Tricks of the Trade...Grips

Clip the safety wire.
Razor blade the old grip off.
Clean with WD40.
Clean with contact cleaner.
If I have glue...squeeze it in the new grip.
If I don't have glue...spray in grip with hairspray.
Slide grip on handle bar.
Position.
Safety wire.


Ride.

I find a few frustrated expletives, the odd rush of anger and a sweaty forehead usually gets the job done.

Other than that a stanley knife, grip glue and hairspray.

Cut them off with a razor to remove them.

Use grip glue.. always! The new Pro Taper glue is kind of like crazy glue. Very thin, you only need a little bit and it dries in like 10 seconds.

Always, always, always wire your grips. It's best if you wait overnight until the glue is dry and then wire them. Wire the inside groove to keep water out and wire about 1 inch from the end to minimize damage and water and dirt invasion if the grip gets tore in a tip over.

I've always taken our heat gun to the grip to get it warm enough to stretch just a little, then spray primer inside the grip and get it on the bar as soon as possible. Then, I safety wire at the inside grove and about 3/4 of the way down the grip. Hasn't failed me yet.

Razor blade to cut the old grips off

Pro Taper Grip glue

twist grip on in one direction only

go ride, by the time your helmet is strapped the glue has dried.


If you don't have that glue, wrap the bar in grip tape and then regular grip glue on top it.

some grips fall apart using spray paint. Renthal grey grips will split like crazy

This has never failed me if you are using wire the hair spray works great the glue is a unneeded expense i belive.

you can also place a nickle in the left grip to help it from getting cut when you crash.I place a open end wrench (size of the bar) over the handlebar and drive the grip off with a hammer.only if the grips are reuseable of coarse.

Windshield adhesive is ALL that is needed to hold your grips on. Try it you'll like it.

Funny, what ya see out there.
I've been around some of the best crews, teams mechanics, etc., in the game.
Most pro guys get it.
Sure there's some who learn slower than others, then there's the public.
Most reps for grip companies can't even do it right themselves.
Basically, your grips are your life line, get it!
Even when all else fails and goes south, your bar & grip combo is your savior!
Grip glue?
Too much or to little?
Wire, as in safety wire.
Too tight, too thick (wire diameter)?
Like anything else on your trusty steed, you need to have it & them sound.
It'll pan out in the long run believe me, cause outside of training, diet, etc., having your steed sound & reliable goes right to the most important part, what you hang onto.
You can have a maxed motor, suspension, the hot look even, but if your controls aren't sound, your screwed.
Personally, ALL the controls need to be set-up 1st.
From your bars, grips, pegs, ALL that enables you to have control, make it perfect as you can 1st, then everything else will fall into place.
If done correctly, they shouldn't turn, they should feel solid, they should be all the way on the bar so as no rubbery end, and yes, some grips just suck, so be careful what you buy.
So in answer to the "Tricks of the Trade", that's it in a nutshell.
Dave O.

cut old grip. put a little gas in the grip to melt the rubber slightly. slide on. safety wire the shit out of it.

this holds great, but only if you change your grips frequently.

I like the gas method with safety wire...hasn't failed me since. Worked on the Renthal Kevlar grips. This reminds me I need to get new grips. Dang there goes 20 bucks.

This.....

I spray contact cleaner in before putting the grips on but there are several things that work. the biggest thing to me is I like to wait till the next day (unless I'm pressed for time) to safety wire as I'm convinced that if you do it right away, when you tighten the wire it lifts the grip up slightly next to the wire and whatever you used to glue it will not grab there.

You didn't answer his question.

Use a long air nozzle with your air compessor grips go off or on faster than shit! Use safety wire no glue neede. IMHO

I do the same thing. Air and safety wire. Never had an issue.

Make sure the bars and throttle tube are clean. Air and safety wire, no waiting go ride. Easy on easy off and they do not move. Be careful with thin and soft grips, they blow up like a surgical glove. I use my air nozzle and the tip that is like a large bore surgical needle. i just started running lock on grips on the bmx bike... They are sweet and ODI makes them for moto now.
http://www.odigrips.com/

Air to take old grips of if they are reusable in an emergency.
If I have a day or two to let the grips dry I use gas.
If its a ride day and got to put the grips on in a hurry use super glue
One tube per side and dont screw around once you put the glue in
or it will dry on you.

