[EFINREF]

Just wondering if any of you have experienced this.
I wear a couple of full face helmets...not a high dollar brand. Fulmer and HJC. (Only 1 at a time...before you ask)
When i ride for long distance, I have neck and shoulder pain. If you experienced this, have you found a way to help other than pain killers?

 

[fossil92]

Ref, when the Little lady & I were heading across country. Exactly what you are eluding to is why we changed to open faced HJC IS-33's, lightweight, built in sun visors, & really nice low cost helmets.

Another thought is if you are experiencing shoulder pain, is it possible that you are gripping your bars to hard? I remember when I 1st got my Wing I had that issue but when I explained it to my brother he advised me to loosen my grip & let the bike do the work. Believe it or not it made a huge difference & never had in between shoulder pain again.

As always this is just one Ole Fossil's opinion.

 

[santini1953]

ditto !

Ref, when the Little lady & I were heading across country. Exactly what you are eluding to is why we changed to open faced HJC IS-33's, lightweight, built in sun visors, & really nice low cost helmets.

Another thought is if you are experiencing shoulder pain, is it possible that you are gripping your bars to hard? I remember when I 1st got my Wing I had that issue but when I explained it to my brother he advised me to loosen my grip & let the bike do the work. Believe it or not it made a huge difference & never had in between shoulder pain again.

As always this is just one Ole Fossil's opinion.

I had the same problem and loosened my grip , learned to relax and it worked great !!

 

[detdrbuzzard]

well efinref i have a pinched nerve and bad disc in my neck so there is always some discomfort. i've tried ff, of, and half helmets too but some days pain killers are my best friend. before i got my new helmet back in '07 i was on the dennis kirk website looking at helmets and noticed that they listed the weight of helmets ( medium size ) so i found one of the lightest hjc ff helmet i could at the time

 

[EFINREF]

Ref, when the Little lady & I were heading across country. Exactly what you are eluding to is why we changed to open faced HJC IS-33's, lightweight, built in sun visors, & really nice low cost helmets.

Fossil, I will keep the grip in mind.
I wear the full face for protection as well as for cold weather riding. How does the open face do in respect to the cold?

 

[Ralphumor]

Fossil, I will keep the grip in mind.
I wear the full face for protection as well as for cold weather riding. How does the open face do in respect to the cold?

A true open face helmet without any shield to pull down SUCKS in the cold. I wear a open face but it has a face shield that makes a huge difference in the rain and when its cold. I dont like FF even though I know they are safer.
Might I suggest some gym time to strengthen shoulders and neck. You can do stuff at the house if you dont want to join a gym. Its amazing what and couple of hours a week can do for you physically and mentally. Ride safe!

 

[fossil92]

I won't lie to you my friend the open face does allow for a cold chin. I did pick up a pair of these for the 40* mornings to relieve the discomfort & they work very well.

http://wingstuff.com/pgroup_detail/532_cold_weather_gear/22345_comfort_in_action_road_bandit/?goto=/pgroup_list/apparel/532_goldwing_cold_weather_gear/des/?page=3

 

[EFINREF]

Might I suggest some gym time to strengthen shoulders and neck. You can do stuff at the house if you dont want to join a gym. Its amazing what and couple of hours a week can do for you physically and mentally. Ride safe!

Ralph, stop judging me by my avatar!.....To be honest, I am a runner, not a lifter. I totally agree with the benefits.
My problem with lifting is a pinched nerve, that gets real aggravated when I lift or work on machines.

 

[LarryinSeattle]

Your neck problem could be related to an inadequate seat which puts you in bad posture. I noticed a more relaxed state when I put on my Corbin..... I mean immediately.

 

[bikrbob]

I just bought a GMAX 67. It is OF that comes with built in sun glasses a peak visor, or you can take off the peak visor and put on clear shield that comes down past the chin. It is light weight and has pockets for speakers if you need them, it also has 6 separate vents which were great this summer.
There was a problem with the slide for the sunglasses but that has been corrected. Great helmet, I may get the GMAX 68 which is the FF for winter.

 

[nosaj]

Ref, when the Little lady & I were heading across country. Exactly what you are eluding to is why we changed to open faced HJC IS-33's, lightweight, built in sun visors, & really nice low cost helmets.

Another thought is if you are experiencing shoulder pain, is it possible that you are gripping your bars to hard? I remember when I 1st got my Wing I had that issue but when I explained it to my brother he advised me to loosen my grip & let the bike do the work. Believe it or not it made a huge difference & never had in between shoulder pain again.

As always this is just one Ole Fossil's opinion.

I agree this probably has more to do with tenseness than the helmet. I've worn full-face for thousands of miles and had none of this.

