Power to Weight

by "Tripper" (tripe46)
Published 05/24/2017 at 14:52

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STARS: 2

The Honda Grom sports 9 horsepower. 9hp is laughable, but not as funny as getting a ticket for an unsafe pass on a 9hp motorcycle. Even the officer thought that was funny. 

I mentioned that I have lost some weight in my post warning you all of the dangers of sugar free candy . I’m 5'10" and I was 188lbs at my worst (about two months ago) I’m now a touch under 165lbs. I rode the Grom back from lunch today and oh the POWA! haha

I used to have to tuck as tight as I could on a flat section and wait to get much over 55mph. I can now get 60mph sitting upright! I might have been able to get a little more, but I don’t go on the highway with the Grom. The surface of back roads that I take to/from work aren’t the best for “pushing it” on a tiny motorcycle on scooter wheels. I’m waiting until I’ve met my goal to do the actual power to weight calculation, but I’m expecting to gain the equivalent of one whole horsepower!

I know, I know, it’s time for a real bike. I’ve got to lose a car first.

Also “David and Goliath” pic.

Replies (8)

"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
05/24/2017 at 15:03, STARS: 5

I am not a bike person but I would hoon the shit out of a Grom.

"Tripper" (tripe46)
05/24/2017 at 15:05, STARS: 7

It’s impossible not to, and no one cares when you do. I’ll go ripping through neighborhoods and people will just wave and be like “hah! look at that little motorcycle.” to each other.

"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
05/24/2017 at 15:40, STARS: 2

Grom’s are adorable. I want one. I need to lose like 150 pounds before I can consider it though.

"Pearson Hurst" (phurst)
05/24/2017 at 16:45, STARS: 1

I had the pleasure of trying out a Grom at my Rider Safety Course last year. That thing was a hoot even on the driving range. It would fit right in with my CB125 and CT90 as well :)

"Lokiparts" (lokiparts)
05/25/2017 at 08:45, STARS: 0

I’ve always thought these were kind of cool. What does it cost to get one of these? Also I assume you still need an actual motorcycle license for it. 

"Tripper" (tripe46)
05/25/2017 at 09:01, STARS: 1

Used is the way to go on these if you can find a reasonable seller (which is tough). A friend picked up a white one with 1000 miles for 2k!

I bought mine new. The sticker was $3200 but it was around $3800 or so out the door. I got a very slight discount for paying cash.

It’s sooo fun to ride, everything is super cheap, and super easy as far as mods/maintenance.

Cons: It is dangerously quiet. My wife says she can’t even hear me start it. I live in the land of 1000 range rovers where all of the drivers are balls deep in their phones...so noise=safety. In certain scenarios it is also dangerously slow. 0-40 happens fast, but getting out of the way of an oblivious car is tough or impossible at speed.

I’ll be getting another bike, but I won’t be selling the Grom.

"Lokiparts" (lokiparts)
05/25/2017 at 09:45, STARS: 1

If I were to get one it would definitely be more as a toy than something I would use to commute to work or anything. And if I could find one for around $2,000 that would definitely put it dangerously close to impulse buy territory.

And trust me I understand the distracted driver thing. I’ve always kind of wanted to get a bike, but that’s the reason I have never seriously considered getting a one around here. Hell I barely feel safe in my small car. But these look cheap and simple enough to have one just for fun. Maybe zipping over to my friends house a couple of miles away or just cruising around on the weekends and that sort of thing.

Maybe I can make one of these my reward for weight loss. Lol. I’m not super heavy but at 5'11 and right at 200 lbs I would probably be happier somewhere around 180~185. I’ve considered getting more serious about losing weight... but I just love food, it’s definitely my vice. So maybe dangling one of these as a carrot for myself might help me get more serious about it.

"Tripper" (tripe46)
05/25/2017 at 09:57, STARS: 1

Kawasaki has one too, a couple hundred cheaper. https://www.kawasaki.com/Products/2017-Z125-PRO

I bought it as a toy as well, but the issue is I want to ride it all the time haha. I would already have a bigger bike, but a good friend of mine was killed on his motorcycle last September, so I wasn’t sure how I would feel about riding after that. It took a while but I’m back at it. There are a bunch of tight little residential back roads that I ride it on that make the Grom feel plenty fast, but when I’m out on a main road I’m WOT all the time.