Even with this motorcycle, my back pain is sill there but additionally to this I now also have a shoulder pain. I've been told that cruisers aren't actually ideal for riders with a bad back and a naked bike with the feed under the seat offers better sitting posture.
Ergonomics modifications
Six bend handlebars
As for my shoulder pain, I believe it's the same issue as with my computer mouse, when I switched to an ergonomic mouse few years before, it got rid of my shoulder pain by having my palm in a more natural vertical position. So I looked for something similar for a motorcycle and discovered the Six Bend handlebar. The Six Bends not only look cool but they also reduce the reach needed to grab them and they have your hand vertical as if you are shaking someone else's hand.
DIY throttle rocker and throttle lock
To help reduce the tension on the throttle hand I also made a throttle rocker from a piece of PVC pipe painted black. In addition to this, I purchased a throttle lock / cruise control device that attaches to the throttle grip and through friction would keep the throttle in a specific position. This was very helpful for highway rides and it's safely disabled by just twisting the throttle.
Motorcycle grips
To help with hand and wrist comfort I decided to replace the old and hard grips with a set of Avon ones that have softer rubber to reduce the vibrations. They are super comfortable and look really nice.
Replacing foot pegs with mini wing floorboards
The stock foot pegs were transferring a lot of vibration to a small surface area of my feet. I wanted to try floorboards so built one with a piece of pine wood and finding it pretty good I went a buy proper ones that can be better folded if the bike ever tipped over.
Secondary foot pegs
To aid with my sitting posture and support my back I installed a set of secondary foot pegs under the seat. With feet under me, they will help absorbing shocks. The usual forward foot position on a cruiser is not ideal for bad backs since the shocks are transmitted directly to the spine. With the feet under the seat, my legs would act as an extra sets of shock absorbers.
This also allows me three different foot position during my rides.
Feet on front floorboards:
Feet on rear foot pegs:
Feet on floorboard and rear foot pegs:
Motorcycle servicing
Air filter replacement
After buying a second hand motorcycle, it is always a good idea to do a full servicing. I've already changed the oil, oil filter, brake fluid, coolant liquid and cleaned/lubed the chain. One more thing I had to do was to replace the air filter and to my surprise, it was in really bad shape, all dirty and even had a hole in it!
Really good thing I did this servicing. Here is the new filter, my bike can now breathe better.
New tires
The tires that came with the bike were also worn off, still useable but not for very long. So I ordered a new pair. Apparently my Kawasaki VN250 Eliminator was using tire sizes that are not easy to find but my mechanic found a set of Pirelli Route MT66 cruiser tires and I'm quite happy with them, they seem to make the bike more stable and feel smoother on the road.
Fuse replacement
After doing some DIY work, I accidentally dropped a screw under the fuel tank and could not find it. After few days, I realised the radiator fan stopped working and after inspection, the screw I lost dropped in the propeller compartment and was jamming it. Removing the screw did not fix the issue so I continued investigating and found out that the jammed propeller overloaded the fan motor and blown the fuse. An easy change fixed the issue immediately.
Extra mods
The old rearview mirrors were rusty and had been painted black by the previous owner. The paint was getting old and flaky. I swapped them for chrome mirrors that has shorter stems. In the photo below, you can also see a little aluminium box in front of the clutch lever. That is a clutch lever tension reducer usually used for stunt bikes. However, I used it to extend the length of my clutch cable because the six bends handle bar are pulling them back further. For bonus, my clutch lever now feels softer too.
I sometimes take my son on a ride, we would go fishing or swimming at the beach. I needed some extra storage space for taking our gears. So I bought a pair of used saddle bags. I will need to build some brackets for them to keep them away from the exhaust pipe.
There will be more changes to this bike, I want to build those saddle bag brackets but also a rider back rest. Now I just need a bit of time to start the projects.
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Yep! The Kwakker is a nice bike. I had a few bikes in my time but it ended when a taxi hit my leg into the motor of my Yamaha 650cc in 1980.
I wonder if they still make what we call "Ape Hanger" handlebars, as they are good to prevent back pain on a bike.
Oh man that accident sucks. That’s why I never totally relax while riding, always scanning everywhere for potential danger.
Yes they are still making the Ape Hangers. But I chose the Six Bends because they are also helping with back pain but are not too high and requiring change for longer cables.
