There are other posts about this but thought I could bring them all together in one post under the how-to section. There were things not explained in other posts that would have cut the "scratch my head" downtime as I figured the process out.
I used direct replacement Kuryakyn iso-grips on my 07 warrior and have tried to be very detailed because I don't have many pictures. Universal grips may require some spacers to be cut and such- for those, every application is different so just remember to do that before any glue is applied and the rest of the instructions below should be applicable.
For anyone not mechanically inclined, don't be scared off by the length of this post. It is very easy. Just take your time and it will go very smoothly.
Left side (non-throttle):
The left side is actually three pieces. The top collar, the actual rubber grip and a bottom retainer cap. There is no sleeve under the rubber grip- just the actual handle bar.
Put a towel over the gas tank to prevent any damage from dropped tools, screws, etc (stolen from another memeber who suggested this). I also recommend loosening all the control brackets and housings on both sides of the bars so you can slide them inboard on the bars for easier access to the grips. This isn't necessary on the non-throttle side but makes it much easier and only takes a minute or two.
1. Get a healthy can of WD4D- you will need a bunch
2. Take the straw of WD4D and try to get a bunch of it into both notches between the top collar and the bar. Use a rag because WD will spray everywhere. There is a notch at the top and one at the bottom which should provide enough space to get some down under the grip.
3. Taking a clean rag, start to twist the grip near the top collar back and forth until it starts to twist freely.
4. Once the grip starts to twist near the top collar, you should be able to pull the top collar upward and out of the grip peeling back the grip over the retaining lip of the top collar.
5. With the extra space, get the straw of WD under the grip and as far toward the bottom as possible and get to spraying- the more, the better.
6. Keep twisting the grip back and forth until the whole grip is loose on the bar. (If this is taking a while, you can leave it soaking in the WD and move onto the throttle side while the WD seeps into the rest of the grip)
7. Twist the rubber grip up and off the bottom retainer cap by peeling off the grip from the cap's lip
8. Take a small flathead screw-driver and place it between the cap and the bar so the screwdriver is pushing against the inside bottom of the cap. Take a hammer a lightly hit the top of the screw driver to force the cap out of the bar end. Don't put the screwdriver on the top/side of the cap, you will damage it- it is plastic.
9. Once the cap is off, the grip and top collar slide off.
10. Do not install the new grip yet- do the throttle side first (I will explain later)
Throttle Side:
This is the easier side...
1. You have to loosen the clutch/ brake lever assembly and move it inboard slightly to get access to the screws holding the throttle control housing loose/ off
2. Remove the throttle control housing (two allen screws and very straight-forward)
3. Taking the whole assembly- grip and throttle control housing, turn them back and forth around the bar slowly while pulling out gently. There is a keyway of some sort that allows you to pull the whole assembly off the bar before you have to unhook the two throttle cables.
4. Unhook the two cables- easy if you have the assembly off the bar- and take the grip out of the throttle housing (held in by a slot in the housing)
5. Hook the two cables back up to the new grip, seat the new grip in the throttle control housing and slide back on the bar
6. Tighten the throttle control housing and put your clutch/ mirror assembly back to its original position (or where you want it) if you aren't sure where it was, use the dimple in the factory bars to help you locate it- short of that, you want the clutch reservoir as level as possible with the bike up and centered
7. Make sure it doesn't bind or stick anywhere- it should move just as freely as the stock grip
Installing Left Side:
I recommend doing this last because if you have grips like the Kuryakyn Iso grips I installed, you will want to make sure the pads and chrome spaces line up and match the lines with the throttle side because the throttle side is set and can't be moved up or down to match
1. CLEAN THE BAR EXTREMELY WELL with something like dish soap which won't leave any residue, waxes or oil behind. Make sure you get all glue residue off the bar from the stock grip. I found bug and tar remover work well for this and then follow that up with dish soap because the B&T remover is oily.
2. Test fit the new grip before glue to make sure you know how far onto the bar it fits, it lines up the way you want, etc. If you didn't buy direct replacement grips, you may need to measure, cut and install spacers (many times these are supplied by the manufacturer) as needed at this point.
3. Take the supplied glue (or hairspray as many members have suggested and really works well) and apply on the inside of the new grip/ If you are using the supplied glue like Kuryakyn gives you, don't drip any on the bottom cap. Apply the glue around the top and inside of the grip and let it slowly move down into the grip- remember when you put the bar on, it will push the glue down along the inside of the grip so you don't have to obsess about coverage beyond the first couple of inches inside the grip. Use the glue liberally.
4. BEFORE YOU SLIDE THE NEW GRIP ON THE BAR, try to eyeball the throttle side so you can line it up and it matches the side you are putting on
5. Slide the new grip on and keep it moving back and forth until you have it lined up the way you want with the throttle side because once you stop moving it, it will be stuck- and stuck good
5. Re-attach the housings, etc the way you want them or back to stock locations.
6. Wait an hour or two for the glue to cure and you should be good to go.
I installed mine with about 3/4 of the glue supplied and it was rock solid after 2 hours in about 85 degree garage. Total estimated time to complete: 1 hour without instructions- 30 minutes with instructions