Stomp Grip Tank Pads
Author: K3 Chris Onwiler
Become one with your tank.
Tour the pits at any pro or club race, and you’ll notice that nearly every bike there has some kind of product applied to the gas tank for the purpose of enhancing grip between machine and rider. Have you found yourself wondering what that was all about? As sportbike handling, traction, and horsepower have continued to escalate, riders keep hanging farther and farther off of their bikes in an effort to keep as much tire as possible on the track while cornering. Eventually, some of the more aggressive racing pros decided that the paint on their fuel tanks was too slippery and was compromising their ability to hang off in corners. At first, riders used friction tape to solve the problem. This worked, but it also wore holes in the knees of their expensive leathers. Soon, special rubber pads covered with grippy little nubs began to appear on the best-prepared machines, and nowadays you see them everywhere. Unless you’re already in the know, you’ve probably wondered what this stuff is, how it works and whether or not you’d like it on your own machine. While not the only product of its kind, what you’ve most likely been looking at are traction pads made by a company called Stomp Grip.
Priced between $32 and $40, Stomp Grip traction pads stick to the sides of your gas tank with a pre-applied adhesive that will absolutely keep them exactly where you put them. Universal oval-shaped pads are available, but Stomp Grip also offers custom-cut pads for almost any modern sportbike you’d care to name. The first time you ride a bike equipped with Stomp Grips, it takes a bit to get used to them. If you’re used to sliding around on the paint of your gas tank to get from side to side, you’ll notice that the Stomp Grip pads drag at your leathers as you reposition yourself. Initially, you probably won’t like this, but within a session or two you’ll have unconsciously adapted your movements to compensate, and then it will never bother you again. Some riders feel that they wouldn’t like Stomp Grips because they use their trackday bike on the street as well, but unless you enjoy riding your sportbike in shorts, (In which case going fast enough to require hanging off probably isn’t such a great idea….) you’ll quickly come to love them. The benefit of Stomp Grips is that your outside knee really stays in place against the gas tank while you’re hanging off, giving you greater stability and more confidence. Once they become Stomp Grip converts, most riders feel uncomfortable riding a machine that doesn’t have them.
Stomp grips are made from clear rubber, so the paint and graphics on your gas tank show through them. Application is easy, but only if you follow the directions. If you try to apply Stomp Grips to a dirty tank in the paddock at sunset on a cool Saturday night while drinking a beer and shooting the bull with your track buddies, you probably won’t get the best results. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) The best place and time to install Stomp Grips is in direct sunlight on a hot day. Start by cleaning the tank thoroughly with a chemical made to remove wax and grease from paint. Once the tank is clean and dry, hold the Stomp Grip against the tank, and decide exactly where it should be applied. Next, peel about an inch of the paper backing away from the leading edge of the pad to reveal the adhesive beneath. Be careful never to touch the adhesive, because you’ll leave a fingerprint in the glue that will be forever trapped between the pad and the paint. (Don’t ask me how I know this.) Carefully tack the exposed surface to the tank, and check again to be absolutely sure you’ve positioned the pad correctly. Once you’re positive that the pad is where you want it, work any trapped air bubbles out of the one-inch strip that you’ve applied to the tank. From this point on, it’s simply a matter of exposing the adhesive an inch at a time, and meticulously smoothing every bit of air from beneath the pad material before exposing the next inch. Work your way to the rear of the tank, and then repeat the process on the other side.
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