That said, everyone's riding posture, style, physiology, and such is different. It could be a number of things, including the helment, I suppose. But I would try the "relax" recommendation first.

I have ridden with guys who complain of wrist, arm, shoulder, neck pain, etc... Then I ride behind them information and can "see" the tenseness in their posture. My advice is to loosen the grip. Don't let go, but also dont hold the bars in a death grip. When they do, it seems to help.

Good luck.

 

[DreamWeaver]

I personally think it has a lot to do with wind buffeting. I wear HJC's and when I ride the FJR and get a lot of wind whipping my head around, I really get sore in the neck and shoulders. If I drop the GW windshield down to where the wind is really hitting the top of my helmet, I have the same problem. However when I raise the windshield up several inches above eye level, the buffeting is much less and so is the neck and shoulder pain. I also found that taking a couple of Midol's (don't laugh) prior to riding eases the pain really nice. Only draw back there is I have a tendency to check out other riders shoes.......

 

[Dookoo]

Prolonged periods of tensed muscles while you are riding seems to be the culprit. Like many have said, make a conscious effort to relax. When you are riding, you may notice that you begin to unconsciously tense up those neck and shoulder muscles. Relax them and incorporate some gentle neck movement/stretches to keep everything limber while you ride at regular intervals. Sounds to me like your riding position is very rigid and static. By virtue of my 'Monkey butt' riding style, I move around on the bike alot. Only on long straight stretches do I notice my muscles tensing up, my wrists, neck, back, and legs aching. I doubt it has anything to do with your helmet. You may also adjust your windscreen to reduce the amount of head buffeting. If you don't have a back rest, that may help maintain good posture as well. Hope this helps.

 

[EFINREF]

This calls for a Test and Report!!! I will try everything you all suggest and report back in a timely manner!!!

 

[Ron Robertson]

On the 1500 you can adjust the position of the hand grip. If the handle bar is adjustable on the 1800 you might try raising or lowering the grips to a more comfortable position. Worked for me on my1500.
Just an idea.

 

[DreamWeaver]

On the 1500 you can adjust the position of the hand grip. If the handle bar is adjustable on the 1800 you might try raising or lowering the grips to a more comfortable position. Worked for me on my1500.
Just an idea.

As Ron has reported, moving the bars is an option. For the 1800 , Kury part # KU 7437 at $64.99 are Handlebar Risers and can be found on WingStuff. Here is a link to that page. Maybe that would be the answer.
http://wingstuff.com/pgroup_detail/290_accessory_front/3780_kuryakyn_gl1800_5_position_handlebar_risers/?goto=/pgroup_list/gl1800/290_goldwing_accessory_front/des/?page=

 

[dedwards332]

I have a similar problem. C-Spine problems.
Some of the suggestions do help.
The lightest helmet I can find also helps, very much.
Would like to know the weights of helmets as this is a major issue with me, and I don't have $1,500 to purchase BMW full face carbon fiber helmet.
Good website for some helmet weights is http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle-helmet-weights.
Good Luck!!!!!

 

[budoka]

I can always tell if I've been tense when riding, I get a pinch just to the lower inside of my trapesus muscle (right side) after a couple hours. Once it starts it's too late, but if I'm not hunching or gripping th ears tight, I never get it. Other than the discomfort the real downside is it could affect reaction in an emergency. Tense muscles are slow muscles, and pain is a bad distractant. Not discounting helmet weights and wind effects, but offering another possibility.
BTW, welcome dedwards332

 

[Dookoo]

Well Efinref, you did an all day ride to the Dragon. How about an update on what, if anything, worked for you as far as this thread is concerned.

 

[EFINREF]

Test and Update

Well Efinref, you did an all day ride to the Dragon. How about an update on what, if anything, worked for you as far as this thread is concerned.

The test is complete...I wanted to give it more than one long ride to be sure. Put about 1200 miles into this test.
Items Tested:
Half Helmet(JVC) vs. Full Face(Fulmer)
The results were inconclusive...no major change in pain or discomfort.
Seat Cushion
Tried 2 different cushions: Sheep skin and a Wal-Mart Cushion.
I did not know that my shoulders were affected by the seat, but, I guess thats where the phrase "Get your a$$ off of your shoulders" came from.
Grip or Shoulder tension
To be honest, until this, I had not realized the amount my tension i had on the shoulders. I had concentrated on the grip but not the shoulders. This was the difference maker. I couldn't believe how much better the bike handled in sharp turns and slow maneuvers. I used this on the trip to the Dragon. My neck and shoulders had very little pain.
In summary:
I am not changing helmets. Relaxing my shoulders and arms have changed my life and I love the Wal-Mart Cushion. Thanks for all the tips.