I'm loving my bike, but my left thumb near the base is bugging me lately and the pad of the thumb is a bit numb.

Anyone have a similar experience?

 

my hands have always got numb on bikes i just deal with it but as i am getting older it is happening sooner and harder to deal with. i have noticed since i am trying lots of combinations that pulling the bars in just a bit and using a backrest have tremendously helped. so i am leaning towards the fact that the issue is maybe nerve based and also has to do with posture. if i ride without the backrest i can only go about 30 minutes till both my hands go numb.

i also noticed (since i have been trough a bunch of bars already) that the lower the number on pull back the better the scenario. if my hands are twisted out at the wrists to grab the bars it is way worse.

 

Try riding with your left thumb on the switch cover parallel with the ground and invest in some good grips. I use Avon memory foam grips and they absorb a lot of the vibration.

 

A shot in the dark here: Are you sitting straight up while riding or slumping in the saddle? I'm asking because when I slump, I get a slight tingling in the paws. When I sit up straight, it goes away. That is pressure on nerves. Maybe in the neck or back.

 

I have carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome. My left hand/wrist quickly falls asleep. I’ve swapped bars and grips, not really helping much. I’ve put off surgery but it’s looking more likely that it’s gonna be my only relief

 

I have the same thing but not from riding ! My computer 'mouse' is to blame ! Final diagnosis from the Docs. was the offer of an operation that 'might' make me lose any feeling in my thumb ! Needles to say I got used to it and only have a little bit of 'lack of mobility' on my top joint ! Numbness has gone too ! Forgot to say I changed my grip on the 'mouse'!

 

If you tell us the particulars about the bike you ride, along with seat, bars and lack of backrest we can be more helpful.

 

I do too but for me its my right thumb, left is ok. After about 45 minutes it gets a little numb and a bit difficult to hit the turn signal. Low Rider, stock seat, 10" mini apes. I put those on in hopes that they'd help but didn't. They put my arms just below shoulder height. The stock Low Rider bars have your wrist angle all jacked up so that's why I switched.

 

My carpal tunnel was getting pretty bad a few years ago. I went between numbness and spikes of pain. You need to mobilize your wrists for awhile with a brace, wrap your wrists in ice packs, and take anti inflamitory medication. You bring down inflammation the nerves heal. After you get it under control you do hand excercises and reposition how you work with your hands.

I've ridden ape hangers and get fatigued. I like to have my hands below my heart so my bikes have pullback riser bars. Seems better for circulation.

I avoided surgery and have had no problems for about 3 years. I ride a fair amount and off road on an ATV. I'm pushing 50 and feel good outside of some stiffness in the hands.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

There's a bunch of things that can cause numbness and pain in your hands. To correct it first try loosening your grip on the bars. Don't wrap your thumb around the grip, just let it hang there and drape your fingers over the grip and rest them on the clutch lever.
If that doesn't help try some new grips, I have found that the larger, thicker diameter ones are better for me. One other thing is a set of good padded gloves. They will absorb a lot of vibration and prevent pain and numbness.