Last Update: 15 October 2025
Many motorcycle riders unknowingly hold tension in their arms and shoulders while riding, especially during uncomfortable situations like unexpected rain. Even when we try to consciously relax, it’s common to find ourselves tensing up again later, leading to stiffness, soreness, and potential upper back issues. To help you enjoy a more relaxing ride, here are ten tips to lighten up on the handlebars for a more relaxing motorcycle ride!
Let It Go
Consciously let go of the tension in your arms and shoulders by focusing on that part of your body while you are riding. You can regularly check in with yourself and literally instruct yourself to relax your shoulders. Shrugging every 15 minutes or so and relaxing your arms really helps relieve this stress.
Bend Your Elbows
Ride with your elbows bent and yours arms and shoulders relaxed, if possible. This prevents fatigue caused by muscle tension. It also allows your arms to absorb shock instead of transmitting it to your body.
Relax Your Grip
On smooth, traffic-free roads, practice loosening your grip and letting the leather of your gloves assist in maintaining control. You might be surprised at how easily you can keep the throttle steady without a death grip. Often, we’re not even aware of our tight grip, especially when approaching gravel or a sharp corner that makes us feel uneasy. By relaxing your hands, you’ll alleviate muscle tension and reduce the amount of vibration transmitted to your body.
Don’t Hunch
To avoid muscle soreness and fatigue, don’t hunch your shoulders. Tilt your head every few minutes to stave off tight neck muscles.
Change Hand Position Regularly
To reduce tension, shift your hand position along the grip as you ride. Start by holding the inner area of your handgrip, then gradually move your hand towards the bar end. Make this adjustment frequently during your ride. There’s usually enough room to do this safely, but be sure to keep your thumb and index finger wrapped around the grip at all times to maintain control, especially if you encounter an unexpected bump.
Shake It Off
Occasionally take one hand off the handlebars -when safe to do so – and give it a shake. This helps relax your shoulder and elbow while encouraging blood flow to your hand, preventing numbness. When doing this with your throttle hand, ensure you can safely manage a slight decrease in speed while maintaining momentum.
Make Sure You Have The Right Handlebar Width
Essentially, handlebar width should equal shoulder width. So adjusting your grips or controls to meet the right width will be much more comfortable. Having your bars too wide or too narrow can lead to shoulder pain during a long ride.
Avoid Weighting Your Hands
If you experience numbness in your hands while riding, you might be placing too much weight on them, a common issue for Sportbike riders. To alleviate this, consider raising your handlebars to shift some of the pressure off your hands.
Invest In Good Quality Gloves
High-quality gloves do more than just protect your hands in a fall—they also absorb road vibrations, prevent sunburn, and help you maintain proper control of the levers and controls. When choosing gloves, make sure they’re not too tight; wearing in a snug pair can take too long and lead to hand fatigue and discomfort.
Strengthen And Stretch Your Neck and Shoulders Off Bike
In order to keep the muscles loose and relaxed (also important to do while riding) it is a good practise to have a consistent routine of strengthening and stretching exercises in order to stay pain free. Ask a personal trainer to add in some specific exercises or consider joining a yoga class.
Use these nine tips to ease the strain on your arms and hands, and you’ll find yourself riding longer and more comfortably on every road ahead.
1 comment
Thanks