None of this replaces medical advice. If the pain, numbness or tingling stays with you after the ride, or keeps coming back, see a doctor or a physiotherapist before you put on more kilometres. If numbness, weakness or loss of grip affects your control of the bike, stop riding and get checked.

Why do my wrists hurt after a long ride?

On a long day the right hand does the same job for hours: it holds the throttle open against its return spring at a fixed angle. Road vibration through the bars, a seat that slides you forward onto your arms, and levers angled so you have to bend your wrists to reach them may all add to that strain.

Things that may contribute:

• Throttle hold: a constant twist of the right wrist with no rest.
• Bent wrists: levers or bars set too high or too low for your hands.
• Weight on your hands: straight, locked arms carry your upper body.
• Death grip: squeezing the grips harder than you need to, often without noticing.
• Vibration and cold: both make hands tire faster, especially late in the season. For cold hands, see our heated gloves vs heated glove liners guide.

Any one of these is small. Over a long day, they can add up.

Quick fixes, from free to a small add-on

Set your levers and bars to fit your hands

Sit on the bike in your normal riding position and rest your fingers on the clutch and brake levers. Your forearm, wrist and the back of your hand should form a fairly straight line. If you have to cock your wrist up or down to reach the levers, adjust them.

• Lever angle: loosen the lever clamp, rotate the lever up or down a little, snug it back down and check again in your riding position. Small moves make a big difference.
• Lever reach: many bikes have an adjuster that brings the lever closer to the grip, which helps riders with smaller hands.
• Handlebar angle: where the bars can rotate in their clamps, move them a little at a time and test ride after each change.

Torque every clamp back to your owner's manual spec, check that nothing touches the tank or fairing at full lock, and confirm both brakes and the clutch work properly before you ride. If you are not comfortable doing this, your dealer can set it up for you.

Change how you hold the bars

Your hands are there to steer and work the controls, not to hold you up. A few habits help:

• Bend your elbows slightly and let your core and legs carry your upper body. Locked arms send every bump straight into your wrists.
• Grip lightly. Check yourself every few minutes on the highway: if your knuckles are white, relax your hand while keeping full control.
• Grip the bike with your knees on a standard or sport bike, so you do not brace against the bars when braking.
• Keep your wrist low on the throttle, so your hand sits level with your forearm rather than bent up.

Take breaks and stretch

Plan a stop every hour or so on a long day, even when you feel fine. Get off the bike, open and close your hands, shake them out, and roll your wrists gently. A light stretch of the forearms, holding each one for a few seconds without forcing it, can help loosen things up. Stop any stretch that causes pain.

If you want to strengthen your grip or forearms off the bike, ask a physiotherapist which exercises suit you. The right ones depend on your hands, your history and what is causing the pain.

Give your throttle hand a break with a throttle lock

A throttle lock is a small clamp on the right grip that holds the throttle in a fixed position, so your hand can relax on open stretches of highway. We carry two. Our motorcycle throttle lock guide has more on choosing and using one.

The Easy Cruise Throttle Lock is made of Nylatron thermoplastic resin, fits motorcycle handlebars from touring bikes to sportbikes, and installs in a few seconds without tools. Once you reach your speed, you push it down so it rests against the brake lever. You disengage it by rolling it forward, the same motion you use to slow down. A silver dial sets the tension on your grip, and it comes with two rubber rings for friction, so you can move it between bikes without sliding a ring on and off the bar.

The GO CRUISE Throttle Lock is CNC machined from 6061 aluminum alloy. It also installs and removes in a few seconds without tools, rests on the brake lever when set, and uses an adjustment dial for tension (clockwise to tighten) and a silicone ring for friction. You override it by rolling the throttle off by hand.

What a throttle lock is not

A throttle lock is not cruise control. It holds the throttle position, not your speed: on level road your speed stays about the same, but it drops going uphill and rises going downhill, and you adjust the throttle yourself. Keep both hands on the bars at all times and stay in full control of the bike. Follow the laws where you ride.

The warnings on our product pages are worth reading in full before your first ride with one. In short:

• Do not take your hands off the handlebars.
• Do not use it in traffic or in congested residential or urban areas.
• Do not use it when you need precise speed changes.
• Do not use it if you are an inexperienced rider, or until you are thoroughly familiar with how it works.
• Do not use it with any other cruise control device.
• Make sure the tip rests on the brake lever, so it cannot get in the way of your braking.
• Disengage it when going downhill.

Practise setting and releasing it in a quiet place first.

Comfort below the waist matters too

A long day hurts in more than one place, and a rider shifting around on a sore seat may find it harder to stay relaxed through the arms. The X-Tender Motorcycle Gel Seat Pad uses alternating layers of gel and foam to absorb shock from road bumps, with a breathable DryMax mesh top layer. It sits on top of your seat and is held by adjustable elastic loops that go underneath, has snap-on sliders for quick removal and an anti-skid base, and comes in five sizes for driver and passenger seats.

One thing to know: it adds 1.5 inches to your seat height. That changes your reach to the bars slightly, so check your lever and bar position again after you fit it.

For more ideas for long days on the road, see our seat cushion guide for long rides, and browse our motorcycle accessories.

When to see a doctor or physiotherapist

Riding aches that fade after a rest are common. See a doctor or a physiotherapist if:

• the pain lasts for days after a ride, or gets worse ride after ride
• you have numbness, tingling or weakness in your fingers or hand
• you drop things or lose grip strength
• numbness, weakness or loss of grip affects your control of the bike (stop riding until you have been checked)
• the pain wakes you up at night

They can tell you what is going on and what will help. Equipment can make a long ride easier, but it is not a treatment.

Questions riders ask us

Is a throttle lock the same as cruise control?

No. It holds the throttle in one position, so your speed changes on hills and you adjust it by hand. Riders who reviewed ours describe it as a way to rest the throttle hand for a while on the highway, not as electronic cruise control.

Will a throttle lock fit my bike?

The Easy Cruise product page says it fits all motorcycle handlebars, from touring bikes to sportbikes, including Harley Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha. One rider with heated grips told us in a review that the rubber ring was a tight fit to install, so allow a little extra time if your grips are thicker than stock.

Does it hold my speed going up and down hills?

Not on its own. It holds a fixed throttle position, so your speed drops uphill and rises downhill. Move the throttle forward or back yourself to keep your speed, and disengage it going downhill.

What size gel seat pad do I need?

It depends on which seat it goes on. The X-Tender comes in X-Small to X-Large, and the product page lists which size suits each seat (driver or passenger) and bike type, with the dimensions of each size.