stiff neck while riding | GTAMotorcycle.com

stiff neck while riding

Anyone get stiff neck while riding? It's very easy for my neck to get sore after just half an hour of riding. I would say my helmet is average in terms of weight, and I've pretty much reduced wind buffeting to nil.
I ride a vstrom with bar extenders so my posture is basically upright.

Has anyone ridden with a neck brace before that keeps your neck supported and immobile? Which one has worked well for you? Comments appreciated.

Thanks
 
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Not sure if immobilizing your neck is a good idea, it would severely limit your ability to perform shoulder checks and be aware of your surroundings. Perhaps light stretching before riding would help loosen things up. You could also consider a visit to a chiropractor or masseuse and tell them about your symptoms. They should be able to provide suggestions about how to alleviate your pain.
 
Anyone get stiff neck while riding? It's very easy for my neck to get sore after just half an hour of riding. I would say my helmet is average in terms of weight, and I've pretty much reduced wind buffeting to nil.
I ride a vstrom with bar extenders so my posture is basically upright.

Has anyone ridden with a neck brace before that keeps your neck supported and immobile? Which one has worked well for you? Comments appreciated.

Thanks

Wow, what a freaking coincidence. I just got a Vstrom 650 2 months ago and I have the exact same problem. Stiff neck, shooting "knife in the back" by the shoulder area, left side. Anything past 30 mins and it hurts. I have to look down while riding to stretch it out.
Thinking chiropracticor...
 
I have a Winderbender adjustable windshield and get a stiff neck when it's set low. Basically it's wind buffeting doing it to me. If I use a higher setting I'm fine. Unfortunately mine has a manual adjustment which means stopping the bike and pulling some pins etc. Power would be nice. Low for low speed and more cooling and high for the highway.

You say you've reduced buffeting to nil so it could be be weak neck muscles. A good physio should be able to suggest exercises or determine a cause.

If you sat on your bike, helmet on, riding positions, in the garage for a half hour (Boring) would the symptoms appear?
 
Ya'll new riders by chance? If so, you will build up the neck muscles as time goes on. The first few rides in the spring I get it a little, till I get used to it again.
 
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Even though you are sitting in an upright riding position, you may not realize you eventually are hunched over and putting stress on the back of your neck.

It happens to the best of us.

Maybe you jinxed yourself with your choice of forum name.

Speedygonzales was only good for short very fast bursts of energy.

Roadrunner had it all figured out.

*Beep Beep*


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I have a Winderbender adjustable windshield and get a stiff neck when it's set low.
If you sat on your bike, helmet on, riding positions, in the garage for a half hour (Boring) would the symptoms appear?
I have an adjustable windshield. I will try this. It only seems to happen when I am on the highway.
Thanks!
 
Bar extenders ?? You mean risers??

Sounds like you are getting some buffeting at speed OR your grip on the bars is too tight/awkward at speed

Have you tried a throttle lock?

Also if you are not riding daily then expect aches and pains.
 
Bar extenders ?? You mean risers??

Sounds like you are getting some buffeting at speed OR your grip on the bars is too tight/awkward at speed

Have you tried a throttle lock?

Also if you are not riding daily then expect aches and pains.


Thanks for the comments guys, I think it's probably a combination of holding the grips too tightly as well as being a new-ish rider that doesn't ride too much. Will need to strengthen my neck muscles through physio of some sort.

Buffeting is basically nil, and I do have a throttle lock, so that's not it.
 
Wow, what a freaking coincidence. I just got a Vstrom 650 2 months ago and I have the exact same problem. Stiff neck, shooting "knife in the back" by the shoulder area, left side. Anything past 30 mins and it hurts. I have to look down while riding to stretch it out.
Thinking chiropracticor...

I'm going out on a limb here and going to say it's not your bike.

Posture and general fitness are probably more to blame.
 
...Stiff neck, shooting "knife in the back" by the shoulder area, left side.

From my own experience - there are nerves that come out of your spine between the cervical vertebra. I experienced pain that felt it was under the scapula. Caused by pinching of one of the nerves. I did see a physician who ordered an x-ray to examine this. Glucosamine (to hydrate the discs) and a fitness program (stretching and muscle work) remediated this for me. I don't have any experience with chiropractors to be able to comment if useful in this situation.
 
I too just started riding a VSTROM and noticed some neck pain. I have a factory short seat that I use in the city and a tall seat when touring, I only get the neck pain when riding with the short seat, I think it might be the riding position, particularly the high footpegs because it only bothers me with the short seat.

Advil seems to fix the problem.
 
I switched today from my V-Strom to the company NC700, and got some pain in the back right side of my neck, and right shoulder.
It's not my first time riding this bike, but the first time I've had pain.
I think someone has changed the ergos on the bike, since I rode it last.
I'm going to try rotating the levers a little, and see if that helps.
This bike does not have mirror extenders, as my V-Strom does.
The pain came from trying to check the right mirror, at speed, against the wind.
 
On a completely different note, I used to get a horribly sore neck snowmobiling and motorcycling in my youth. Turned out to be a few missing bits in my spine that was leading to instability. I now have a C1-C2 spinal fusion in my neck.

Yeah, probably not your issue...but if it's accompanied by any tingling in your finger tips or other signs of spinal compression, get checked out.
 
I'm going out on a limb here and going to say it's not your bike.

Posture and general fitness are probably more to blame.

Without question. I agree. Just coincidence same bike.
 
Uber aerodynamic and light weight helmet.
:I that's why I pay the big bucks for a carbon fibre street bike helmet, your neck has to carry all that weight plus deal with the wind force.
 
Rotating the levers worked for me yesterday. Make sure that things are easy to reach with loose arms.
 

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