Grip what?

Farkle time again...

The Oxford heated grips on the Connie are now 82,000km old and the left grip has kinda got worn out and often gets sticky in warm weather.  In other words, it's pretty stuffed.

Icky!

I've been thinking of replacing the grips for a while but then I decided to try something I'd seen on various forums:

Grip what?

Mostly people seem to use these to make their handle bars a bit more comfortable and they reckon that the also help remove some of the vibes coming through the bars (not really a problem on the Connie).  I thought that as you can fit them over heated grips that they may be a cheap way of prolonging the life of my hot grips.

Getting them on was a bit of a task.  I removed the bar end weights and lubed up the grips and the puppies with soapy water.  It still was a fairly difficult task - probably a bit like getting Fat Albert into Paris Hilton's wetsuit - but after doubling the grips over I got them onto the bars and then was able to pull them by their edges (they are very strongly made) until they were in position.

Installing

Ta-da

And so today I had the chance to give them a go.  Even prior to fitting them I was concerned about them making the bars fatter in my hands and me losing some "feel" at the bars or even struggling to reach the levers.  (I generally prefer to wear thin gloves whenever possible as I don't like the feel of thick gloves).  I also wanted to test how well the heat came through the puppies.

So on today's ride I left wearing my medium weight gloves (usually all I need throughout winter) and the grips definitely felt fatter in my hands.  I ride covering my front brake with two fingers and this was slightly more difficult with the puppies on - I really only had one finger on the lever until I started braking.  The clutch side was ok as I always use four fingers there.

As far as the effectiveness of the heated grips through the puppies - I had to have the temperature on the 2nd highest setting (75%) to feel anything and even on 100% the grips were not too hot.  I usually only need the 1st or 2nd heat settings (50/60%).  As it wasn't too cold today I'm not sure what they'll be like on a really cold day.

Anyway, they're still new and I've got to get used to them so I'll see how they go for a wee while.  If I decide I don't like them then they'll come off and maybe I'll pick up some new grips - the puppies weren't that expensive so I won't have wasted a fortune...stay tuned...