grips

[Joepro9]

Sup guys. I was down in a bike shop yesterday checking for some used 125s for my buddy. After getting home, I relized that a few of the bikes had mechanics wire, or tie line on the grips. They were glued but I can not figure out why these are on there. It seems that they would rip into your gloves if you caught the end.
If anyone does this, what is the reason?

 

[Malcolm M]

Even though I use contact cement to hold my grips on, if I'm riding in rain or it's real wet the grips begin to slip. Especially considering how often I drop it in the mud.

The safety wire keeps them from slipping too much. I leave about a 1/2" tail, then curl it back into the grip & flatten it. Then a big blob of RTV over the tail and it's done. Position the end so it's on the part of the grip where your finger tips and palm almost meet.

 

[nikki]

We actually use only wire and no glue. Never had a grip come off.

We use 3 safety wires on each grip. Most grips have grooves for the wire as well as the end of the wire (where you twist it together). You put the wire around in the grip groove, twist it as tight as you want, cut off the excess, and tuck the wire into the end wire groove on the grip. You won't snag your glove because you can really tuck the wire tight and kinda push it into the grip. The reason we use wire and not glue is that it stays great, won't "wear out" like glue can, doesn't take time to cure and be full strength as grip glue may, wire is cheap and fast to do, and it makes for quick and easy grip/bar switching if needed. Just cut the wires and reuse the grip.

 

[Kawidude]

Make sure you invest in nice safety wire pliers too. It makes safety wiring MUCH easier and your friends will think you're cool when they see you use it. I've got an old one my dad gave me years ago. You wrap the safety wire around whatever you're wiring, clamp the loose ends in the pliers, lock the pliers and then pull the knob on the back of the pliers. As you pull it back, the pliers will spin around, thus tightening the safety wire. Fast and easy!

 

[nikki]

Kawidude hit it on the money! I used Oldguy's last October at DW then JP's last December in Bama... guess what Red and I bought the tool box for Christmas - cool lil gadget! For a while there, I think we safety wired everything in site just for fun :)

 

[MX-727]

What Nikki said.  :thumb:

 

[Smit-Dog]

Triple ditto...

- Only buy grips with safety wire grooves. My latest set of dual-compound ProGrips have 3 grooves on the throttle side and 4 on the clutch side.

- Skip the glue completely. Only lasts so long, is messy, and makes swapping grips a hassle.

- Get the fancy-smancy safety wire pliers. They aren't exactly cheap for a tool (~$30), but it makes wiring quicker, easier, and the end result is better. It will pay for itself easily. And you can do your friends bikes in about 2 minutes.

 

[whyzee]

safety wire pliers

my favorite bike tool

 

[Kawidude]

Yep, safety wire pliers are very handy to have around. Not to mention the fact that they're fun to watch as they spin around. I think all tools should some sort of spinning element involved. It makes wrenching much more fun!

 

[Joepro9]

thanks guys, where is the best place to pick up this awesome tool...?

 

[los36]

Have you guys ever tried electrical friction tape?
It's a black, rubbery tape that's doesn't really have any adhesive on it, but it sticks to itself when stretched. The grips stick like crazy and it is super-easy to do. I use wire also, but just since I have the wire pliers. I used tape-only for years and the grips never even twisted.
By stretching a thin wrap of this stuff on your bars or throttle tube, you can give it a quick squirt of contact cleaner and your grips slip right over it. They're ready to ride in 10 minutes.