For what it's worth, I use brake cleaner to remove and refit grips, that way you don't have to clean out any soap or lubricant as the grip simply slides off and evaporates. Same when fitting the new grips, give it a good spray though, too little and it will evaporate too quickly and the grip will stick half way down.
By tapered end, I'm presuming that LO means the end closest to the switch gear, which on the throttle side butts up against the chamfered ennd of the throttle tube.
The original Ducati grips also have a slight lip to lift over this and help locate the grip as well as 4 indents. These will probably be missing from most thicker aftermarket grips.
Simpler to try, and softer as well, you could just try Grip Puppies which simply fit over your existing grip.
Link - Grip Puppies
Otherwise, I quite like the chunky grips on the old R1100 / R1150 BMW models, which were much nicer than the new F800, R1200 style grips which replaced them.
Link - Motorworks BMW Motorcycle Specialists - Shop - Spares and Accessories