the theory of evolution

General Biker Banter
Post Reply
haynesjones66
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:44 pm
Location: sunny west wales

the theory of evolution

Post by haynesjones66 »

nothing to do with that bloke darwin, but more of an observation really, based on my own experience. i've been riding for over 40 years and owned countless bikes, mostly of the upright variety. i sat on a few clip-ons and rear sets bikes and felt immensely uncomfortable in that position. i rode one of the first gsxrs in 85 or whenever they came out, and it felt as if my hip was pulling out of joint. fast forward to 2016 and i've been riding tourers and most recently, adventure type bikes. just over a year ago, i felt a dreadful pain in my hip and knee joints and i went to the doc who confirmed it was the early stages of arthritis. eventually it got so bad that i couldnt ride anymore, and my beloved versys and fazer had to go. i test rode a few harleys which were ok, but i came across a honda DN-01 which is a weird twist and go 700 V twin thing and it seemed ideal for a while. anyway, i needed cash to work on my 750-4 restorations so the DN had to go. unsure of what to do next, i looked at a few scooters etc but obviously nothing appealed. i happened to get a call from an old work mate who had what i thought was a tuono, but it was an rsv fighter thing with straight bars. he had had a few drinks to many and couldnt ride the bike home so he asked if i would pick it up for him. i agreed as it was only 10 minutes away. my wife drove him home and they waited for me to arrive. quite a long while later i finally turned up to a fuming wife and worried mate. i have to say that the rsv was a hoot and i was amazed at how comfortable it felt even with quite high rearsets. he was the one who suggested a vtr and i still find it strange that i can now sit on something that i couldnt, 5 or 10 years ago.
it got me wondering if our posture changes over time, or adapts to what we do, our work etc. anyone else have any experience of this kind of thing? technically, i shouldnt be able to ride a vtr, especially with standard bars, but it really is comfortable-ish.
grumpyfrog
Posts: 1545
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 1:22 pm
Location: Tayside

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by grumpyfrog »

I can understand what your saying, but there is something different about the posture of the VTR.
Members on here are about extreme as the human body goes but we all get on with it, yes I've had flat bars on a previous one and clip ons currently but I can still do 800 miles over a long weekend and never realy have that battered feeling. Must say my knees are starting to play up but that's probably the rear sets more than anything else.
Don't hassle me
I'll get there at some time
User avatar
fabiostar
Posts: 7541
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:53 pm
Location: sunny belfast

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by fabiostar »

with age brings all sorts of pains lol.

before i sold my yellow bike.. it had high bars and i loved the riding postion. felt far more natural and was fun to hussle in the twisties. but due to bits of me falling apart i found the pain in my hips/butt made it sore to ride.
my blue bike at the same time has/had clipons. so all being equal it should have been more uncomfortable to ride but it wasnt??

for me its a case of spreading the load between arms and ass :thumbup:
the older i get,the faster i was :lol:
haynesjones66
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:44 pm
Location: sunny west wales

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by haynesjones66 »

i'm kind of wondering how i will deal with the new straight bars i'm fitting at the mo. sitting on the bike seems a little odd but i'm hoping the wind will lift me off the bars a little
bobbler
Posts: 111
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:54 am
Location: Co. Durham

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by bobbler »

I have previously struggled with weight on my wrists from the clip ons on gsxrs, ducs etc. I then had a Fazer with renthals that made it amazingly comfortable and flickable but after an hour or so in the saddle my ass was starting to go numb.

I'm pretty new to vtr's but the position really seems to work. Riding for just shy of a couple of hours and around 100 miles on all sorts of roads from a-roads to farm tracks was no problem last night. The only issue I have is I feel the bars need a bit more width for leverage but I'm planning a flat bar conversion over the winter that should sort that.
User avatar
sirch345
Site Admin
Posts: 21669
Joined: Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:35 pm
Location: The West Country.

