That's a pretty hefty claim for an industry that's been around for more than 100-years, and whether you agree or disagree (be sure to let me know in a comment below), here are my thoughts on the Grom and why I dared to make this claim.
If you're familiar with motorcycles, you've surely heard of the Honda Grom, right? I'll forgive you if you're not a motorcycle person, just the same as kids these days should forgive people in their 30's for not knowing what the hell "fleek" or "sheesh" means (I still don't, and don't care). So since you're here, there's probably a really good chance you're a motorcycle enthusiast or at least interested in them, so we'll just assume you know about "the Grom".
Fun Fact: the word "Grom" means a "young surfer" or general term for a young person learning the art of surfing in a more extreme way than most.
I first became acquainted with the Grom from my car races, where people were using them as pit bikes. I thought they were cool, but also thought they were like street bikes, and that's one genre of motorcycles that I generally don't pay much attention to as I know I'll never get one (the allure of insane speed capabilities would be a very, very bad thing for me). When a neighboring racer in a Sebring paddock years ago saw my interest in his yellow "OG" Grom (the first gen), he invited me to take a spin around Sebring on it. That's all it took, I knew I needed one! This was a bone stock Grom with only an exhaust, and I never got above 30mph during that ride, but as I now know, this is where the Grom is meant to live and is why I had so much fun on it! Googling the bike showed me they were about $3500-4000 new, and at that time having a few pit bikes at my disposal already, I felt as if "well, I guess I don't need one THAT bad..." and I shelved the thought of having my own Grom for a while.
The "need" of the Grom never left me though, and it wasn't until a few years later that I finally connected with a neighbor of mine that I always observed doing wheelies by my house on a DRZ400SM and low and behold, other times on a Honda Grom! After I finally shared a beer with "wheelie guy" (Lars is his actual name, and yes he's from Europe (Holland to be exact)) I got to experience a Grom outside of the racecar paddock, and in much more aggressive ways as Lars' Grom was equipped with knobby tires, a stunt cage (to protect it from wheelie loop-outs), a Yoshimura exhaust, Chimera intake, and most importantly, it had been treated pretty harshly, which meant Lars didn't much care if you fell on it. As luck would have it, this was about the time that I had built a mini-motocross track in our backyard for Rennen to practice riding his PW50 on. Things were meant to be, the dots connected, stars aligned, and we were then ripping the Grom around my backyard MX track. This. Was. HEAVEN! This was like a drug to me, but I needed my own paraphernalia though, so my hunt for a Grom officially began, but it was short lived for as soon as it began, it abruptly came to a skidding halt.
While searching for my very own Grom to flog, I uncovered the news of the scrambler prototype Grom's that appeared at a motorcycle show back in 2017 or 18. Now, I liked the Grom just fine, but these scrambler concepts stirred emotion for me. These were perfect. Honda HAD to build these!
Still to this day when I see these pictures above I want one, badly. But what these pics did for me is uncover the news that Honda was producing a reissue of the Honda Monkey. Having a 70' Honda Trail 70 and 77' Honda Z50 Monkey made me want this Monkey reissue very, VERY badly! I once again shelved the idea of the Grom because after hearing about the Monkey (and seeing pics), I went to my local dealership and plunked down a deposit for the incoming Monkey, which was about 4-months out from arriving. Guess the Grom is gonna have to wait, again...
The Monkey arrived on October 2nd 2018 and it was glorious, but there was still that undying feeling that I also needed a Grom. Two months into Monkey ownership and tossing it around with Lars tearing up our neighborhood and backyard tracks on the Monkey and Grom, I was faced with a dilemma. There is this race called "The Woodsman Cup" here in Central Florida every year in December. This race deserves it's own article - which it has already, and I'll write my own account of it here too - but in essence, it's an invite only "drinking party with a motorcycle race" in this dudes backyard (more like 10-acres) with one catch: NO DIRTBIKES! Say what?! How am I supposed to race a road going motorcycle on dirt? Exactly, and that's the fun of it. I read that blog referenced above and always wanted to do this race someday, but how would I get an invite? Turns out that purchasing the Monkey was the key to the Woodsman Cup secret door, because the finance manager at the dealership was a veteran "Woodsman" and told me I should bring the Monkey out to the race, and gave me the details of how to get involved. Jackpot.
