Hey what have you guys found to cure the vibes in the bars? After a fairly short period of time my right hand gets tingly then my thumb and gradually my fingers will go numb if I don't clutch it and coast while shaking that hand. I'm pretty sure the vibes are the problem or it could be my gloves are a bit too snug but my left hand doesn't even get fatigued. The gloves are a mesh top, leather palm "trade master" construction glove. They have a tight fit but I wonder if it's too tight, the large size was floppy in the fingertips and this seemed just right.

Anyway would softer grips help with the numbness? If so how do I know which grips will fit, I think someone had said the throttle tube on our bike is a bit shorter than most? What makes a good grip? What is all this talk of a "bar snake" and can it be used with our stock bars?

 

You might also try just using a looser grip on the bars... My guess is your right hand gets it but your left doesn't because you've got the throttle in a death-grip. Try to just relax and hold the throttle with as little pressure as needed to put it where you want it.

 

Bryan, I noticed in another post of yours that you mentioned a lot of vibration at 7000 RPMs. That was you right? I think you should have the bike looked at since it's under warranty. The reason I say is because the KLX IMO is one of the smoothest Thumpers out there. In fact it is smoother than any 1/4 liter Thumper has the right to be. You definitely should not be experienceing vibration related numbness and my bike is very smooth all the way up to redline.

 

I went so far as using only my fingers and down pressure, not even hanging onto the bars once I was at a steady cruising speed and the bar vibes were still noticeable. Is there anything I should check, like could something be loose causing the vibes at high rpm?

Actually Bryant is my last name, first is Josh so its last name then initials.

 

I don't know much about motors but being that its gear driven could it be possible that the balancer is out of sync or something?

 

Check your oil. Thumpers tend to vibrate when low on oil. Other than that, since it's under warranty, you should have the dealer look at it. No reason for you to go crazy. That's the beauty of warranties.
It's really hard to comment without seeing how much your engine vibrates. Everyone's tolerance level is different. One man's vibration could be another man's smoothie.
Numbness in your hands are usually caused by two things. From pressure or vibration. When I say pressure, I mean unusual bar position or low clip ons(Ducati 996). I don't think the KLX would qualify for that. When I say vibration I mean as in Harleys. Once again, I don't think the KLX vibrates anywhere enough to put your hand to sleep. For all I know, your KLX may be perfectly normal and your hand just happens to be bothered by that frequency. Either way, I would at least show the dealer and ask if your vibration is within the norm.

 

I didnt seem to notice it before I changed the oil, I changed it per the manual let it drain forever etc, new filter, installed the filter properly spring definitely seated. Sitting there dry propped vertical by jackstands the oil was dead on for the level, after sitting a few days its over full and I have used a clean syringe and fuel line to pull some out but it seems like after its sat the oil is too full. I'll pull some more out tomorrow to get it to be definitely between the two lines but I only put in around 1.3 quarts when it calls for 1.5 when changing the filter too. I'm thinking that there was still some oil in the lines that drained down or something. The high rpm vibration is definitely not a question of tolerance, the plastic goes nuts its a really high frequency and you can hear it in the body panels which I just snugged down. I'll check the oil tomorrow and go for another ride and see if there is anything else I can think of.

 

Josh,

I have the exact same problem and have been to my GP and a specialist about the issue.

The actual symptoms are due to Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (don't panic just yet). The Carpal Tunnel is basically a pathway through your wrsit that your tendons to your hand etc run through. However, also in there is the median nerve which is the nerve running to your thumb and index finger. Some people have narrower tunnels (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), which can occur if you do a lot of manual hand labour. In my case it is because I have broken my right wrist twice.

Anyway, if you have a narrowed carpal tunnel, and you apply pressure or vibration to the wrist, especially while it is bent (like in a open throttle position), fluid will build up in the tunnel area. Since the nerve is soft, it gets squashed and causes the numbness. The small fluid build up occurs in everyone, but there is normally sufficient room in the carpal tunnel to not cause the squashed nerve (except in people like you and me).

The good news is that it doesn't really do any damage, but over time you can loose strength to that hand and the numbness may take days to go away (for me, it can take a week or so if I do a really big or full weekend of off-road riding).

So how to fix it?

Well, you can't fix the fact that you've got a narrow carpal tunnel without surgery, which is common and very successful in most cases, but not a first resort.

Some other things that can help are:

- Take 2 Nurofen before riding. It contains 'ibuprofen' which is an anti inflammatory and will limit the fluid build up. This is probably the best thing I've done (as suggested by my doctor). I don't like taking drugs for no reason but this has helped a lot and I would rather that than a week of numbness.

- Using larger diameter, softer grips. I've also done this and it's helped a lot. I now run foam grips which are probably about 1/4" thick which limit the amount of vibration to the hands and stop the degree/angle through which my wrist turns. They aren't as gripy as rubber grips, but not too bad.

- Bar snakes. I've looked into these but haven't yet got one. I think the combination of wrist bend and pressure are probably bigger factors than vibration, but if you do try one please let me know the results.

- Fit a quicker action throttle. This is something I'm quite interested in as I find the KLX throttle to be too slow anyway (you have to turn it a long way to get from idle to full throttle). This will help reduce the amount you have to bend your wrist. The Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is aggravated most when pressure is applied to a BENT wrist!

- Try not to hold on as tight (as someone else suggested).

- Wrist braces/splint. This limits the amount you can twist your wrist. I've got a recommendation to get one made by a hand specialist, but haven't got it done yet. I see it being too much of an inconvenience when riding.

Anyway, that should do. I definitely recommend starting with the Nurofen and maybe some different grips. Make sure your handle bars are setup right too and that your wrist is not in a normally bent position.

Cheers,

Droflet

PS - fro more info, google "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome"

 

One problem wiht MX grips is that they are relatively thin. I went to my favorite street bike gell grip and it cured most of the vibes. It's made by Progrip. It's fairly thick, but not too big and still have plenty of grip unless you ride in a lot of mud. I don't remember the exact model.

I also went to a ProTaper oversized aluminum handlebar. I think teh vibrations are a little less noticeable and I like the angle on the bars better now. My aftermarket handguards also add some weight ot hte end of the bars that help vibration a little.

The biggest thing is that bone stock the engine was really smooth, with the crankcase breathe mod and aftermarket pipe, it's not as smooth.

 

Interesting note on the Carpal tunnel, I can ride my Sportsman 500 HO for 6 hours continuously with a thumb throttle and it doesn't bother me at all, but that thing even wide open at 6300 rpm doesnt vibrate near as much as the KLX and it has much nicer grips. I do type alot and rode 4 wheelers quite a bit since I was a little kid. I'm only 23 so I thought it was kinda early for Carpal Tunnel symptoms but I guess not.