Yes it does and it left me in plaster for two years. I was standing at a traffic light and the taxi swiped me from behind into the oncoming traffic.
So they still make them and as I am a tall guy the ape hangers worked well for me. As long as the Six Bends work for you then it is perfect, as I mentioned it only due to back pain being a real problem.
Have a good Sunday.
!PIZZA
Oh man that really sucks.
As time goes, I might test out other handbars. Was thinking of making mine. But we’ll see
Well, I have learned to cope with it. Good luck with the handlebars as it plays a prominent role where back pain is concerned.
I like when details are taken care of, mainly for our comfort when driving and to have ergonomics. The new handlebar will surely help you with your back and shoulder pain, plus it looks great. Btw I love the red line of the tires
Cheers mate. Yes the red tape makes the wheels less boring. I’m going to replace them with red reflective tape to be more visible at night.
Wow what a beauty, I had a Suzuki Marauder once and I miss a cruiser so much. I don't give up and I hope to buy one in the near future, I crave to feel the freedom, the breeze and the long curves on a highroad.
The Marauder is a nice looking bike. I’m lucky we have several nice curvy motorcycle friendly roads here.
I guess you need a good massage to fully rid those aches 😁
Yea but I want to find a way for the pain not to come back too 😩
That's a pretty motorcycle 🤩. I am wondering how it feels to drive that heavy thing.
It depends what you compare it to. It’s around 180kg but if you look at Harley Davidson cruiser bikes they can weigh almost 300kg. But once the bike is running you don’t feel the weight anymore
I sold my cruiser last summer. I really miss that bike.
This was pretty much why I sold it. Fun bike for around town but any more than 30 minutes in the seat and my back was incredibly sore.
I had a Zongshen 250 dual sport that I could ride all day. So when I sold the Shadow, I picked up a DR 650. I can pretty much ride that all day with no issues at all.
The forward controls on the cruisers are just brutal on the lower back. A seat upgrade might help too. I just couldn't justify the price of a new seat considering the age of my bike.
Safe travels, the new handlebars are a great look! Loving what you're doing with your bike!
Oh that was a nice bike mate.
Yea the forward controls are not ideal that’s why I added the secondary pegs and they do seem to help. I wish there were mid controls for my bike. I will wait to recover and test again and see if I need to change bike but I’d like to keep this one. Or maybe switch to a Yamaha Bolt that has mid controls
You have such a beautiful bike and it can be seen how much you love it!!! All the mods are amazing but the new handlebars are my favorite. I'm also a fan of bikes but don't know when the moment will come to actually have my own and ride it :)
Yes those handle bars look retro, very cool. I hope you will get your own bike and enjoy it soon.
That's a nice looking bike. And it's been looking nicer and nicer as you work on it.
Ahh the eternal problem of not having enough time for projects XD
Hey thanks.
Yes it’s a nice looking bike, I’m very happy with it. Just need to set it up to fit me better.
Wow! That’s a lot of work and improvement done on this bike! It does look very big and heavy!
Thanks. Yes it’s heavy but not too much.
Greetings! Your motorcycle looks very nice, I can tell you take good care of it. I would like to buy a motorcycle someday, but it would have to be according to my size hahaha, because I'm small. 😅
Nice!!!
Looks stunning bike, all function looks awesome 😍 would love to ride on it.
@tipu curate
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Damn that bike bro xD
Love it.
Thanks for gifting it to me :P
Gee, I really like your motorcycle, especially some of the modifications you shared, whether this falls into the category of indian bobber or harley
Wow ! Wow! If this isn’t creativity then I don’t know what else to call it , you’re always blowing our minds with your latest works👏👏👏
Good job @quochuy
a very beautiful and stylish bike, it looks like you take good care of it. 🛴
Nice ride. I !LUV the swept back bars.
I hope the pain bring you to bliss.
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Despite your modifications, you still maintained the cool look of your Japanese cruiser. Damn, it's an eye-catcher in the road haha
$PIZZA slices delivered:
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You are still good at writings for the past 5 years.. Can i have a discord link? If you still have the steemit/hive discord server link.. Gonna visit them. Thank you huy!! Flute ☺
You can be an engineer now as you totally transformed your motorcycle into a new one and you made it totally comfortable for you.
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