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Recently got me a new scooter, Honda Forza if that matters.

However the grips are made from some unfortunate material and after a short ride the palms get sweaty and the grips becoming slippery after even a short ride.

As the handles are quite thin by themselves and it's gets harder to use the throttle. I tried to wipe them off with alcohol, hoping it's some manufacturing residue but that did not help.

I guess replacing the grips could fix it, but after checking out on the internet I think this is too much hassle.

Don't really want to mess with it, is there a simple solution like sandpaper them or something? Apart from gloves.

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  • It's not the grips twisting on the handlebars, it's your hands slipping on the grips?
    – DucatiKiller
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 1:17
  • I have reworded it. The palms get sweaty and the grip is hard to grab. In fact its one of the few things Honda got awful with this bike.
    – firedev
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 2:26
  • Only a fool rides without gloves, if you come off it your hands with be like a crayon smudge on the road.
    – Danny
    Commented Oct 2, 2017 at 4:18

2 Answers 2

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Its really simple. Gloves for both active protection - they stop you getting slippery hands and crashing. And in the end of a crash they stop your hands being smeared on the road.

Alternative grips will also be available such as these Renthal grips, with a coarser grip pattern they should stop being so slippery even with sweaty hands.

Personally I wouldn't ride without gloves but I live in the UK where it never really gets too hot for them.

Note: I do not endorse the product just showing what is available in terms of better grips than the standard smooth ones. I don't work for Renthal nor do I specifically endorse them over any other brand. I just did a quick google search for motocross grips.

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  • Indeed. Gloves are an essential item. If you've ever crashed as a kid on bicycle without them and had road rashed hands.....gloves are pretty meaningful.
    – DucatiKiller
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 5:10
  • I did crash and sure know the feeling. However gloves are not an option, it's +36ºC outside.
    – firedev
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 6:01
  • @firedev vented gloves exist, sounds like they're mandatory in your heat. revzilla.com/mens-summer-motorcycle-gloves
    – Leliel
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 6:46
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    @firedev vented gloves work in close to all climates, so long as you're not sitting stopped for a long time, because they let air flow over your hands, quite an effective cooler at anything much over walking speed.
    – Leliel
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 6:54
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    @firedev I live in the desert southwest of the US in Arizona. It gets to be 120+ F. I ALWAYS use gloves, helmet, leather jacket. Sweat evaporates with the breeze while riding and cools. Ask the Bedouins. Even if I'm stuck in traffic, I don't need the suffering of no skin on a hand because I went down. I was just rearended in Feb last year and got pinned under the front of a car. My palm held me up on the asphalt for 100 feet. Guess what? No road rash. Gloves are a beautiful thing. Don't give yourself reasons not to use them. Cheers!
    – DucatiKiller
    Commented Apr 15, 2016 at 5:30
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I'm making my former comment an answer so that I can put pictures to explain better.

First, don't mess with the grips. If they work fine with your hands dry then they don't need anything. If they don't work with dry hands, then do something to them, because using gloves shouldn't help much in that case.

Then, going to the gloves subject. Even if you ride a bike and fall down at <10km/h you can scrape your palms really bad, so a scooter will be way worse. In my opinion you shouldn't even consider riding anything without a basic pair of gloves - because you can choose gloves with zero discomfort and extra sweating.

The palm of your hand is anyway always in contact with the handles, you can't count on that part to cool your hands, so it would be the same thing if you have it covered with something protective and with better grip. For the back there are synthetic materials with huge breathability that won't bring any discomfort, even if you're not moving fast. Get something that has this structure: enter image description here

(I'm not endorsing that company. Any other brand will work the same, as long as it has a hard palm and a breathable mesh back.)

Of course, these give you just basic protection in case of a crash, but I think that they are the best compromise for a scooter in warm climates and that basic protection is way better than bare hands and you also get your grip problem fixed.

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    As a comment: I have in the summer +40ºC (and way more while stuck in traffic) and I can stand using real motorcycle summer gloves without having a problem with sweating. But if your conditions are worse than mine, I'm sure bicycle gloves will work for you. If even those cause you to sweat, then you need to... suck it up, and use gloves.
    – Alin P.
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 14:44
  • "suck it up, and use gloves." +1 Buddy!
    – DucatiKiller
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 16:27

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