Hand Cramps!

When I first started riding again, three things would get sore, my butt, my neck, and my hands, especially my right hand, i.e. my throttle hand!  I was too broke from buying the bike to purchase a new seat, or new risers and handlebars, but I was not so broke that I couldn’t buy something to relieve the cramping in my throttle hand.

I had to decide between the Throttle Rocker and the Crampbuster.  Both are priced similarly in the ten dollar range.  Both devices wrap tightly around the throttle grip of your motorcycle allowing you to use the downward pressure from the heel of your hand to rotate the throttle.  Now you don’t have to squeeze the grip to operate the throttle.  But, there are some differences.

The Crampbuster I initially thought looked too cheap, and too simple.  It is just a piece of plastic which hooks around your throttle grip and allows you use the palm of your hand to hold the throttle open.

The Throttle Rocker is a plastic device with a velcro strap attached to it.  You use the velcro strap to tighten the Throttle Rocker down to your grip.  I liked the way the wide version of the Throttle Rocker was shaped to conform to your hand, and I figured the velcro strap wouldn’t slip the way the plain plastic Crampbuster looked like it might.

So, I purchased the Throttle Rocker and I used it for about three years.  It worked great and it allowed me to ride much longer without hand cramps and fatigue.  It held on a little too good though and I would want it positioned differently on the throttle for a cruise at 55 mph on the 2 lane than I would at 70 mph on the interstate.  I got in the habit of forcing it, without loosening the velcro strap, to where I wanted it positioned.  One day I pushed too hard and broke the thing, but it was my own fault.
Next, I tried the Crampbuster, and it was even better!  It is so simple, it is amazing!  It readily turns one direction (forward) on the grip allowing you to rotate it 360 degrees and position it anywhere you want on the grip.  But, if you push the other direction it grips tighter and rotates the throttle with it.  Simple ingenuity in an unbreakable plastic device that will provide you years of trouble free use.  I didn’t need it on my stock rubber grips, but it does come with a small rubber band you can place on your grip to prevent slippage just in case your Crampbuster wants to slip around on your particular grip.
The other day I was riding behind my buddy on the William H Natcher Parkway between Bowling Green and Owensboro, Kentucky.  He was riding his Honda Shadow 1100, and I was riding my Vulcan 900.  We had been riding the back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee for three days straight, and we had been riding for about an hour so far that morning.  After a few days of all day riding we had settled into that magical interstate trance, just cruising along, but cramping up a little faster than we did when we first started the trip.  I would occasionally take my left hand off the grip and drop it to my side or shake it out a little, but my right hand while relaxed could never leave the throttle, or the Crampbuster, without my bike slowing down.  I noticed my buddy had completely removed his right hand from the throttle and was shaking it out a little.  And, his bike was not slowing down!  He has a throttle lock on his bike that he can flip on and lock the throttle in a set position.  This allows him to completely rest his right hand without slowing down!  I guess I will have to start looking into throttle locks next!  With both a throttle lock and a throttle assist, you would have the best of both worlds!