My original set of grips started to show their age. The rubber was pulling back from the chrome tip; plus, I thought it was time for a change. After having seen them and hearing good things about the KüryAkyn grips, I ordered a set from Sherm's. I got the Model 6235 grips, made specifically for the 1500 Classic.
Not being an experienced wrench, all I did for a few days was just look at the grips, holding them, marvelling at how nice they were, and imagining what they'd look like on my bike. I kept reading the newsgroup messages that talked about how to install them, but was still worried about messing up the install. Finally, I screwed up my courage and went ahead and did it.
Turns out, all the comments about how easy it was were true: it wasn't hard at all. I decided to save other poor souls some grief and documented the installation. Here we go ...
First thing you need to do is to cover your tank with a blanket. That way, there won't be any dings when (not if) you accidently drop a screw, a screwdriver, or the grip itself.
Obviously, the old grips have to come off. Both grips
have a plastic chrome end piece. Each one is threaded in reverse: turn clockwise
to unscrew. I needed to use a pair of channel locks to loosen the end cap. I
first wrapped the end cap in a washcloth so that the wrench wouldn't scratch it
too badly. Not sure why, but the biggest problem I thought I would have would be
taking the old grips off. It turned out to not be a big deal at all.
After removing the cap, I used a thin,
round screwdriver to loosen the glue on the left side grip. I sprayed the blade
with WD-40, inserted it under the rubber, and then twirled the screwdriver
around the grip.
This made it very easy to just pull the
grip off the handlebar. No need to slice the rubber with a knife or razor
blade.
The ring at the front of the grip slides
right off the bar without a problem. I then used some of the WD-40 to clean up
the excess glue from the bar.
The throttle grip is held in place by the
switch housing. Remove the two Phillips screws to open the housing. You'll be
able to easily remove the throttle cable from both of the recesses in the
plastic sleeve. The picture shows the left one already pulled out, while the
right one is still in.
I didn't have to loosen any other cables at all to
remove the grip. Once the throttle cable was out, the grip slipped right off the
handlebar.
The throttle ISO grip did not have the
sleeve glued inside the grip. This made it very easy to connect up the throttle
sleeve without worrying about how the grip was to be positioned.
Once the throttle cable is reattached to
the new sleeve, the hardest part is closing the switch housing back
up.
There's a guide pin on the right-side cover which
needs to mate with a small hole in the handlebar. I didn't see this at first,
and was wondering why the danged covers weren't coming together correctly. I
finally figured it out and then had no trouble screwing everything back together
again.
The left hand one is hollow, chamfered on one side and concave on the other.
It is used to cover the old threads on the handlebars. It fits and works
well.
The ISO grips come with two different metal
inserts.
Not so the throttle side. It's a smooth,
solid piece with a dimple on one side. It's too big to fit inside the plastic
throttle sleeve, so it has to go on the outside end of it. Well, if you put it
inside the grip, you won't be able to shove the grip all the way up. I just
ignored it.
I slid the grips on without glue to get a feel for how they should go on. I put the row of rubber squares even with my palm; it seemed the most comfortable for me.
I smeared some of the Permabond glue on the metal bar and feverishly slid the left-hand grip on. Turns out I didn't have to rush at all; I was able to fine-tune the position of the grip for about a minute. Be careful in gluing the rightside grip: don't smear glue too close to the housing or else it will ooze out and may clog your throttle action. Even after sitting overnight, the left grip will have a bit of rotational play in it, due to the thick rubber in the grip.
That's it! Not a big job at all.