Those hand grips finally had to go!

It seems that different discomforts bother me than your average rider. For example, I don't wear chaps. But I really dislike collars that don't seal out a cold wind, and my hands with bother me.

(I just tried out the dealer display of heated hand grips. I rarely ride now in the wee morning hours, but in my twenties had to had to get back to Milwaukee at 0400. Yikes, that Interstate was frigid!)

Unless some feature is a real deal-breaker, I usually ride a new bike in stock condition for a bit before making changes. My new Sportster came with forward controls--the first such bike I owned where that feature was provided from the factory. Stiff lower back or not, I left them in place, and I find that I like them now.

However, it didn't take long to realize that those stock Sportster grips had to go. Not only were they rock hard, but they were of a smaller diameter. Despite the rubber mounted engine, the grips still pounded. Granted, it's a small thing, but after a few hours it gets on your nerves.

I solved the problem at that time by just buying gloves with padded palms.

But as the summer progressed I kept looking for a better alternative, and I think I found one.

I just bought a set of Harley's Nostalgic Collection Hand Grips, part number 56275-96B.

I think they are keeping with the bikes overall design theme. I've handled them at the shop, and while not on a bike, they provide me with what I need. First, they are wider in diameter. For some reason this seems to work for me despite the fact I have average size hands.

Later in the summer I found a pair of gloves that simply slip on without a velcro closure. They seemed to work better than usual pair, and they are more precise than the padded ones.

I'm not aware of my hand over tightening, but I sure do feel the strain on my palms and forearms if I ride the Sportster on a highway. The grips on Betty are wider, and the strain never happens.

It's important to me. I get off of my bike on a colder day and the first thing I notice is my hands. I believe this fixed the problem, but time will tell.

Adding a throttle assist will also help your hands - if you do a lot of long distance hauls the right hand will go numb from hangin on the throttle - with the throttle assist you can ride open hand and relieve the strain. There are many styles out there to chose from and you can go cheap or salty - your choice - but they all serve the same purpose.

Actually, the little 48 was ridden farther than the Dyna.

Granted, it was a new toy, but there are only a few ways out of my little community, and they're all highways or the Interstate.

Sportsters got ridden when I first got into the sport. You rode what you owned. Now that I'm retired and the schedule is a bit more relaxed I can spend as much time as it takes to get to the destination. If I run into a head-wind, I just take the nearest off-ramp and use a side road.

The problem with grips is that to me it's like a small pebble in my shoe. No big deal, but it's a distraction. When I switched out the controls on Betty the grips were also replaced with those of a wider diameter.

Below is a picture of the Dyna's replacement grips. In going back and forth between the two, you can really tell the difference. I like the size, but I thought the design did not go well with a blacked-out Sportster. The Nostalgic pair would be better on the Sportster.