That was a manufacturer's flaw on many of the 1999 VX's. Many of the owners at the time either added extensions or had the dealers replace the strap altogether with a longer one.
Ha, Since I had never heard anything about it, I figured it was just something wrong with mine. Well, blunders never cease to amaze me.
Guess I wasn't thinking, cuz I could make it adjustable instead of just not using it.
If you don't first THINK THINK, you could end up in deep DO DO!