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So I've done some minor repairs to the bike(83 honda 650 nighthawk) it is running way better. Took it for a good long ride yesterday(over 200klicks) and my hands were numb, aching numb by the time I was finished. It has not happened to me before on this bike. It ran really good and seemed smoother can not figure out why the ? vibration, shocks, antidiving setting, gloves have caused the hand numbing. Any suggestions. Have thought about buying a set of those foam handle bar grips they use on chain saws or peddle bikes. Anybody else use these?Anybody else had this problem and solved it.

What have you changed since the last time you road?
Did you ride longer than usual?

Changed the choke cable, lubed throttle control cables, adjusted the idle speed,checked oil, checked air pressure in the tires. Thats about it. Did ride a little farther than normal. However took the bike on a long road trip last summer and the numb hands wasn't an issue.

Have you been off of the bike a long while? Maybe you're gorilla gripping it.

Maybe when you changed / lubed the cables, you moved their positions slightly. Little adjustments on the handlebar could cause a big difference in the way it feels on your hands.

Are there bar weights on that model? If so, did you lose one or both? Check plugs, wires. Are the carbs spot on, or is there a chance they are in need of cleaning? You might also synch the carbs, out of synch carbs can cause rough running and perhaps vibration. Is there a balancer shaft on that bike? While it's very doubtful that it is out of time there is a chance that the preload is out of adjustment. If it can be adjusted that may take care of some vibration. You'll need to check a good manual to find out about that.

I have the same problem, my hands get numb too, what works for me is installing a magnet on ur handlebars close as you can to the grips, it works, I don't know how it works but it does, its an old biker trick I seen on other bikes, I know some people are going to make fun of me for suggesting that, but it works, if you would try it you would be amazed. I use a magnet from a broken off magnetic pick up tool, and I noticed when I install it on the left side of the handlebars only my right hand gets numb and veisa-versa. Try it !

You know, strange enough, I could see that working, magnetic bracelets and the likes seem to do wonders for some people.

It isn't the magnetic field, but the weight of the magnet changes the resonant frequency of your handlebars. That means the bars will vibrate noticably at a higher or lower rpm range of your engine, making them smoother at the rpm you usually cruise. Bar weights do the same thing.

I had this problem really badly (mainly in the throttle hand), but I've learnt to relax my hand when the problem starts. With me it's definitely due to gripping the twist grip too tightly. I open and close my hand a few times then consciously use a lighter grip and it works for me.