So here's the pickle: The Woodsman Cup is a pretty rough deal. You're most likely going to crash, be crashed into, or really mess up your bike somehow as you're racing a bike with street tires on dirt, and most likely muddy dirt as December tends to throw a surprise rainy weekend in the mix here in Florida. Looking at my Monkey, it was just too pretty to want to throw to the wolves in this fashion that early into my love affair with it. The metal gas tank, metal fenders, gorgeous nebula red paint, supple seat, etc... all of these things seemed easily dented or bent, and I wasn't quite sure on whether there were parts available yet to fix them if I had broken them. I had definitely given it a proper dirt shakedown on my backyard track, but that was a well-controlled environment, the Woodsman Cup was the wild west! I just couldn't do it, not this year. I tucked my tail between my legs, left the Monkey in its warm garage, and loaded up the 77' Z50 to compete in the pit bike class and dip my toes into the world of Woodsman Cup racing instead of jumping in head first. A decision I regret, but I still had a blast on the slowest bike at the event and learned a lot. Keep reading...
So, where does the Grom come into play you might be asking? Right now, because what I realized at the Woodsman Cup was that the Grom was the ultimate motorcycle. Why? Groms DOMINATED the Woodsman Cup, both in numbers and capability! The Grom's had their own class - two in fact - because there was so many of them. How many Grom's broke down? None. How many Groms started up during the LeMans style start? All of them. How many Groms failed to navigate the treacherous mud and dirt? None. How many Grom's crashed and kept going? All of them. Curtains. The Grom was the ultimate Woodsman bike. Period. It was then I decided that if I wanted to play with motorcycles in this manner, and pick a motorcycle that I could ride on the street and dirt seamlessly, compete at the Woodsman Cup with, it HAD to be a Grom. Once my bank account recovered from the Monkey, the search for the Grom was back on!
Luckily the used Grom market was pretty stellar at that time. Early 2019 was a good time to buy a used bike it seems (especially compared to now, mid-2021) and I was able to find an absolute BEAST of a 2015 Grom for $2500 locally. Let me tell you a little about this savage I uncovered on Facebook marketplace, better yet, let me just show you the original listing:
Yes, that's quite the mod list isn't it?!
The bike came with ALL of the original stock parts! While this mod list was impressive - I mean going 80+ mph on a big bore 4-valve head engined Grom was cool - but the ONLY things I cared about on it were the Ohlins shocks and the Maxxis knobby tires. Why? Now I'm really going blow your mind: because it was too fast. Huh?! You read that right, this Grom was TOO fast! How can something be too fast for a guy like me? I'll tell you, and it makes perfect sense.
So did you watch that video above? If not, you should watch it, because what it's showing is me racing Lars head to head with our Groms. He's on my Grom, and I'm on his to show the speed differences. See how much faster my Grom was (the one he was riding)? That is why my bike was too fast, because it wasn't fun to race against Lars with. Racing with Lars was all I did with this bike, and it was cheating, badly. My Grom would destroy his on power, so no matter how hard he rode around the track, I would always best him when we got onto the straight parts. That's no fun for either of us. So with that, here's what happened. I decided to revert the Grom to the stock cylinder and piston, and basically match Lars' mods, which were an intake and exhaust, and a TB Cam for some extra oomph. I added a reprogrammed ECU to make sure the engine got enough fuel, but that was it (we did the cam and ECU on Lars' Grom too). Of course I kept my Ohlins shocks though, because they are just too good to not have on the bike when going off road.
Think taking off all these awesome mods was a stupid decision? Just wait. So, removing a vast majority of those mods that came with the bike allowed me to do something else, sell them. I was able to sell almost all of the mods and recover a whopping $1000+ on the cost of the bike (and I still actually have some I need to sell, lol!). So that means I bought what was essentially a stock Grom with upgraded Ohlins suspension, Maxxis knobby tires, FMF exhaust, Monster Eyes LED headlight, Kitaco clutch cover and oil pump, and rear fender delete for around $1300-1500. You agreeing that this was a good deal yet?
Ok, so know that you know the history of my Grom and the story behind it, I'll get to the meat n' potatoes of my article: why the Grom is the most versatile play bike ever.
