exskibum
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First, note that I have always HATED trimming rubber, due to the uneven, shoddy results.
I've probably done this for throttle locks three times now (every one requires mods), and have finally found a way to trim rubber grips that works pretty well and gives a clean result. (I just installed a Vista Cruise and the hilt of the OEM grip is too tall, so it needs to be trimmed, but so do most aftermarket grips.)
I have some "hook blades" for one of my 3 or 4 utility knives (aka "boxcutters"), which I use for almost everything, having once been a drywall taper. I bought these blades for use on my composite shingle reroofing project a couple years ago. So . . . I decided to use these hooked blades to cut down the stock grip I removed to facilitate a clean Vista Cruise install.
After removing the grip, I used a 32 mm socket and a red Sharpie to trace a circle on the end of the grip. Then I sat in the sun and sliced into the shank of the grip with the hook blade, rotating it to keep the blade slicing evenly on the line. I did the same thing on the butt end of the grip to shorten it appropriately. It came out much cleaner than any utility knife cut in rubber I've ever made. Then, with my trusty rubber sanding block loaded with course emery cloth, I discovered that it does a great job of smoothing the soft rubber of the grips, taking out start/stop marks and generally abrading the rubber into something that almost looks like it was made that way!!!
Finally -- I'm not going to shy away from these rubber trimming projects anymore due to fear of hideously lame looking results.
I've probably done this for throttle locks three times now (every one requires mods), and have finally found a way to trim rubber grips that works pretty well and gives a clean result. (I just installed a Vista Cruise and the hilt of the OEM grip is too tall, so it needs to be trimmed, but so do most aftermarket grips.)
I have some "hook blades" for one of my 3 or 4 utility knives (aka "boxcutters"), which I use for almost everything, having once been a drywall taper. I bought these blades for use on my composite shingle reroofing project a couple years ago. So . . . I decided to use these hooked blades to cut down the stock grip I removed to facilitate a clean Vista Cruise install.
After removing the grip, I used a 32 mm socket and a red Sharpie to trace a circle on the end of the grip. Then I sat in the sun and sliced into the shank of the grip with the hook blade, rotating it to keep the blade slicing evenly on the line. I did the same thing on the butt end of the grip to shorten it appropriately. It came out much cleaner than any utility knife cut in rubber I've ever made. Then, with my trusty rubber sanding block loaded with course emery cloth, I discovered that it does a great job of smoothing the soft rubber of the grips, taking out start/stop marks and generally abrading the rubber into something that almost looks like it was made that way!!!
Finally -- I'm not going to shy away from these rubber trimming projects anymore due to fear of hideously lame looking results.
