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Need thicker or new grips? Use this!! (Re-Grips)

Joined
Jun 15, 2018
Messages
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Location
Arlington
First Name
Bob
Last Name
Moyer
OK... so I recently purchased a new (to me) Tenere.

My first ride was a 6 hour roundabout from way south of Houston to DFW.

By the time I got home, my wrists were cramping and my hands were buzzing... and that was even after using a crampbuster that I brought with me. I'm figuring it was because of the narrow grips and the 50/50 Heidenau's.

I've done thousand mile days on the Goldwing with no wrist discomfort, but I have the Grip Puppies on that bike which makes the grips a bit larger in diameter without hurting the heat transference.

The new Tenere has the awesome Oxford Heated Grips, so I wasn't about to take those off to put new thicker grips on. I debated about the Grip Puppies but wasn't really sure they would hold up as well on an ADV bike and I wanted to ensure I'd be gripping firmly without slipping in situations where I needed it (standing up over rough terrain, for example).

Here's what they look like:

Grip-Puppies-Univesal-Grip-Cover-5-12.7cm.jpg


Another option that folks on the ADV forums were going after was the Grip Buddies, originally called "Beemer Buddies". These are a wrap around option that uses a slip of tape and velcro to hold the overgrip in place. Some reviews I found said they wore out quicker than they wanted, and that the seam sometimes bothered them.

Here's what they look like:

6731a6a952d6a96f8f9561affce11891?AccessKeyId=AC5D9C5F127520781356&disposition=0&alloworigin=1.jpg

grip-buddies-bottom-view.jpg


Alrighty... in digging deeper into the dark world of motorcycle forums for my research, I found a guy who mentioned that he increased his grip size with a product called "Re-Grips". They are designed for re-gripping hand tools & such, but he adopted them to his motorcycle grips with success. Sooooo... I thought I'd give it a try too. They were cheaper than the Grip Buddies anyway, and I liked the clean look of his install.

25517.a.detail.jpg


So... I ordered a set of Re-Grips from Amazon, they arrived today, and in less than 5 minutes total, I had fully re-gripped my Tenere with thicker, vibration resistant grips. After riding around a bit with them installed... I'm extremely satisfied. The "Yellow" ones are a perfect fit for most motorcycle handlebar grips.

Here's how easy it was to re-grip... hardest part was the first 20 seconds just making sure I was lined up, then... about 20 seconds later, you're done:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8S52-5aoCI"]Re-Grip for Yamaha Tenere - YouTube[/ame]

Before:

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After you install it... a tip is to put a hose clamp on the end, and slice around it with a razor blade for a perfect trim.

44001378410_f0297cacd3.jpg


Like so... ;)

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End look...

31947115728_c2259fd7a9.jpg

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Soooo... for around $20, I don't think you can go wrong with these. I really liked the way they turned out too. Very grippy, thicker than stock, heat transfers through, and helps decrease vibration. If they ever wear out... it's super easy to throw a new one on.

Hope this helps those who are looking for new or thicker grips and don't want to spend the time and effort slicing off old grips (especially if dealing with heated grips).
 
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hmm ... I've had grip puppies on the SA for well over a year and 17,000 miles.
No issues at all including the heated function, but am seeing the left puppy begin to split ... so they need to be replaced soon.

Had the grip buddies on an RT and hated them. Never could find the sweet spot for the seam.

The Re-Grip looks kind of goofy at first, but makes sense. What kind of texture do they have? They look pretty smooth.
 
hmm ... I've had grip puppies on the SA for well over a year and 17,000 miles.
No issues at all including the heated function, but am seeing the left puppy begin to split ... so they need to be replaced soon.

Had the grip buddies on an RT and hated them. Never could find the sweet spot for the seam.

I really do like the Grip Puppies... I've had them on the Wing for well over 30,000 miles worth of riding and they still look great. But... I was worried about them on a bike with more "grip" needs than a touring bike.

Regarding the Grip Buddies... yeah, I've heard that same complaint in a few reviews and posts I looked at. One review said they were a bit too vibration "absorbent", and they lost the feeling of the front wheel. But yeah... I don't really like that seam.

