Total Motorcycle Community Forums

I just started motorcycling about 3 days ago. The base of my neck burns very badly once I get off the bike. Occasioanlly it'll start to burn while I'm on the bike, but it hurts more when I get off.

My dad said my helmet is heavy, I'm fightning the wind, and my neck is not used to the strain.

Hopefully this is just a temporary thing, but is there anything I should be worried about?

Anythign to help make it go away?

Beware of terminal "REDNECK"...









If your dog and your wallet are both on a chain...
If you go to family gatherings to meet girls...
If you walk your son to school because you're both in the same grade...

...you just might be a redneck.

Are you referring to muscle pain? - if so, you'll build them up. Agressive forward leaning position is the worst on the neck.

Sunburn? - A rolled bandana fixes that.

Well, have a look at your neck, if it's really red then it's sunburned. You don't feel it while on the bike 'cause the wind cools it (and allows it to cook to perfection ), once you stop or get off the bike the burning is much more noticeable. It is very easy to get severly sunburned while riding if you don't take precautions.

If its muscle pain, then you need to move your head around more while your riding. Keeping it in a static positon for miles and miles, you will have problems.

If it's muscular, simple stretching excersises will help. Just take a moment to stretch out the neck muscles before riding (and as suggested, while riding) and you'll slowly increase your range of motion which will enable you to ride more comfortably.

I'm a judo instructor in my spare time, and I've found that these basic stretches help with riding (especially long rides) just as much as they do getting thrown around a rubber mat.

You know the type of stretches; you see people in Gym's doing them all the time. Grab your right ear with your left hand and gently drag your head down towards your left shoulder. Hold it for about thirty seconds. Do the same for the other side. Do these a couple of times. If you have a muscle strain, it will feel really good.

Also clench your teeth and rotate your head 360 degrees (not exorcist style... the other way!) You should get a crack or two if you're spine has been under stress. This might even help release the build up in the muscles, allowing you to ride more comfortably.

I would suggest that your problem (if it is muscular) is postural. You should be able to ride a bike with little discomfort. If it hurts to ride, then you're pinching a nerve or straining a muscle.

If these things don't ease the problem, see a chiropractor. Otherwise, just take up yoga (or judo!).

What kind of bike are you riding?