PART 2: Surgery complete, typing with one hand With the Saturday Demo Day at KTM World / Highland Park successfully completed, I threw my gear in the truck for a 5am Sunday morning departure for the last race I would do for a while. I managed to get first in class, third overall at the Hare Scrambles before my surgery on Monday, and had a great back and forth race with a very good racer and ISDE vet, Jeff Hill. That race was really fun, but as usual, my right hand went numb in the first 20 minutes, and the left hand followed suit a while later. At the end of the race, Jeff rode over to shake my hand, but I couldn't grab his hand. My hand was numb and not working. At that moment I really wondered how I could possibly race like that, but you somehow learn how to manage it. I was looking forward to surgery the next morning. On Monday, I went to the hospital and checked in at the outpatient surgery center. No overnight stay for CTS surgery, and the whole day went pretty smoothly. Fifteen minutes in the waiting room, fifteen minutes doing the final paperwork, then went directly back to the pre-surgery area. I placed my clothes in the provided bag and put on the highly fashionable open back hospital gown. I tried to put on the little socks they gave me, but my size 13 5E feet would simply not go in those little socks. The nurse came in and went over post operative instructions, started my IV, checked my blood pressure and took my temperature. Twenty minutes later, the surgeon, Dr Kirkpatrick, came in and talked to me for a bit about the surgery, then a few minutes later the anesthesiologist came in and talked to me. We decided I would not do general anesthesia, just a sedative and some shots to numb the local area. More paperwork signed, and about 5 minutes later, the nurse came in and gave me a shot of what she called "happy juice". Good stuff, whatever it was. Five more minutes, and they put me in a wheelchair and took me into the operating room. Got out of the wheelchair and onto the special operating table with arm extensions, and the nice folks began hooking me up to the EKG machine, fresh IV bag, and other equipment I did not recognize. That's the end of my report from the operating room. They must have given me the sedative doze in my IV while I was not looking, since I was now in the recovery room and surgery was over. About an hour later, I was on my way home with my right hand and wrist securely bandaged up, but no cast. Total time at the hospital, 4.5 hours. Not bad! A few hours after surgery, antibiotic goop still on my hand and arm. Typing with only my left hand is slow, but my right hand does not hurt very much, and so far I have not needed any of the codeine prescription. My right shoulder hurts worse from the tree I got personal with in yesterday's race. So far, the entire hospital/surgery experience was better and faster than expected, and the post surgery pain is minimal. If you race, you have likely finished a race with a body part or two hurting worse than my hand hurts now. Of course I'm purposely not using my freshly operated upon hand, and as long as I don't use it (except when I instinctively used it to slap that big freakin' spider off my face after I walked through it's face level web), there is not much pain post surgery. As the healing process progresses, I'll do some more writing for those readers interested in the possibility of having carpal tunnel surgery. I have been very pleased with my highly recommended doctor, the short stay at the hospital, and so far, it's been pretty hassle free. However, I have not yet had to argue about payment with my insurance company. That could be another story all by itself. Paul Wright
PART 2: Surgery complete, typing with one hand
With the Saturday Demo Day at KTM World / Highland Park successfully completed, I threw my gear in the truck for a 5am Sunday morning departure for the last race I would do for a while. I managed to get first in class, third overall at the Hare Scrambles before my surgery on Monday, and had a great back and forth race with a very good racer and ISDE vet, Jeff Hill. That race was really fun, but as usual, my right hand went numb in the first 20 minutes, and the left hand followed suit a while later. At the end of the race, Jeff rode over to shake my hand, but I couldn't grab his hand. My hand was numb and not working. At that moment I really wondered how I could possibly race like that, but you somehow learn how to manage it. I was looking forward to surgery the next morning.
On Monday, I went to the hospital and checked in at the outpatient surgery center. No overnight stay for CTS surgery, and the whole day went pretty smoothly. Fifteen minutes in the waiting room, fifteen minutes doing the final paperwork, then went directly back to the pre-surgery area. I placed my clothes in the provided bag and put on the highly fashionable open back hospital gown. I tried to put on the little socks they gave me, but my size 13 5E feet would simply not go in those little socks. The nurse came in and went over post operative instructions, started my IV, checked my blood pressure and took my temperature. Twenty minutes later, the surgeon, Dr Kirkpatrick, came in and talked to me for a bit about the surgery, then a few minutes later the anesthesiologist came in and talked to me. We decided I would not do general anesthesia, just a sedative and some shots to numb the local area. More paperwork signed, and about 5 minutes later, the nurse came in and gave me a shot of what she called "happy juice".
Good stuff, whatever it was. Five more minutes, and they put me in a wheelchair and took me into the operating room. Got out of the wheelchair and onto the special operating table with arm extensions, and the nice folks began hooking me up to the EKG machine, fresh IV bag, and other equipment I did not recognize. That's the end of my report from the operating room. They must have given me the sedative doze in my IV while I was not looking, since I was now in the recovery room and surgery was over. About an hour later, I was on my way home with my right hand and wrist securely bandaged up, but no cast. Total time at the hospital, 4.5 hours. Not bad!
