[Michelinstar]

Hi,

Do any of you out there have any solutions to achy knees while riding? I have a Street Triple, so not ultra sporty but on a ride for over an hour I find my knees are really aching.

My knees are in generally good health otherwise with no issues. Curious to know if you guys suffer or have any remedies other than a new bike?


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[Zebraranger]

They make aftermarket adjustable lower foot pegs for just about all bikes. Lowering them by an inch or so is what some do with a bad knee or knees. Of course you'd have to adjust your brake and gear shift lever to coincide with the pegs.

 

[WintrSol]

I have highway pegs mounted to the engine guard bars on both my bikes, so I can straighten my legs from time to time. Some highway pegs can mount without engine guards, too.

 

[mike721]

Move your legs around a lot while riding.
I find all sorts of weird spots to place my legs when on a long ride, and keep them moving around as much as possible. Otherwise my knees get stiff too.

 

[450zuki]

The best solution is a time machine; go back to your 20's and you should be fine on that triple.

]

 

[soupy1957]

For me the problem was exactly opposite. I was starting to have knee problems in my left leg and was walking with a cane everywhere I went for about a year. During that year I didn’t ride the bike at all. Then I decided one day, that I needed to take a ride, knee pain or not; and from that day forward, the knee pain went away!!!!!!

 

[450zuki]

For me the problem was exactly opposite. I was starting to have knee problems in my left leg and was walking with a cane everywhere I went for about a year. During that year I didn’t ride the bike at all. Then I decided one day, that I needed to take a ride, knee pain or not; and from that day forward, the knee pain went away!!!!!!

I had hand problems....doctor wanted to, well, you know he has an Audi and boat payments to make.

Short story...joint pain is often inflammation ...excess weight + high carb diet = inflammation.

I cut the carbs, lost weight (they go hand in hand), and my joint pain went away.

The best medicine is prevention...first recorded a few 1000 years ago...still true today.

(Instead of advising to lose weight, I understand the "falling on deaf ears" of that prescription, doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs...which mask the symptom and cause other problems. Not that there is no use for anti-inflammatory drugs, just that we are a "give me a pill to solve my problems" society and it's literally killing us).

 

[Jo6pak]

I've had 3 surgeries on my right knee over my lifetime Starting with a torn MCL and shattered knee cap when I was 13. Then torn meniscus, ACL, and MCL (again) in my early 20s. Finally, about 3 years ago I had the rest of my meniscus removed after it stared floating around. (hockey and mountain biking can be hard on the joints)

I do as Mike721 suggested. I have several positions that I can flex and straighten the leg as I ride. This may be a bit more difficult on you Triple, but may be doable. Often on the freeway, I will actually hook my heel over the passenger peg for short periods.

Also, talk to a physical therapist abut it. Tey can often give you training, stretches, and exercises to mitigate joint soreness. It may be from "upstream" in the hip or back and presenting at the knee.

 

[S83]

As I get older the more my knees hurt, (and my elbows, wrists, hands, hips, etc,). Its made me really thing about the type of bike I ride. I've always had cruisers but lately I have big issues getting my foot in position to work the controls. I do better on a bike with the controls under me not ahead of me, but that position hurts my knees. It seems like they keep making bikes lower and lower.
Personally, I've tried all the tricks, moving the pegs, forward controls, custom brackets and such but none has worked for me. I think my only real fix will be to find a bike that sits taller with lower pulled back bars.

 

[hogcowboy]

With floorboards and highway pegs I can move around a lot which really helps keep knee pain to a minimum. I don't think I could ride my K100 today. The bike truly does make a difference.

 

[Porky]

Who ever decided that we earthly mortal's needed bike's for the street that only 4ft-5in tall, Horse Jokey's with 25 inch inseams could be happy riding should be flogged with a limp rubber brake line:surprise:

I've bought a bunch of these 'torture' machines and immediately after a long and painful ride of maybe 75 miles, immediately bought quality lowered footpegs and higher handlebars that extended my rides to maybe 100 miles. My ARSE was never happy though:wink2:

At a point probably in every riders life, COMFORT becomes a priority and bike choices sorta kinda change.:smile:

Big cruisers and most sport touring bikes seem to even need individual mod's to work well.

My past Electra Glide and my Goldwing's just laughed at a 500 to 1000 mile putts, they were so comfortable.

Ibuprofen is your friend! 800MG before a ride almost always works for me.

