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Grip size

salty_monk

salty_monk

Forum Guru
Past Site Supporter
TGSR Superstar
I'm finding my grips make my hands ache, I have relatively small hands (medium glove) & short fingers & it's a stretch to the clutch & brake & hanging onto the throttle for a long period makes my hand go a bit numb, I have to remember to wiggle my fingers... :-D

Would a smaller diameter grip help?

It strikes me that would bring my hand closer to the levers & also mean it's not at such a stretch on the throttle (right now I can't join fingers to thumb).

Is swapping them over an easy job? What's involved on the throttle side? I have the "cruise control" too (not that I ever use it).

Anyone got any recommendations on which grips to get?

You can see how "bulbous" they are in this pic

IMGP0454.jpg


IMGP0448.jpg
 
salty_monk said:
I'm finding my grips make my hands ache, I have relatively small hands (medium glove) & short fingers & it's a stretch to the clutch & brake & hanging onto the throttle for a long period makes my hand go a bit numb, I have to remember to wiggle my fingers... :-D

Would a smaller diameter grip help?

It strikes me that would bring my hand closer to the levers & also mean it's not at such a stretch on the throttle (right now I can't join fingers to thumb).

Is swapping them over an easy job? What's involved on the throttle side? I have the "cruise control" too (not that I ever use it).

Anyone got any recommendations on which grips to get?

You can see how "bulbous" they are in this pic
Click to expand...

You'd probably like smaller grips, and it would probably alleviate some of your hand numbness.

Gel grips work great and are comfortable on long rides. http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...maxRecordsPerPage=50&SortProperty=MetaEndSort

Installing the new ones is a piece of cake. On the left side, cut off the grip with a pair of scissors or an Xacto knife. While you have the bar exposed, clean up any glue residue with a bit of solvent. Let dry, then glue the new grip onto the bar using some grip glue like this. On the right side, the grip covers the throttle tube. Take apart the kill switch assembly (there are two screws on the back), unhook the throttle cable from the throttle tube, and remove the throttle tube from the bike. Cut off the old grip. Slide the larger of the two grips that will come in a new grip kit onto the throttle tube (glue usually not required) and reassemble. Voila.
 
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salty_monk said:
I'm finding my grips make my hands ache, I have relatively small hands (medium glove) & short fingers & it's a stretch to the clutch & brake & hanging onto the throttle for a long period makes my hand go a bit numb, I have to remember to wiggle my fingers... :-D

Would a smaller diameter grip help?

It strikes me that would bring my hand closer to the levers & also mean it's not at such a stretch on the throttle (right now I can't join fingers to thumb).

Is swapping them over an easy job? What's involved on the throttle side? I have the "cruise control" too (not that I ever use it).

Anyone got any recommendations on which grips to get?

You can see how "bulbous" they are in this pic
Click to expand...

You know what they say about small hands and feet....:shock: :-D J/K

Smaller grips may help slightly however, you're only using .75 of the circumference of the grip so if you went from one that was 2" (3.14C) to one that was 1.5" (2.35C), you would only gain about .57". That may be all that you need? Another option that might work well is finding a clutch lever that has a deeper arc to it, or a combo of both.
 
Yes.... small gloves & shoes ;)

Thanks for the advice, I've measured my hand (if I make a circle with finger & thumb it comes to 1.5") & my mountain bike grips (my background) so 1.5" would seem to be about right.

I'll have to measure my existing ones to see what it comes to. If they are 2" then I guess it would move my hand closer by about 1/4", not a lot but useful all the same.

I don't need a lot of extra reach for the levers, currently I can get them with my fingertips ok, it's more hanging onto the throttle on a long run.

What diameter are our bars & the throttle tube? (Save me measuring them up). Is the 125mm length right?

I'm already thinking of Yosemite in July... ;) :lol:
 
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salty_monk said:
What diameter are our bars & the throttle tube? (Save me measuring them up). Is the 125mm length right?
Click to expand...

Bars are pretty standard at 7/8" inch. Any grip kit for a 7/8" inch set of bars will fit on your throttle tube, its diameter is as close as your measuring tape. ;)
 
I think all of the GS's were 7/8" bars. All of mine are. You don't need to take the kill switch off the throttle side if you are careful. I just used a razor knife and scored the thottle grip roughly half to 3/4 the depth and pulled next to it with pliars and the grip will tear off. For installing the new grips I have used the hair spray recommendation by others here and it works great. Some file down the throttle side plastic fins. I left mine but filed the fin ends where the new grip will need to slide over. I then let it dry overnight. I also had your type of grip and did not like them either. I have been searching for gels as well but after measuring my bikes seem to need 135 mm grips (approx 5 1/8") and there are not too many out there in that size. If yours are the same size and you find some and like them let me know. Thanks
 
salty_monk said:
Yes.... small gloves & shoes ;)

Thanks for the advice, I've measured my hand (if I make a circle with finger & thumb it comes to 1.5") & my mountain bike grips (my background) so 1.5" would seem to be about right.

I'll have to measure my existing ones to see what it comes to. If they are 2" then I guess it would move my hand closer by about 1/4", not a lot but useful all the same.

I don't need a lot of extra reach for the levers, currently I can get them with my fingertips ok, it's more hanging onto the throttle on a long run.

What diameter are our bars & the throttle tube? (Save me measuring them up). Is the 125mm length right?

I'm already thinking of Yosemite in July... ;) :lol:
Click to expand...

You'de gain about .75 or 3/4" going from the 2" grips to the 1.5" grips. :-s C= ~x R2 (hard to make this look right on the computer) 3.14-2.35=.79, as on the throttle, you're using the entire grip.
 
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you should be able to find the gel grips you need on www.denniskirk.com check out the close out section.sometimes they have good deals on there.if not go to the regular section and all the grips are less then $10 i think.hope this helps have a great day.


ps. looking forward to seeing some of you at the 2nd annual western states gsr get together.cant wait for july.
 
I used to use that thick foam ones on my old two strokes, but I like the gel grips, now. They are thinner by quite a bit! Plus they come in an array of colors, to match any bike ;<}
 
Seems like you will HAVE to get smaller grips...

Seems like you will HAVE to get smaller grips...

salty_monk said:
(right now I can't join fingers to thumb).
Click to expand...

Sounds dangerous to me.
I have had those fat grips before, couldn't hold on securely. I have average size hands. Skinnier grips will be way more comfortable and a lot safer too.
The gel grips are nice, some are smaller in diameter than others.
 
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