Posts
2
Joined
8/10/2025
Location
Sonoita, AZ, USA
This has probably been asked and answered a million times, but I'm going to do it. I have been riding tracks for over 20 years and just purchased a 2024 YZ450F last year. I'm having issues with elbow pain and numb hands. I have always used, Pro taper bars with pillow grips. I do wear elbow sleeves that do help. I bought a thicker glove that seems to help as well. I wear 3XL gloves. I have been concentrating on loosening my grip and using my knees more. Any recommendation on what set of grips anyone has found relief with. Thanks in advance
04 oem cr125 grips. I had elbow surgery cut on my funny bone 2 3/4 hrs ruined 2 fingers threw hand into wrist. Nerve damage in shoulder , all disk in neck ruptured that causes arm & finger numb problems . I could go on for hrs on injuries. The grips are super tacky & padded well . Way better grips than 25 Hondas or anything out there.
Sounds like you have huge hands and that regular grips are awfully damn small for you(hence, you’ve already tried a bigger grip. Isn’t The Rogue bigger?). I’m guessing that “hanging on” to the bike has you squeezing the grip too hard…& too often/too long a period of time.
I’d be looking towards advice from specialists and the well informed answers they might have. I can’t help wondering if your body position on the bike is also an issue? Does it cause your arm/hand position to be over-stressed?
I’d look for sports specialists that deal with athletes with large hands…from golf to rowing…this can be an issue.
Good luck!
"I have been concentrating on loosening my grip and using my knees more."
IMHO there's your answer, in addition to tire choice, pressure and suspension setup.
Curious, where your other bikes as "gnarly" so to speak, as the YZ450? You may just be holding on a bit tighter.
It sounds like a handful of variables might be causing your issue. In theory, you could be subconsiously gripping tighter to compensate for the lack of direct feeling in the grip due to the combination of the soft/padded gloves and the pillow grips. The elbow sleeves might feel comfortable but there's a possibility they could be obstructing bloodflow. Maybe the handlebar position is putting your arms in an awkward spot, or possibly the bar bend itself (assuming you changed to a different bend than stock)? Throttle play is another subtle setting which heavily influences your instinctive throttle response.
I've had slight numbess in my right hand ever since my collarbone surgery 4 years ago. I was running Renthal Kevlar grips for the longest time but I eventually gave the regular soft compound a try and it's been a huge help. They also have a new lock on version if you're not interested in safety wire installation. I also like to run thinner type of gloves (Seven Annex and Zero glove).
Physiotherapy also goes a long way. Even stretching can help with making blood flow more effiecient. I had a recent tip over where I had numbness return on my right side, which eventually went away with enough stretching.
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https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/moto-related/numb-hands
https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/moto-related/funny-bone-pain
And a more recent thread https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/moto-related/ulnar-nerve-sub-muscular-reposition
The yzf450 has a hard hit from what I hear . I was rt behind 1 on the inside by a pay loader tire . He slammed his brakes on then I got blasted trying get around him . And knocked down & hit on the ground in 55+. A lot of turns etc I don’t see that bike having an advantage on a technical track. Great young riders sell there yzf 450,s it might be a good bike for a west coast big open tracks but not on tight stuff. You get permanent nerve damage from cutting on the funny bone nerve . No fix for nerve damage ask AC9 .
I work in the fitness industry and for years my specialty was pain/injury/rehab. The most common issues I found when people had hand numbness and elbow pain was a tight neck. It's very common for people who have desk jobs, or drive a lot.
Get a lacrosse ball and put against a hard wall, lean the are I circled below into the ball against the wall, and rub the ball into the circled areas muscle, spending the most time in the areas that hurt the most for 1 minute at a time. Then, for the trap muscle, rub/massage gun back and forth in both directions like the arrows show.
I'm not saying this is your issue, but in my experience 90% of the time this does the trick. If this isn't your issue and I'm wrong, worst case scenario, you'll loosen some tight muscles.
I hope I'm right and this helps.
Thanks everyone for the replies. They're very helpful. I do have huge hands ( I always find killer deals on gloves). I'm 6' 210 an d in shape. I have the Pro Taper YZ high bend. I have always ridden a yz450f just different years. I did forget to mention, I just upgraded my springs and shock to Race Tech. I haven't ridden since. I'll be riding Pala at the end of the month so I'll see how it goes. I do have my bars set at the middle mark. I will try moving them 1 more mark to move my bars forward. Great idea about the shoulders, my bride suggested the same thing. I really appreciate all the info, it's priceless. If I missed anything or I didn't reply to a message, I do apologize. I will give an update with the outcome. Thanks again.
Its a pinched or tight nerve most likely, in elbow.
Go to a specialist, let them measure it. Get the surgery.
They do hand & finger test . Then inject the elbow . 2 weeks later test again. If you fail the test you hv surgery. But don’t do it your pinky will be 100% numb & cold when it’s 90 out. Next finger 80% numb both finger threw hand into wrist will be numb forever. Try to get a massive doze of prednisone instead . If that don’t work let it rest for a yr.
Ive done it on both my elbows. Fixed all the numbr issues, no drawbacks.
Fixed the other nerves also that limits strength in fingers, inside of elbow.
Very common thing for Enduro and mx rider since we build very specific muscles.
Sounds like your ulnar nerve to me. I'd watch some videos on "nerve glides" and sleeping position. The bike change may exacerbate the problem but isn't likely the root cause.
That’s good sounds like you got lucky . My surgeon said I never saw such an active nerve . And I did mlb pitchers . I hv Super twitch muscles my left hand & arm always had a quick twitch. It does that everyday even when your not doing anything. Great for the clutch tho
Not speaking about the numbness, but as far as bike setup, I'd advise not rolling your bars past the angle of the forks. In my experience, it stretches your arms far out and makes the front feel a little more nervous. If you want your elbows to tuck in, consider rolling them back (from neutral/in line with forks) a couple of degrees. A couple of degrees can make a big difference.
Solid Vital advice!
Something to help rule out bike set up. Find a good local riding coach. You out in Cali so it wont be hard. Pay for a day of training but let them know you wanna focus on bike set up and riding position due to your hands going numb from your arms being bent. They will help you go through a range of suspension adjustments and bar lever positions. Plan to do 2 days with them a couple weeks apart. Ask for recommendations on bars if they think a different bar or riser set up might help. I had a buddy who would run i forget what bars at 6'2 and mike evenson who was a trainer at clubmx, now working with weston peicks deal I believe, pointed out a different bar and to run risers in the clamps instead. It made a night and day difference him. Didn't fix everything for him but it did a vast majority of his hand and elbow issues.
Almost all the advice given so far has been pretty spot on it could be one of these issues or a combo of all of them.
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