Evaluation

EVALUATION

Any Harley rider is familiar with the tingly finger, numb hand sensation that comes with a long ride. No feeling, except pins-and-needles. Handlebar fatigue, you could call it.

Stock grips, made of hard rubber, just don’t isolate the vibration enough. And some of the aftermarket, soft-foam grips designed with The Universal Bike in mind either don’t fit H-D bars, or just don’t look right.

Here’s a set that does all of the above: Sundance Grips, from Drag Specialties of Minneapolis. The grips have a sleeve of pliable rubber, overlaid with vibration-absorbing closed-cell neoprene foam. They're fitted with polished aluminum rims on the open ends and caps on the closed ends.

We tried a pair on a 1977 XLCR and were pleased with the results. Goodlooking and functional. Goodbye tingles. At least most of them.

Installation is pretty much the same for all aftermarket grips. Cut off the old ones, remove cement residue, coat the bars and the inside of the grips with adhesive and slide them on. One grip has a larger inside diameter: it’s for the throttle side. The rubber sleeves make installation a snap: they’re easier to slide on than all-foam grips.

Sundance grips fit 1973-1981 XLs, FXs and FLs. At $18.95 a pair, they’re available from dealers across the country. If you can’t find them, contact Drag Specialties, 5401 Smetana Drive, Minnetonka, Minn., 55343. (612) 935-1000.