Recommended Stretches/activity to do on gas stops?

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#21
Back to the original topic of stretching. I used to hear the term "doing the dance" from LD riders when I first started doing LD riding. This referenced movement and stretching, isometrics and simply shaking out an arm or leg while riding. You can't literally 'sit there and twist that' for hours on end w/o suffering some effects from reduced circulation. Move your limbs to different positions while riding, (in a safe manner). I like a throttle lock or CC so I can take my throttle hand off the bars and move it back to my saddle bag or rear grab handle and stretch the arm, shoulder, etc. Doing the other side too, but generally not at the same time for obvious reasons. Legs get moved to different positions when I have highway pegs or floorboards, or just shaken out and swung at the knee back and forth a few times before returning to the peg. Standing on the pegs is part of this, but I make an effort to avoid doing that in traffic or in the known presence of an LEO.

I don't care for dropping both feet off the pegs at the same time for a couple of reasons. 1. It's harder to defend if an over zealous LEO stops you for 'stunting', and 2. I like to follow the same rule as climbing a ladder while on the bike, I.E. the 3 point rule in that you always have three points of contact. This just about guarantees that you'll have enough contact to be in control should something un-expected occur.

For that between the shoulder blades pinch, try slouching. Well known as the 'Sport-Touring Slouch' among distance riders on bikes like the FJR and ST1100/1300. Others find this a symptom of the bar sweep or rise being off for them. Play with the ergos if you can.
 

EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#23
Tell me more! What is this 'slouch' everyone else is doing.
It is somewhat dependent on bike position. Roll your hips back, shoulders forward and relax instead of sitting up strait. Doesn't really work on an ADV bike or full Sport bike since the natural seating positions are in opposite directions of the neutral Sport-touring body position.
 
#24
I'm on a Gen2 FJR1300 with small bar risers. After a few hours I get a severe pinch near my left shoulder blade. I try to move around a lot but it doesn't help much. After the pinch starts it'll be there for a week.
 

maxrider

Premier Member
#25
Thank you for not taking the time to read the whole of my post, and for taking the time to write out some of the ways you could talk in court. It helped to flesh out the meaning inherent in my second paragraph. I’m sure you’ll have just as much fun expounding on the law about walking on the right side of the crosswalk.

Yeah, I had to edit the post because I was hungry and took the bait but after careful deliberation, I say have at it kid.
 
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EricV

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#26
I'm on a Gen2 FJR1300 with small bar risers. After a few hours I get a severe pinch near my left shoulder blade. I try to move around a lot but it doesn't help much. After the pinch starts it'll be there for a week.
Have you tried adjusting the sweep of the bars? IIRC, the Gen II bike's risers allow that.

I used to get a similar pinch on my Gen I FJR until I swapped to Helibar risers. Problem instantly went away, along with numb wrist issues. It wasn't a huge change, but it clearly worked for me. Gen II Helibar risers are a new top triple tree sort of thing, and not cheap, but they have been out long enough that you should be able to get some feedback from others that went to them.
 
#27
I've never heard of this being illegal anywhere, but who knows what some Barney Fife will decide is "unsafe."

Frequent movement and stretching is important not only to reduce immediate pain and fatigue, but also to avoid long term health effects like deep vein thrombosis (DVT). I fly on airplanes a lot for my job (already over 100k this year), so DVT is always on my mind. Even in a relatively cramped airplane seat I make a point to move my legs around a lot and do some stretching exercises. You should be doing this on the bike frequently, way before you feel any soreness.

They make compression socks for DVT, I have a few pairs I got when I was flying a lot with my last job (sitting on planes and in airports). I use them when I do long rides also.