Typing with only my left hand is slow, but my right hand does not hurt very much, and so far I have not needed any of the codeine prescription. My right shoulder hurts worse from the tree I got personal with in yesterday's race. So far, the entire hospital/surgery experience was better and faster than expected, and the post surgery pain is minimal. If you race, you have likely finished a race with a body part or two hurting worse than my hand hurts now. Of course I'm purposely not using my freshly operated upon hand, and as long as I don't use it (except when I instinctively used it to slap that big freakin' spider off my face after I walked through it's face level web), there is not much pain post surgery.
As the healing process progresses, I'll do some more writing for those readers interested in the possibility of having carpal tunnel surgery. I have been very pleased with my highly recommended doctor, the short stay at the hospital, and so far, it's been pretty hassle free. However, I have not yet had to argue about payment with my insurance company. That could be another story all by itself.
Paul Wright
First person report by Paul Wright I'll come right to the point - these two bikes are arm stretching fast, do huge power slides, and pull monster wheelies any where, any time. I could almost end the report with that first sentence, because the first thing you notice about these bikes, and the thing you keep noticing, is that they both have been served an overdose of testosterone in the motor dept. They make power differently, but they definitely make the power, and its not just fun, it's addicting. Once you ride these two KTM's for any period of time, everything else seems weak. Both the KTM 450XCF and 300XC are class leading light, and sitting on the 300 gives you the feel of a ultra light and narrow 250 MX bike – mostly because it is almost exactly that. Just add 50cc more for that extra oomph, and suspension tuned for off-road use. The 450 feels like a 250 four stroke when you sit on it, and it is also very narrow and just does not give you the impression you are sitting on a 450 – until you taste what the motor has in store for you! New and ready for action! As strong as they both are, the 300XC two stroke and the 450XCF four stroke make their respective power in completely different ways, but probably not exactly as you might expect. The 300XC pulls far lower and better in the RPM scale than the 450 four stroke, and it seems that at times, you can lug the 300 down below idle RPM in second gear, and then just roll open the throttle for smooth and predictable torque from the sub basement of the RPM range. The four stroke 450 can't match that, and like every other big four stoke, you have to use the clutch at ultra low RPM on the 450 to control the power pulses and keep it from stalling. You have to ride modern four strokes higher than just off idle, and the KTM delivers abundant and smooth power once you get a few hundred RPM past idle speed. The smooth ultra low RPM torque delivery of the KTM 300 puts it in a class by itself if you are one of those riders that loves to keep momentum up and RPM low for controlled but fast riding. But don't be fooled by the tractable and user friendly torque the 300XC has off the bottom. When the RPM's climb, it's a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story. The strong and controllable low end becomes monster midrange that becomes an absolute missile in the upper RPM 's. But it's not like you go from controlled torque to massive horsepower as if a switch was flipped. The 300 just makes more and more power as RPM 's increase, and by the halfway mark, you need to be holding on, because the 300 gets fast – way fast – and it does not quit through the upper RPM range until you decide it's time to get out of the throttle to preserve life and limb. In this respect the 450 and the 300 are similar. From mid RPM into the top of the RPM range, both bikes are incredibly fast and giant wheelies are the norm while huge roost will keep most anyone from trying to pass you – if they actually had a bike fast enough to do that. Dirty and already seen action! The 450 feels like it builds power slightly slower, in a normal 4-stroke fashion, but in a drag race, it comes down to which bike is getting just enough traction at the rear wheel to maximize acceleration without too much wheel spin, but not so much that you end up with a sudden and giant wheelie in 4 th gear at 60mph and have to roll out of the throttle. They both accelerate with Apollo booster rocket authority, and no one but Superman can use all the power these bikes have at higher RPM 's 100% of the time. But... it's really fun to have that set-your-eye-back-in-their-sockets acceleration on tap when you want it! Lean and mean. FAST TRAILS Riding on Jeep trails and dirt roads where you can use the mid to upper RPM range on either of these bikes is way fun for you, but it sucks for anyone behind you. Both the 300 and 450 will throw dirt clods, rocks as big as your fist, root chunks, and small mammals at any of your riding buddies trying to keep up. Both bikes wheelie in any gear, and do massive power slides in every turn on a dirt road... or they do both at the same time! The four stroke 450 is a little more predictable in giant power slides, and the taller gearing makes it a nicer ride on those fast sections of dirt roads. The 300XC has tighter gearing and will not pull the same top speed as the 450XCF, but unless you do a lot of super fast dirt roads, it's not a problem. Most riding areas, at least in the eastern half of the country, have very few places you can explore the top speed of either bike for very long, and in the case of the 450, almost never. The far end of sixth gear on the 450 will see close to 100 MPH . The 300 rips on dirt roads, but the 450XCF gets the nod for being the Jeep trail and dirt road King of Fun. TYPICAL TRAILS The 300XC is substantially lighter and has less gyro effect from the motor, and both of these traits are noticeable on typical trails where speeds are usually 5 to 35 mph. The 300 flicks left right left better than the 450, and you can get away with more on the 300 because of its light weight and flickability. The KTM 450 prefers you to pick a line and stay with it, however it does change lines much better than you expect from a 450 4-stroke. Much better. It's nothing like the feel of say, a much heavier CRF450X, or even last year's KTM 450XC. The 2008 KTM 450XCF is very good on trails, but as good as it is, the 300XC still works even better on most trails. The excellent ultra low RPM pull combined with the ultra light