Hip Pain when riding some bikes?

[geoffb]

Hi all,

Does anyone else suffer from hip pain or cramps when riding on longish journeys?  For me this seems to be related to my position on a bike and I recently rode a loaner BMW F900R with an aggressive Street Bike position and the pain came on after just a few miles.  I can usually stop, get off the bike and it goes away after standing and walking about for a few mins.  However, on this BMW I could more or less guarantee it would happen again.

I hear you saying, “don’t ride a BMW then you dick” 🤪 but I would love to know if anyone else gets hip issues on a bike and if it’s related to seat height and/or foot peg positioning.

Cheers

Geoff

[veg]

I had to sell my 851 Ducati couple of years back as after a while I’d struggle, I can’t ride sports bikes anymore because of it, I even had trouble in my old car. However I have a leg 1 1/2 shorter due to an rtc so my hip is twisted anyway.
I am fine on my Ducati sport classic and haven’t owned a sports bike for years.

[roblc350]

Hi Geoff
Yes it def does make a huge difference on the seat height / footpeg position
i also suffer with hip pain on some bikes
My last was a yam Fazer 1000 on a 08 plate ( nice bike & quick ) but hip pain if in the saddle for any length of time..now sold
next my TDM 850 has a better sit up riding position so not so much discomfort
my latest Honda NC 750 S. done a few 200 mile trips with no problems at all..its prob the most comfy bike iv owned & iv had more than most GPZ"S R1"S LC"S DUKE 916 XT RD GT"S & most of the gsxr range

Ride safe
Rob

[julianboolean]

Slingshot GSXRs and R1 both made my hip hurt, bizarrely GSXR400RRL and FZR400RR I'm fine with, and both are tiny and cramped.
Most comfy bike I've ridden is Kawasaki Z1100R, like riding an armchair.

[Robbieben]

Its the riding position on the bike that causes it, slightly higher bars or bar risers sit you up a bit more and help prevent it.

[roblc350]

i admit iv fitted bar risers to my NC 750
Not to aid hip pain relief as the bike was fine for me without them
but to aid the reach so im not stretching forward to reach the bars

[geoffb]

Thanks all and I am surprised at all the responses so far because I honestly thought I was alone with this complaint and might have even needed a new hip. 😬

Fortunately the LC riding position gives me no gyp and I now have upright bars on my Triumph (instead of Ace Bars) but this was more for my back.

Poor old Fecker! 😂

All the best

Geoff

[botty]

I had a Gpz600r in 1990 ish. So I would of been about 25.

Some days I would get on that bike to go to work. The pain in my hips was so bad some days. Literally had to stop and have a walk around to relieve it.

Loved the bike, hated the riding position.

Ride a Tdr now 👌👌

[stusco]

Ive not got hip pain but I have got house maids knee again and it’s agony, what’s worse is im on holiday for two weeks with lots of plans but I can’t put my foot on the ground 😭

[chrisg]

You could only read about this on a classic bike site. Unfortunately, the obvious problem is most of us are on the wrong side of 50 or even 60 in some cases 

I have never had a problem with my hips, have suffered for years with lower back and wrist pain. Since slipping a disc last year, ive not ridden .

[markrd250lc]

I get groin cramp on all my bikes ( from the 125 to the R1 and everything in between) , i find if after the first 15mins if i stop and get off, walk about for 5 mins then when i get back on i can then ride for about 1 hour 30 before needed another break.
Mark

[donkeychomp]

I had a similar problem a few years back and oddly when driving a car. The pain in my hips/back/legs was so bad I could maybe drive half a mile, then spend 15 minutes hobbling about trying to feel better. Turned out I had Sciatica. Nasty.

Alex

[skydemon]

From experience guys I would guess you have one leg longer than the other (especially if you have come off a few times) A couple of trips to a chiropractor to straighten up your pelvis and all your problems will be over. Just lie down straight on the floor get your misses OR your mate to grab your ankles give a little shake AND PLACE DOWN GENTLY and it’s pretty obvious if you have a misaligned pelvis. Just my tuppence worth and I hope it helps

[veg]

I had an accident that resulted in a shorter leg some 1 1/2 inches, that was at the age of 17, it didn’t heal properly until I was 20 after numerous surgeries and eventually an external fixator.
I’m now 51 so for the majority of my life I have compensated for my leg which has led to my pelvis twisting, I’ve private health care and visited various orthopaedic surgeons and specialists all have said it’s far too late to do anything and if they did it may open up a whole can of other worms, this even includes wearing platform heels to outright surgery.
I appreciate what you are saying but getting my wife to pull my leg ain’t going to solve my problems. 👍

[tacky1]

May 24, 2021 23:18:40 GMT 1 veg said:

I had an accident that resulted in a shorter leg some 1 1/2 inches, that was at the age of 17, it didn’t heal properly until I was 20 after numerous surgeries and eventually an external fixator.
I’m now 51 so for the majority of my life I have compensated for my leg which has led to my pelvis twisting, I’ve private health care and visited various orthopaedic surgeons and specialists all have said it’s far too late to do anything and if they did it may open up a whole can of other worms, this even includes wearing platform heels to outright surgery.
I appreciate what you are saying but getting my wife to pull my leg ain’t going to solve my problems. 👍

f**k me, snap, I had the same happen me 21 years a go, 3 years of hacking and chopping to get my leg re-attached!!!

