New Hayes Ergo Grips Report with pics

[pqsqac]

First I want to say thanks to forum member Freebird for offering these grips for free and for shipping them for free. These grips from Hayes have to be one of the top five mods I have done to my XTB. I did not care for the stock grips and was heading towards trying out grip puppies when I read Freebirds offer to try these ergo grips out. Now he doesn't have a supply of these so don't go requesting a set from him but they can be purchased for $20.00 on line at www.hayesgrips.com. I was getting some palm pain on long rides with the stock grips and since I have been riding with these new Hayes grips I feel no pain at all and can ride for a long while now. Of course there are pros and cons to everything so as Cycle World mag does it I will list both and I also added a link to photo bucket showing the stock grips and shots of the left & right grips shot from the front and from the seated position.

Pros:
Price
Comfort
Feel
No glue required on either side

Cons:
Hard to install since these grips are universal fit 22mm size for 7/8 bars the right side is tough to slide b/c most throttle sides are 25mm. With some WD40 and even Vasoline it finally went on.
Hayes grips are short there is a 9/16" gap on the right side and 5/16" gap on the left. I was thinking of filling the space with blue o-rings or something. Not sure yet what to do about that where is Tabasco when you need him he would have an idea how to fill the gaps. All in all I am very happy with these ergo grips and recommend them highly. Sorry the pics got out of order when I loaded them up. I added shots of the stock grips for comparison.

http://s142.photobucket.com/albums/r94/lezuki/Hayes%20Grips/

 

[~TABASCO~]

Those look cool..... !


I found something that looks just about the same at Walmart that where $6.00, made by BELL.... They are also 5", the same length as stock.... I have not tried mine yet, but looking forward too.....

 

[pqsqac]

That's a good deal Jaxon let us know if you try them out. Do you have an ideas how I could fill my gaps?

Those look cool..... !


I found something that looks just about the same at Walmart that where $6.00, made by BELL.... They are also 5", the same length as stock.... I have not tried mine yet, but looking forward too.....

 

[~TABASCO~]

That's a good deal Jaxon let us know if you try them out. Do you have an ideas how I could fill my gaps?

The grips I have now are moto-X grips that are short. On the right I have the dash changer deal that I can change the dash settings with my thumb.. On the right there is about a 1" gap that I have just left...... On these grips I found from Walmart they are the same length as the stock ones and have the same type "shape" as the ones you posted....

 

[sandaddict]

pqsqac,
Any chance at all these would fit over a grip heater kit?
Chris

 

[~TABASCO~]

Chris,

They should no problem... If you use compressed air they should slid on pretty easy over a heating element..

 

[newventurer]

Ok, i'll be the first dummy to ask...how does compressed air help in this situation????? :question:

 

[~TABASCO~]

Your not a dummy.... If you use compressed air with a nozzle on the end you can squirt air between the bar and the grip... 95% of the time they slide on with no problem, no glue, Etc... Your done in about five minutes.. You can take them off and change grips just as fast...

 

[newventurer]

Cool, thanks!

 

[pqsqac]

Right you are Jax compressed air and a long thin blade screwdriver is also a good way to remove stubborn grips and you don't have the mess of WD-40 or whatever pouring out of the grip.

 

[colorider]

Your not a dummy.... If you use compressed air with a nozzle on the end you can squirt air between the bar and the grip... 95% of the time they slide on with no problem, no glue, Etc... Your done in about five minutes.. You can take them off and change grips just as fast...

I have been using the compressed air trick for years to remove grips but never tried it for installing them. I always just give the inside of the grip a shot of hair spray and they slide right on and set up in a very short time.

 

[hANNAbONE]

ditto Rod...that's what I do too

 

[fredz43]

One word of caution, though. If you have heated grips where the heating elements are embedded in the grip, such as the OEM grips, do not use compressed air. The heating wires embedded in those type of grips are flexible, but are not elastic. Too much ballooning of the grip will break the element and you then have a ruined grip. Found this out the hard way with ST1300 OEM heated grips.

 

[~TABASCO~]

One word of caution, though. If you have heated grips where the heating elements are embedded in the grip, such as the OEM grips, do not use compressed air. The heating wires embedded in those type of grips are flexible, but are not elastic. Too much ballooning of the grip will break the element and you then have a ruined grip. Found this out the hard way with ST1300 OEM heated grips.

For sure... I guess I should have brought that up... When I use the air I have a nozzle on it and try never to balloon them up.. They can stretch and get all messed up.. Like you said, if you have factory 'type' heated grips they might be toast if you blew them all up.... LOL So people reading this dont blow them up..... LOL

 

[fredz43]

Yeah, on my first ST1300, an 03, we were on a trip and the throttle side OEM heated grip was slipping when I had the grips on high one very cold morning. We stayed at a friend's home that night and I told him that I was going to try to get the grip off and re glue it. He said' "here's I'll show you a trick" and before I knew it, he stuck the nozzle of an air hose under the grip, inflated it a bit and it slid off. Problem was, after applying glue and reinstalling, when I tried to use them, that grip was toast. I was forutnate to find a UK dealer that would sell one grip, as Honda USA would only sell a complete kit.

 

[digitalmoto]

I always just give the inside of the grip a shot of hair spray and they slide right on and set up in a very short time.

Yup. The cheapest, nastiest, Aqua Net - wannabe works the best.

 

[colorider]

Yup. The cheapest, nastiest, Aqua Net - wannabe works the best.

Or whatever I find in my wife's side of the bathroom cabinet....... ::026::