weight, plus the lower motor inertia, make the 300 rail like a 250 on steroids. CHASSIS and SUSPENSION The 2008 chassis and suspension on all the KTM's are, in a word, phenomenal. The new frame and swingarm have a completely different shock leverage ratio, and the shock is new too. The forks are the same as last year's SX and SXF cartridge fork, complete with nitrogen bladder, but revalved for off road duty rather than MX/SX. When you remove the fork cap, it comes off with a nitrogen bladder attached, and the fork spring is no longer accessible under the fork cap. The new chassis and suspension package makes the rear plusher on the small stuff and more settled over the high speed stuff. Both bikes turn better than last year's models, and the 08 bikes just feel more glued to the ground in flat turns and over the rough stuff. The rear of the bike stays planted like it is velcro'ed to the ground. When either end bottoms, it's not as harsh as last year's bikes, and the new chassis does not have the "squirm" felt from last year's bike when the shock bottomed. The new frame and suspension is simply impressive, and you know it 1 minute into your first ride. As with any bike, you need to install the correct springs front and rear for your weight and riding ability. Correct springs make a huge difference in any bike. Both bikes (and all bikes) are sprung too soft for me at 6' and 200 lbs (w/o gear), but I was surprised at how well they worked and the lack of harshness and squirming when I bottomed them out. Did I already mention the new chassis and suspension is impressive? The 07 250SXF's/450SXF's have the same forks and chassis found on all the 08's, and our service tech and suspension wiz Johnny Barber has been riding a 07 250SXF this season in the GNCC XC2 Pro class, so we already have experience with the new chassis and suspension. The 2008 KTM's are very, very good and are closer to right than any other bikes I have ever ridden, but If you are a fast rider, you will still want to revalve the new forks and shock to suit your individual weight and riding style. There is just no way a manufacturer can make a shock and forks that work perfectly for beginners and pros, light and heavy riders, rooty woods in the east and deserts in the west. Typical KTM – top quality components and motors that rip! NUTS and BOLTS Both bikes have kickstands, and the new kickstand and mount on the 2008 models are about a light year ahead of previous KTM models. It tucks in better, it's less cobby, plus it has a new larger foot and the angle is better so the bike sits on the stand great. The 300 gets the new updated cylinder design from the 2007 250SX, and it makes the 2008 300XC a powerhouse. The 2008 300XC is definitely stronger than the 2007 version. The 450XCF has the new motor design we saw in last year's 450SXF, complete with electric start, and it is both lighter and more powerful than the older 450cc RFS motor design. The new radiator shrouds are stronger and tougher than last year, and the cool graphics are clear laminated to the plastic. The bars are adjustable and have 4 different positions front to rear, delivered in the #2 position. Most average size riders will probably like the #3 position better, and taller riders will find the #4 position (most forward) is a giant help to comfortable stand up riding. Jetting is not too far off as delivered on either bike, but as always, it will need some tweaking for your location – altitude, ambient temps, and humidity – if you want maximum performance. After jetting both bikes, the 300 had the most noticeable power increase. It was a little too rich through the middle, and 2-strokes don't like to be too rich. A crisply jetted KTM 2-stroke will put a smile on your face every time. The CDI on both these bikes have two maps built in, and unplugging a black/white stripe wire near the top of the left radiator will make the CDI default to an ignition curve more suited for traction in muddy or slick conditions. Pretty cool when you consider how strong both these motors are, and how hard they accelerate the rear wheel. As always, the components KTM uses are first rate, from the Renthal bars to the Brembo brakes to the Excel rims. Overall quality is superb, and the fit and finish on all the 08's is the better than ever. See the little wire connector next to the top of the radiator? Keep it plugged in for the performance map, unplug it for the traction map. AND THE WINNER IS... Tough choice. Both bikes do so much so well. Both bikes handle better and have better suspension than last year. Both bikes have motors that thrill you 110% of the time. Both have an amazingly high fun factor. But as similar as these bikes are, they feel way different when riding them. The light weight and less motor inertia of the 300 make it better, in my opinion, for general trail use and for woods racing. The 450 is about as good as it gets for playing around at warp speeds on fast trails and dirt roads, but is also a very competent woods racer on courses that are not too tight. The 300 flicks between trees better, the 450 can come out of a turn and with a stab at the clutch lever and clear a jump only 15 ft ahead with more air time than you thought was possible. How do you choose? Hell, buy both! Your wife doesn't really need that nice new expensive SUV she drives, does she? Sell that SUV gas pig, get her a cheaper car, and use the money to buy both the 300XC and the 450XCF! Well, maybe that's not the best plan, but it may be easier than choosing between the new 2008 KTM 450XCF and 300XC... A day of riding done – time to wash 'em up
First person report by Paul Wright
I'll come right to the point - these two bikes are arm stretching fast, do huge power slides, and pull monster wheelies any where, any time. I could almost end the report with that first sentence, because the first thing you notice about these bikes, and the thing you keep noticing, is that they both have been served an overdose of testosterone in the motor dept. They make power differently, but they definitely make the power, and its not just fun, it's addicting. Once you ride these two KTM's for any period of time, everything else seems weak. Both the KTM 450XCF and 300XC are class leading light, and sitting on the 300 gives you the feel of a ultra light and narrow 250 MX bike – mostly because it is almost exactly that. Just add 50cc more for that extra oomph, and suspension tuned for off-road use. The 450 feels like a 250 four stroke when you sit on it, and it is also very narrow and just does not give you the impression you are sitting on a 450 – until you taste what the motor has in store for you!