Let me start first by defining "play bike". To me, a play bike is something that is great for playing around on, but not to be taken too seriously or to be depended on for your everyday needs. This is the equivalent of a Mazda Miata, it's a great car to have fun with, but not everyday. The Grom is a great bike, but it's sometimes illogical to think you are going to use it everyday outside of a city limited 10-mile radius. It's really meant to be a play bike, or is it?
Let's look at some hard facts:
The Grom only has a 125cc engine. It tops out in stock form at 55-60mph
The Grom is a smaller sized bike like a scooter, and has a very small road presence. In other words, it could be intimidating to ride within congested traffic (or at least it is here in Florida). This bike is perfect for tight Asian/European cities, the American highways, not so much.
The Grom has no storage space, so you'll be needing that backpack
Being small, it's going to get uncomfortable after a while
Not a bad list though, and a lot of people do use their Grom's for everyday commuting. Hell, I would too if I lived within 10-miles of my destination and never touched a 55+ mph road (which I don't). For my situation in particular though, I just picture how miserable it would be to ride a Grom on a 70mph expressway going only straight being passed by tractor-trailers and speeding idiots or being cut off by bleary-eyed tourists here in Disney country. No thanks.
So now that the "cons" are out of the way, I'm going to explain to you why the Grom is the ultimate bike, as I have been teasing long enough to have come to this conclusion.
To sum it up, the Honda Grom can do it all. Done. Thanks for reading! Just kidding, I'll explain. So above I told you why it might be illogical to do those things, but it doesn't mean the Grom can't do those things. The Grom can absolutely do all of those things, and people do! The Grom is fully street legal. Most play bikes are not. You can 1000% take this on the road and ride to work and back every day. Hell, there's a guy I met that took his Grom across the whole country, and planned to go down to South America even! (never did hear if that worked out for him...) My point was that it might not be the most logical choice to do those specific things with the Grom. Didn't mean that it couldn't. Ok, so now let's start talking about the amazing versatility of the Grom.
Offroad.
Can the Grom go offroad? Well you already know it can by having read this far, but yes! Absolutely and it loves it! You can take a bone stock Grom off road and it will do what you ask of it. The suspension will bottom out and the tires will have no grip, but it'll make it. I've seen it before. This is really all I do with my Grom, as most of the riding I do is mixed off-road. The Grom can practically be used as a dual-sport, and that's how I set mine up in fact. The Ohlins shocks and Shinko Mobber knobby tires (it's now equipped with) ensure it can tackle any terrain. Will it get stuck? Sure, all bikes will if the mud is deep enough, but let's be realistic, we're on a Honda Grom and not a KTM 450, so... know your limitations. Wanna make it even more capable? Drop a 14T front sprocket and a 38T rear sprocket and you'll have more torque to climb hills or slog through mud.
Racing.
Ok, so we know you can commute, and we now know you can dual sport with it, but what else? Wanna race?
Pick your poison. I love off road racing for motorcycles personally. Motocross, enduro, hare scrambles, etc... I chose to set my Grom up for the Woodsman Cup race in specific based on my first trip there and seeing how well the Groms did. So what did I do to it to make it off road racing worthy?
First step was tires
Shinko Mobbers were my choice, two rear sized tires to be exact. I even had the wheels powdercoated gold haze when I installed them to customize my look. I had to raise my front fender to fit them, but that was as easy as moving the mounts up to the next hole and some creative tie wrapping.
Suspension
Luckily my bike came equipped with Ohlins fork inserts and the Ohlins rear shock. These are money, and I never felt the need to change this setup. The stock suspension on the Grom won't handle the off road too well (ask Lars), so if that's your goal, make suspension second on your list.
Gearing
The stock gearing on the Grom is meant for the road, and top speed. Ironically, swapping the gearing for more get-up-and-go doesn't effect the top speed too badly, so it's not like you'll be creating a tractor. My gearing of choice is a 14T/38T combo. This provides a vast improvement in low-end pull and a reasonable top end (like I said, I don't ride on 55+mph roads, so I don't care how fast it goes)
Engine
Engine mods are easy for the Grom, and cheap! Adding an intake and exhaust should be first (I used the FMF that came on the bike and swapped to a MNNTHBX Mtake for my intake of choice), then support that with a TB Parts cam and an ECU reflash by DHM and you'll have a rock solid setup to push the bike with those heavier tires on the street and through the increased resistance of the dirt.
