Are your grips greasy and sticky when you try to hold on to them?
I know that annoying feeling!
The most obvious reason why you would want to keep your motorcycle grips clean is to remove the possibility of having to go through this irritating feeling while you’re out there riding your motorbike. Also, you always want your motorcycle to look great.
The smug feeling that you get after achieving a sparkling clean result can keep you smiling all day. However, as good as this sounds, getting the desired result is often difficult. Most of these rubber grips have spores that house dirt so much that it often sticks to the grip. No matter how hard and long you scrub; scrub a thousand times, the dirt is still there.
Why Do Your Rubber Motorcycle Grips Become Sticky
1- Handling with Dirty Hands
Keeping our environment and home clean and crisp is very essential. Whenever the word personal hygiene comes up, a lot of people only think about the care of their body and immediate environment.
While this is true, it isn’t the whole truth. For motorcyclists, keeping their motorcycles clean should also be a part of their personal hygiene routine.
When you grip your motorcycle handles with dirty hands, you should expect the deposition of this dirt on them.
2- Allowing Dirt to Pile Up
Frankly speaking, having dirt on your rubber motorcycle grips is inevitable, regardless of how clean you keep your hands.
However, ignoring this dirt for a long time would make it pile up, clump together and difficult to remove later on.
One sure way to properly maintain the rubber grips is by regularly keeping them clean. Washing them twice a week (at least) would help stop the grips from being coated in dirt.
3- Difficulty in Removing the Rubber Motorcycle Grips
Removing the grips anytime you desire to clean them is not so easy. You could easily rip the rubber when trying to get the grip out from the handle.
The thought of having to remove the grips before cleaning them could make anyone lose interest and eventually they will become sticky.
The good news is that you do not have to always remove the grips before cleaning them. Interested in learning how? Keep reading.
There are different methods of cleaning your rubber motorcycle grips. You probably have tried a lot of methods but In this article, I will be sharing proven methods of cleaning your rubber motorcycle grips.
They might not be all new to you but they will be an upgrade of the ones that you already know.
How to Clean Rubber Motorcycle Grips (4 Methods)
METHOD 1: Using Soap & Baking Soda
YOU’LL NEED
1- Liquid soap
2- Water
3- Toothbrush
4- Baking soda
STEPS
STEP 1: Immerse the grips in soapy water. This would help soften the dirt and make it easier to scrub.
STEP 2: Scrub evenly with a toothbrush. As grips have grooves and patterns in them, scrubbing evenly and thoroughly would help you avoid missing any part of the grips. Make sure to also scrub in the direction of the pattern edges.
These two steps might be all your grip needs to be clean, however, it depends on how dirty your grip is. If the dirt on your grips isn’t totally removed after these first two steps, proceed to the next step.
STEP 3: Make a paste by mixing some baking soda in water. After forming a slightly thick paste, Rub the paste over the surface of the grip and scrub with a brush or sponge.
The granulated mix would do better than just soap as baking soda is abrasive. You can add some soap also to further remove grease (if any is still present).
METHOD 2: Using a Spray Cleaner
Choosing a mild spray cleaner is very crucial. If you aren’t very careful you could end up selecting a spray cleaner that is too harsh. This could make your grips wear off in no time
YOU’LL NEED
1- Water
2- Spray cleaner
3- Clean cloth
STEPS
STEP 1: Rinse your grip with water.
STEP 2: Apply a mild spray cleaner on a clean cloth and wipe the grips with it till they are clean. You can repeat the procedure till you get the desired result.
METHOD 3: Using Cleaning Wipes
This method might not work for every motorcycle rubber grip, depending on how dirty or old the grip is. However, if your grip is new and doesn’t have too much clumped-up dirt, this method would certainly work out some like magic.
There are different types of cleaning wipes that you can use. Armor All cleaning wipes will be an excellent choice.
YOU’LL NEED
1- Cleaning wipes
2- Clean soft cloth/Towel
STEPS
STEP 1: Get a few wet wipes.
STEP 2: Get your rubber grips wet. You don’t necessarily have to remove the rubber motorcycle grips.
STEP 3: Wipe the grips with the wipes till clean. At this point, it might require that you apply some pressure to get the desired result.
STEP 4: After scrubbing with the wipes, it is possible that there are lumps of wool spread across the grip. At this point, get a clean towel or cloth and clean till the grips are neat.
METHOD 4: Usine Methylated Spirit
YOU’LL NEED
1- Methylated spirit
2- Clean towel
STEPS
STEP 1: Sprinkle some methylated spirit on a clean towel.
STEP 2: Scrub the grips. Make sure that the rubber grip is dry.
STEP 3: Repeat the steps until the dirt is off.
In the process of wiping, It will also remove messy rubber lumps that might have gathered as a result of constant gripping of the motorcycle handles.
Choosing The Right Product For Your Rubber Motorcycle Grips
Choosing a spray cleaner or wipes for your rubber motorcycle grips is very important. While a product could be good, it might not be perfect for your grips. One of the factors that you should keep in mind when you are shopping for them is the mildness.
Here are the recommendations:
For Wipes: Clorox Wipes, Armor All Cleaning Wipes
For Spray Cleaning: WD-40 spray cleaner, Lysol Disinfectant Max Cover Mist
Conclusion
Finally! We’ve gotten to the end of this article, I hope it was helpful. Go and make your motorcycle grips sparkling clean and enjoy the smug feeling that comes with it.
