger.
Use cruise control
If you have cruise control, try to use it as often as possible. This will allow you to relax your hands.
Don’t have cruise control? Then you can consider a Throttle control system (link to Amazon) that will keep your bike at a certain speed.
Does this seem a bit frightening to you? In that case, you could use the Cramp Buster (link to Amazon), which is a simple piece of plastic, helping you to hit the gas more easily.
Release muscle tension
Muscle tension can be a cause of your numb hands. You can release the muscle tension by squeezing/pumping your hands. Just squeeze the handlebar, and let go. Squeeze again, and let go. Etc.
It’s hard to do this whiles you are driving because you won’t be able to maintain the same speed. I personally do this when I’m behind traffic lights.
Add anti-vibration risers
This is a great option when you have an Adventure bike. An anti-vibration riser will raise your handlebar and take some of the vibrations away.
Vibrations are one of the main causes of numb hands on a motorcycle. Rox (American brand) makes great risers and they are available for many motorcycles on Revzilla.
Rest your hand in your lap
You will need cruise control for this tip as well. It can be helpful to rest your hands on your lap (one by one of course).
Just pop your bike into cruise control and rest those hands one by one. You can also do some squeezing/pumping whiles your hand is resting on your lap.
I don’t have any experience with this since I don’t have cruise control on my motorcycle.
Fill your handlebars with silicone or Bar Snake
Filling your handlebars with vibration absorbing material will reduce the level of vibrations in your handlebars.
Silicone will work, but there is also a special product called “Bar Snake” that you can use for this. Just make sure you measure the right diameter before you buy the product.
Shake your hands out
Shaking your hands out feels great after a long ride. You can even shake your hands out whiles riding your bike if you want.
Make sure your seat isn’t too high
Check the height of your seat. A high seat will make you bend forward, putting pressure onto your wrists because you will rest on your handlebar.
Are you shorter than average? Then you could look into smaller bikes. I made a list of tips for short riders (link), some of these tips might affect your numb hands.
Grip gas tank pads
Adding tank pads to your motorcycle will make it easier to grab the tank with your legs and knees. This will take some of the weight off your hands and wrists since you support your body with your knees.
Tank pads are widely available and you can even buy bike specific ones that fit your model.
Reposition your handlebars
This tip might be a bit of work. It’s all about repositioning your handlebars so your wrists are more straight.
You’ll have to loosen the handlebar mounts and rotate the handlebar until they are at a comfortable angle for the wrists. You should do this with somebody else. You can sit on the bike and say which position is best, whiles the other person twists the bars and tightens it up again.
You could also reposition the handlebars so that they are closer to your body, just try what feels best for you.
Reposition the brake and clutch levers
Make sure your wrists can stay straight whiles applying the break of the clutch.
Most bikes have an adjustable lever, but this only adjusts the space between the handlebar and the lever itself. It doesn’t change the angle of the lever.
Aftermarket levers are widely available and you can consider changing them if you feel like the levers cause problems to your hands and wrists.
Bar end weights
Bar end weights may help you to ride the bike more comfortable. Motorcycles have bar end weights when they roll out of the factory, but you can replace them with heavier weights when needed.
This is a pretty easy job and will take you less than 10 minutes.
Replace the stock grips
Last but not least; you can replace the stock grips with softer foam grips! The foam will transmit less vibration to your hand, which might decrease the numb feeling in your hands.
Just make sure to go for a high-quality grip. The grips have to survive the grip of your hands, the heat of the sun and the cold of the rain. Don’t try to go cheap on this, since the grips are the connection between you and the bike.