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superbike 699 pro grips
cliffy's 1999 yzf-r6
cost: $8 + self install (.2 hrs labor)purchased from: dennis kirk (800) 328-9280
why?:
i noticed these grips on a used bike at a local dealership and knew that i had to have them. i've been riding bmx & mt bikes forever and i know how important good grips are. they are extremely soft and grippy. they have 3 grooves for safety wire, too. its a small price to pay for some extra comfort and security.installation:
after checking my bank account to make sure i could still eat after this major expenditure, i got up the courage to put these on. at first i couldn't decide how to go about it. here's what i ended up doing. i knew i wouldn't need the old grips so i sliced them off with an exacto knife. they cut like butter but be carefull not to cut into the plastic throttle sleeve. i proceeded to clean off the old adhesive and applied the new adhesive. notice i did not take off the bar end weights. it might make the install easier but i couldn't get mine off so i just installed with them on. no big deal. anyway, its most important to have a lot of glue on the right grip because that is what you will really be twisting. put more to the outside because it will get pushed towards the center as you slide on the grip. be extra careful not to get any underneath the throttle sleeve but try to get it as close the the edge as possible. make sure you don't sandwich any glue between the grip and the engine start/kill ass'y. i put just a little bit of soapy water on the inside of the grips to help slide them over the bar end. after they were on and in position, i rolled the ends up and placed some additional glue to the outer edge so that it would not slip onto the bar end. finish off the whole thing with some safetywire and you're all set!caution!: don't try putting these on without grip glue because they will just keep slipping. mine would slip out and around the bar end making the throttle stick. its nice if you want cruise control; bad if you are doing wheelies... which i, of course, never do :) in addition, perform this mod when you know you will have a chance to let the whole thing set for at least 12hrs. some of this time should be during the day when it is warm.
performance review:
i love these grips! they give excellent feel and grip. they are more comfortable on the long hauls because they are softer. they also seem to dampen out some of those vibrations (a must at 15k+ rpms!). the pattern on the grips even match the white parallelograms on the fairings/tank. not too much to say about these. i just think they are well worth the eight bucks!
