I must be falling apart. Any ride over 100 miles my lower back is killing me. I thought this bike was supposed to be comfortable. I feel like 70 years old after a good ride. Won't even get into neck issues I get from this bike.....Don't get me wrong I love the zx14r, smile every ride.

My wrist start to bother me a little after about 30 minutes on the bike. Doesn't get any worse once the pain-tingles are there (up to 2 hour rides at this point). I think a lot of it depends on the size of the rider. I'm shorter, so I think more weight falls on my wrist (longer reach to the bars for me). I would suggest some core strengthening, particularly sit ups. I use my core to help alleviate some of the wrist pressure.

If I'm going out for a full day of riding I take a few ibuprofen before I leave the house. Seems to help with the back, not so much the tingle in my throttle hand. I think I'll look in to some type of throttle lock/ cruise control.

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for thos eof you that have wrist or hand numbness or tingles try Grip Puppies. The foam and the extra girth really help.

Mad

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Yeah, pretty good article. Thanks...

Yoga. Yeah, no shit. You want "inner core" strength? How about improved balance? Yoga is *hard*, and will help keep you flexible and balanced for many years.

By the way, when you walk by the Yoga class in your favorite gym, do you notice all the women in there? Want them to notice *you*? Well, get in there already!

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On the gen2 seat, that inner thigh was addressed with a deeper cut at that area. Stand a 1st gen to a 2nd gen seat you'll see the subtle difference.

Wrist tingle was addressed by adding a higher height to the bars. The pucks under the bars saved me from drill&mounting some handlebars onto the upper crown.

Backache and the arch of your back. You old farts are losing that bubble separation between the spine? Bone degeneration? Works both ways? One arch helps, same arch hurts. It's elevation time? The sitter upper helps or hurts is just another guess.

Meb, how do you address the beat ups like (Mr. AC/DC) himself? What position do you place the bone degen's before they cause more damage? I don't know if yoga is like the sitting position? Helps or hurts, meaning.

Balance. Those magicians that never touch ground and ride so slow over boulders, fallen tree trunks, etc., that's something to mimic. Slow if no one is behind you, the practice is to keep the feet up for as long as possible. Around here you time the lights you never need to stop.

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I hear you, Hub.

There's nothing to be done for bone loss. Once gone, it's not replaced. I learn to live with it, and stretch to my (reduced) limits. If Mr. DC's head banging gets him to less pain, more pain-free, then good-on-ya.

I write about balance, because that is also a perishable skill. Sure, we all have a certain amount of innate ability (at least, those of us still standing upright), but the balance systems between the ears (the fluid, the canals) degrade over time. We can compensate by continous education and training, including strengthening our ability to "balance".

If you'll humor me, and go to *one* yoga class, *just one*... you'll understand exactly what I'm offering here. I struggle to maintain balance during the moves being taught. I'm working my entire exo and musculature to maintain balance.

Then, afterwards, *then* recall the oft-spoken advice: "Just Relax"...

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I turned 63 in May. 2 years ago, 1 week before my 61st birthday, I had the big one and it hurt, a LOT! 2 months later I had open heart surgery, complications after, spent 9 days in ICU.

Every day I can swing a leg over my bike is a blessing to me, guess HE wasn't finished with me yet.

Put 1" risers under my bars which helped some. Put a set of Buell pegs on which are about 1 1/2" lower because of some arthritis in my hips due to old breaks, they helped a lot! Got some different padding put in my seat, could ride all day on it now.

I'm a little slower and a little more cautious then I used to be but still enjoy every minute on my bike. Have surprised more then one person when I take my helmet off and they see my grey beard.

Young or old, makes no difference, as long as you are enjoying life, AND I DO!!!

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Have surprised more then one person when I take my helmet off and they see my grey beard.

I get the same reaction when I remove my helmet, and they see my grey hair. Earlier this year I was at the car wash and a ten year old told me I was too old to ride this bike, lol

Several people I work with have said I'm to old to be riding a "crotch rocket" and should be riding something like a Goldwing or a Harley, my reply was "Sorry, but I can't ride that slow," usually just gets me a blank stare. LOL

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Great article. Thanks for posting it. I turn 52 in December but this beast makes me feel years younger!!!

I do believe my graying hair has gotten me out of a ticket or two.

I remove the helmet and they realize I'm not some punk kid on a sport bike.

Little do they know

Just got back from an epic trip - 450-500 miles each day, mostly windy, deserted roads. Helibars and lowered pegs do help me. Knees were stiff at the end of the day, but everything else felt good.

Almost 50 here.

* Last updated by: NeedForSpeed on 8/21/2014 @ 8:23 AM *

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I could relate to parts of that article. My back and hips are pretty shot, courtesy of a run-in with a 35 tonne Cat excavator and a concrete wall. The body gives me a bit of grief, but it mostly goes away when I'm riding. It usually only shows itself AFTER a ride. At one point I thought I'd never ride again, but the bike reminds me of what I can do, not what I can't. Pain is the reminder that I'm doing what I love, and is the exclamation point which accompanies the smile on my face. I'm nearly 50 years old and work as a "Safety" Officer. I have trouble with credibility with the guys I work with. They all figure I must be some sort of nut job riding the ZX14R. Yyyyyup!!

* Last updated by: sweetfa65 on 8/21/2014 @ 4:42 PM *

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They all figure I must be some sort of nut job riding the ZX14R.

No just a man with a Boys dream Stephen!

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Had this Ducati one eyed prick tell me all my rides(I posted on FB to tribute to my sport bike days) on my FB page "South Aussie mates Riders" They all look like touring bikes. !

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bean07 those are some beautiful bikes, especially love the white ZX with the flames!!! Drooling on my keyboard now and will probably short it out!

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Rktsled

especially love the white ZX with the flames!!!

Bad news abouthat Bro I killed her on the 27th of July ! and now cuz of that with injuries im riding soon ( 3 months) a 2009 V Star 1300 O the sheep skin got ditched straight away LOL! just ordered A Barrons Big Air Kit a nice looking light tint Screen and selling the Cobra Longs and putting Swept Cobra,s when they arrive!

* Last updated by: bean07 on 8/21/2014 @ 9:10 PM *

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I have to say I shed a couple of tears when I saw that beautiful bike in pieces on the ground!!! Bikes can always be fixed or replaced, big concern is I sincerely hope you weren't hurt!!!

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I have to say I shed a couple of tears when I saw that beautiful bike in pieces on the ground!!

GUTTED ME TOO for my bike and an end to riding anything but a cruiser now on bro in a few hours I will have my first followup X Ray to see how my broken Left Femur and broken right Forearm are going of course the other bros here know of my 2010 off and sadly after shattering the right Femur and Patella and it coming out my leg I continued a year N half later riding that 2010ZX1400, a 2012 ZX1441R then this White 2014 ZX1441R Ohlins Special Edition! sadly cuz I should have said im done after the right Femur as it only bends about 89 degrees

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