Knee's, shoulder's and back's, can't live with them and cant live without them:grin::grin::grin:

Sam:nerd:

 

[450zuki]

Who ever decided that we earthly mortal's needed bike's for the street that only 4ft-5in tall, Horse Jokey's with 25 inch inseams could be happy riding should be flogged with a limp rubber brake line:surprise:

Sam:nerd:

There are a lot of short guys.

There are 10x more short women...and that was the untapped market until the last decade or so...women are a gold mine....$75 Harley (Made in China) T-shirt?...Men just walk away...Women, "I'll take five; one of each color".

Go to any Harley bike night....POSER CITY...the guys all dressed like their wives in freshly minted Harley dealership "Fashion" clothing. They're having fun, that's fine, but I see a bunch of sheep that have been sheared..again Harley...nice marketing work...no body understands, and executes, a marking strategy better than Harley.

I give the gold medal of most comfortable (not gold wing type class) average street cruiser to the Boulavard C90..that is one comfortable bike. I test rode one and didn't want to get off...I also test road an M105 and after about 5 minutes I was ready run it into the ditch and walk back to the dealership...what an awful machine...insanely powerful, but horribly uncomfortable.

HEY! Japanese bike builders! STOP making your bikes look like transformer toys!

Oh, and also, you Japanese designers...STOP designing the seat with a forward slope that jams my crotch into the gas tank as I ride and especially when I break hard!

 

[Porky]

So pray tell, what do you ride that allows you do be so negative about the most popular and best selling bike in North America????:surprise:

The 'Affluent' and wonderful people enjoying their day at a Harley Dealer, buying high quality clothes, know the value that they are getting from belonging to the COOL Fraternity that is Harley ownership.:smile_big:

I don't ride a Harley at this time although I've had 3. I have really supported the 'Evil Axis,' of Germany, Japan and Italy. I currently own 3 JAP bikes:grin::grin::grin:

Sam:nerd:

 

[seagullplayer]

I don't really have knee issues, but I do try and leave as many foot position options open as I can.

The most easy riding bike I have owned is my current Honda VTX 1300 (2005).

My old Goldwing came in a close second. But its not a cruiser, and it was a 1984. It had over 100K on it when I got it, so it really wasn't a fair fight.

I'm looking at a 2001 Ultra from a guy at work. I have a few Harley shirts and people seem to laugh at me when I wear them while riding my 1995 883. I need to keep up appearances so my trophy wife don't run off...

 

[S83]

There are a lot of short guys.

There are 10x more short women...and that was the untapped market until the last decade or so...women are a gold mine....$75 Harley (Made in China) T-shirt?...Men just walk away...Women, "I'll take five; one of each color".

Go to any Harley bike night....POSER CITY...the guys all dressed like their wives in freshly minted Harley dealership "Fashion" clothing. They're having fun, that's fine, but I see a bunch of sheep that have been sheared..again Harley...nice marketing work...no body understands, and executes, a marking strategy better than Harley.

I give the gold medal of most comfortable (not gold wing type class) average street cruiser to the Boulavard C90..that is one comfortable bike. I test rode one and didn't want to get off...I also test road an M105 and after about 5 minutes I was ready run it into the ditch and walk back to the dealership...what an awful machine...insanely powerful, but horribly uncomfortable.

HEY! Japanese bike builders! STOP making your bikes look like transformer toys!

Oh, and also, you Japanese designers...STOP designing the seat with a forward slope that jams my crotch into the gas tank as I ride and especially when I break hard!

There's a lot of tall guys too, those of us over 6ft tall don't fit well on those low riding cruisers, especially if you have long legs.
I've ridden the C50 and its one of the worst fitting bikes for me, its no better than my S83, my knees are above the tank and nearly hitting the handle bars.
The M50 and M109 are just as bad if not worse. The seating position feels like I'm squatting in the woods holding onto a branch trying to take a dump.
Suzuki in general in later years, at least with their cruisers seems to be aimed at smaller riders.
I've ridden Harley Dyna and FXR chassis bikes and they don't fit that way. But they don't make those anymore.

I agree, the Japanese bikes are getting a bit odd looking, they need to get back to building a normal motorcycle for the average rider. The seating position and angle on most bikes now is pretty bad, and worse if your a bigger guy. At 6ft 3in tall and 350 lbs, I don't fit many new bikes. Yet I've got several older Japanese bikes that fit just fine although some are still a bit short for me.
So far the best fitting bikes have been older Harley's, a few Triumphs, and a couple of older Japanese touring bikes.
I've owned a few Goldwings, I didn't find any of them very comfortable, the seat was too small, they sat too low, and there was no leg room. My knees were cramped up bad after only a few miles. The bike needed to be about a foot longer and about 10" taller to fit me.