Zero grip issues with these. http://www.odigrips.com/

Heres a good one for you. To make sure my grips will never come loose, I use an old jet-ski trick I read in an old performance book. Once the bar is cleaned with alcohol, thinner, etc., use use a small brush to spread contact cement on the bar. Light it on fire and let burn for 5 seconds. Blow it out and push the grip on. Done Deal.. Of course you will need a razor blade and a few cuss words to get them off.. The heat allows the glue to penetrate the rubber grip and lock it into place.

same here, air safety wire done in 2 minutes

Never use Scott grip glue it melted the end of a set of Pro Taper grips that I installed.Renthal glue works best for me.

On handle bars with knurling press a film of glue into it put a bead around the outer edge bend the edge back to keep from scraping the glue when Installing.Throttle side needs tape to cover the hole.
I use wire inside,middle,end wrap 2 times.Also use a spanner wrench not pliers.

I like a little over kill.I had a grip come off as a kid and ate shit.Lesson Learned!

Quote..."SPYGUY" :

"The answer is in the eye of the beholder."


To me, I did...............

Gotta pay attention & read slowly, maybe twice even.

Think & digest what I'm saying.

I don't have to show you how to double knot your shoes, I only need to stress the importance of it all.

Do the math!!!!!!

Pay attention to detail!!!!!

Dave O.

Blowing the old grip off the left side of the bars with compressed air pumped into the right side has to be done to appreciate the fun of it. Aim it at your friends or your girlfriend if you dare!!

This is what Ozzy was trying to let everyone figure out for themselves I think.

Razor old grips off, or use your teeth a blowtorch and a mixture of canola oil and Blendzall 32:1, or slide a long thin flat head down a bit and hit it with contact cleaner with a nozzle. Clean grips with soap and water to reuse. No Solvents. Dawn dishwashing soap. Let dry.

Prep bar by lightly roughing up surface with some emery cloth, but don't remove so much material you change the diameter of the bar, hit with contact cleaner and let dry - don't touch with oily hands. Use a little glue in the grip and a little on the bars, twist / pull /push grip on lifting the edge to let air out and keep too much glue from getting pushed out. Figure out ahead of time and set grip position quickily, make sure grip isn't pulled on too far to avoid bar poking thru, make sure it's pushed on far enough and not twisted or backwards, wipe off excess glue but leave a nice sealing bead. To keep glue out of the throttle, cover the hole in the end of the throttle tube with a piece of a Bel-Ray or VP sticker; duct tape can get gooey and cause whiskey or sometimes even tequila throttle.

Use Renthal grip glue, it looks just like regular rubber cement but has magical properties not found anywhere else in the world. Let dry overnight without touching / twisting grips - don't test glue!

Look at entire bike for 5-10 minutes before going to bed. Resist temptation to try and twist grips.....Don't Touch Grips!!!

Single wrap (or double wrap if your the suspenders AND belt type) .32" saftey wire on flange end of grip and another wrap about a 1/4" from end of bar, you can put one in the middle too if it makes you feel better but I dont. Not too tight, your only sealing out the water and trying to look factory. Leave excess pointing down then cut off about 3/8" and push up into grip with flat head screwdriver, or leave a 1/4" of saftey wire sticking straight up and don't push into grip if you like bloody hands.

Remember:
*Gas melts grips and gets absorbed into the rubber.
*Spray paint can be used in a pinch but be careful because either epoxy or laquer spray paint will melt most grips - can't remember which.
*Hairspray can also be used but only for emergencies. (only use AquaNet)
*You can use Shoe Goo to extend a torn grips life.
*You can use Renthal grip glue on any grip but only Renthal grip glue seems to work for Renthal grips.
*If you have to use any kind of tape your doing it wrong.

You'll come back from your first ride and they should be straight & solid and you should be good until they wear out or get ripped, or they'll be twisted and you'll have to think about how much you suck at putting on grips everytime you look at or touch your bike until you "get it".

BTW, I've only used Ourys, Preston Petty and then Renthal grips for the last 35 years, and after experimenting with many methods always used clear spray paint until Renthal came out with grip glue.

Your results may vary.

Ozzy = Yoda. Always entertaining posts.

I cut off old grips with razor blade. Degrease with contact cleaner. Apply a little bit of weatherstrip adhesive, then use air compressor to get grip on quickly. Safety wire then grips will be good for a long time until you feel like changing them again.

I used the auto trim glue from advance/autozone.

You can sniff it while wrestling the grip and have no problems when done,squirt extra just for shits and giggles...