Thoughts on the Grom?

[ToAdventure]

Any of you gals have a Grom, or experience with them? My boyfriend just bought a brand new CBR500 and I've really enjoyed the experience with honda. I don't currently own my own bike but I have been considering a ninja250..but a lot of his buddies have recommended the Grom. I don't know if it is because they are all honda loyalists or, if they think it's a damn good bike and pretty good for a 5'2 gal. Any thoughts ?

 

[revnort]

Looks like a ton of fun. I kinda want one.

You can't take it on the highway though, so you may want to consider that if it was something you wanted to do.

 

[Aeroslash]

They're awesome. Good luck finding one.

Any that come up for sale are snapped up real quick and not cheap.

 

[NoTraffic]

They are great for around town type of riding. Very low seat height and very light to handle. If it drops you can easily pick it up. There are tons of aftermarket parts, in Asia they are very popular because most riders dont need to go over 40mph.

If you just like cruising around town, it's a great bike. If you see yourself going over the Bay Bridge. . .hard to justify (similar to a scooters limits).

 

[matty]

A Grom as your one and only motorcycle? I'd advise against it, beside not being able to go on the freeway (legally), top speed is like 55 ish, they struggle going up steeper hills and they don't have the get up and go that you may want in certain situations. On the other hand, if you are just tooling around the east bay hills or riding it to work or around town, they are an absolute blast! Just too much fun. But I'd never have one as my only bike.

 

[horsepower]

They're awesome. Good luck finding one.

Any that come up for sale are snapped up real quick and not cheap.

There's one for sale on barf right now. $3300 I think which is a major dealio.

I own a flat black Grom-ster. It is perfect for in town.
It is fun in the twisties. It is nimble and user friendly for a short or new rider to learn on.
But, at 8 hp, you are literally a roadblock anywhere where the speed limit is 50 mph or more and it CANNOT go on the highway.
I hit 64 on it but it really wants to max out at around 54. And it's so small people don't see you well.
Otherwise, fabulous fun.

 

[FourThreeSix]

You're welcome to try mine out to see what you think.

I love it, but agree with the above sentiments. Great to hoon on, but would hate for it to be my only bike unless I lived in the ideal conditions for it.

 

[flying_hun]

There's one for sale on barf right now. $3300 I think which is a major dealio.

Who was the guy who came along on the ride to your house for the big BARF party? He'd put a pipe on his and jetted it - probably got it up to 9 hp. He absolutely railed on that thing coming down from the top of Cantelowe Road.

 

[Gary856]

It may be fun for a kid to screw around the neighborhood and back lots on, but why would any adult rider with real bikes be interested in a Grom?

 

[planegray]

It may be fun for a kid to screw around the neighborhood and back lots on, but why would any adult rider with real bikes be interested in a Grom?

to screw around the neighborhood and back lots on... duh !

 

[Spec-ECU]

You can't take it on the highway though, so you may want to consider that if it was something you wanted to do.

You can't?

In my commute to work this morning, there was one on 101S. The bike seemed to be able to do freeway speeds just fine.

 

[rodr]

You can't?

In my commute to work this morning, there was one on 101S. The bike seemed to be able to do freeway speeds just fine.

You need at least 150cc to be freeway legal in California.

(which makes me curious how that works with electric motorcycles)

 

[mean dad]

It may be fun for a kid to screw around the neighborhood and back lots on, but why would any adult rider with real bikes be interested in a Grom?

Why would an adult with a car be interested in a motorcycle?

 

[russ69]

...I don't currently own my own bike but I have been considering a ninja250..

Take a look at the Honda CBR300 single. That is of course after you get your M1 and take the MSF school or whatever they are calling it now.

 

[Abyss]

I like the name.

grom grom grom

It's fun.

Take a look at the Honda CBR300 single. That is of course after you get your M1 and take the MSF school or whatever they are calling it now.

Isn't the "300" really just like 280? Is that such a dramatic improvement over the 250?

 

[redtail]

Take a look at the Honda CBR300 single. That is of course after you get your M1 and take the MSF school or whatever they are calling it now.

+1 great beginner bike! Also, you and boyfriend could ride together more often with bikes that are more equal in capability. Do the school thing though...

 

[jumph4x]

It may be fun for a kid to screw around the neighborhood and back lots on, but why would any adult rider with real bikes be interested in a Grom?

Your attitude is the very answer to your question. But you carry the double burden of being condescending, so allow me to explain.

Because most adult riders with real bikes stop learning very soon after the completion of BRC. This applies to many adults I know in most dimensions of life, not just motorcycle riding. People lack ambition and get complacent.

A Grom is a second chance at riding for the sport of it, learning to handle the machine proper, having actual fun, not being worried about crashing at speed and basically all sorts of other ideas on the periphery of the supermoto ownership philosophy.

Strip yourself of the stinking ego you have about whatever bike you own and who you fancy yourself to be as a rider and imagine the possibilities.

 

[kelsodeez]

i rode big chris' grom before he put a turbo on it and did a bunch of other things to it and it was fun as hell. i could definitely see myself picking one up in the future to hit up some gokart sumo track days.

 

[hairpin]

I have a Grom and am around 5'-4" or 5'-5". I think it's a great bike to start out on (or stick with). I might buy other bikes, but I'm never getting rid of my Grom.

What most everybody has said here is true. It's about 9 HP (not much power at all) but it's fun because I just like being on 2 wheels. It does somewhat struggle up hills when compared to a full bike, but it's faster than a moped. I LOVE that it's so lightweight. It weighs less than my old 50cc scooter. And like a dirt bike, I can almost lay it down on the ground and pick it back up.

It does matter what you intend to use it for. If you need to go on the freeway for a short sprint, it's possible, but I don't use it that way and would advise against it.

The good: I really like the instrument panel - same one on most of the sport hondas that I've noted. It's cheaper to maintain than a full size bike cause it uses scooter size tires, etc. And my gas mileage is about 85 miles/gallon last time I checked.

The bad: The front suspension is not so great and I plan on updating that some day with stiffer fork springs. But it's not so bad as long as you respect that while riding. i.e. don't jump your grom stock or try to ride into potholes for fun.

 

[russ69]

...Isn't the "300" really just like 280? Is that such a dramatic improvement over the 250?

Dramatic no but when you have a small amount of power every little bit helps. In this case the new 300 pulls the Honda single even with the last gen Ninja 250 so it's a nice bump in power.