As strong as they both are, the 300XC two stroke and the 450XCF four stroke make their respective power in completely different ways, but probably not exactly as you might expect. The 300XC pulls far lower and better in the RPM scale than the 450 four stroke, and it seems that at times, you can lug the 300 down below idle RPM in second gear, and then just roll open the throttle for smooth and predictable torque from the sub basement of the RPM range. The four stroke 450 can't match that, and like every other big four stoke, you have to use the clutch at ultra low RPM on the 450 to control the power pulses and keep it from stalling. You have to ride modern four strokes higher than just off idle, and the KTM delivers abundant and smooth power once you get a few hundred RPM past idle speed. The smooth ultra low RPM torque delivery of the KTM 300 puts it in a class by itself if you are one of those riders that loves to keep momentum up and RPM low for controlled but fast riding.
But don't be fooled by the tractable and user friendly torque the 300XC has off the bottom. When the RPM's climb, it's a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde story. The strong and controllable low end becomes monster midrange that becomes an absolute missile in the upper RPM 's. But it's not like you go from controlled torque to massive horsepower as if a switch was flipped. The 300 just makes more and more power as RPM 's increase, and by the halfway mark, you need to be holding on, because the 300 gets fast – way fast – and it does not quit through the upper RPM range until you decide it's time to get out of the throttle to preserve life and limb. In this respect the 450 and the 300 are similar. From mid RPM into the top of the RPM range, both bikes are incredibly fast and giant wheelies are the norm while huge roost will keep most anyone from trying to pass you – if they actually had a bike fast enough to do that.
The 450 feels like it builds power slightly slower, in a normal 4-stroke fashion, but in a drag race, it comes down to which bike is getting just enough traction at the rear wheel to maximize acceleration without too much wheel spin, but not so much that you end up with a sudden and giant wheelie in 4 th gear at 60mph and have to roll out of the throttle. They both accelerate with Apollo booster rocket authority, and no one but Superman can use all the power these bikes have at higher RPM 's 100% of the time. But... it's really fun to have that set-your-eye-back-in-their-sockets acceleration on tap when you want it!
FAST TRAILS Riding on Jeep trails and dirt roads where you can use the mid to upper RPM range on either of these bikes is way fun for you, but it sucks for anyone behind you. Both the 300 and 450 will throw dirt clods, rocks as big as your fist, root chunks, and small mammals at any of your riding buddies trying to keep up. Both bikes wheelie in any gear, and do massive power slides in every turn on a dirt road... or they do both at the same time! The four stroke 450 is a little more predictable in giant power slides, and the taller gearing makes it a nicer ride on those fast sections of dirt roads. The 300XC has tighter gearing and will not pull the same top speed as the 450XCF, but unless you do a lot of super fast dirt roads, it's not a problem. Most riding areas, at least in the eastern half of the country, have very few places you can explore the top speed of either bike for very long, and in the case of the 450, almost never. The far end of sixth gear on the 450 will see close to 100 MPH . The 300 rips on dirt roads, but the 450XCF gets the nod for being the Jeep trail and dirt road King of Fun.
TYPICAL TRAILS The 300XC is substantially lighter and has less gyro effect from the motor, and both of these traits are noticeable on typical trails where speeds are usually 5 to 35 mph. The 300 flicks left right left better than the 450, and you can get away with more on the 300 because of its light weight and flickability. The KTM 450 prefers you to pick a line and stay with it, however it does change lines much better than you expect from a 450 4-stroke. Much better. It's nothing like the feel of say, a much heavier CRF450X, or even last year's KTM 450XC. The 2008 KTM 450XCF is very good on trails, but as good as it is, the 300XC still works even better on most trails. The excellent ultra low RPM pull combined with the ultra light weight, plus the lower motor inertia, make the 300 rail like a 250 on steroids.
