Track Day Hand Numbness

So after tracking the V2 all of 2024, the bike performed unbelievable. Loved every second of it ... except ... that starting on the second day or towards the end of the day my hands would start going numb, mostly my right hand but also a bit on the left. I know the twins vibrate a lot especially at high rpms. I am in the process of winterizing and doing a full track bike build over the winter, but wanted to get some opinions from the hivemind on a few things ...

1. Have any of you switched/use other bikes on the track and experience significantly less hand numbing compared to the PV2? Thinking here is that a 3 or 4-cyl would vibrate less.
2. Any improvements seen with switching gloves possibly? Currently using the Dainese Full Metal 6. I've heard Racer gloves are great but any other thoughts.
3. Long shot but would a quick throttle help (in the way of reduced twist angle for full throttle?)

I love the V2 and has been a blast. Before I dump more money into it just wondering if I am crazy by considering a change. Will also caveat this by adding that my fitness level does need a lot of work, circulation is a slight problem for me so I am sure this has a major impact, as well as body position, experience on the track, staying loose on the bars, and overall just being a better rider. (this is all given and being worked on now haha).

Hand numbness is likely a side effect of you not holding your body with knees against the tank on braking or more importantly hooking with leg against the tank when hanging off

Practice these 2 things, all numbness will go away

Thanks @panibadboy Yep I definitely think it’s because of my poor body position. I’m also considering Monkey Gripp tank extender. I talked to a few people on track who raved about them to help during mid corner BP

Also has to do with suit fit from just above the elbows down.

Hmm interesting, I wasn’t even tracking this. I’m pretty sure my suit is at least one size too small .. bough the 2 piece a while back and it’s still in great shape. I’ve been waiting for a new revision of the Tech10 before I pull the trigger on this but might be good to consider also. Definitely tight around the torso and upper body.

hands going numb is usually a combination of things. Holding the throttle grip too tightly, pressure on your wrists and hands due to poor posture, being forced to support yourself because you're not gripping the tank properly, neck/nerve pinching due to your head being in that tilted back position all the time while you are in the tuck, and even not breathing properly. You can eliminate the culprit (s) one at a time by doing a bit of testing.

The following tests are done with the bike on a stand and engine off.

Try sitting in the tuck with your head back for 10-15 minutes at a time, moving your head but never letting it drop like it would when you are seated more upright. Do this with your arms on the grips, but not actually gripping the bars. If you get tingling/numbness in either hand I'd suggest a chiropractor to see if it helps, and some neck strengthening exercises.

Again, 15 minutes holding the grips tightly and just wiggling the bars back and forth to simulate racing, again in the tuck. See which hand does what, try again with a looser grip to check for a difference. Repeat this experiment at a higher body position and see if things change.

Finally, put a cushion on the seat to force your weight onto your hands, then try the 2nd test again, and see if the added weight exacerbates the problem.

I did this a few years ago, because my Right hand was going numb and tingly. Turned out I was holding on too tightly, my wrists were too straight and a lot of my weight was on my hands, I was not using my legs properly to hold myself upright (1199 tanks are VERY narrow where your knees hit. . .tanks grips REALLY helped with this) and on top of it all I'd had several neck injuries in my youth, and a couple of sessions with my chiropractor not only relieved about half the numbness/tingling in my right hand, but also made it a lot easier to get my head turned so I could see further into the corners. So I was basically getting the full Trifecta of problems plus a couple more. I adjusted all these factors and all my problems went away. I can do 20-25 minute full bore sessions through the twisties with no difficulty now, and even long rides give me almost zero symptoms

Hope this helps.

All great tips … thanks. Very curious on this I’m going to try it in the garage over the winter.

One thing I am curious is how adjusting the bar angles and brake lever position help. I know it gets very personal real quick with everyone’s body geometry and preference.

Also just to note. The first day I for the first 4 or 5 sessions I am totally fine. It’s towards the end of the first day and then the second day that after 10 mins out i feel the numbness, usually to the point where i am pulling in early in the session because I loose feeling otherwise.

The shape of the tank is the real problem imo. Get Kustomcockpits or Monkeygripp on the tank to keep you planted in the seat under braking.

Forewarned said:

The shape of the tank is the real problem imo. Get Kustomcockpits or Monkeygripp on the tank to keep you planted in the seat under braking.

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Some of us just don't have those. The MonkeyGripp for the 1199 is $240, while the KustomCockpit tank extender is $280. Those are not really street oriented pieces, either, though I'm sure they work well on the track. A little stretching and some good Tech Spec tank grips gets it done for me without ruining the lines of the 1199 and making it look like a Camel.

eengineer said:

All great tips … thanks. Very curious on this I’m going to try it in the garage over the winter.

One thing I am curious is how adjusting the bar angles and brake lever position help. I know it gets very personal real quick with everyone’s body geometry and preference.

Also just to note. The first day I for the first 4 or 5 sessions I am totally fine. It’s towards the end of the first day and then the second day that after 10 mins out i feel the numbness, usually to the point where i am pulling in early in the session because I loose feeling otherwise.

Click to expand...

Since it's happening in the later and next day sessions, it sounds like Fatigue is setting in. I'm not sure about your physical condition, but at my age (I'm 66) I'm still active with regular Gym workouts and a daily stretching/running routine. I recently did a straight-thru (except for gas stops) 1600 mile trip out to Colorado to visit my brother on my V-Strom. No numbness or fatigue induced problems on the 22.5 hour ride, though my butt certainly let me know about it the next day. Return trip the same way. But that's a v-strom, not a race bike. But it also emphasizes the need for being in good shape and how your physical conditioning can make this sport easier to endure. A couple of years ago Fabio Quattraro was getting numbing and fatigue in his hands and fore arms in MotoGp, and a lot of those riders get arm pump surgery to help alleviate those problems. So no matter who you are it can creep up on you.

So, do your best and bit of forearm workouts and stretching would probably go a long way to helping. If you feel fatigued, take a pass on a session or two until you feel 100%. No sense in causing damage when it can be avoided, and it's no fun fighting a problem like that just to finish a Session.

It's not about squeezing the tank, that's not possible for every corner. Some hard braking corners I'm braking side saddled with my knee out preparing for the corner. (The pro's leg dangle) The tank is against my thigh and needs to keep me in the seat, especially during trail braking. He is talking about the track after all.

I agree. They work great for the Track. My 'package' could use something like this when I'm slamming the bike down from highly illegal speeds into some 25mph off/on ramp, but if I squeeze the tank hard enough I'm pretty solid in the saddle. Hate to think about doing that for 20-25 minutes on a 15 turn track though. As for my nether regions, I wear things to help with that uncomfortable situation.