Forum Replies Created
Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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madjak30Participant
But the problem is actually our generation…yes, there are lots of really productive people in our generation…but at what expense…their kids are a$$ holes…not all, but alot of people put their career ahead of family to be that productive person…and to compete with the Jones’ they BOTH worked…two incomes means nice house, nice car, nice cloths, nice holidays, etc…but who is raising the kids? Well, a lot of the time it was an older sibling…or we called them “latch-key kids”…they really raised themselves…
So who is to blame for the generation of “me-me” personalities…US…maybe not you and I exactly, but the generation that was born from 1945-1975 have produced some of the biggest idiots on the planet…have you heard that “common sense isn’t common anymore”…why do you think that is…?? There was no one around to teach them “common sense”…no instilled values like patience, courtesy, manners…the golden rule is missing…”do unto others, as you would have done to you”…how does a kid react when they are idle…”Mom/Dad I’m bored, there’s nothing to do…” and that kinda translates to our generation of instant gratification personalities…
The story talks about not having video games and lots of toys to entertain…that was really a result of stay at home Mom…people just couldn’t afford those types of luxuries…now it’s weird to see a home that has a “home maker” in it…I was quite fortunate in that when we had kids, we decided that she would stay home and raise the kids (atleast until they were in full time school)…money was tight (almost lost the house once or twice because of it), but we made it…now my kids are older (oldest turns 13 this year and the twins are 9)…my career is at a point that I make a pretty good living myself, and the wife is working (not full time, but close…30hrs per week) while the kids are in school…she gets home shortly after they do and has all the same vacation and holiday as they do (she is a teacher)
My sisters on the other hand, have worked their whole adult lives…one married a man that has lots of ambition and is away for work lots (she is like a single Mom that has money), the other sister is married with two boys…her husband works an honest day but makes just enough…she has worked most of the way through to help make ends meet (read living above their means) and my mother has helped by being the Grandma Daycare center…how often do you think a Grandparent says no to their grandchild? not too often…my sisters husband gets pretty frustrated, but what is a guy to do? They can’t have the nice house two cars and nice cloths/holidays…blah blah blah…without his wife working…and going backwards in standard of living is a pretty tough pill to swallow…
I don’t have any answers on how or if this can be reversed, but it is our own doing…we are the greedy generation…ask your grandfather how much debt he carried compared to yours…he will probably tell you he saved for what he bought and paid cash…we go in and get a loan/line of credit and buy what we want NOW…I’m as bad as the next guy for this…maybe worse as my debt load is increasing…(we are now taking steps to fix this…no new bike for me this year, or truck…but what I have works and needs to be paid for)
I think if we are going to be pointing any fingers at who is to blame for this…we need to be standing in front of a mirror…
Start by doing something really fun with the kids…some of the best memories are made doing stuff that you have already paid for…take the kids out for a hike or a bike ride…make sure you bring your camera though, those years don’t last forever…
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madjak30ParticipantI didn’t realize how dirty the poor thing was until I started cleaning…I spent 40mins just cleaning the chain and rear sprocket…it has been snowing since that day…stopped yesterday, now the temps are heading above freezing…
I’m hoping it clears the roads enough to go for a short ride on Friday…calling for 4″ of snow again on Saturday…bleh…
The pile on the lawn is almost 6ft tall…lots of snow this year…probably in for flooding when it does decide to melt…oh well, atleast I live at the top of the hill…maybe I’ll have beach front property…lol
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madjak30ParticipantThe course that I took, they coached us to use the back brake to “control your speed in a corner”…keep the throttle steady and use the rear brake to control the speed, then if there is any danger there is no lag when you apply the throttle…this was for our slow maneuvering figure 8 and tight left and right turns…but it could easily be translated to an on ramp, or corner where you need to scrub some speed off…
I would also use more rear brake than front in slippery situations…rain, sand, gravel, etc…spring riding conditions basically…fall too, I guess…
Where I live in Canada, the first ride is coming…the thaw is starting, but I still have four inches of rutted ice on my street…a few more days of this and I may be able to get out to the main street without dropping my bike…woo hoo…
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madjak30ParticipantThose are cool in a retro bike kinda way…not really my cup-o-tea, but neat to see…lots of guys use them for adventure riding…see some really nice pictures of them on ADVrider…
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madjak30ParticipantI think there would have been a lot of “pucker” when starting to see snow and ice on two wheels…looks like you are adjusting to two wheels just nicely…I’m still jealous…and indecisive…lol
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madjak30ParticipantI’m a Moderator, not an Admin…couldn’t remember what it said under my name…but it’s a good site that has a hand full of active members, and the number is growing now that the season is about to start…let’s hope for above freezing temps so that the ice and snow melts from the streets…maybe some rain to wash some of the grit off the corners…
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madjak30ParticipantMan, I thought I had it bad with cars…I was looking at getting an older Corvette (’91-’96) before the wifey suggested I get a bike instead…(I gave her three choices…muscle car, bike, or dirt bike for me and our oldest)…I nearly crapped that day…I found this site shortly after that and read the GS500 review by Ben, and the rest is history…and I couldn’t be happier…and yes, totally addicted…
I’m a lifer… ;-p
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madjak30ParticipantThe actual site is http://www.albertamoto.com …not sure if that is cool here or not, but I refer lots of new guys here so I don’t think anyone will have an issue…
It’s mostly guys from Calgary and Edmonton, but we have some from Medicine Hat, Innisfail, Red Deer, Fort McMurray…etc…we mostly talk about rides and trying to organize rides for the group…planning a couple of longer runs for the summer into BC…should be fun…
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madjak30ParticipantAnd I still send newbies to this site to back up what I am trying to instill…start small, light and slightly under powered…all of these are helpful to a newbie…I think it was in here that I saw the quote “it’s your first bike, not your only bike…” or something along that line…and I think newbies miss that point…learn the skills first, then try to impress the “guys/gals”…
I put links into my responses from reviews of gear, bikes and some of the threads…this is a great resource for new riders or someone who is thinking of getting into the sport…
In the end, it is the attitude and demeanor of the people in the forum that makes it a good place…definately not an intimidating place to ask the “dumb” questions…’cause no one in here treats those questions that way…as soon as we start telling people to “use the search”, or “that has been asked a million times…look around”…that will be the end…the newbies will find somewhere else to get their info…
It was Ben’s review of the GS500 that sold me on that bike (didn’t hurt that I like the look of the bike)…and yes it was just a year ago I was pining for a bigger, more powerful bike…and now I am thinking that the GS500 might do me for another season…Eon enjoyed his MP3 and just got onto two wheels recently, so I think I will be sharpening my skills before moving on…or maybe I will just realize that 50Hp is plenty for the type of riding I like to do…
So, just keep up the good work and try to cut the “but I’m special, what type of bike is best for me?” guys some slack!!
