Fitting soft grips.

ZigZag

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So having taken my newly purchased 2018 S10 for a 400km ride on Friday a couple of things turned up. I want to fit some soft grips such as Grip Puppies or Rippa Grips. I took one of the brush guards off to see what was involved and I need to remove the bar end weights. Has anyone done this before? How are they removed?. On my previous bikes the weight had a screw in the end of it and it was very straight forward.
The other thing is the stock seat is pretty hard but I have an Air hawk in the shed somewhere, ill fish that out and try it.
 

holligl

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Sierra1, Thats what it looks like but I just wanted to check before I bring the spanners into play. Thread orientation is not reversed?
Standard threads. I have these applied to mine.


Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk
 

fac191

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Be mindful its easy to cut the grips too short and if you do that they will move.
 

Cycledude

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Different strokes for different folks, I always wear gloves when riding, many folks love grip puppies but they are useless and actually annoying to me.
 

Longdog Cymru

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Yes, the stock bar weights simply need an Allan headed wrench to remove. You may find that Yamaha were a little generous with the locking fluid, but they will unscrew. By the way, I had Grip Puppies on my Kawasaki Versys 1000, they worked very well indeed for me and did exactly what it said on the tin. I would definitely use them again if I needed to.
 

Sierra1

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. . . . You may find that Yamaha were a little generous with the locking fluid, but they will unscrew. . . .
Funny story: "MY" experience with Yamaha is that there will always be one lose screw/bolt/fastener on a new bike. My Seca: lose fairing bolt. FJ: lose side stand safety switch screw. Tenere: right side bar end bolt. Almost like a Where's Waldo.
 

Chav

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I’m interested in that regrip idea. My heated grips are way too slippery and make my forearm sore from holding the throttle open. This is true with all 3 of my gloves. Leather, waterproof, and insulated
 
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MFP

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Grip Buddies! Super spongy, thick neoprene that cushions your hands and works well with heated grips and due to their attachment with hidden flush mounted Velcro strips no need to remove anything. On my second pair as they seem to last about 2 to 3 years with regular use. Highly recommended:
 

fac191

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They do 2 things for me. Lover vibes which to be fair are low on the S10. But my hands are not good and dont close well around the grips so being bigger they are more comfortable.
 

ZigZag

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Thanks for all the suggestions people. Several brands there I haven't heard of before. I've used Grip Puppies on previous bikes and been happy with them. However the ProTaper Pillow top product looks interesting. I have several pairs of gloves but my main motivator for choice of glove is how they perform in wear tests in case I end up kissing the tarmac with them. I need the added thickness on the grips simply because I find standard grips too thin and difficult to hold comfortably for long rides.
Now I just need a 12mm hex to fit 1/2" drive.
Nothing like a new project or modification to justify a trip to the tool shop.;)
 

EricV

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I’m interested in that regrip idea. My heated grips are way too slippery and make my forearm sore from holding the throttle open. This is true with all 3 of my gloves. Leather, waterproof, and insulated
Sometimes people confuse names and products.

Grip Buddies - velcro on, so no need to unbolt anything. Downside, they have a seam that bugs some people. Positioned correctly, it's usually not an issue. Good quality.

Grip Puppies - tube design, work the same as above, no seam, lower price point than Grip Buddies. Can be a work out to install, sometimes slip, depending on how worn the grips under them are.

Re-Grip - More durable, higher density material, longer lasting than either of the above, lower cost as well. These come pre-expanded on a spiral constructed tube. You slide the tube over the existing grip, then pull the tab to tear the plastic tube out as it spirals. You can stop when the Re-Grip is past the end of the grip and cut it off slightly long, then trim to your preference. Work fine with throttle locks and heated grips. If you don't like them, cheap. They are intended for shovel handles and equipment and come in three sizes, you want the Medium/yellow size as holligl showed above, (and the my link goes to).

I've used all three over the years. Sprung for the Grip Buddies at a bike show during a trip and they worked fine, but wore down faster over the miles than the Re-Grip. The Grip Puppies are sort of foam like and my Throttle Rocker didn't stay in place with those at the bike I had them on. I had to apply some thin double face tape under the throttle rocker to keep it in place. These wore down faster than the Grip Puppies.

Re-Grip. The size is perhaps a bit larger than the others, firm, but soaks up vibes nicely and much more durable than the others. I liked them the best. Bonus, they can be found at many hardware and home supply stores. (maybe not in Oz)
 

Mad_Matt

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Agreed on the better gloves as the first line of defense. Regarding grips, I have gone the Grip Puppy route once and won't do it again. Instead, I much prefer the ProTaper Pillow Top grips.
After seeing the later posts, I had Grip Buddies on a prior bike and not the Grip Puppies. The seem is a positive and negative. Super easy to install, but I hated feeling the seem in the grips.
 

gv550

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I just installed grip puppies on my 2015, didn't remove the bar weights. Just a bit of dish soap smeared around and slid the foam grip over the weights and onto the grip.
 
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