[05RedKat600]

OEM's are quite comfy IMO.

[etdorsett]

oh boy. so before I can get to the carbs I'm going to need to rebuild the petcock? this is turning into more of a project than I wanted

before I do that, how should I test to see if it's the grips sticking? like i said, they move freely when the throttle cable isn't attached

Well this is embarrassing. It was indeed the grips. I'm ordering a new pair? OEM or anybody got any other grips they love?

Perhaps all you really need to do is remove the aftermarket bar-end and trim the rubber a little bit with a razor blade,then put the bar-end back on. From the looks in the picture the grip is dragging against the bar-end. There NEEDS to be a small space between the throttle grip and the bar-end.