I just changed the grips on my 08 Street Glide. Piece of cake! The sensor stayed right where it was supposed to. It really doesn't secure itself to the bars, it just pulls out, so if it is stuck in the grip then I can see why one would have a problem. Maybe drill a hole on the end of the throttle grip so you can use a screwdriver to hold the sensor in place while you pull on the grip. I actually changed my grips twice cuz I didn't like the black diamond grips that I bought. Ended up with a pair of Performance machine. Nice!

 

Wow! What a pain in the butt. On the other hand...not needing to worry about throttle cables is a definite plus.

 

I had to cut the left one off, the right one slipped off quite easily and the new one slipped on just as slick. FWIW, I went with the non-heated "Nostalgia" grips for my 08 RG.

 

Rossmeyer Harley was offering with purchase, to replace grips and hand
brake/clutch levers for free.
I know there are some that want to 'do it myself.'.....but for an hour
shop fee even......the grips would be done and there would be no 'pull the ignition' and 'fish the wire through'........'take the fairing off'.
Sometimes.........an hour labor is priceless.