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by sirch345 »

haynesjones66 wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 3:49 pm nothing to do with that bloke darwin, but more of an observation really, based on my own experience. i've been riding for over 40 years and owned countless bikes, mostly of the upright variety. i sat on a few clip-ons and rear sets bikes and felt immensely uncomfortable in that position. i rode one of the first gsxrs in 85 or whenever they came out, and it felt as if my hip was pulling out of joint. fast forward to 2016 and i've been riding tourers and most recently, adventure type bikes. just over a year ago, i felt a dreadful pain in my hip and knee joints and i went to the doc who confirmed it was the early stages of arthritis. eventually it got so bad that i couldnt ride anymore, and my beloved versys and fazer had to go. i test rode a few harleys which were ok, but i came across a honda DN-01 which is a weird twist and go 700 V twin thing and it seemed ideal for a while. anyway, i needed cash to work on my 750-4 restorations so the DN had to go. unsure of what to do next, i looked at a few scooters etc but obviously nothing appealed. i happened to get a call from an old work mate who had what i thought was a tuono, but it was an rsv fighter thing with straight bars. he had had a few drinks to many and couldnt ride the bike home so he asked if i would pick it up for him. i agreed as it was only 10 minutes away. my wife drove him home and they waited for me to arrive. quite a long while later i finally turned up to a fuming wife and worried mate. i have to say that the rsv was a hoot and i was amazed at how comfortable it felt even with quite high rearsets. he was the one who suggested a vtr and i still find it strange that i can now sit on something that i couldnt, 5 or 10 years ago.
it got me wondering if our posture changes over time, or adapts to what we do, our work etc. anyone else have any experience of this kind of thing? technically, i shouldnt be able to ride a vtr, especially with standard bars, but it really is comfortable-ish.
Interesting that, not that I have experienced anything like that so far,

Chris.
tony.mon
Posts: 15943
Joined: Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:46 pm
Location: Norf Kent

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by tony.mon »

The problem with comparisons to previous bikes is that you were younger then, and the rose tinted spectacles effect applies
It's not falling off, it's an upgrade opportunity.
haynesjones66
Posts: 411
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:44 pm
Location: sunny west wales

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by haynesjones66 »

as a follow on, i've been on a short, slightly illegal ride with my straight bars and i'm really considering changing back to standard. fabio's comments further up the page seems to be spot-on.
User avatar
KermitLeFrog
Posts: 1634
Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:44 pm
Location: Hexham

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by KermitLeFrog »

Took the Storm out for a ride the other day. Hadn't been on it for a while. Been using bikes with flat bars. Felt weird and uncomfortable to begin with, especially around town. But, once out of town the discomfort went away and the control and precision given by the OEM clip ons felt great. Must use it more often.

Sent from my LLD-L31 using Tapatalk

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered" (George Best, RIP)
User avatar
sniffipn
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Aug 19, 2018 8:21 am

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by sniffipn »

when i ride a bike with clipons, i find daily abdominal exercises helpful. no six-pack and doctor reminds me that i'm no longer 21. without the exercise, i soon lean on the bars. does the vxr tank offer support for body?
User avatar
nigelrb
Posts: 465
Joined: Fri Aug 24, 2018 3:43 pm
Location: nr Worcester UK

Re: the theory of evolution

Post by nigelrb »

Again late to the party on this thread due to my 'new member' status and continually trawling through interesting posts.

Interesting observations from many members. Only yesterday I posted in another thread that for me, the VTR is 'ergonomically perfect'. (I'm 5'9"). As another has pointed out, we are making our observations over previous experience. I still ride Fireblades which have a very 'cramped' riding position. On that basis, the VTR is much more relaxed and roomy. If, however, I'd come from an Africa Twin, I'd probably be saying the VTR is cramped.

I accept the situation IS different if we are plagued by some 'ailments' and I hope that when I become afflicted with age-related problems I can still find suitable machines before submitting to a mobility scooter! :oops:
Post Reply