Posts
274
Joined
1/18/2014
Location
Canton, OH
US
Edited Date/Time
5/6/2015 1:28pm
I have a 13 kx450 and I think it might be too much for me (no I'm not ashamed to say it). I have a really hard time holding on to the thing after about 5 laps but I am physically not tired just arm pump like crazy. I kind of feel like I'm fighting it sometimes to keep it under control. I'm coming off of 4 year break from riding and the bike I had before it was an 06 crf250r. I bought my kx brand new in July of 2013 and it's a freshie still. I'm considering switching back to a Honda as I felt way more comfortable and could actually ride a Honda 450 instead of the bike riding me. What are your guys opinions?
Gripping to tight was my reason and I had to force myself to flex my fingers while in the air.
Always hated new bikes. Once setup and trust was there then it would go away.
The Shop
Make sure your levers are in a user friendly position. Whilst in the attack position, your arms and wrists should be straight (from elbows to knuckles). If your wrists are bent it won't help blood flow.
Pro-Taper "Pillow Top" grips helped a bit as well. Before trying them I always used the thinnest grips I could find, didn't expect to like the Pillow Tops but I do, having long fingers might help though, the people I know with short fingers hate them.
I have such a relaxed grip these days I don't wire, glue or use anything on my grips. Doesn't even bother me when they get water under them. I have a mate who goes through a set of grips every ride.
Factory Honda mechanic actually gave me that advice. It did help but learning to relax and breath helped the most. As does riding your own race, staying calm and not getting sucked into someone else's race. Focus on line choice and try to stay out of the rough stuff.
Eat well and drink plenty of water for the few days leading up to a ride.
not gripping the bike with my knees, or riding tight
shitty diet
not enough sleep, too much captain morgan last night
Twisted Engineering bars are 10x better
he said the same thing about his KXF450! it sounds like a beast of a bike!
Face it though, after 4 years, you're probably going to pump up some even if you were riding a CRF230. But before spending a bunch more money on your bike or some other bike, there are a few cheap tricks you can try that might help.
1. Gripper seat or a seat hump. First time I tried a seat hump it took a bit to get used to but it definitely helped take the load off of my arms when accelerating while seated. These are easy to make if you can find some old seat foam or similar foam from old car seats (rear seats on 3 row suvs use pretty similar density foam to motocross bike seats).
2. Gripper tape. I always run this on my airbox and part of my side panels. This makes my lower legs feel locked in place when I grip the bike with my legs.
3. Bars and lever position: as others have said, play around with your bars and levers. Running your levers a little higher will reduce the strain on your forearms and earn you brownie points with DV. There are also some simple ways to adjust the levers to be closer to the bars which might help if you have smaller hands.
4. Pay attention to your technique: My cousin suffered from armpump on his 450 because he rode it like his 250, abusing the clutch and not letting the torque do its job.
5. Pay attention to you fork's air pressure. I'm not sure what the best settings are, but I've heard people complain about air forks feeling harsh if they aren't at the right pressure. I'm sure others here can give you better advice on fork settings.
6. Make sure you have a strong core. Having a grippy seat and grip tape does nothing if you can't use your back and abs to stabilize your upper body.
All of these are very cheap to try before trying a new bike. Good luck.
I'm making/attempting a "come back" after time off the bike as well. Plus I'm 44, I have them on both bikes. I get no arm pump on the MX track, I do while riding off road but only if I'm really pushing hard in tight ST.
+1 on the seat hump. They keep you forward in the corners and also help with starts IMO.,
Pit Row
Try rotating the bars fwd then back, try taller/shorter bars until you find the perfect match for you.
Just a thought..
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