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Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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DKParticipant
The ability to have your feet flat on the gound is not absolutely necessary, but it certainly gives you one less thing to worry about as a new rider.
The new model ninjas add 1.2″ inches to seat height over the previous iteration. I personally would suggest either an older model with the seat lowered or the rebel. Both the Blast and the 09 Ninja are a little bit heavier too. Only you can decide what bike is actually best for you. Everybody has their own biases and past experiences to influence their purchasing decisions.
DKParticipantMaybe you could get a custom tank built to put on your ninja so you don’t have to give up on it?
DKParticipantIs really all about a retro look. Not sure very many riders fit the cafe lifestyle these days compared to just wanting the look? I know the CB750 is the go to bike for many when describing a cafe bike, but there are plenty of smaller CB’s that hit the market over the years. Why not hunt around for an old CB350? For your coin you will probably end up spending most of it on fabs and mods to make the bike look the part.
DKParticipant1. Why not go pre ’08? Insurance will probably be lower, the performance should be close to same, and you won’t be as mad at yourself if you drop it for some impromptu cosmetic alterations.
2. I think dealer loans = credit cards for most of the bike shops these days. They will be taking your money however thay can get it…
3. I am on the low end of the mileage ratings with my ’02, but there is a reason for that. I don’t get much time to ride for fun and my commute is all of 5 minutes at 30mph. My engine is barely warm by the time I get to work.
4. Insurance discounts are never quite as exciting as you think they should be.
5. You could take a risk and look at Hyosung… From my experience at my local dealership they are very willing to negotiate. By showing only mild interest I was offered a $300 gas card, $300 off for taking the MSF, and a free helmet to buy one of there bikes. I decided it wasn’t for me, but I seriously thought about it for a while.
DKParticipantKudos. I can see how that could really make a difference to some students. I really felt like my instructor was very good at exaggerating his actions during demo, but his demos were using eliminators. They ran so quiet that you really couldn’t make that kind of learning connection.
DKParticipantWe were a free for all too. I got screwed out of choosing my bike too, because I didn’t realize we were supposed to sprint to the bike we wanted…
I don’t see anything wrong with the instructer swapping bikes for students with special needs. I was swapped with a girl in my class because her bike would stall if you didn’t keep the throttle up a little. She couldn’t handle it and I happened to be the sorry sucker next to her in line. No big deal. I was able to deal with it until the first break when the instructor adjusted the carb and it was smooth for the next two days.
You probably need to just be forward about your issue and ask if one of the other bikes might fit you better.
DKParticipantI don’t believe draggin jeans have any armor. I also have no idea how warm a pair of jeans feels when lined with kevlar in all those special places…
I can tell you for a fact that perforated leather is a viable option in hot riding conditions. I wear a sonic jacket and it breathes like mesh, but wears like leather. (Not sure if you were ruling that out because you think it is too hot, or too funny looking when paired with a mesh jacket.)
DKParticipantThe real advantage of leather is unbeatable abrasion resistance. In all other criteria it could be argued that textile is equal or better. Everything I have heard is that textile will survive up to a 30-35 mph slide.
DKParticipantHere the DMV seems happy to outsource all that effort of testing the bikers. My MSF class administered the written test and the riding test. A valid MSF card in FL is good at the DMV for a permanent endorsement. Since I made an appointment I was in and out of the DMV with updated license in 3 minutes flat.
DKParticipantI saw a lot of the same.
One girl already had already purchased bike and full riding gear. I forget what she purchased, but she had the hardest time in the class. She had a very rough day 1 on the course, and I am surprised she actually passed her riding test at the end of day 2. Perfect example of why passing the class does not necessarily mean you are road ready.
One guy had totaled his car and decided it would be cheaper to ride a bike instead. Brand new GSX-R600. Rode it to class because it was cool. He at least had purchased high qualiy gear, but his jacket was so big he looked like a child wearing daddy’s motorcycle jacket and instead of showing up in boots (class requirement) he rode in wearing a slip on casual sneaker that more closely resembled house slippers. Did I mention he didn’t bother to get a learner’s permit or license before riding around? To his credit he was the best rider in class on day 1, but never showed up to day 2. We actually were pretty confident he got pulled for speeding when we left class after day 1, so he may have been a little too busy sitting around without a bike to make class.
The best one, though was the 100 pound woman that had a learners permit and two brand new bikes. I forget what bike she had sitting at home until she was ready for it, (she said it was so heavy she wasn’t sure she could lean it off the side stand) but her learner bike that she rode into class on was a brand new Monster 696. Turns out she had already dropped it at stoplights at least 3 times while out riding. She was so small she had to ask for help to pick the bike up any time it layed down on her.
I was also surprised in my class that the instructors had the same kind of perspective that their recommendation if you get a big bike is to remember to keep a low wrist on the throttle until you can handle the torque.
Enjoy the rest of your class. You’ll have so much fun tooling around the course practicing the maneuvers you’ll forget that you are cold.
DKParticipantSounds like that will be a perfect addition to the family. I rode one for my MSF class too. This has got to be the best confidence inspiring bike out there. I definitely think the eliminator would make a great farm/camp bike for someone who didn’t want/need true offroad capability.
DKParticipantI live very close to Daytona. Bike Week and Biketoberfest here have gotten so big that it spills into all the neighboring towns. Every vendor and manufacturer you can think of comes here to promote products and services. There are also always races at the local tracks to bring in more bodies. The appeal to our rally is that you will find evey possible bike and biker type here to hang out and have fun. You don’t see a lot of scooters out in the mix, but with the quick increase in popularity the last year I won’t be suprised to run into a couple of scoot gangs rolling around. The bottom line is no matter what your budget or interest you will find it down here. Even cabbage wrestling.
The rally you are looking at seems very different in attitude and maybe a little less overwhelming in potential activites. Personally, I would opt to ride the route my first time without the thousands of other rally riders in such close proximity.
DKParticipantI have the same helmet and had the same issue that while the large was too sloppy to consider but the medium was very snug. It took about two weeks for my head to feel just right inside the helmet.
That said, did you try on other helmet brands to determine if maybe your head shape would be better suited for a different manufacturer?
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