![]() ![]() Get used to it though and the 31 mm inverted fork, single rear shock and chassis will start to speak to you in a language you can understand. Turn your head to sneeze and you’ll be dragging your knee. That small wheelbase combined with tiny 12-inch wheels and a 25-degree rake/8.3 cm of trail means the Grom pivots quickly. It’s not the bike that is unsure of itself but more to do with the rider getting used to things. I know, this sounds like I’m contradicting myself, but trust me I’m not. In corners, stability can feel questionable at first. I just want to hop on this little Honda, wind it up, and let it go. Maybe it's the weight? Maybe it’s the mentality? Maybe it’s a combination of the two… I don’t know and I don’t care. Except that it also doesn’t…įor reasons I can’t scientifically explain, high-speed runs on the Grom actually feel safer or at least less dangerous than doing the same on my full-sized Triumph – like I would have a better chance of avoiding something, should disaster strike. The scale makes every movement more pronounced, so twenty feels like sixty, and eclipsing one-hundred feels like you've made the jump to hyperspace. You know that old saying about driving a slow car fast? The same logic applies here. For a bike with a mere 120 cm wheelbase the Grom doesn’t feel compromised from the saddle.Īcceleration feels much quicker than it actually is. Regardless, it's still easy to flat-foot at a stop and should be so for nearly any sized rider. Seat height is taller than you’d expect at 76 cm, so even my legs don’t feel all that cramped. ![]() My arms have a comfortable bend and the mirrors reveal more than just my shoulders too. With a six-litre tank that means you’ll wanna get off, walk around and giggle to yourself long before you run out of juice.įrom the well-padded seat, the reach to the bars feels natural. Estimates peg mileage at about 2.0 L/100 km. There’s still only 9.7 horsepower on tap at 7,250 rpm and 7.7 torques at around 5,500 rpm but the compression ratio has increased so that the revs spool up quicker and the Grom actually runs cleaner. The paper racing stats on the engine haven’t changed a lick. Honda claims it makes it easier to keep the Grom in its sweet spot, which if you ask me, is right around when the disco lights hit. The added gear means the ratios have been revised and the rear sprocket has grown a few extra teeth, too. ![]() Shift action is typical Honda smooth and the clutch feels as light as meringue. Feedback from both the lever and the pedal are decent but reigning in 101 kgs will never need much effort. Although, were I buying, I’d probably tick that box because you just never know. My tester didn’t have ‘em and, I’ll be honest, I didn’t feel the need for them either. Those brakes can be optioned with ABS, should you wish. Your feet are active too, with the left clicking away at that transmission and the right controlling the rear brake. There’s a clutch lever at the left grip and a brake lever at the right grip. #HONDA ELEMENT MANUAL#Unlike those others, the Grom has a manual transmission, now with five gears. And while that lineup is primarily twist-and-go scooters that run a belt-converter transmission, it’s headlined by the Grom. With twelve-inch hoops and a curb weight slightly more than mine, cruising through a school zone feels just as fun and near as fast.įor the uninitiated, the Honda Grom is just one of a handful of diminutive machines from Big Red that makes up their miniMOTO lineup. Maybe if I skipped as many butter-tarts as I have leg-days it could hit 115 km/h? But I couldn’t give a damn, the extra speed doesn’t matter. The Grom’s mechanical might loses its battle with wind, weight, and elevation at around 110 km/h. More specifically, this is a 2023 Honda Grom – a 124 cc, single-cylinder mini-bike that’s convinced itself that running all day at the redline is kinda what it does – so I keep it pinned. Someone worried about something that may happen – probably an actuary – but this is a Honda. It’s like that shift light was installed by someone from another department. And yet still, fully tucked and throttle wide open, the little piston pounds away without a care in the world. ![]() Despite adding an extra one this year, the transmission has run out of cogs. It’s just begging me to slot another gear, but I won’t. The white shift light atop the digital dash is flashing away like a dancehall strobe in my periphery. ![]()
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