Grip Fix

This might sound strange, but I have tried it & it works.
To fit new grips, use womens hair spray, shoot some in the grip & enough on the bar so it runs, the grip slides on smooth as silk & in a couple of minutes they are rock solid.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm putting on grab-on foam grips, so I guess the plastic bar end caps go on afterwards?

 

The Throttle side Grip is the side that needs understanding.

The Throttle Grip is a Nylon sleeve that surrounds the Handlebar.
Upon the Sleeve goes the Grip material and the Sleeve is fitted back onto the Handlebar.

The Sleeve has the Cable Pull Attachment to deal with and it needs to be Non-Binding after the New Grip material is applied.
Then the Sleeve and the Control is adjusted to match the end of the bar for attachment of a Bar End Piece.

Apply the new Grip with an Old School Trick and you can adjust it and remove it in the future.
Lube and adhesive can be made from Liquid Laundry Detergent.

Add a bit of Alcohol to help thin-out the concentrated detergent.
Lube the Throttle Sleeve and the Inside of the Grip Material with the Soap-Mix.
You will be able to Form and Shape the New Grip on the Sleeve while the Soap-Mix is drying.

 

All these methods are great until you ride in the rain - and then your lubricant of choice will re-activate and your grips will start to slip. Not a nice feeling.

I clean the grip and bar with brake cleaner and put them on dry with compressed air. Best way by far.

 

Further explanation required, Hillsy.

 

About the compressed air method? Or that hairspray will slip again when it gets wet?

 

I'm not worried about the hair spray loosing it's grip, that's fair dinkum, but where & how do you apply the comp' air?

 

That would have to be some Rain Storm!

 

OK - for the LH side, push the new grip a bit onto the bar (you'll easily get 1/2 inch), then lift the front of the grip and point the compressor gun nozzle in there and give it a blast. This will "lift" the grip off the bar enough for you to slide it on (make sure you're holding the grip or it will fall back off the bar). If the grip has a hole at the rear you'll need to cover this with your hand to get the air to float the grip.

The throttle side is the same principle but can be a bit more stubborn due to the plastic throttle sleeve not being as smooth as the handlebar. I sometimes have to take the throttle sleeve off the bar and hold it down on the bench whilst putting the grip on.

 

I'll stick with the hair spray, Hillsy.

 

No dramas wizard

 

Wiz; he's right. Compressed air is the hot ticket; you simply blow the grip up like a balloon (figuratively, it doesn't get THAT big) and they slide right on. (And off if that's what you want.)

If you do the throttle side FIRST you can often inflate the grip by blowing air into the LH end of the bars.

I've used this technique for years, I used to swap bars back and forth on my SR500 (between "superbike" and clubmans) regularly and you don't destroy grips this way. It can even be used to pop loose a glued-on grip.

 

But, Fitz, my grips have solid plastic / chrome rings, you can't inflate them.

 

Hillsy, Fitz... that will only work with the formed rubber grips.

Great idea though.

I don't see a rain storm washing the hairspray/laundry detergent away either. Not enough gap to get in there. Even if it loosens up the edges, bid deal...

I like the idea of the laundry detergent/alcohol mix.

Hairspray eh. Can't see that being slippery enough, but I guess I've never really had enough experience with it. Something tells me the hairspray will STICK better when dry than the soap though.

Will have to try this when I get a new set...

Fitz- I think I'll be using your removal trick to get the stock grips off

If you don't touch it, will it just blow up? That would be a pretty good sight to see... O_O

 

Hairspray and detergents will slip when they get wet - and it does not take a lot of water for this to happen (I've used both on MTB and motorcycles over the years so I know it will happen).

Anyway, yes - compressed air will unlikely work effectively with these sorts of grips. I would use something like brake kleen or alcohol - something that will totally evaporate and leave no residue - because the residue left by hairspray and detergents re-activates when wet.

Anyway, it's just my 2c.......

 

One of the sales guys at my local motorcycle parts store told me about the hair spray trick a couple months ago after another sales person tried to sell me the 12.00 bottle of grip glue. Personally I agree with Hillsy about the air nozzle, I use the air nozzle trick to float them on, I have done it that way starting way back when bicycles were my only mode of transportation, it really works slick and fast; and there is no mess to clean up after they are on. The air nozzle trick also works great for getting those glued on old grips off your bars, slide the end of the nozzle in, wrap your thumb and index finger around the top of the grip to keep the air from escaping and give it some air, the grip blows up like a balloon and you can slide it right off. Or you can just keep gouging your bar and throttle twist with the razor knife while you cut the old ones off.

 

Use a carpet cutting blade in a stanley knife, do no damage.

 

mmmm, nice! Some of my younger friends’ just keep scraping up their bars with a straight blade. I guess they just have more money than I do.

 

Except to the grip which was my point. If it's a non-reversible installation then I guess it doesn't matter.

Never had grips with solid bits in them, I guess you can't inflate metal rings after all...

 

Tried the airline method, stuck it up the hole in the end of the grip & the left grip floated off, didn't work for the throttle side though.

 

try sticking about an inch of the air nozzle inside the grip from the top side and put a finger over the hole

 

I always seem to have something awkward, these grips have solid metal parts both ends.

 

ouch, solid metal parts on both ends, you do have your work cut out for you. good luck!