I have all donor bone and muscle in my lower left leg. Had a fixator on for over a year to grow the muscle back, then they opened up the muscle and popped in a new bone,

My left leg is 1/2 inch shorter which in turn gives me back pain

Oh f**k, the joys of getting old

[tacky1]

Oh, And I have all the fun pics of the whole mess

[billbott]

I struggle with hip pain after an hour on my GPz900. A combination of low seat, high pegs plus a fair stretch to the bars. I am currently in the process of fitting lower pegs and higher bars to ‘open it out’ a bit.
My Honda C90 is all day comfy! Upright position, nice comfy seat and also your not having to hold on too much when accelerating or braking.
Fazer 600 is OK, pegs are quite high but so are the bars. Again, seat is comfy which makes a difference.

Best one of all is my MT10: the leg room is fantastic (and I am 6’3”) and the bar to peg ratio is perfect for me.

[steve h]

I'm arthritic and have been since 98. Sitting does give me pain sometimes, more so than standing. The shape of the seat is probably the main culprit in the riding pain and your body position i.e. sat upright, sat prone, has an effect on where the weight goes through your backside.
If you really love a bike and dont want to sell it I suggest you buy a second seat and shape the foam and add some of that gel seating material and experiment. A flat seat for me puts pressure on my left hip whereas a seat thats taller in the middle is much better. (which absorbs more weight between my arse cheeks!)

[geoffb]

May 25, 2021 11:50:35 GMT 1 steve h said:

I'm arthritic and have been since 98. Sitting does give me pain sometimes, more so than standing. The shape of the seat is probably the main culprit in the riding pain and your body position i.e. sat upright, sat prone, has an effect on where the weight goes through your backside.
If you really love a bike and dont want to sell it I suggest you buy a second seat and shape the foam and add some of that gel seating material and experiment. A flat seat for me puts pressure on my left hip whereas a seat thats taller in the middle is much better. (which absorbs more weight between my arse cheeks!)

I think you are right there Steve! I don't have any problems with my adventure bike and I think this is a combo of the custom seat and the seat height in relation to the foot pegs.

Like others have mentioned, height is a factor as well.  I am 6ft with a 34" inside leg so this probably doesn't help me compared with my biker mates with shorter legs.

[headcoats]

It's my hands I have trouble with, they can cramp up really early

[marrcel]

I recognize the hip pain. Yes first time out in the season. And especially first time out on the track of Zandvoort.
Training during winter with mtb helps.
I have 4 bikes. In order of hip pain:
98gixxer once did 1100km a day
83ypvs with clipons under the clamps
97k1200rs
K100rs. This beemer is a sofa.

[steve63]

I picked up my VFR800 on Saturday. I did around 25 miles taking it for MOT then after an hour and a half walk about I picked it up to take home. I got about 8 miles into the 10 mile trip and got horrendous cramp in my left hip and had to ride through some lights and round a 90° corner in the middle of the next village with my leg sticking out like a prat.

I've done 760 miles in a day on a 31K powervalve in 1986 with zero issues and similar on an LC.

I've done 400 on the R1 in 2013 with just a numb bum by the end of it. If I was on my own and not with the Mrs. and loaded up I could have moved around a bit more and improved it but doing a half a mile standing up on a French motorway wouldn't have gone down that well with the other half.

My RGV250 VJ21 track bike gives me a bit of hip cramp in the first session or so.

I did 8 miles on the VFR800 a "sports tourer" before being crippled.

What I would say is that in 1986 I was 23. I'm now 57 and the ride at the weekend was my first since an unfortunate incident on (off) the RGV in September 2019. Before and up to the incident I was doing an hour and a half in the gym and 62 lengths of the pool twice a week. Now since Covid 19 I'm doing sweet nothing. I'm hopping that putting a few miles on the VFR will sort me out.

I reckon it's all about keeping yourself as good as you can be physically for your age. A 57 year old who keeps himself fit would be better off than a 30 year old who doesn't. Good advice from me that I should take note of and act on myself 

We need to do some of those deep squats that Rossi does every time he goes out on his M1 even if you're off to Asda on your LC   Personally If I got down that far I'd never get up 

Thinking about it I get aches and pains from sitting on the setee for two hours watching  a film these days.

[geoffb]

Well, based on my own experiences, lessons learned and the surprising number of responses to this thread, I am pleased to say that a 160 mile ride today with a 10 minute break was hip pain/cramp free. 👍

The trip on my Triumph Street Cup 900 was made 10x better by changing the bars and using an old man gel seat cushion.

I am now in Wales for the weekend and the weather is lush. 😎