Gregory Bender

Dyeing Granturismo grips

Moto Guzzi V700, V7 Special, Ambassador, 850 GT, 850 GT California, Eldorado, and 850 California Police models

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I wanted to have yellow hand grips for my project Eldorado. But, not just any grips would do. I wanted to use grips with classic styling...Granturismo grips. Unfortunately, Granturismo grips never came in yellow. They did come in white, though, so I bought a pair with the hopes of dyeing them.

I picked up a package of RIT golden yellow dye and proceeded to boil the grips in the dye. The grips definitely absorbed the dye, but the heat from the boiling deformed the grips. So, I bought another pair of white grips.

Not happy with the golden yellow color, I picked up a package of RIT yellow dye. After boiling the dye to dissolve it, I let it cool completely. Then I submerged the grips and let them soak for 24 hours. Bingo! They took the color nicely and didn't deform at all. Plus the color matches the lighter yellow of the body work much better.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Bender.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Bender.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Bender.