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Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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MunchParticipant
What happened to where you hit the ladies car? Lane splitting? Not paying attention? She darted out in front of you?
The handling part should be left to the insurance. That’s why you got it.
One thing I don’t understand though is what she went to the doc’s for. You hit her bumper…not her. Unless you cart wheeled into her door and managed to face mask her on your way by.
MunchParticipantSooooooo how did a beginner cruiser thread end up as a debate about scooters?
Besides….mini can- ams dont count as scooters…..lol….just kiddin
Seriously though…… no more picking on new forum members about thread jacking
MunchParticipantWell lets see…. rule of thumb for cruisers…. low end is the power….just as the seat height is….
Straight out of MSF….. depending on maturity 750cc max…. younger dare devil type… 500cc til he/she scares the piss and vinegar out of them.
I started on the Vulcan 500 parallel twin (same motor as the ninja 500) The engine is tuned down a bit to give that low end torque that cruisers are better known for. The bike overall length is short giving it the agility like that of a sport bike. It’s light weight and IMO perfect for most beginners. They aren’t dog slow but the aren’t power monsters either. Learn how to work em … and I mean WORK them and you can get triple digit speeds. But….no one should do that on purpose on the highway anyways. (It was an accident…. promise! )
Vstar 650’s are good starter cruisers too. Some are more attracted to the 650’s mostly for the customizing options that come with it. Short over all length though for my liking the exhaust needs an overhaul. I like a grunt to my bikes….not loud… but at least to be able to hear it. My buddies GF has a 650 and that thing snuck up on me at the shop …. and no one was working O.O .
Honda Shadow 750 is also a good option… though I would be a tad more slow on the uptake for this one. Reports back from local owners says that the throttle is easy to deal with but it will launch if you caught un awares. Haven’t ridden one so I can’t attest to that.
Anything much over that and not only are you stepping into a higher torque value that can really mess a new rider up but also overall weight and not to mention that 1000cc invisible line with insurance.
The huge difference when I went from my V500 to my V900 was the torque. Miss judge your down shift and its well more then enough to send your back wheel into a short slide. Not a mistake you want to learn to control while your learning everything else. The next is the bigger the bike the longer…not usually by much OE but enough to notice on total turning radius. I can get the 900 in a fairly tight turn…. can bang a U-ey the width of my driveway (single car driveway). Though the V500 with practice can probly cut another overall 2 ft out of that. The weight issue for beginners is not in the ride… at speed any bike is light … it’s when you make that small miscalculation in the parking lot and you have to try and keep the bike from going down. I haven’t dropped either of my bikes (knock on a lot of wood) but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been close…. the V900 is at my strength limits to wrestle the bitty back up from a near drop.
Make sure to also emphasize rear brake usage with your friend to…. this is an understated point due to sport bike popularity ( I am guessing). You WILL be using the rear brake A LOT in slow maneuvers, parking lots, heck even depending on the set up of the brakes…. just normal braking. Talking to friends around that are sport bike riders there is a huge difference in control between the two styles and back brake usage.
So yea:
Vulcan 500
V-Star650
Honda Shadow 750 ( highest I would go)
Oh and Owlies S40 Thumper…. she’ll have to re review that for ya!… I am sure there are more but those are the main 3 that will be easy to find.
MunchParticipantYea the very first bike you need to get you rear planted on is one of which your nearest MSF course has.
I am a huge fan of training first for anything that has the potential to hurt you……much less you and a passenger!
MunchParticipantvery well cold be that you have the fuel mixture set wayyyyy to rich. find the fuel screw and adjust it to see if that fixes the problem. start simpe then work your way up.
MunchParticipantTo be honest I haven’t ridden either.
Out of the two… the Thunderbird is one I have a curiosity of. Just because of the rave reviews… not for want of buying one.
The Speedmaster looks like another Softail attempt in a Sportster type power ratio 865 cc . Another issue I have and I could be wrong is its chain driven(Speedmaster is T-bird not). This is a “to each their own” category but for me I like the quietness that a belt or drive shaft gives you. Its one thing about the V500 I don’t miss.
There is a lot of great reviews for the Thunderbird but for me here… I only know of one Triumph dealer and they are tagged inside of the local HD dealership like you would see KFC and Long John Silvers. Which begs to question the cost of replacement parts. They already boast a 1700cc big bore kit for the t-bird almost echo’ing Harley’s Screamin Eagle step up kits that’s been around for years.
The looks are very Harley stylized, which one could argue what cruiser isn’t, however they are almost shadow images to me. The 2 huge differences being:
1) the engine … parallel twin… makes for easy maintenance.
