Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: neck pain, kawasaki vulcan 1500, long periods of time

Question
I have a 2003 kawasaki vulcan 1500 with stock handlebars. I am 5' 8" tall. when i ride about an hour and a half the base of my neck (top of spine) starts burning and if I don't get off the bike the pain then goes into my neck and back. as soon as I am off the bike the pain stops. I do not experience this pain at any other time. people have told me to get new bars and, or risers. any help would be appreciated. thank you  

Answer
For whatever reason, your body positioning is causing you to put undue strain on your neck.

Aches and pains are common to riding for long periods of time. It also has to do with your level of physical fitness and flexibility. Every year, when the snow melts, I have to reacclimate to riding the bike, as my back, neck, and wrists gets sore quickly. Once you have a few hundred miles on, you start to build up resistance. Some exercise, conditioning, and stretching exercises might help.

Before modifying your bike, try experimenting with your body position. Relax more of your upper body, and use more of your lower body to grip the bike. You only need to hold onto the grips lightly. If you can't, you can try adjusting your seating position forward or backward.

You may simply be fighting the wind. Consider an aftermarket windshield, or a different windshield if you already have one, or no windshield at all.

New bars might help, but not as much as you'd probably like. It could be that the bike is just not comfortable for you, and you should consider a standard motorcycle or a sport bike rather than a cruiser, which kind of forces the rider to reach way forward, hold their head up and forward to fight the wind, and sit right on the base of your spine. Not the best posture for long periods of time.

Good luck.

Pat