This afternoon I went for a brief 45 minute ride.
I'm a new "biker" in that I didn't grow up riding dirt bikes. The most time I've ever spent on a bike was during the basic rider course I had to take to get my motorcycle endorsement.
So my normal riding routine is just to putter around the neighborhood for a bit to make sure I remember how to stop, turn, and what not at slow speed. Then I get on a back street and ride a couple miles out to an industrial park to practice low speed maneuvering. Someday someone is going to call the cops on the idiot practicing U turns and turns from a dead start in an empty parking lot.
But since I'm a new biker I have some questions that maybe some of you know the answers to...
Is it the bike or early onset arthritis that is causing the pain in my right hand? I think I can make the problem go away by increasing the diameter of the throttle handle, anything wrong with that?
Is the rhythmic sound that resembles rocks being shaken in a coffee tin? I thought it was the transmission, but the more I think about it the more I think that the drive chain is involved somehow. Would greasing the heck out of it possibly help? Or is it a sign of something more serious like transmission or clutch wear?
Finally found fifth gear. Pretty nifty.
Anyways, if you are in the Lacey/Hawk's Prairie/Olympia area and you see a guy with triangular reflective stickers on his helmet, give him a wide berth, new biker.
About Me
- AM
- Raised by conservative Christian parents, enlisted in the Army at 18, used the GI Bill to finish college, and I'm back in the Army. Along the way I've encountered a huge cast of characters, some I got into trouble with, some that passed on skills that have helped me on my life journey.
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3 comments:
You should clean your chain regularly in any case… but check the tension. Your user manual should tell you how much up/down play is acceptable. Tighten if it's too loose.
Rattling like that could be detonation or pinging as it's more commonly called. How old is the fuel and have you checked your owners manual to see what octane you need to use. Try a tankful of premium octane fuel an see if the noise goes away.
The pain in the hand is most likely caused by pressure of the throttle against the nerves in your wrist, much akin to carpal tunnel, and can last a long time after you ride. One suggestion would be a pair of padded riding gloves- such as sold in bike shops. Get a good pair. Also, your idea of increasing the diameter might help if you make it more of a foam or gel grip.
Since it's a Honda and probably has an overhead valve/cam, I'm going to suggest you check for a chain tensioning under the valve covers- my Honda's cam chain used to loosen constantly to the point that it was a darn irritation to fix repeatedly, though it's easy to do. Just loosen... on second thought, look thru a manual- better description than I'm going to give.
Last point- the pain won't go away by more riding, so go with the glove and a gel grip.
Ride smart, ride safe.
Shy III
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