2) One model comes OE with a “Flat bar” or drag bar set up for handle bars. Which is one of the things that kept me away from the Kawi Mean Streak. Theres no room for customizing your ride style with the bike with a fixed handle bar. Maybe Triumph did it different, I dunno.I think all in all it would Feel like a turbo’d out version of our previous V500. Even the overall look of the bike kinda kicks in with the shorter wheel length look which should add tremendously to their handling attributes that they are claiming, like that of the V500.
I am not really diggin the tank though. Tooo…… Triumph-ish. I know I know….wha? Put it this way a lot of the times I see Triumphs around here they don’t bring to mind “Easy Rider” or even on the comedic side Wild Hogs….. but more of a Charlie Chaplin, black and white, waiting for the long ladder to come across the road to duck under feel.
They are purdy to look at. Just not for me or what I feel is my style or attitude. I can’t see them being decked out as a bagger like I need for cargo or even really good looking 2 up.
I hope they make up in performance what they don’t have in aesthetics… for me…. its just a big miss. However I tend to be way far from the “trends” I just usually wait for them to come back around so for that brief moment in history I will be “in style” then wait again for the next cycle. All in all they would make a good around town bike or tearing through the back roads and having fun with it. However if you plan on taking the long haul the necessities that you would want… Cargo (saddle bags and/or trunk) wind protection via windshield and maybe even creature features such as floor boards if you like them would steal away from the look they are aiming at.
And as far as Elwood goes…hes still alive and kicking. He no longer sells HD’s …but works the Service Dept for them. Like most of us he’s busting his ass to get work done and holding on to every dollar he can get his hands on.
And Yea I am still running around on my V900. Until I can get me my HD Street Glide… I will probly keep it til it don’t run anymore.
MunchParticipantWe have 2 riders on here I think that enjoy both. New riders both old and young no longer really stick to one or the other or care. Both types serve specific purposes and can enjoyed equally. The ride will be different from one to the other but not so much where it’s overly complicated.
As you said cruiser for the longer haul where luggage space will be a big concern or the sport bike for a quick jaunt through the twisties with nothing but fun in mind. Granted a cruiser can be used for the latter also but it does have its limits.
Once you get a lot more miles under your belt a decent compromise to reduce the space taken by multiple bikes would be Sport Tourings. Designed for comfort in mind and with the sportier performance for fun and agility.MunchParticipantJust acquired a new one…..
I can’t believe this was an honest sincere question:“Do we get Halloween off?”
MunchParticipantgot a “page not found”
MunchParticipant…..” IMHO, the Vulcan is a nicer looking bike…I think someone on here started out on a Vulcan 500 and is now on a Vulcan 900…Munch maybe?…not sure…I would think the twin would be a smoother engine than the single as well…just a guess though…owlie rides a S40 (Savage)”…
You are correct sir it was me. The 500 will be more then what you need it for. The only reason really that I upgraded was due to passengers (though it can 2 up decently) and the need for more luggage capacity. Otherwise that 500 ( which shares the same ninja 500 engine) will be as much as you ever will reasonably need. In the time I had mine I easily hit triple digits with it …. by mistake on some emergency passing and once just ’cause. They are light weight, very very agile and just straight up fun to ride. I have not been on the S40 but some common complaints you here are some due to lack of power… others are based off the nickname… a thumper. As far as ease of work The V500 offers the same flexability a thumper does since it is a parallel twin. Plenty of room for tinkering. Here in NC there is a V500 owners group and a few even have them still over 100k miles on the dial. Hows that for reliability?!
MunchParticipantYour hubby needs to get you a windshield….. and possibly some ” crash bars” so tou can get the leather covers that deflect wind and wet off yor leg…… could extend your riding season.
MunchParticipantbutt test will tell you better then anyone. The power will not be the issue.
MunchParticipantfind a snow bird from NY and see if you can split room and board. We get plenty of them passing through NC e ery spring and fall during their migration to FL.
MunchParticipantglad your ok…as far as I go though. Deer are 365 day thing here. as far as the whistles go……depends on the area. Here..no….they are too used to noises and it doesnt phase em. Out in un populated areas…ie swamps kansas flat lands etc. you have a better shot.
October 21, 2010 at 3:38 am in reply to: Kicking over the bee hive – Shadow 750 as a starter bike #28648MunchParticipantI tend to agree. Her comfort will instill confidence and frankly that’s the hugest part of the equation to learning followed very closely with proper riding lessons. You can get all the learning anyone could want but if your scared or intimidated with what your riding…. your brain does bad things and so does your flight instincts.
A 750 is relatively mid range as far as cruiser types go. It is higher CC’s but more low end torque and not rocket fast until you know how to wring it out of her. Just make sure to impress upon her slow and steady!
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