Riding season is almost here in Alberta, so the newbies will start showing up again on the sites…get ready, ’cause here they come…
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madjak30ParticipantThought you fell off the end of the earth…not that it has been really busy on the forum over the “off season” but I thought you had given up on BBM…
Glad you’re back…
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madjak30ParticipantThe problem isn’t that you CAN’T start on a SS600 or bigger, it’s that it is easier/safer not to…
I don’t have a video, but I will try to explain why…
1. Throttle control is probably one of the biggest problems for a newbie…it doesn’t just come to most of us, it is a learned practice. In a panic situation, let’s say you are turning right (for those of us that drive on the right side of the road, otherwise left…) and start to pull out then notice a car barrelling down on you that you hadn’t seen, that is when throttle control becomes a problem…a newbie will become ham fisted and crank it to get out of the way…on a 250cc machine you will get accelleration and move accordingly, on an SS600 or better in 1st gear you will get a power wheelie, probably freak out, close the throttle and either wipeout or swerve all over the place…possibly be rear ended or run over…as a newbie you won’t be thinking “roll on throttle” you will be thinking “HOLY CRAP!! GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!!”…
2. The problem with braking is in the slower speeds…parking lot or playground zone speeds…riding past a playground, a ball shoots out between cars across the road with a little kid in possible persuit…250cc machine has kinda wooden brakes and as a newbie again ham fisted four finger pull on the brakes…the bike comes to a quick stop and your heart is beating like you just ran a marathon…600cc SS bike has excellent responsive brakes and as a newbie ham fisted four finger pull on the brakes…the brakes grab immediately, the sport tires grab the pavement like glue…you end up doing a faceplant and sliding along the pavement with your 450lbs bike riding you like a surf board…
Would these things definitely happen, no, but they are quite probable as a newbie…we just aren’t expecting those types of reactions…plus on the SS bikes you would probably be going faster because the ride smooths out and isn’t so “twitchy” at higher speeds…
As for instructional videos…check out Captain Crash Idaho…he has some pretty good videos on YouTube…
It’s totally up to you what you buy, it’s just easier to gain experience and learn the skills on a less powerful bike…and the lighter the better…
Good Luck!!
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madjak30ParticipantWe don’t get that one here…that’s the Hero – Honda bike right? It looks like it has the same engine and trans as the CRF223 that we get here, except you get fuel injection…223cc and 5spd trans…or did it get the upgrade to the CBR250R engine…249cc and 6spd?
Is this similar to your bike?
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madjak30ParticipantOtherwise, the Corvette would still have a 350 small block…with tuned port injection…not an LS 6.2L with direct injection…it’s called technology…
Or maybe you’re a Ford guy…5.0L small block vs 5.0L Coyote OHC…
I know, I’m stretching a little, but I think Kawasaki has dropped the ball a little since Honda and Hyosung are both the competition and both are fuel injected…and if they have it in other markets…the more they produce the same the cheaper it gets to produce it…it’s how mass production works.
Sometimes it feels like tech just because we can, but fuel injection for a newbie is a great feature…no worrying about the choke/enricher and farting around with idle screws…
Just my opinion of course…
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madjak30ParticipantHere is a YouTube vid from Motorcycle.com…
My opinion…the Ninja is sportier and probably faster, but the Honda is easier to ride…and like they say in the video…why are there carbs on the Ninja when the Hyosung is fuel injected?
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madjak30ParticipantI’ve been eyeballing that bike (along with the rest of the list) for a while now…the only real draw back that I see is the lack of center stand. Has the aftermarket come out with a center stand for it yet?
I really like that colour…and the look of the bike has grown on me…same as the V-Strom…I think if you look at them long enough and see how good the bikes are, they start to look pretty nice…
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