Help: Looking for tank grip pads/traction pads for R15

[Akshay_Sharma]

Hello folks,

I am looking for tank grip pads (I guess also called stomp grips/traction pads) for the R15 V2. The slant seat doesn't really help while riding aggressively and one keeps sliding ahead all the time despite desperate attempts to keep holding onto the tank. Have been looking for months but couldn't find anything suitable online. The ones I found in some offline stores in Delhi/Noida were pretty much useless because most of them were fancy plastic pads and not rubber. Can anyone suggest any place (in/around Delhi) where I can find them? I have included a pic from Google to highlight what I am looking for. Thanks in advance.

[Praveen]

Akshay_Sharma As far as I know, Stompgrip makes the best traction pads for motorcycles. And they are priced on the higher side because they actually provide good grip instead of just looking cool. You can order them online from their website and delivery to India is available. But do have a look at the shapes available and see which one suits your bike best. It'll be better if the surface is as flat as possible. You can find them here: http://www.stompgrip.com/shop/powers...eetbike/yamaha There is no R15 model in particular, but since this is not a technical mod, I don't think it'll be that cumbersome to install the right one. By the way, Stompgrip is also available in Amazon.com. There are universal sheets which can just be cut to get the desired shape. You can check them out here: https://www.amazon.com/Stomp-Grip/pages/8512104011 Hope this helps.

[Akshay_Sharma]

Praveen Thanks Praveen. I found them listed on Amazon.com but dropped the idea because of international shipping (and partially the price- I was expecting 1500-2000). I guess I will have to shell out $50, order a generic size and play around with knife. I really wonder why manufacturers don't provide them already on sportbikes. The only time you don't need tank grips is when you are going long distance at constant speed. And even then, one won't mind the additional grip. On the sidenote, do you know of any mainstream brands making quality LED lamps? Either the R15 has very dim lamps for the speeds it can achieve or the Thunderbird has spoilt me. I desperately need to upgrade the high beam and the 'massive' battery won't cope up well with HIDs (plus I am not comfortable with the idea of tempering with the electronics much)

[Roshun]

Akshay_Sharma
I would suggest fitting a 6-inch LED light bar to the R15 or two LED cubes. You can get these from Aurora or Rigid or Oledone. These are the best quality LED light bars available. Get two 40 watt cubes or a single 40 watt / 50 watt LED bar. That should sort out your lighting issues. LEDs don't consume much power either, so it won't be a strain on the bike's battery.

[Praveen]

Akshay_Sharma What Roshun said makes sense. Make sure you connect the lighting with the bike's ignition so that there's no way of switching on the light when the engine is not running. But I think one good quality 40 watt bar will suffice as the stock battery is only around 3.5 Ah. As for the tank grips, I understand your concern and I think it's because of the cost constraint. Honestly, I've seen people use tank grips only for racing. But if it really makes you uncomfortable, I think you should go for it. You can also try Karol Bagh for a cheaper alternative but I'm not sure about the grip levels they provide. Another workaround would be to get a set of rubber knee-guards, perhaps? That may help you gain more grip, I guess.

[Akshay_Sharma]

Roshun That is a very good idea. I never actually considered the option of adding auxiliary lamps and was desperately looking around for headlamp replacements only. 40W should be fine considering the fact that the high beam itself is 2x35W. I will look up the options you suggested. Thanks Praveen Maybe the problem with grip is because my legs barely fit the tank recesses. Hard to explain the situation but slightly shorter riders have their legs holding the lower, slimmer part of the tank which is not exactly the case here. As a result, sliding ahead in the seat is inevitable in my case under hard braking. For the grips, an RC owner recommended a riding gear and accessory shop in Mansarovar Garden in another forum earlier today. Will check there over this weekend.

[Praveen]

Akshay_Sharma Oh yeah, I get what you're trying to explain. Fellow forum user Corsaveloce also found it difficult to grip the tank in the Apache RTR 200 because his knee was touching the broader tank shrouds and not the narrower, lower portion of the tank. Do let us know how your store visit goes. Cheers.