Demystifying Grip Replacement on Your Harley-Davidson

If you’re looking at a fresh set of grips for your Harley, the prices may make your eyes water a little, and determining the fit might be difficult. It's truly not as confusing as it at first may seem.

We can help you out in both circumstances. We do have a wide variety of items, including flashy bespoke grips that are somewhat model-specific. We also have some products designed to help you convert to rubber slide-on grips like your dirt bike or minibike might use.

• Learn about the difference between your replacement options
  • Some grips are model-specific (which are easy to purchase since everything you need is in the box)
  • Some grips are generic (which are less costly, but require a little bit of research and upfront labor to install)
• Determine what kind of throttle you have
  • We have infographics on each grip page to help you ID
• Get your shopping list together, which should include the following parts
  • Grips of your choosing
  • Throttle sleeve if needed
  • Glue
  • A T27 tool if you don't have one
  • Cable ends if your bike requires them (if you feel you might lose them and you feel you might lose them
• Install them and go ride

Basic Layout and Throttle Actuation

Your first step is to figure out what type of throttle actuation system you have on your bike. You know, like what happens when you twist your right wrist? 

Broadly speaking, post-1982 Harley-Davidsons with carburetors used a dual-cable setup. In 2008, they began implementing electronic throttles that don't use cables on some models, and finally phased them out in 2022.

On all bikes, the left side of the bar has a rubber slide-on grip, and on the right side, a plastic sleeve for the throttle was overmolded with rubber and slid over the bar. Assuming a motorcycle has a 1" handlebar, that is the only piece is the only difference, fitment-wise. All grip diameters and lengths are the same.

You can—and many riders do—replace both grips and tube, as Harley-Davidson intends. There are many cool styles (like this one for cable-throttle bikes) that mimic the original design with the grip and sleeve being a single unit. This can be the end of your learning, if you would like. Determine what type of throttle your bike has, double-check using the infographics on the pages. Order what we have on the site according to fitment, and you're good to go.

But you may be here because you saw a bunch of attractive, inexpensive grips that don't have fitments listed and want to know about them. Understanding why and how they can be made to work for your machine is actually pretty simple.

Alternative Replacement Options

What follows is a bit of history. Even if you have a late-model machine, I'm gonna request you follow along as I bring us back to the '80s, because when you understand a little of the history, this whole process is clearer.

Cable Throttles

During this time, as the aftermarket picked up speed, many bikes got been converted to a slight deviation from OE: they are converted to have throttle tubes that don't have overmolded rubber. If you ever swapped grips on your dirt bike as a kid, you'll understand the system instantly: by offering the plastic tube with inexpensive rubber grips that haven't been manufactured as one piece, only the rubber grips can be switched out quickly, easily, and much more affordably.

Because of the ease, low cost, and long use of this method of swapping out a set of grips, it’s usually considered the standard for riders who don’t necessarily want to spring for higher-cost integrated units. It's also what's used by many other makers of grips, including metric machines, and even lawn and agricultural equipment. The aftermarket grips company made slide-on type grips for many years because they are inexpensive to purchase and easy to install.

Riders had to buy the tube and grips the first time a change was made, and then just the grips at subsequent swaps. If you have a cable-operated bike, it's very likely that the throttle tube has been replaced already. If you find it has not, you can either get that economy model I just mentioned or a real slick billet unit to make the switch.

Before we move on to more modern machines, I want to pause: there's one catch here, and that's undoing your throttle cables, a problem that is relevant for riders all the way up to 2022. Your throttle cables could have ball ends, and your throttle tube probably accepts a barrel cable. So there are two little fittings that convert them. The problem is that they are very, very small and easy to lose when disassembling the clamshell. There's also no way to ride your scooter without them. If you're not pressed for cash, ordering some as insurance might keep you from losing a few days for what you probably thought would be a simple job. 

This arrangement continued through much of the Twin Cam era, depending on model, and all the way to the end for the air-cooled Sportster.

Throttle-By-Wire

During the Twin Cam era, Harley began outfitting some bikes with fly-by-wire throttles. (They’re also called “throttle by wire,” usually abbreviated to “TBW.”). Rather than using a cable to mechanically open and close the throttle, a throttle position sensor interprets the motion of your wrist twistin’, converts it to an electronic signal, and sends it to a servomotor on the throttle body, which then opens and shuts the throttle blade. 

As of this writing, the systems came in two flavors, which we refer to as first-gen and second-gen. Telling them apart is pretty easy—first-gen TBW units use sensors that go inside the right handlebar, which has castellations to help it remain stationary, whereas second-gen units are inside the control clamshell.

If you want a set of grips for Gen 1 or Gen 2 bikes that have the grip and sleeve ready to install as The MoCo intended, purchase a set by fitment and you're all set. Generally, this type are more expensive, but offer looks you can’t achieve with the more modestly-priced rubber slide-on items. Especially if you like changing grips for appearance, rather than being worn out, a more expensive grip like ODI Lock-On Grips may actually save you money since they can be removed and reused later, which is almost never the case for slide-on grips.

If you want to convert to the slide-on type, you'll first want to determine if your bike already has a throttle tube that will accept slide-on grips. The way to do this, unfortunately, is cut them off and see if the rubber is molded into the plastic. 

If you bought your bike new, this is easy to determine. If you bought your bike used, the older it is and the more modified it is, the more likely it is that it's already been swapped. If your handlebar isn't stock, it's nearly a guarantee. If you're not sure, order a tube just in case; they're inexpensive enough.

We sell both types of tubes for first-gen and second-gen TBW bikes just as we do for cable bikes. All grip and tube pages have infographics to help you identify what’s on your bike. Just like the carbureted guys did many moons ago, you can scoop a new sleeve and then a set of the cheap slide-on grips from us, keeping future swaps an even more minor affair, since you won't even have to touch the tube.

No matter which of the three generations you have, I would encourage you to add two items to your cart if you do not already own them. The first is grip glue, which will help slide-on grips stay where you want them without spinning around and driving you crazy. The second is a T27 tool if you do not own one already. You'll use this tool a lot if you service your H-D, as they're fond of this size. It's a bit of an odd-duck and isn't included in many star bit sets. Don't be the guy who jams a hex key or a T25 in there—you'll ruin your hardware and make your future work more difficult.

None of these ways of replacing grips is “better” than the other, they’re all just different. Purchase a complete unit if you love the look and the cost isn’t offensive. If you’re a little more strapped cash-wise, convert to the slide-on style—it’s your choice!