DIY Tank / Fairing Grip Pads

7364 Views 7 Replies 6 Participants Last post by jman, May 16, 2017

Endopotential

Discussion Starter · Feb 15, 2016

I'm sure I've got lots to learn about proper riding position, but...
I'm about 5'10", and I can't imagine how I'd ever get my knees high enough on the tank for most of the available products to do much good. My knees seem to make the most contact on the stippled black fairing sections.

Anyone else have the same issue?

Decided to try making my own. The first iteration used stairway grip material, but that stuff was like harsh sandpaper and scratched up my leathers.

Then I found this. I know, made for shoes but hey, it works. http://www.ebay.com/itm/30130996454...49&var=600327356946&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Only $8 shipped for a very large sheet. It's a thin material, with just the right texture and grip.

Went riding on Hwy 35 / Skyline above Stanford to Alice's Restaurant the other day. No longer felt like I was riding a bucking bronco. The new science project worked great!

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Kojiiro

· #2 · Feb 15, 2016

Tank grip is typically only useful if you are on the track or riding very aggressively through the canyons. Its not really going to help if you arent locking the tank with your legs. Not sure why some people spend the $60ish dollars on it but then dont even lock into the tank with their legs.

On my N650, the tank grip was way too tall, just like you mentioned, until you upgraded the rearsets. This will be the same for any non SuperSport bike, mainly because they arent designed with really high rear sets that are there to give the rider's pegs ground clearance as he leans the bike over in the turns. My ZX6R had really high rear sets (stock) compared to the N650, its just two different purpose bikes from the factory.

Pretty cool that you found some material that sells for cheap. I would imagine it provides more grip than the tank. Non Skid is bad for leathers so yeah, dont use that lol.

I am not sure why your bike feels "like I was riding a bucking bronco". It should not feel that way, tank grip or not lol. The grip somehow made it go away? Whether you are riding straight up, or leaned over in a corner, the bike should be just riding along nice and smooth, not bucking like a bronco. The grip is only there so the outside leg has something to cling on to other than a slippery tank.

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FangShui

· #3 · Feb 15, 2016

Endopotential said:
I'm sure I've got lots to learn about proper riding position, but...
I'm about 5'10", and I can't imagine how I'd ever get my knees high enough on the tank for most of the available products to do much good. My knees seem to make the most contact on the stippled black fairing sections.

Anyone else have the same issue?

Decided to try making my own. The first iteration used stairway grip material, but that stuff was like harsh sandpaper and scratched up my leathers.

Then I found this. I know, made for shoes but hey, it works. http://www.ebay.com/itm/30130996454...49&var=600327356946&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Only $8 shipped for a very large sheet. It's a thin material, with just the right texture and grip.

Went riding on Hwy 35 / Skyline above Stanford to Alice's Restaurant the other day. No longer felt like I was riding a bucking bronco. The new science project worked great!

Science! Priceless!

Used to ride Skyline and through the Redwoods all the time when I lived in Sausalito, Kentfield, Davis and Sacramento back in the late 70s and 80s. Beautiful place to ride!

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Endopotential

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 15, 2016

Glen, time for you to come back for a visit! BTW it's your Arashi rearsets I'm using. Even at their highest / most rear mounting position, I would have to really scrunch into a ball to get my knees up on the tank.

Kojiiro said:
I am not sure why your bike feels "like I was riding a bucking bronco". It should not feel that way, tank grip or not lol.

OK, that was a slight exaggeration. When I hit a pothole on lovely Skyline, I would be unsettled off the seat a bit without being able to grip the bike tightly with my knees. With the DIY pads, I felt much more glued to the bike. Definitely the best $8 I've invested.

Though I still have to learn more about suspension setup. I'm about 155lb, so about 170lb fully geared up. On the softest shock setting, it's comfy but a bit bouncy. A few clicks the other direction, the ride is a bit harsher. Time to look for aftermarket shocks?

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Kiddfast

· #5 · Apr 8, 2016

what did you use for adhesive?

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NoobRider

· #6 · May 2, 2016

bump.. hopefully someone can answer kidd's question above.

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Endopotential

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 20, 2016 (Edited)

Keeping it simple, I just used contact cement / rubber cement.

Smear on the grip strips and also on the fairing of your bike. Wait a few minutes to let it dry, until it gets tacky and sticky. Then press the home made pads on, and you're pretty much done.

If you want to be extra sure, use some duct or masking tape to keep the pads in place until the glue is set. The nice thing about contact cement is that if you get any dribbles, it cleans up really easily. And if you decide you want to go back to stock, it's pretty easy to remove.

Oh, and a tip for the beginning of the project - to make a stencil for the grip strips, slap a bunch of wide masking or painter's tape over the sections. Use a pencil to rub the edges of the underlying fairing panels, marking where the edges are. Then peel the tape off, and cut along the pencil lines. You can tape the resulting stencils onto the grip material, and cut right along it. The strips for the opposite side of the bike are just the mirror image, so tape your stencil to the back side of the material and repeat the process.

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jman

· #8 · May 16, 2017

Endopotential said:
Keeping it simple, I just used contact cement / rubber cement.

Smear on the grip strips and also on the fairing of your bike. Wait a few minutes to let it dry, until it gets tacky and sticky. Then press the home made pads on, and you're pretty much done.

If you want to be extra sure, use some duct or masking tape to keep the pads in place until the glue is set. The nice thing about contact cement is that if you get any dribbles, it cleans up really easily. And if you decide you want to go back to stock, it's pretty easy to remove.

Oh, and a tip for the beginning of the project - to make a stencil for the grip strips, slap a bunch of wide masking or painter's tape over the sections. Use a pencil to rub the edges of the underlying fairing panels, marking where the edges are. Then peel the tape off, and cut along the pencil lines. You can tape the resulting stencils onto the grip material, and cut right along it. The strips for the opposite side of the bike are just the mirror image, so tape your stencil to the back side of the material and repeat the process.

How are your DIY tank grips holding up? I ordered the soling sheet. The non rubber side is so slippery. Thinking it may not last long or stay in place.

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DIY Tank / Fairing Grip Pads

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