CHASSIS and SUSPENSION The 2008 chassis and suspension on all the KTM's are, in a word, phenomenal. The new frame and swingarm have a completely different shock leverage ratio, and the shock is new too. The forks are the same as last year's SX and SXF cartridge fork, complete with nitrogen bladder, but revalved for off road duty rather than MX/SX. When you remove the fork cap, it comes off with a nitrogen bladder attached, and the fork spring is no longer accessible under the fork cap. The new chassis and suspension package makes the rear plusher on the small stuff and more settled over the high speed stuff. Both bikes turn better than last year's models, and the 08 bikes just feel more glued to the ground in flat turns and over the rough stuff. The rear of the bike stays planted like it is velcro'ed to the ground. When either end bottoms, it's not as harsh as last year's bikes, and the new chassis does not have the "squirm" felt from last year's bike when the shock bottomed. The new frame and suspension is simply impressive, and you know it 1 minute into your first ride. As with any bike, you need to install the correct springs front and rear for your weight and riding ability. Correct springs make a huge difference in any bike. Both bikes (and all bikes) are sprung too soft for me at 6' and 200 lbs (w/o gear), but I was surprised at how well they worked and the lack of harshness and squirming when I bottomed them out. Did I already mention the new chassis and suspension is impressive?
The 07 250SXF's/450SXF's have the same forks and chassis found on all the 08's, and our service tech and suspension wiz Johnny Barber has been riding a 07 250SXF this season in the GNCC XC2 Pro class, so we already have experience with the new chassis and suspension. The 2008 KTM's are very, very good and are closer to right than any other bikes I have ever ridden, but If you are a fast rider, you will still want to revalve the new forks and shock to suit your individual weight and riding style. There is just no way a manufacturer can make a shock and forks that work perfectly for beginners and pros, light and heavy riders, rooty woods in the east and deserts in the west.
NUTS and BOLTS Both bikes have kickstands, and the new kickstand and mount on the 2008 models are about a light year ahead of previous KTM models. It tucks in better, it's less cobby, plus it has a new larger foot and the angle is better so the bike sits on the stand great. The 300 gets the new updated cylinder design from the 2007 250SX, and it makes the 2008 300XC a powerhouse. The 2008 300XC is definitely stronger than the 2007 version. The 450XCF has the new motor design we saw in last year's 450SXF, complete with electric start, and it is both lighter and more powerful than the older 450cc RFS motor design. The new radiator shrouds are stronger and tougher than last year, and the cool graphics are clear laminated to the plastic. The bars are adjustable and have 4 different positions front to rear, delivered in the #2 position. Most average size riders will probably like the #3 position better, and taller riders will find the #4 position (most forward) is a giant help to comfortable stand up riding. Jetting is not too far off as delivered on either bike, but as always, it will need some tweaking for your location – altitude, ambient temps, and humidity – if you want maximum performance. After jetting both bikes, the 300 had the most noticeable power increase. It was a little too rich through the middle, and 2-strokes don't like to be too rich. A crisply jetted KTM 2-stroke will put a smile on your face every time.
The CDI on both these bikes have two maps built in, and unplugging a black/white stripe wire near the top of the left radiator will make the CDI default to an ignition curve more suited for traction in muddy or slick conditions. Pretty cool when you consider how strong both these motors are, and how hard they accelerate the rear wheel. As always, the components KTM uses are first rate, from the Renthal bars to the Brembo brakes to the Excel rims. Overall quality is superb, and the fit and finish on all the 08's is the better than ever.
AND THE WINNER IS... Tough choice. Both bikes do so much so well. Both bikes handle better and have better suspension than last year. Both bikes have motors that thrill you 110% of the time. Both have an amazingly high fun factor. But as similar as these bikes are, they feel way different when riding them. The light weight and less motor inertia of the 300 make it better, in my opinion, for general trail use and for woods racing. The 450 is about as good as it gets for playing around at warp speeds on fast trails and dirt roads, but is also a very competent woods racer on courses that are not too tight. The 300 flicks between trees better, the 450 can come out of a turn and with a stab at the clutch lever and clear a jump only 15 ft ahead with more air time than you thought was possible. How do you choose? Hell, buy both! Your wife doesn't really need that nice new expensive SUV she drives, does she? Sell that SUV gas pig, get her a cheaper car, and use the money to buy both the 300XC and the 450XCF!
Well, maybe that's not the best plan, but it may be easier than choosing between the new 2008 KTM 450XCF and 300XC...
