Grip Enhancements ( ST1300 )

[KoTAOW]

Contributed by Scott Fairchild, STOC #4728.
Original article can be found here: http://www.thefairchilds.org/bikes/

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Grip Enhancements ( ST1300 )

The stock grips are nice and all, but they are thin rubber over the polymer (brake) and metal (throttle) shafts of the handlebar ends. This leads to two problems for me. First, being so thin, I have to wrap my hands too far around them as they tend to be just too small in radius for me to get a firm grip. The other problem is that being thin rubber, they don't have any "give" or cushion to them. This usually results in my palm knuckles wearing sore after a long ride. After checking out a few different leads, I came across this company that sells foam grips, Grab On Grips®. Once installed, they are very comfortable and the foam has a tacky feel to it, meaning your hand is not likely to slip off them, even when wet. They provide a bit of cushion and a bigger radius, so the hold is firm when it needs to be. An additional benefit of the grips comes into play when using the heated grips. Sometimes the grips can get a little too hot, and the foam helps to dissipate it a bit. Overall, from a price standpoint, you can't beat the comfort these give you for the small cost.



The other item I enhanced the grips with was the Throttle Rocker®. It's the plastic piece on the edge of the grip. What this small, inexpensive piece of plastic does is allow you to use your wrist to help you turn the throttle. It even acts somewhat as a cruise control, letting you hold the throttle in a position with the weight of your arm resting your wrist on the rocker. It's not a huge advantage, but from a comfort standpoint, it's well worth the money. I picked mine up on ebay.

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Thank You again for your contribution Scott Fairchild, STOC #4728