Installing new grips

[offshoredirt]

I just bought some new pro-grips to replace the ones on my bike. I also bought some grip adhesive. The directions in the pro-grip box indicate to install the new grips with soapy water and safety wire? What the heck are they talking about with this safety wire? I thought I could install these with the grip glue adhesive. Any suggestions?

 

[cr250can]

The saftey wire they are talking about is a thin wire that goes in little slots on the grip. Is it necessary? I don't use it, just use grip glue. :ride:

 

[xsnrg]

Use the safety wire! It does the job best.

 

[BradFrost]

yeh and compressed air under the grip to slide it on.

 

[windyhill]

I used some info from a tech article that recommended rapping the end of the bar with cloth electricians tape, then spray some contact cleaner on the tape prior to putting on the grip. This is now the only way I put on grips , they do not move at all. However, I did try to install some of those multi- color pro grips and the grip tore in half as I was sliding it on the bar. JT

 

[Kyleb15]

I have installed grips with soapy water. Then i just leave them. No safety wire or adhesive. They havent moved a bit.

 

[berudd]

I have two bikes, one is with no glue and has saftey wire and the other has glue and not wire. Both work well. I like the saftey wire becuase when you change them you don't have to mess with getting the old glue off. If you want to use glue go to a hobby store that deals in radio controled airplanes. You want a CA glue that is a very slow set, sometimes they refer to it as a gel. This will give you a minute or so to get the grip in place.

 

[Tom Cox]

What works for you.

As you can tell from the responses there are many ways or methods of installing the grips on your handlebars. My method of madness is using clear, spray enamel paint. I spray some on the handle bar and some in the grip and slide it on and position it. The amount of time you have is based on how quickly the paint starts to tack. It's just like using glue, only the grips are a lot easier to remove if you need to take them off. I do use tie wires as recommended in most magazine articles. If you ride in wet conditions a lot, or pressure wash the hell out of your handlebars, using both is beneficial. If you ever get water under a grip, or a little muddy water under a grip you'll understand. Since I ride in wet conditions almost every time out, I end up pressure washing the mud and grime off. To get the grips off, I remove the clutch perch ( if you don't have a split perch just slide it back as far as you can from the grip), insert an ice pick between the grip and handlebar and spray in some WD-40 or contact cleaner. Remove the ice pick and twist on the grip to work the solvent around. The solvent in the WD-40 or the contact cleaner will loosen the bond of the paint and you will be able to pull the grip off. Same technique on the throttle tube. Don't stab yourself with the ice pick. Clean the inside of the grip with contact cleaner and once it's dry you're good to go again. Oh yea, remove the wires first. As with most things if it doesn't work perfectly the first time keep trying and experiment a little and you'll get the hang of it.

 

[Okiewan]

Hairspray and safety wire...
Spray Paint and safety wire
never "grip glue" ... can mess-up the throttle side

The poster that uses just soapy water and no wire or adhesive? You've been extremely lucky. I have no idea how those grips are staying on. Do you ride that bike at all :laugh:

 

[Kyleb15]

The poster that uses just soapy water and no wire or adhesive? You've been extremely lucky. I have no idea how those grips are staying on. Do you ride that bike at all

Ya, I guess I am lucking. I don't know. They have never come off, and yes I ride trails and race. Never, never had a problem. Have you guys actually had grips come off?

 

[Tom Cox]

Grips come off??

I've been riding for 40 plus years off road. I had grips come off and have seen others have grips come off, more times than I care to remember. I've seen grips with wire on them come off. Tried many methods of keeping them on over the years. In the 60's we didn't use anything to keep them on, we just pushed them on and hoped for the best. In the 70's and 80's we used a 3M product that was to glue the rubber door seal moldings on cars and trucks. In the 80's we also wrapped masking tape around the bar and sprayed it with clear enamel paint. The 3M product you had to cut the grips off with a razor blade. And yes I know I had to walk to school and home both ways up hill, in a raging blizzard all year. I think by now I heard most of the comments about being old and telling how it use to be.

 

[MHawkmx]

Clear Spray is the WAY!

I have tried the Scotts grip glue before, the grips still needed to be wired and it really was not easy to use.

After reading this post I decided to try the clear spray paint method. I could not belive
how easily the grips went on! It was so simple and the drying time for the paint allowed me to position the grips perfectly. Before I would get them as close as I could and just live with it!

Thanks! :cool: :cool:

 

[Badgadjit1]

i just installed my new progrips with renthal adhesive..i have been battling with my grips to keep them from not moving so i wasn't gonna screw with it anymore..so i went with the adhesive...now i have to get them off cause i just got a free set of bars...argh!!!

 

[stevensj2]

I always have used hair spray to put grips on.

It's wet, so you can slide them on easily, but it dries sticky so they will be stuck where you want them.

 

[mtk]

I always have used hair spray to put grips on.

It's wet, so you can slide them on easily, but it dries sticky so they will be stuck where you want them.

Right up until you ride in the rain and a bit of water gets under the grip. At which time the grip will come right back off again.

Hair spray works well if you ride in the desert.

 

[j32]

well to install you can put glue on the bars and a small hole in the end of the grip and use a air compresser to blow through the end and it will slide on real easy,but let the glue dry -or have a friend hold the other side on or the air compresser will blow it right off lol
as for wire-you can overtighten it and cut the grips,and crack the throttle tube if your not carefull

 

[JasonJ]

I used soapy water for years on bikes (pedal), dirt, and street bikes and I ride all of them in the rain. The dirt bike gets dropped in water from time to time plus now I run bark busters so the ends are open to possible water ingestion so now I use 3M super 77 spray adheasive since one started to come loose once.

 

[Badgadjit1]

i just put on some new grips and i used renthal grip glue....at last weeks race i got a free set of pro tapers and now i wish i hadn't put on those grips on my old bars..hah..anyone have any idea on how to get the one grip off my bar?? the grip thats on my throttle is fine. I don't really want to spend 10 more bucks to get one grip.

 

[Cr 1_2_5]

I use the cheap waterproof superglue. No problem just gotta watch it when putting it on the throttle tube.

 

[aaron7e7]

i put some new ones on the other day.. i didnt use anything to help slide them on, i just took the old ones off and put the new ones on, and let me tell ya that was a BITCH those things were so hard to get on...after reading these posts i feel kinda stupid wasting all of that time when there was an easier way...but thats life

 

[1989kx250]

my bikes, i dont use anything, ive never had a problem, i usuall have to tug like hell to get the grips on though. i also use the strongest grip i can find because i dont care for changing them, and a black good grip is better than a sporty P.O.S. grip.

 

[IndyMX]

my bikes, i dont use anything, ive never had a problem, i usuall have to tug like hell to get the grips on though. i also use the strongest grip i can find because i dont care for changing them, and a black good grip is better than a sporty P.O.S. grip.

I use a blast of air from my compressor when putting on new grips.. It works great.

 

[buffsabs11]

i used hairspray at first, and then when i went to ride, the grips slided off. then i tried gasoline, and it worked ok. my advice is to put a hole at the end of the grip so the vapors can vent out and dry.

 

[mtk]

Rubber cement.

It lets the grips go on easy, sticks fairly well, is waterproof, and is WAY easier to clean off than "grip glue"/weatherstripping adhesive/etc.

You can then safety wire them for added insurance, but I've never found the need myself.

 

[cr125freak]

jb weld,,thats it they dont move or come off at all in that matter almost to strong