PART 1 I'm 51 years old and I've been riding and racing for a long time. Racing helps keep me fit and felling younger than I am. It does, at the very least, keep me in better physical condition than golf or poker tournaments. However, racing motorcycles does take a toll over time. In my decades or riding and racing, I have collected quite a range of injuries, broken bones, and more than a half dozen orthopedic surgeries. All of these boo–boos get better, to varying degrees, and you always learn to ride around whatever little limitations you have left after recovery from a serious injury. I'm not complaining. Far from it! I still ride and race and do pretty well at it. Most of all, it's still really fun, and I'm not ready to give it up. Ibuprofen has become a mandatory food group on race day, and I have learned that well tuned suspension is critical to keep the bike from beating me up over a long race. I have found ways to compensate for past injuries that never quite healed 100%, but in the last few years, I have started having problems with my hands going numb while racing, and no matter what I have tried, it just keeps getting worse. I have read a lot about arm pump and various cures, and I've tried them all. I tried various forearm exercises, spray on cures you apply to your forearms before a race, aspirin to thin my blood, all sorts of other stuff, but none of these things had much positive effect, if any. The best thing I found was the good old ibuprofen, an anti–inflammatory, but it only helps a marginal amount. Arm pump is a condition where the muscles in the forearms are working so hard they swell with blood to the point that they constrict blood flow to the hands and forearm muscles. Gripping the bars continuously is an isometric exercise, not a muscle shortening and lengthening exercise. Continuous isometric muscle contractions do not allow the blood to move in and out of the muscles to bring in oxygen and flush out lactose. Ever see those guys shaking out their hands in a race? Trying to get blood flow back in there? Most racers I have talked to think that forearm pump restricts the flow of blood to the hands and fingers, so the hands start to tingle, which gets progressively worse until they are just numb, like when you sleep on your arm wrong and you wake up with it all numb and tingling. So they shake out their hands, which does release the isometric contraction (gripping the bar) and allows blood to flow to the hands, and theoretically the shaking speeds the blood flow, reducing the numbness. Arm pump can be caused or at least worsened by a lack of arm training and muscle development, improperly set up bars/levers, improper riding position, and the most famous one – keeping a "death grip" on the bars. Working at KTM World and Highland Park means I ride fairly often, and do a lot of physical work cutting trails and such, so I do not consider my problem to be a lack of forearm physical conditioning. My grip strength is very good from a lifetime of riding, and wielding a machete and chain saw on a regular basis helps too. This year in particular the numb hands have become much worse, and I have tried to ride around it, but this has become a difficult, if not dangerous task. They start to go numb usually about halfway through the first lap at a GNCC or Hare Scrambles, and by the end of the first lap, I cannot ride 110% anymore. Not even 100%. More like 80%, because you have to concentrate so hard on keeping your hands on the bars. The amount of concentration is enormous, and at 51, I only have a limited amount of concentration left in my feeble old brain! Really, it takes a huge amount of concentration to keep your hands firmly griping the bars and operating the controls when you can't feel anything with your hands. You can tell your hand is anchored to something, but you can't actually feel the bars. If you loose your concentration for a split second in a rough section, a hand will fly off the bar when you hit something at speed, the result being a near crash, or sometimes one of those spectacular high speed over the bars crash. Some of you reading this know what I am talking about. In addition to not being able to feel the bars, I can't feel the front brake lever or clutch lever. So the "ride around" for that is always keeping a finger or two on the levers in sections of the race course where you need to use them a lot. Fast sections, like running WFO across a field, don't require the brake or clutch lever, and you need all your fingers on the bars to hold on when approaching the end of top gear. And you need to REALLY concentrate on keeping your hands on the bars in those super fast sections. I can tell you that it is not desirable to have a hand fly off the bar while running wide open in top gear. Eventually you have to downshift and use the brakes, and that is the real tricky part. The "ride around" for that is looking at the levers and your fingers to make sure you have your fingers on the levers before you need to use them. So just before it is time to jam on the brakes and start downshifting at the end of that WFO top gear field, you have to look at the brake and clutch levers to get your fingers on them properly. You sure can't feel the levers. Using the front brake requires that you know ahead of time when you need the front brakes, so you can glance down and get your fingers on it, and it's the same with the clutch, although the clutch is not as critical as the front brake can be. If you don't glance down at the brake lever, it can be hit or miss getting your fingers on it, and that means emergency braking can be a hit or miss proposition. You may hit the tree, you may miss it. I talked to a lot of people with similar numbness in their hands when racing, and most seem to think their problem is due to arm pump and loss of blood flow from constriction. At first, when it was coming on slowly, I assumed it was just arm pump not allowing the blood to flow to my hands, and if I stopped for a few minutes, like at an Enduro gas stop or reset, the numb hands would go away, like the blood was flowing again. However, I rarely had issues with arm pump in the past, so why had it become so bad now? I began to wonder if it was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), but I did not know much about CTS. Doing some internet research opened my eyes, and I found out that CTS is not about constricting blood flow, it's about constricting