Ducati Monster Forum

I know there are risers and clip-ons for the M1100.  What would be best to reduce the wrist strain I get from the stock handlebars while riding, even short trips sometimes?  I am 5'8 and 215. I lift weights regularly and try to hit my core also.   I have only had a 696 and now the 1100 so I do not know what the clip ons would feel like?  I do not know that I am opposed to leaning forward more, I love the cafe racer look but I do not know how comfortable I would be for longer trips.

Any information would be great and if you have a suggestion of risers or clip-ons, could you please provide an example.  I am looking to do whatever on the cheap but I know that is not always possible.

Probably the biggest thing to help would be using your knees and core muscles to hold you up.  Don't use your arms.  Keep your wrists straight, and don't grab the bars tight with your hands.

This has been dicussed more than a few times in the riding techniques section, maybe look over there.

+1-hold yourself up more-you're putting too much weight on your wrists.

Try this-take the left hand off the bars. Hold the throttle like it was an egg-you'll be using the right muscles then.

Well, if your wrist is hurting too much, you might want to lay off for a while... I also heard it can make you go blind.  ;)

QFE

hold the grips like you'd hold a twinkie.

I heard you grow hair on your palms

my vote is for risers.  they make a huge difference for me. 

Work those adductor muscles haha....you know, the machine that the girls do, like a giant thigh master or gyno exam chair.  But seriously, I do them at the end of a leg day and it helps with squeezing the tank, along with a strong core of course. 

Get some bars that are angled back farther.  Hold your arms out toward the bars.  The position your hands naturally fall is where your bars should be.

for the first 3 months of riding my 848 i had that problem of my wrist aching after  20 minutes of riding. then one day while reading twist the wrist i realized that i was riding my bike the wrong way. using my thieghs to hold the tank and my core to hold my body in the position that i want to be in i found that there was no weight on my wrist and no more pain. i was also suprised at mo much nimbler the bike felt now that my extra 200 lbs was off the handle bars. some times after riding for over an hour i feel my wrist start to ache but then i realize that i am leaning on my arms again.

worth making sure the controls are rotated to the right angle before you buy stuff.    For me, every stock bike I've ridden has them too high, so to use the levers your wrists are bent up instead of straight in line with your arms.   

Forgot to mention that.  I rotated my levers down a bit and it made a HUGE difference in wrist pain/stiffness.
IMO bar risers and different bars just make it easier to ride a bike the wrong way, instead of fixing the root of the problem...kind of like installing a steering damper to compensate for poorly adjusted suspension.

Thanks for reminding me to look at the controls.  I never moved them on my 696 due to the mirrors being attached.  I have bar ends now so it is no bid deal to move em.  I adjusted them to see if it will make a difference.  Weather is turning to crap here again so I won't know for a while. 

+1

Your riding will also improve as your arms will be more relaxed.

What about Kegals?  Would that help grip the seat better?

I've never gotten that...intimate...with my seat. :o [laugh]

Seriously, use your thighs to grip, and your core muscles to hold up your upper body.

Remind yourself not to straight-arm the bars by periodically flapping your arms like chicken wings (you'll find you can't if your arms are straight and tense).

That solves most cases of wrist strain.

If you still have issues, look at your riding position, grips, and gloves.