MXA TEAM TESTED: ODI EMIG V2 LOCK-ON GRIPS

WHAT IS IT? ODI has teamed up with the legendary Jeff Emig to enhance their already-successful lock-on grips.

WHAT’S IT COST? $24.95.

CONTACT?   www.odigrips.com or (951) 786-4755.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with ODI’s Emig V2 lock-on grips.

(1) Jeff Emig. When Jeff had the idea of making and designing his own grip, ODI came to mind. ODI was excited that the AMA Supercross and motocross champion wanted to work with them. Over the last year, the team at ODI has put together the grip that Jeff always wanted while racing but never had.

(2) Design. The Emig V2 grip is the same concept as the original ODI lock-on grip; it’s just influenced by Emig’s personal style and preferences. The grip is designed with a low-profile pyramid pattern and a custom-designed half-waffle pattern that eliminates the inside corner where other grips irritated Jeff’s hands.

(3) Concept. Since you don’t need to glue or wire the grips in place, a lock-on grip can be installed in less than a minute (and riders who destroy their handlebars at the races can change to new bars without sitting around waiting for grip glue to dry). Our testers loved this about the lock-on grips. We also liked that when you tipped over on the clutch side, the grips didn’t rip, keeping dirt from getting inside your bars.

(4) Clutch side. Installing the clutch-side grip is simple. Slip the grip’s plastic tube onto the bar and tighten a single Allen bolt. The clutch-side grip only has a pinch-bolt on the inboard end. The benefit is that there is no hard aluminum clamp on the outer edge.

(5) Throttle side. Don’t think of the Emig V2 throttle side as just a grip, because it is actually a plastic throttle tube with a grip molded on. It would be prohibitively expensive to make special throttle tubes for every possible brand and model of motorcycle, so ODI made a throttle tube that accepts a variety of interchangeable throttle-cable cams. ODI makes different cams for most two-stroke and four-stroke models.

(6) Feel. Most MXA test riders expected the Emig V2 clamp-on grips to feel larger because the grips are molded to plastic tubes that take up space. On the clutch side, this was true, but we liked it. It had the same thickness as the throttle tube, which made the feeling exactly the same on both sides. The material was soft and gripped well. Testers liked the design of the half waffle; the super-soft material was not hard on their hands. The grips are just a hair shorter than most grips, so people with big hands might have an issue.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? They could be longer.