The Re-Grip looks kind of goofy at first, but makes sense. What kind of texture do they have? They look pretty smooth.

Yeah... they look smoother than they are. They are designed for gripping hammers, axes, shovels, sledgehammers, etc. So, there is actually a lot of grip to them. Not tacky... but definitely not slippery. Kind of a rubbery smooth-roughness... ;)

If you have heated grips, the heat transfer happens a bit slower through the rubber than the closed cell foam grips like the Grip Puppies... but it was definitely there while testing them out today in 40 degree weather.
 
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The puppies have a spongy feel, which I think helps dampen vibration.
Do the RGs have a similar "sponge" feel or is it more like a stock rubber type grip?
 
The puppies have a spongy feel, which I think helps dampen vibration.
Do the RGs have a similar "sponge" feel or is it more like a stock rubber type grip?
I agree that the foam rubber of the Grip Puppies does help with vibration. These are definitely not as "spongy" as the foam rubber of the Grip Puppies. These are more of a heavy rubber over-grip.

Vibration dampening is simply a by-product of a second thick layer of rubber over your existing grips.
 
Good info ... thanks
 
Man, I never gave grips that much thought. Of course I don't hang on to them forever like you guys do.
 
I used Re-Grips on my Goldwing to cover the grip heaters when those grips wore out - easy to install & overall pleased with them.

Only issue with the re-grips is that the rubber oxidizes quickly and you get the black residue on your gloves, hands, etc which can be messy - unless you keep them treated to remove the oxidation with something like "Mothers Back to Black" on a regular basis or before riding.

Photo of rag in attachment shows how much residue came off after dry wiping the grip - this was before treating with "Back to Black". After treating , I get very little to no residue on the rag or gloves.
 

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I've put Grip Puppies on each of my 2 Vstroms. The pups on my current Strom are over 4 years old. As best I can tell, those things are indestructible.
 
I've put Grip Puppies on each of my 2 Vstroms. The pups on my current Strom are over 4 years old. As best I can tell, those things are indestructible.
That's great to hear!

I have over 30,000 miles on my Grip Puppies on my wing. Love them... but that's a different kind of riding for me. I just didn't know if they would stand up to the abuse I plan on putting the Tenere through.

If these don't work out long term... I'll most likely be going back to the Buddies and giving them a shot in the ADV realm. [emoji1303]

Thanks for the info!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
Man, I never gave grips that much thought. Of course I don't hang on to them forever like you guys do.

And, I must confess, I like stock grips best. I also don't worry about stuff coming off of them because I always have gloves on. I am also very persnickety about how thick they are. Messes with the brake feel. Also if they are too spongy I lose road/track feel. Another reason I don't like winter gloves is the thickness dulls the feeling. But I am old and set in my ways. Mitch loves his, so for you folks that actually ride some distance I can understand it. Of course I like Renthal mediums, or similar, on my DR-Z's.

So, I guess I do give them a lot more thought than I first imagined. But, as long as they are used nobody really cares.
 
Looks like the 1.5 size worked out well on the Tenere?

Karl
 
Man, I never gave grips that much thought. Of course I don't hang on to them forever like you guys do.

After I had made my first all-day ride on my first VStrom, my hands were cramped - it felt like - almost up to my elbows. I met somebody at a rest stop that day, riding a near identical bike, who explained to me that VStrom OEM grips were Japan's revenge on us for winning the war. The next day, somebody on TWT pointed me to Grip Puppies and I haven't been without them a day since.

Bob, there are clearly multiple solutions. Be sure to report back to us in a few weeks, & let us know how yours is working out.
 
Bob, there are clearly multiple solutions. Be sure to report back to us in a few weeks, & let us know how yours is working out.
Definitely multiple solutions.

I'm potentially doing a 3 day ADV ride in a few weeks. I'll report back after that. :rider:
 
Good report on re-gripping.
Never liked the idea of a Velcro seam on the grip. Found the Puppies and love them. Have had them on 3 bikes.
They last a long time and replaced the after ~35K miles.
Of course, I am no 'jumping' on this bike...
 
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