GripAce Hand Controls - Used And Abused

If you love that stripped-down and stealth look then the GripAce ($389) is right up your alley. The GripAce is a system that eliminates the obtrusive control buttons on your handlebars and relocates them to four multi-function buttons on the face of the left-side grip. You can modify your grips to work with the GripAce switch assembly or you can buy a new set of GripAce grips with the assembly already installed.

The GripAce switch assembly has two wires coming off of it a positive and negative, which are run internally through the bars and plugs into to the GripAce control module. The control module is then connected into your wiring harness and hidden out of sight (mine was hidden under the gas tank). Hyevon Choppers is a distributor for GripAce so we had them help us out. Once installed the GripAce worked as advertised. The index finger controlled the right turn signal whereas the middle finger button sounded the horn. The ring finger button controlled the left turn signal and the pinky finger button commanded the high and low beam. The unit also has two auxiliary functions that can control any of your bike's electronic accessories (even starting your bike) by pushing a two-button combination.

Personally I love the ease and simplistic looks of the GripAce. The buttons are large enough to be used even while wearing thick gloves, but not big enough to be obtrusive when wrapping my hand around the whole grip. When needed, I found the buttons easy to navigate even at freeway speeds and due to a very positive "clicking" feel the buttons had I was sure of every command I made. I was able to memorize each button's duty on my fist ride and had no issues accidentally hitting the wrong button.

I found this to be a great upgrade to any bike looking for a sleeker appearance, but some riders may be confused by constantly having to remember what each of the four buttons do. If you easily forget things and need all of the switches and buttons on your hand controls to tell you their job, this product is probably not for you.