Post Ride Recovery Tips: What Is Likely To Ache After Long Motorbike Ride

The last time I was in the UK I rode back on the Harley-Davidson Road King Classic. That was back in May this year, and while it wouldn’t be true to say that I had only just recovered, it would be to say that a combination of age, lack of fitness and far too long out of the saddle meant that it took me a little longer than usual.

Now there is nothing that can be done about my age, and the various injuries have certainly taken their toll over the years, but I could (and should) be fitter, and I certainly have no excuse for not using the Fat Boy and Road King Classic more.

Prevention is certainly better than cure, and so in addition to trying to maintain a level of fitness, it is vital to ensure that you stay hydrated before, during and after a ride. No surprises that this means no alcohol, which should never be combined with riding a motorbike naturally, but it also means that on a long ride I tend not to have alcohol at the end of a days riding, especially when riding a long distance the next day.

Fatigue and the resultant exhaustion are issues as well. Exhaustion can result in a fall in blood pressure, extreme tiredness, fever and a lack of appetite. It can hit days after a trip as well, so what I have found works really well is:

• stay hydrated with more than usual intake of water pre, during and post trip
• no alcohol pre, during and post trip
• rest a lot, and in particular listen to your body. I have often stopped off during a days ride for a quick siesta to recharge!
• eat fruit! then eat some more fruit! boring as it may sound it is so much better than the popular energy bars, or even a bar of chocolate

Being prepared also helps, in that it reduces stress. Knowing that you have the right route, the bike is properly prepared and you are packed for every eventuality makes for a stress free trip, and conserves your energy.

BUT no matter how fit you are, or how prepared, it is inevitable that various parts of your body will ache from time to time. Over the years I have figured out that at one time or another the following six problems are going to arise for me on a long bike trip:

Sharp Pain In The Upper Back and/or Shoulder Bades

More often that not this is going to lead to a trapeze contracture and by far the best treatment is to apply a cold compress for a few hours and then a hot compress. Not exactly an option on a typical days ride, but I find that a cold blast under the shower followed by a hot soak in a bath helps. It is important to do the cold first!

Over the years I have found that ways of reducing the problem include:

• A lighter helmet, and unfortunately a open faced one is worse, which goes against the wind in your face nature of riding a Harley-Davidson, but for a long trip a full face, lightweight helmet is best
• Don’t use a rucksack at all!
• Keep your neck warm, especially in the winter
• Make sure that your windshield is tall enough to deflect the wind over your head, not directly onto your head!
• Shift riding position frequently, and keep turning and twisting neck and shoulders

For extreme cases I tend to carry a muscle relaxant, and for relief placing both hands behind your head and swinging gently tends to help. A Doctor friend once told me to ensure I had enough B6, zinc and magnesium in my diet as they fuel your muscles.

Lumber Back Pain That Prevents Standing Up Straight

Technically known as lumbalgia this hits when you try and get off your bike after a long period on the saddle, so the obvious prevention is not to ride for too long. I have spent a lot of time (and money) making sure that both the Fat Boy and Road King Classic fit my 6ft 4″ frame, including spending extra on some new seats.

I always ensure my lower back is protected from the wind, and have been known to use a back corset when it has got really bad.

By far the best exercise is to hold one side of the handlebar with say your right hand on the right side, while twisting and gripping the rear of the bike with your left hand.

Fingers and Hands Numb

This effects me more on the Fat Boy with its stiffer clutch and brakes than the Road King Classic, but on a long ride it is pretty inevitable that your hands and fingers are going to react to long periods in one position gripping the handlebars.

Some tips I have picked up over the years:

• Try not to put any weight on your hands
• Grip lightly
• Adjust your riding position frequently, especially the angle of your arms

Luckily this is a pretty easy problem to exercise: stretch the arms out, cross both hands’ fingers, push out and relax. It is far better to do this as soon and as regularly as you can, at traffic lights, stop signs, hold ups in traffic etc.

Cervicals

Constant wind pressure on your helmet causes this pain at the base of your neck. It isn’t helped by tension, and in may case tends to be a extremely sharp stinging pain that hurst the more you stretch it out, but that is pretty much all you can do.

Stretching the neck from side to side and bringing the chin down towards the chest are what works for me. I really suffer with this so tend to ride around like a nodding dog trying to prevent it.

Always helps to have some ibuprofen on hand for this one as it increase the blood flow and help dilate the muscle.

Numb Legs

And *cough* buttocks! Basically sciatica which basically means that the lumbalgia is spreading down the back of your hamstrings.

This is a tough one to advise on as it effects the nerve, but I find that the usual hamstring stretches tend to help, and if you can sit down with your leg stretched at 90 degrees in front of you I find then bringing your chin down towards your chest while sat upright can really release the pain. It hurts though and I really advice getting a doctor of specialist to advice you on how to recover from sciatica.

Stiff Shoulders

At it’s worse this could be tendonitis in the shoulder, in which case an ice pack is by far the best treatment. As they are tough to find mid ride, so there are two exercises I use when on the bike:

• Gently swing your elbow, supported by your right hand, in order to strengthen the shoulder
• Put both hands behind back, clasp together and stretch gently

On the Road King Classic I don’t really suffer as I have a back rest and some wide bars that effectively push me bak into the back rest. As I use this bike for touring I have sent a lot of money getting it just right. On the Fat Boy which is far more of a bar hopping bike I have gone with a low solo seat and wide bars so I struggle with shoulder pains on a long ride, especially as it has no windshield and I only ride this with an open faced helmet.

Hope this helps but PLEASE check with a specialist if you suffer from any of the above. Safety is vital on your motorbike, so do yourself a favour and just as you would make sure your bike was road worthy and you knew how to take care of it on the road, do the same with your body.