Motorcycle grips

Motorcycle grips are the one thing your hands touch for the whole ride, so a new pair changes the feel, the amount of vibration reaching your fingers and the look of the bars. Here you will find grips from Puig, Rizoma and Customacces: rubber, with coloured aluminium sections, custom-style and heated, to replace a worn pair or give the bike a different character.

Three measurements to check

• Diameter: 22 mm (7/8 in) on almost all European and Japanese bikes; 25.4 mm (1 in) on Harley-Davidsons and some classic Triumphs. Rizoma makes 25.4 mm versions of its Sport, Urlo and Legend grips.
• Length: the grip has to fit between the switchgear and the end of the bar. Puig makes the Ascent and Radikal in 119 and 123 mm, so compare with the length of yours.
• Throttle: with ride by wire, the right-hand grip turns on a tube that works with the throttle sensor, and a grip designed for a cable throttle may not fit it. Rizoma's Ride by Wire versions are made for that system.

Rubber, aluminium, custom or heated

Rubber provides the grip and soaks up vibration; anodised aluminium adds colour and ages better, although it holds slightly less. Puig Basic grips are all rubber, while the Ascent, Racing, Revving, Radikal and Core mix rubber with aluminium sections in black, gold, red, blue, lilac or orange. Rizoma takes that mix into a cleaner design with the Sport, Urlo, Lux or Icon, and Customacces offers cruiser-style models such as the Classic, Fast Line or Maltese Cross.

For winter, Puig and Customacces offer heated grips, which connect to the bike's electrics. Paired with handguards, they are the combination you notice most when the temperature drops.

Fitting without surprises

• Throttle tube: a rubber-only grip goes onto the stock tube; one with an integrated tube means removing the switchgear. A stock tube with raised ridges can leave lumps under a smooth grip: sand them down or swap to a smooth tube.
• Clearance: leave a small gap between the right-hand grip and the switchgear, and check the throttle snaps shut on its own before you start the engine.
• Ends: if you run bar ends, the grip needs an open end or one you can open up.

Each brand has its own page with every model and colour: Puig grips, Rizoma grips and Customacces grips.