If you’ve got big hands then you know that Japanese Motorbikes were not designed with you in mind. If you get cramps or sore hands on a long ride or have handlebars that vibrate at certain revs then you know how unsafe it is when you have to focus on that rather than on the road and constantly flexing your fingers and moving your hands around to get comfortable while riding.
Unfortunately, I suffer from all of those afflictions – until recently when a mate put me onto Grip Puppies (I know, stupid name but if anyone uses “Cat Crap” anti-fog, you’ll know that doesn’t matter :-)) . I bought some locally on Ebay for less than $20, including postage, and they install in minutes – with the help of some soapy water. You may have to trim them a few mm for a perfect fit. Do that before you put them on – I found this out the hard way but only had to trim the throttle side around 5mm to clear the knob end. Once you get them on they are very hard to get off (unless you cut them). Make sure you put the cut end on first so the rounded end is on the outside of the grip (see photo above).
These things are an absolute godsend and I can highly recommend them. Other reviews I’ve read aren’t so positive (wear is the main issue) but most are. For the price you pay and the benefits you get these are at least worth trying. I’d love to hear from others who’ve tried them or something similar. Ive heard of someone who cut up an old computer mouse pad and taped it around the grips?
Oh, and if anyone knows how to change a headlight bulb in a Honda Deauville NT700V, without tearing all the skin off the back of your hands, please let me know asap before I kick the #@%^ing thing over! All I can say is put something soft on the ground under your bike because you are going to drop the bulb a few times and think about using superglue rather than that stupid clip – I feel a bit better now!
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