After market bar grips.

After market bar grips.

Just a quickie while we wait (oh err) to find a few connectors out the shed for the extra lighting part 2 as well as finding the extra time to do it, what with getting the brackets sorted etc. 

After market grips for the handle bars is another cheap little extra for the bike you can do, there are many different types you can find, again eBay seems to be the best place. I like the anodized aluminum ones, obviously in gold to match the theme. When they arrived they were of the more copperish gold, exactly like the bar ends so they match together well. The CNC brake levers are a slightly lighter gold but all together it doesn't look that bad really, even with the difference in shade.

The aluminum part is only at the two ends and of course the main body is a knurled effect rubber, otherwise in motorcycle gloves you wouldn't get a good enough grip.

The handle bars measured with my Vernier are 22.20mm in diameter which is the standard size (22mm, the applied paint probably takes it up .20mm) for motorcycles apparently and translates to 7/8" in imperial. So this is the size you need to look for. There are plenty available.

Removing old grips.

First of all you need to remove the bar ends, this is covered in the bar ends post previous. It just requires undoing the screw / nut on the bar end until the expanded rubber it was pulling relaxes enough to be pulled out.

When it comes to removing the old grips I had a little look into it and it seems as if the best & quickest way was to use a compressor / airline under the lip of the rubber and blow the rubber up away from the bar, while twisting and pulling it off. You could try to use one of those cans of compressed air with the straw attached but I'm not sure just how effective it would be compared to the more powerful compressor. The thinner the tip on the air gun the better to get under the rubber, you can lift it back with a small screw driver. I used the gun for sand blasting (without the tank attached), as if you unscrew the main tube the one inside is very small & fits perfectly under the rubber.

                                                               [air compressor gun]

Obviously you could just cut it off with a knife but you couldn't keep it as spare. Another method is to lift it up with the screw driver & spray WD 40 in underneath ,while going as far back with the screw driver as possible to lubricate the whole length. This then should make the grip easier to remove when twisted and pulled off. I don't like the WD 40 approach however as it has been known to rot rubber / plastics on occasion. You might need it to get the new one on too but for the aforementioned problem I wouldn't use too much at all! I would wipe it down slightly if dripping after the removal of the old grips. And use only a little to get the new ones on.

                                                   [Peel back rubber tip with screw driver] 

                                             

                         [Insert air line nozzle tip and blow while pulling / twisting simultaneously]

The static grip (left side) came straight off the bar like a hot knife going through butter with the air compressor approach. & the new one went on the same way.

*Remember the two grips will be slightly different sizes. The one designed to fit the throttle will have a larger diameter hole which fits over the revolving plastic cylinder connected to the throttle cable. The smaller diameter one will go straight onto the 22mm bar on the left side.

The throttle side grip however, I had trouble with. Try as I might it just wouldn't budge with the air compressor technique. I ended up pulling it back with the screw driver and cutting it back along with the Stanley Knife, carefully so I didn't damage the plastic cylinder underneath. Then peeling it off.

When putting the new one on, there was trouble getting the new grip over all of the plastic cylinder's lip at the start. I had to give in and use a small amount of WD 40 and it went on with ease. Not too much you don't want it spinning on the cylinder you want it to grip it and adjust the throttle! 

                 [use the compressor to put the new one on the same way you took the old one off]

Remember to put your bar ends back on afterward but, make sure there is some room left on the throttle side so the throttle doesn't stick against it. In my opinion they look much better than the originals, as well as more robust.