the nerves that run down your arms into your hands. In layman's terms, the nerves passing through the wrist into the hand go through the carpal tunnel, a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand that houses the median nerve and tendons. When the area becomes swollen by engorged blood vessels or inflamed from hard or repetitive use, pressure is put on the nerves running through the tunnel, particularly the median nerve, which serves the palm side of the hand, thumb and fingers. With enough pressure, the nerves are constricted and your hands go numb. One of the causes I found in my research on CTS was "repeated use of vibrating hand tools". I guess holding onto a vibrating and jerking motorcycle handlebar for 40 years qualifies. OK, it now seems like CTS is a better diagnosis for my numb race hands than arm pump, and I finally spoke to one racer that had CTS surgery, and he said it fixed his numb hands. Bingo. I called my orthopedic surgeons office and set an appointment with the CTS specialist. At the doc's office, they asked some questions about my hand numbness, and as much as I hated to mention the "I race motorcycles" thing, that's the only time it really is bad, so I told the truth – I race motorcycles. You know how a lot of doctors look at you when you injure yourself and tell them you did it on a motorcycle. It pisses me off a bit, since I'm sure they go snow skiing, or fly their single engine doctor killer planes, or do something else that has a certain amount of risk to it. But I was spared the "look" and any lecture about how dangerous motorcycles are, and I actually got a chuckle out of her when she was looking at my medical history and saw all the previous orthopedic surgeries on various body parts. "You seem to be in great shape, but I see here it's all due to modern medicine!" She took me through some tests, but it did not take long to see that CTS was the problem. The first test was the Tinel test, and the doc tapped on the median nerve in my wrist, then asked if I could feel tingling in my fingers when she was tapping. For me, it was like hitting your funny bone – big tingling sensation every time she tapped on the nerve. She did a few more quick tests, but from my description of the problem, and the hugely positive results from the tests, we went on to an electrodiagnostic test, which checks nerve conduction by placing electrodes on the forearm and finger tips. Small electric shocks are applied and the speed with which nerves transmit impulses is measured. My test showed 12% nerve damage! That was it for me. I need to get this taken care of ASAP. My right hand is worse, so it's getting done first, and we are doing Open Release Surgery, the traditional procedure used to correct carpal tunnel syndrome, consisting of an incision about 2 inches long at the wrist/palm juncture, then cutting the carpal ligament to enlarge the carpal tunnel. I have the surgery set for Monday, Sept 24 – right after our KTM World and Highland Park open house and KTM demo day on Sept 22, and the SETRA Hare Scrambles race on Sept 23. Hey – I gotta get in some riding before I have to sit out doing rehab! After the surgery, I'll write some more about how it went, how fast it heals, and how well it works, so anyone with numb hands that is interested in CTS surgery can read about it from a racer's perspective. Paul Wright
PART 1
I'm 51 years old and I've been riding and racing for a long time. Racing helps keep me fit and felling younger than I am. It does, at the very least, keep me in better physical condition than golf or poker tournaments. However, racing motorcycles does take a toll over time. In my decades or riding and racing, I have collected quite a range of injuries, broken bones, and more than a half dozen orthopedic surgeries. All of these boo–boos get better, to varying degrees, and you always learn to ride around whatever little limitations you have left after recovery from a serious injury.
I'm not complaining. Far from it! I still ride and race and do pretty well at it. Most of all, it's still really fun, and I'm not ready to give it up. Ibuprofen has become a mandatory food group on race day, and I have learned that well tuned suspension is critical to keep the bike from beating me up over a long race. I have found ways to compensate for past injuries that never quite healed 100%, but in the last few years, I have started having problems with my hands going numb while racing, and no matter what I have tried, it just keeps getting worse.
I have read a lot about arm pump and various cures, and I've tried them all. I tried various forearm exercises, spray on cures you apply to your forearms before a race, aspirin to thin my blood, all sorts of other stuff, but none of these things had much positive effect, if any. The best thing I found was the good old ibuprofen, an anti–inflammatory, but it only helps a marginal amount.
Arm pump is a condition where the muscles in the forearms are working so hard they swell with blood to the point that they constrict blood flow to the hands and forearm muscles. Gripping the bars continuously is an isometric exercise, not a muscle shortening and lengthening exercise. Continuous isometric muscle contractions do not allow the blood to move in and out of the muscles to bring in oxygen and flush out lactose.
Ever see those guys shaking out their hands in a race? Trying to get blood flow back in there? Most racers I have talked to think that forearm pump restricts the flow of blood to the hands and fingers, so the hands start to tingle, which gets progressively worse until they are just numb, like when you sleep on your arm wrong and you wake up with it all numb and tingling. So they shake out their hands, which does release the isometric contraction (gripping the bar) and allows blood to flow to the hands, and theoretically the shaking speeds the blood flow, reducing the numbness.
Arm pump can be caused or at least worsened by a lack of arm training and muscle development, improperly set up bars/levers, improper riding position, and the most famous one – keeping a "death grip" on the bars.
Working at KTM World and Highland Park means I ride fairly often, and do a lot of physical work cutting trails and such, so I do not consider my problem to be a lack of forearm physical conditioning. My grip strength is very good from a lifetime of riding, and wielding a machete and chain saw on a regular basis helps too.
