Hello all. I'm relatively new here and just started fixing up my 1995 GS 500E. One of my goals is to replace the old, wornout grips.

I've searched the haynes manual and this site, but couldn't find any good references. Can someone help me out? My apologies if this was posted before. Thanks for the help, i'll be posting pics soon!

depends if your going to junk the old grips than just cut them off with a razor and use some lub to install the new grips, I also heard hairspray works great for lube and after it dries it gets stckey and keeps the grips in place. I always used wd-40 for mine. If you wanna keep the old grips and get a long flat head screwdriver and pry the grip up a little and shoot the wd-40 inside and start twisting the grip till it slides off. hope that helps.

I always grab the inside edge of it and roll it back over itself, kind of like the opposite of putting a condom on.

Only ever had to remove the left one. I guess the same thing would work on the right one.

Sprayed compressed air under the grip. That loosened it up to remove it the first time. When I tried to put it back on, it didn't go on all the way, and I couldn't get it off with compressed air the second time, so I used a little WD40 under both ends to get it off.

Then I cleaned the bar end and the grip with alcohol. Next I swished I generous amount of alcohol on the inside of it again, to get it to slip on all the way. Speed is your friend in this process. The alcohol dried and left the grip stuck in place!  Good luck!   

Yeah I cut the old ones off and use compressed air for the new ones.

I always use compressed air if it's available. When you're putting the new grip on make sure the bars are clean. If you leave grease or anything on the bar the grip will never hold on well. When I'm sliding grips on, if you don't have compressed air I usually press my lips on the end of the grip and blow like a trumpet, or like you're making airplane noises and it'll usually slide right on. Pat it on from the outside instead of pulling it from the inside. You'll get that chinese finger trap thing going on and never get it on.

compressed air work but shaZam! by the time you get the compresser on and filled you can be half way done with wd40

To keep 'em, I also use WD40 and a long thin screwdriver slipped in. Then work it around and off they come. Otherwise, cut & rip apart.

To put on, clean all oil off. Use most anything that will be slippery then dry sticky - like some varathane, contact cement, paint, thread lock, etc. Put a little on then work the grip on.

The throttle grip does have bumps on the shaft to prevent that grip from slipping.

Remember that the inside of the left grip is smaller than the inside of the throttle grip. It is correct that the inside diameters are different so don't mix them up when you put them on.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I don't have an air compressor, so I'll try the razor blade wd40 route. Hopefully that works.

We used to use dish soap to install the new grips...I haven't done it in a long time though...need new grips on the GS, but I am thinking of replacing the bar with a wider off road bar to get better vision through the mirrors...

Good luck!

Later.

Madjack you should just pick up some bar end mirrors. They have a bunch of half decent ones on ebay for $18 shipped for the pair. I have a mismatched set, one is a cheap ebay mirror, the other is a crg, and to be honest if it wasn't for "CRG" being stamped on the back of one, I really wouldn't know the difference. Vision in the mirrors is great.

Maybe I will...if I decide to just keep the GS, I will probably go to the V&H exhaust and an air intake upgrade (the exhaust is for me, not performance...and if you are doing one, might as well do both)...not sure if I would go lunchbox or individual filters...I guess even the Candian bikes with their richer tune will still need the jet kit...tear everything down, replace worn and repack everything else...probably a colour scheme change...the bike would then be kept for my daughter...otherwise it will be replaced in early 2011...

Later.

"Junior", my 92 is Canadian (at sometime in his life he crossed the border into Washington). I swapped the exhaust with a new V&H because somebody had drilled 3 holes in the end of the exhaust to make it louder (yea, but also tinny sounding). Didn't have to rejet. Actually runs better now and has that nice deep sound. I had my dealer to a full tuneup and check up after I replaced the exhaust so he could tune it to the V&H. He said he didn't really have to do anything other than normal plugs & valve adjustment. Jets, being Canadian, didn't need changing.

You can get mirror extenders. SW Motec makes them. I put them on Junior. Moves mirrors out another inch and a half. I prefer mirrors high rather than down low on the end of the bars. Seems at the bar ends they'd get bumped more by people walking by - we have bike parking at the gym and we sometimes park close together to get 5 or 6 bikes in. Just my preference.