How To Install Dirt Bike Grips With Bark Busters

Get some fresh rubber for your hands? Installing new grips on your dirt bike can greatly boost your comfort and confidence. 

Grips are cheap, and they’re the only thing that your hands are constantly holding onto. I’ve installed many grips over the years and will explain how to properly remove and install them. 

How To Remove The Old Grips

It’s as easy as taking a sharp blade, such as a razor blade or utility knife and slicing it open. Just be careful not to damage anything on your bike, such as the throttle tube. 

Prepping The Handlebars

Like many jobs, the prep work is over half the battle if you want something to last. Remove any old glue or grip material from the bars. Use hot water and soap or a degreaser to scrub the surface clean. 

How To Install Grips On Handlebars. 

Grips come in a pack of 2 with one of them generally having a slightly larger hole to fit the larger diameter of the throttle tube side. 

Once the handlebars are prepped, you can choose from a variety of options to “glue” the grips on. 

The last thing you want is your trip to start spinning on the handlebar while you’re riding. Your hand can slide right off, or you might not be able to twist the throttle. 

The most common ways to make your new dirt bike grips to stay are by using grip glue, a hairspray product, or other spray on chemicals (such as paint) that will harden and stick when they dry. 

Grip glue works well and will get the job done. It’s a little more expensive and messy, but it’s a product specially made for this single job. 

Using hairspray is a quick, easy, and cheap (relatively, depending on how much you use!) way to keep your grips on. I like to put my bike in the sun after installing the grips to help the spray dry and stick quicker. 

Lastly, paint can work as well to install your grips. It’s cheap and readily available to most people. 

Bark Buster Re-Installation

Do you run bark busters or hand guards on your bike? Any guards or bar ends means the grips need a hole in them on the end. 

A razor blade or utility knife can easily cut the rubber.

The left grip only needs a hole big enough to fit the bolt sleeve through.

The right grip will need more material removed to prevent ant drag from the hand guard. 

I simply cut the end of it off so the bark Buster didn’t rub at all on the grip. 

My Grips Still Spin On the Bars!

Got your grips on but they still rotate on the bars? The easiest way to fix that is with some safety wire. 

It’s best to use a safety wire tool to make the job quick and easy. All you need is enough wire to wrap around the bar once, plus at least 50% more to lock it in. 

Get enough rotations on the wire to make the grip tight and to keep it there. Snip off the excess wire so there’s only about ½ inch left and fold it back towards you. If you fold it forwards, it’s much more likely to get caught on your gloves and poke you. 

Summary of Installing Grips:

• Safely cut off old grips
• Clean handlebars
• Use grip glue or hairspray inside grip
• Shove grip on handlebar in preferred orientation
• Set bike in sun to harden glue/spray
• Use wire if grips still slide on bars