This year in particular the numb hands have become much worse, and I have tried to ride around it, but this has become a difficult, if not dangerous task. They start to go numb usually about halfway through the first lap at a GNCC or Hare Scrambles, and by the end of the first lap, I cannot ride 110% anymore. Not even 100%. More like 80%, because you have to concentrate so hard on keeping your hands on the bars. The amount of concentration is enormous, and at 51, I only have a limited amount of concentration left in my feeble old brain! Really, it takes a huge amount of concentration to keep your hands firmly griping the bars and operating the controls when you can't feel anything with your hands. You can tell your hand is anchored to something, but you can't actually feel the bars. If you loose your concentration for a split second in a rough section, a hand will fly off the bar when you hit something at speed, the result being a near crash, or sometimes one of those spectacular high speed over the bars crash. Some of you reading this know what I am talking about.
In addition to not being able to feel the bars, I can't feel the front brake lever or clutch lever. So the "ride around" for that is always keeping a finger or two on the levers in sections of the race course where you need to use them a lot. Fast sections, like running WFO across a field, don't require the brake or clutch lever, and you need all your fingers on the bars to hold on when approaching the end of top gear. And you need to REALLY concentrate on keeping your hands on the bars in those super fast sections. I can tell you that it is not desirable to have a hand fly off the bar while running wide open in top gear.
Eventually you have to downshift and use the brakes, and that is the real tricky part. The "ride around" for that is looking at the levers and your fingers to make sure you have your fingers on the levers before you need to use them. So just before it is time to jam on the brakes and start downshifting at the end of that WFO top gear field, you have to look at the brake and clutch levers to get your fingers on them properly. You sure can't feel the levers.
Using the front brake requires that you know ahead of time when you need the front brakes, so you can glance down and get your fingers on it, and it's the same with the clutch, although the clutch is not as critical as the front brake can be. If you don't glance down at the brake lever, it can be hit or miss getting your fingers on it, and that means emergency braking can be a hit or miss proposition. You may hit the tree, you may miss it.
I talked to a lot of people with similar numbness in their hands when racing, and most seem to think their problem is due to arm pump and loss of blood flow from constriction. At first, when it was coming on slowly, I assumed it was just arm pump not allowing the blood to flow to my hands, and if I stopped for a few minutes, like at an Enduro gas stop or reset, the numb hands would go away, like the blood was flowing again. However, I rarely had issues with arm pump in the past, so why had it become so bad now? I began to wonder if it was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), but I did not know much about CTS.
Doing some internet research opened my eyes, and I found out that CTS is not about constricting blood flow, it's about constricting the nerves that run down your arms into your hands. In layman's terms, the nerves passing through the wrist into the hand go through the carpal tunnel, a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand that houses the median nerve and tendons. When the area becomes swollen by engorged blood vessels or inflamed from hard or repetitive use, pressure is put on the nerves running through the tunnel, particularly the median nerve, which serves the palm side of the hand, thumb and fingers. With enough pressure, the nerves are constricted and your hands go numb. One of the causes I found in my research on CTS was "repeated use of vibrating hand tools". I guess holding onto a vibrating and jerking motorcycle handlebar for 40 years qualifies.
OK, it now seems like CTS is a better diagnosis for my numb race hands than arm pump, and I finally spoke to one racer that had CTS surgery, and he said it fixed his numb hands. Bingo. I called my orthopedic surgeons office and set an appointment with the CTS specialist.
At the doc's office, they asked some questions about my hand numbness, and as much as I hated to mention the "I race motorcycles" thing, that's the only time it really is bad, so I told the truth – I race motorcycles. You know how a lot of doctors look at you when you injure yourself and tell them you did it on a motorcycle. It pisses me off a bit, since I'm sure they go snow skiing, or fly their single engine doctor killer planes, or do something else that has a certain amount of risk to it. But I was spared the "look" and any lecture about how dangerous motorcycles are, and I actually got a chuckle out of her when she was looking at my medical history and saw all the previous orthopedic surgeries on various body parts. "You seem to be in great shape, but I see here it's all due to modern medicine!"
She took me through some tests, but it did not take long to see that CTS was the problem. The first test was the Tinel test, and the doc tapped on the median nerve in my wrist, then asked if I could feel tingling in my fingers when she was tapping. For me, it was like hitting your funny bone – big tingling sensation every time she tapped on the nerve. She did a few more quick tests, but from my description of the problem, and the hugely positive results from the tests, we went on to an electrodiagnostic test, which checks nerve conduction by placing electrodes on the forearm and finger tips. Small electric shocks are applied and the speed with which nerves transmit impulses is measured. My test showed 12% nerve damage!
That was it for me. I need to get this taken care of ASAP. My right hand is worse, so it's getting done first, and we are doing Open Release Surgery, the traditional procedure used to correct carpal tunnel syndrome, consisting of an incision about 2 inches long at the wrist/palm juncture, then cutting the carpal ligament to enlarge the carpal tunnel. I have the surgery set for Monday, Sept 24 – right after our KTM World and Highland Park open house and KTM demo day on Sept 22, and the SETRA Hare Scrambles race on Sept 23. Hey – I gotta get in some riding before I have to sit out doing rehab!
After the surgery, I'll write some more about how it went, how fast it heals, and how well it works, so anyone with numb hands that is interested in CTS surgery can read about it from a racer's perspective.