Handlebars
You'll quickly realize that the stock handlebars kinda suck and put your hands a little too close. The most popular upgrade is the Pro Taper KLX110 bars, and I agree after trying a few different options that they are in fact the best. Add some Pro-Taper pillow top grips to top off the motocross feel
Ok, so that's how you hook up a Grom for off road racing, but what else can I race? Well if you don't wanna get dirty, you can go road racing on a Kart track too! While I haven't tried this yet (only because I don't wanna get hooked into another form of racing), there are a few kart tracks here in Florida that host mini-bike racing on the road course.
I'm not an expert on how to set the Grom up for this, but my friend David Hugh of DHM (the Grom power and ECU experts) have tons of fun out on the road course with their Groms. Looks like a blast, I'd better stay far, FAR away! Besides, I find my fill of offroad racing with the Grom as seen below
So how else is the Grom the most versatile and best overall bike ever? Well, let's continue!
Reliability.
The Grom is a super reliable bike in stock form, meant for a long life of doing whatever it is of it you ask. Just look at the service intervals in the factory manual to understand. First oil change at 600 miles, and the next at 4000, then every 4000 after that! WTF? I don't think I'll ever need to make another oil change based on mileage if I follow that recommendation! The bikes are also fuel injected, so no need to worry about a carburetor needing cleaned or adjusted, just fill and go. An electric starter ensures easy starting and a robust electrical system won't fail you when pushing the limits, or on your leisurely rides.
Repairs.
Things happen to even the most reliable of machines, so what if your Grom does break or need repair? What I've noticed from my experience is that the Grom is very easy to find parts for - both OEM and aftermarket - and those parts are relatively cheap. Aftermarket parts can get pricy, but there's so many options now that it's pretty much a "good, better, best" scenario and you can go budget or top-shelf depending on your wishes. OEM parts are so cheap it's actually concerning. I replaced the cylinder and piston in my Grom when returning it back to stock bore and it cost me less than $100. True story. The work is easy too and manuals are easy to find, plus there's a ton of Facebook groups and web forums to find historical info for troubleshooting.
Two-person riding
Believe it or not, the Grom is designed to carry two people from the factory. There are rear passenger foot pegs and the seat is long enough to accommodate a second person. How big you and your passenger are though, now that's another concern! I find my Grom the easy go-to choice when I want to take my boys out for a ride. I put my 3-year old in front of me, and my 6-year old behind me. Done deal, it's tight, but I can ride with full mobility and safely.
Great first bike or learner bike
The Grom is probably one of the most popular "first bikes" for good reason, it's super easy to learn on. It's not too fast, the clutch engagement is easy, it's not heavy, it's not too tall, it's quiet, it's smooth, and most of all, it's not intimidating. If you're trying to learn how to ride, this bike is going to get you more comfortable, faster (despite it being slower). Can you imagine trying to learn to ride on a GSXR1000? Lol.
Fun Factor
I'm going to sum it up with this one, cause that's what it's all about with this bike. ANYONE that's ridden a Grom has brought it back with a smile on their face. Simple as that, this bike is probably one of the most fun bikes you'll ever ride. It's not too fast to where you'll think you'll get thrown off, accidentally ride over your head, or get in trouble (with the law). It's not too big or heavy to make it hard to control, hold up, or mount, and it's very "flickable", which means it's small and nimble, allowing you to make tight turns and short stops. Kinda like a hummingbird compared to a buzzard (buzzard being a Harley). Not too many ways to put it, this bike is 100% FUN!
So are you sold on the Honda Grom yet? If you've made it this far, chances are you already were and you're looking to reinforce your thoughts on buying a Grom, just like I did. I challenge you to buy one, because I know you won't regret it. I've influenced people to buy them before, they're not sorry. The Grom is the bike that can grow with you, the bike you can share with your friends or family, and the bike that will provide tons of fun and great memories, wherever you decide to take it. Like a alcoholic drink, "enjoy responsibly" cause this could get addicting to you!
Thanks for reading,
John