changing grips

[rayzuki]

I am thinking about changing the grips on my bike. I have no problem cutting the left on off. My concern is the throttle. I don't want to cut what I don't know. It looks like the grip is on a plastic sleeve which will allow for throttle movement. Forgive my ignorance but this is my first bike and I have only had it a week. Can someone give me a little insight before I ruin something?

[Water Warrior 2]

No need to cut the grips off and destroy them. Remove the bar ends(more on this too) and spray a bit of WD-40 under the grips. Use a long thin screw driver (an ice pic works great) and just rotate the SD around the bar and the grip will loosen right off. Remove grips and clean up residue. As for the bar ends Do Not do what comes naturally. DO NOT remove the bolt completely. Back it off until the bar end feels a little loose and then just wiggle it out. Maybe have to pull like heck but better than have parts floating around in side the bar. After a quick examinationof the bar end you will be glad to get all the parts out intact. Have fun.

[jonathan180iq]

If you don't want to remove the bar-ends, slice the grips cleanly with an exacto knife. It would be really hard to cut into the plastic throttle sleeve. But, to be safe, don't press too hard. Two or three passes under light pressure should slice the old grips right off without even scrathing the throttle sleeve.

Then, spray some hairspray on the inside of the new grips on the outside of the bar-ends. The hairspray acts a wonderful libricant for getting the new grips on and, when it dries, will act a light glue so the grips stay in place on the throttle and left bar.

Be sure that you are using the appropriate grip. Using the left grip on the throttle side will be very difficult and the throttle grip on the left side will never set correctly.

Good luck,
Jonathan

[Easy Rider]

I am thinking about changing the grips on my bike.

And now for a totally different twist:

Get semi-rigid foam grips that fit OVER the originals.
If you get the right size, no cutting, lube or glue required.
Slip them on in about 3 minutes.
(To be honest, I used a drop of dish soap. Hairspray might be better.)

[Badbob]

It depends on how the grips are mounted. The way my wifes are mounted destroying the grips is the only way to get them off. I used 3m electrical tape and epoxy. It was the only way I could get them to stay put. I got the method from a local bike shop so its probably pretty common.