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My Initial "Crampbuster" Review

Dr. Dolittle

Dr. Dolittle

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I had some issues with hand tingling and soreness on a long, multi-day ride a few weeks ago:

Aches and Pains After a Long Day - Harley Davidson Community

I ordered and installed a "Crampbuster" and went for a 300 mile ride yesterday with them - what can I say, it was simply magnificent in north Georgia Thursday!!

So far, I'll give it a grade around a C. I just couldn't find the "sweet spot" as far as the location on the right grip. If I had it high enough to easily rest my hand on for a break, it sort of bugged me during normal throttle operation. Vice versa, if it was low enough to be out of the way for normal riding, it was too low to effectively rest my hand on.

There was still improvement over my last long ride so I'm not complaining too much. Hey, it was only $11 bucks. Anyone else try this product and have similar feelings? Is it something I will get used to pretty quickly?

I'm also starting to think a large part of the problem might be how hard and firm the stock grips are. Hanging on to those things for 6+ hours a day starts to wear on you. Next step might be to try those spongy/foamy grips or move all the way up to the Kuryakyn ISO Grips - pricey but I loved them on my Sportster.

As always, thanks for any input and/or suggestions.
 
I've installed the Kuryakyn version and have the same observation.

In addition, I've installed a lever-type throttle lock. (Can't find the exact one but it is similar to this: Motorcycle Throttle Lock / Cruise Control) I set this so that it just barely holds the throttle. It's easily overridable then, and it's easy to flip it off completely. So far it's been great on long rides.

But, the most important thing (of course) is just riding with good posture and relaxing hands on the grips. Even with no assist it doesn't take a lot of pressure to keep the throttle in position. I find that my hand is just resting on the grip without the fingers really exerting any pressure.
 
Sharky1948 said:
I've installed the Kuryakyn version and have the same observation.

In addition, I've installed a lever-type throttle lock. (Can't find the exact one but it is similar to this: Motorcycle Throttle Lock / Cruise Control) I set this so that it just barely holds the throttle. It's easily overridable then, and it's easy to flip it off completely. So far it's been great on long rides.

But, the most important thing (of course) is just riding with good posture and relaxing hands on the grips. Even with no assist it doesn't take a lot of pressure to keep the throttle in position. I find that my hand is just resting on the grip without the fingers really exerting any pressure.
Click to expand...

Sharky,
I thought about the throttle lock device but I like to ride a lot of twisties where I'm constantly on and off the throttle so I don't want anything impeding it's operation, no matter how slight.
I do try to emphasize relaxing the hands as much as possible but this is obviously still a factor for me since the left hand rarely shows the symptoms as often as the right/throttle hand. I'll keep working on it.
 
Two things that have made it absolutely comfortable to ride long distances...The Mini Apes (9 inch)...because the way they reposition my hands and wrist...and cruise control. Without them I probably couldn't have gone on the rides I have. I wish I could explain with proper terminology of the wrist reposition..its like your wrist are completely straight and a little higher( kinda like a neutral position ). You can open your hands and let them completely rest on the grips and still maintain complete control in a split second if necessary. If you can find a Harley dealer in your area that has the tool that you can set on and try several handle bars then you would understand what I mean...I am so freakin bad at trying to explain stuff like this..sorry! Good luck with that...and better luck trying to understand what I am trying to say...:D
 
Fourdogs said:
Two things that have made it absolutely comfortable to ride long distances...The Mini Apes (9 inch)...because the way they reposition my hands and wrist...and cruise control. Without them I probably couldn't have gone on the rides I have. I wish I could explain with proper terminology of the wrist reposition..its like your wrist are completely straight and a little higher( kinda like a neutral position ). You can open your hands and let them completely rest on the grips and still maintain complete control in a split second if necessary. If you can find a Harley dealer in your area that has the tool that you can set on and try several handle bars then you would understand what I mean...I am so freakin bad at trying to explain stuff like this..sorry! Good luck with that...and better luck trying to understand what I am trying to say...:D
Click to expand...

As they say, "Great minds think alike!" I understand exactly what you're saying and new bars are definitely a possibility. Just thought I'd start with the least expensive options first (grips) and work my way up. Also don't want to change the look of my FLHX too much so I'm not sure about the apes, mini or otherwise. My bike came with cruise so I know what you mean about that.

My quest for the perfect ride continues!
 
Dr. Doolittle said:
Sharky,
I thought about the throttle lock device but I like to ride a lot of twisties where I'm constantly on and off the throttle so I don't want anything impeding it's operation, no matter how slight.
I do try to emphasize relaxing the hands as much as possible but this is obviously still a factor for me since the left hand rarely shows the symptoms as often as the right/throttle hand. I'll keep working on it.
Click to expand...

One thing I've found that helps is covering the brake with two fingers (index and middle) while in the twisties. I was reading Smooth Riding by Reg Pridmore who is a proponent of that. I've found that it naturally relaxes the hand, and makes transitioning from throttle to brake and vice versa much smoother. I've become a fan of it.
 
I installed the Krome Werks Sweeper bar. Made a big difference in my comfort when riding. Installing cruise this week, already have a cramp-buster.
The Mustang seat and back-rest is also a big help:s
 
rocknrod said:
I installed the Krome Werks Sweeper bar. Made a big difference in my comfort when riding. Installing cruise this week, already have a cramp-buster.
The Mustang seat and back-rest is also a big help:s
Click to expand...

Well, I've got cruise, crampbuster, and a Sundowner and backrest on order so I'm almost there, right? Been looking at Wild 1's website but I'll have to check out Krome Werks.

For comparison's sake, how tall are you and what's your inseam?
 
rocknrod said:
I installed the Krome Werks Sweeper bar. Made a big difference in my comfort when riding. Installing cruise this week, already have a cramp-buster.
The Mustang seat and back-rest is also a big help:s
Click to expand...

Yep, the backrest helps a lot! Has eliminated back aches and reduced arm fatigue for me.
 
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