StompGrip ~ DIY & Installation Tips

[Purspeed]

STOMPGRIP INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

I installed mine a couple of weeks ago and it works well.

Yes, yes, I installed it on my 2005 R6, but it has the spirit of the Ninja250r to be sure!

Time for installation: 2 hours and 45 minutes total

Outdoor temperature: 85-100 degrees and installed in the shade

Tools recommended: clay bar (for OCD people to pull out the junk in the paint), alcohol pads, microfiber cloth, tape, and either a tennis ball or metal wrench with smooth, round side or Neaderthol fingers.



Here are tips:

1. Clean tank superclean. No wax. No residue. Use alcohol and ensure that NO residue remains (like that white stuff left by alcohol pads). Use a clean microfiber cloth to polish afterwards, if need be.

2. When installing, use tons of finger pressure on every single bit of area to squeeze out as many of the tiny bubbles as possible. Start from the center of the StompGrip and work your way towards the outside edges.

Remember that the majority of the tiny '7-Up' bubbles/fizz comes from pulling off the brown-paper backing 1/2" to 1" at a time. Your job is to minimize these bubbles by applying finger pressure or using a tennis ball or rounded edge of a quality metal 3/4" wrench to apply serious pressure. If you are getting real bubbles (not super tiny ones), it's because you are peeling away more than 1/2"-1" of the paper backing and slapping it on like you hate the stuff. Use care. Take your time.

3. Do not use soapy water or liquids to set. Stompgrip is not a decal.

4. The Stompgrip "glue" is kind of gooey, and the stompgrip will expand when you squeeze it into place a bit. Compensate for this by positioning the StompGrip 1/8" off of the bottom edge of the tank or border.

5. Allow at least 3-4 days for StompGrip to dry. Yes, 3-4 DAYS at a minimum.

6. Warm the StompGrip by heating it in the microwave for 5 second increments at low power. It shouldn't need more than 30-40 seconds. Do not overheat. It should just feel nice and warm throughout.

7. Do not use a heat gun or hair dryer to heat the Stompgrip or tank. It's a waste of time and doesn't seem to do anything. Some have damaged the StompGrip with too much heat from a hair dryer.

The tank and grip get room temperature in minutes anyway and to do a good install, it will take you 2 hours and 45 minutes. So, I'm not sure why you need all of that heat. I didn't. But, try to install on a hot day.

8. Once you complete the one side of the tank, you need to use tape to align the other side to make it match. Take your time. Once first tiny bit of StompGrip touches the tank, you cannot adjust it any further. Remember that.

9. Yes, yes, some old StompGrips had problems with bad "glue" and subsequent peeling, so be sure to get StompGrip from a good supplier and fresh from the factory.

10. Come back in a half hour after taking a break and now start squeezing every inch of the StompGrip again to minimize the tiny bubbles.

11. Let dry for 3-4 days. Don't be impatient.

Here's a good YouTube video on StompGrip and TechSpec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VjReAPzBNE

[djpharoah]

Nice work - I tried a friends 600rr with stomp grips and man are they painful if you wear jeans. I've also heard they aren't that great for leathers. Looking good though.

[Purspeed]

Originally Posted by djpharoah

Nice work - I tried a friends 600rr with stomp grips and man are they painful if you wear jeans. I've also heard they aren't that great for leathers. Looking good though.

Thanks.

I ride exclusively with leathers and feel absolutely nothing. Leathers are thicker than jeans; however, when I sit on the bike with jeans, I feel the bumps, but they are not uncomfortable to me. On a long ride, I can't comment but many ride with jeans and StompGrips and don't seem to have any discomfort.

In terms of wearing out leathers, I hope not to experience that. But, most agree that leathers are fine with the StompGrip, especially on the street. Perhaps on a racetrack where you are shifting all over the place, but even then, racers don't seem to complain too much about that.

[Flashmonkey]

Thanks for the pics and the write-up! I ordered a set of tech spec gripsters for my gixxer and will be doing the same thing shortly. The only difference is that it's cold as hell up here. Do I only need to focus on making sure that the adhesive is warm, or should I heat up the tank with a blow dryer as well?

[Purspeed]

Originally Posted by Flashmonkey

Thanks for the pics and the write-up! I ordered a set of tech spec gripsters for my gixxer and will be doing the same thing shortly. The only difference is that it's cold as hell up here. Do I only need to focus on making sure that the adhesive is warm, or should I heat up the tank with a blow dryer as well?

Your welcome.

TechSpec is a little bit of a different animal, to be honest. It gets great reviews. I decided on the StompGrip because I wanted a transluscent material and the slightly better grip it offers. It was a slight risk because of all of the installation problems people seemed to have with the StompGrip, but that's why I did the research and posted this "definitive" install.

The key is to install the product when temperatures are relatively warm. The TechSpec is very forgiving, but it still requires a bit of planning to do a professional looking install.

You can ride the bike for a while and get the tank warmed that way. The heat will hold much longer than simply using the convective heat from a hair dryer. And the heat is consistent.

The key is to let the stuff dry. If you give it several days, proper adhesion will form.

[Flashmonkey]

Thanks for the tips, Purspeed. I'll try my hand at the installation when the pads come in and post my results in here as well.

[Purspeed]