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Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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September 6, 2010 at 1:05 am in reply to: Article that compares Yamaha FZ6R, Suzuki GSX650F, and Kawasaki Ninja 650R (… and FZ8!) #28496RabParticipant
These bikes are closely matched in terms of real world performance and the two I-4s are very twin like in terms of torque and linear power delivery.
Please don’t trot out the old line about the GSX650F being “mind-bogglingly” heavy. I’ve seen that said often in internet forums, and always by people who’ve only read the specs and never ridden one. The strong, heavy steel frame on this sport-touring bike is actually an advantage in that it doesn’t get blown around on the freeway and the handling is very predictable; no scary frame-flexing mid-corner.
You may notice the weight when pushing the bike around the garage, however, once rolling, the weight disappears and the bike has more than enough performance for any sane riding situation (including the odd track day). In fact, I’m actually thinking of getting a slower bike next time as this one rides so nice and smooth at speed, that 100 mph+ feels like 60 (it’ll do 130+ mph apparently). How fast do you need your “heavy”, “slow” bike to go?
That said, if you want to ride it conservatively, it’ll be quite happy to oblige due to it’s low gearing and down-low torque (for an I-4).
All of these bikes are good second bikes (first bike should be a 250 IMO) and it’s just a matter of which one you like the best (in terms of looks and/or fit, and/or price etc.).
RabParticipantEmphasis on braking first, THEN swerving.
Don’t try to brake and swerve at the same time as you just don’t have enough traction on your two wheels to do that. If you attempt it, you will likely crash.
I personally wouldn’t push with one hand and pull with the other though as you may over-do it; pushing firmly on the bars in the direction you want to go should give you most control in making a quick turn (swerve).
Yes, bicycles also turn (at “speed”) by counter-steering but on those thin wheels, the counter-steering effort involved is so slight as to be almost imperceptible.
RabParticipantOld bikes are a money pit and that’s if you can even find the parts. Possibly dangerous too due to metal fatigue, etc.
Look at the new Triumph Bonneville and T100s, the Ducati GT1000, the Moto Guzzi V7 Classic, Royal Enfield Bullet variants and the Harley Davidson Sportsters. All modern motorcycles with a retro look.
These are not the best beginner bikes IMO, but the Royal Enfields probably qualify as that. They’re 500 c.c. I think, but are single cylinder bikes which are built to a 1950s design so do not have the performance of modern 500 c.c. motorcycles.
RabParticipantOne thing going for the GS500 as a beginner’s bike is that it’s very light for a bike of that engine displacement. Lighter is better when you’re learning; less chance of dropping it.
I learned on a Honda Nighthawk 250 (230 c.c.) and had no complaints. I sold it after about 6-9 months in order to get something a bit bigger. That’s not a criticism of it though.
When learning to ride a bicycle as a child, many children had training wheels. Think of a 250 c.c. bike as training wheels.
That said though, 250s are perfectly adequate for pretty much most riding situations except prolonged freeway riding (with the Ninja 250 a possible exception)).
RabParticipanthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6HTs9x3xBE&feature=related
You’ll notice that she had ensured that the kick-stand was in the down position prior to lifting it so as the bike wouldn’t fall over onto the other side once lifted.
RabParticipantI found this online and am not the author, but it sounds about right to me:
Re. Top Speed:
50cc scooter top speed is 30 mph
125 cc scooter top speed is 50 mph
250 cc scooter top speed is 70 mph
400 cc scooter top speed is 90 mph
650 cc scooter top speed is 110 mphFor high speed highways at a 65 mph speed limit I would go with the 400 cc, for 55 mph highways the 250cc will work.
You need the 400cc for quick acceleration and speed when merging on to traffic on exit ramps, a 250 cc scooter doesn’t have the quick acceleration.
The 250cc scooter can reach a 70 mph top speed but it might take almost a mile to reach that speed.
I highly suggest the Suzuki Burgman 400, or the Honda Silver Wing, or the Yamaha Majesty.
RabParticipantNo, I don’t live there any more thank goodness, although I probably lived, worked and travelled in various countries in Europe longer than you have been alive.
I know how good it was before the E.U. and its resultant mass immigration. From trips back there and following the news from European sources, I can see how the quality of life in my home country has drastically declined. A million pointless new laws imposed upon us by unelected beaurocrats in Brussels, our own “governments” being merely puppets of their E.U. masters, us paying many millions into the E.U. and getting nothing in return except being forced to accept hordes of bogus third-world asylum seekers who have travelled half-way across the E.U. to get to us and our stupidly generous social security benefits (most of them will never work and contribute). Floods of Eastern Europeans who are prepared to live in squalor and work for peanuts (un-taxed) stealing our jobs and supplementary benefits. That and all the gangsters, criminals and gypsies from the former USSR countries who are now able to freely cross the borderless E.U. Need I say more?
I’m sure that your country, Belgium, being a founding member and headquarters of the the European Union, is doing very well out of this scam, but it’s not so rosy for others.
Anyway, this is a motorcycle forum, not a political one, so I’ll agree to disagree with you and will get back to talking motorcycles.
End of…
RabParticipant“A great many seems an exaggeration, as I’ve met few people that aren’t content with the current situation”.
Then you should get out more often…
France, Germany and the the dirt-poor former USSR countries are the beneficiaries of the other countries’ largesse.
Wait until Turkey joins and watch the whole house of cards fall apart…
RabParticipantI haven’t met anyone yet who can ride a motorcycle over the English Channel (unless it’s on a boat), and the “Chunnel” is only for trains.
Actually, the E.U. is a turning into a dictatorship (widely known in Europe as the EUSSR), and a great many Europeans desperately want out of it. However, just like here in the U.S.A., the so-called governments stopped representing the people long ago…
RabParticipant‘Sounds to me like a 250 will be ideal for you and the little Rebel is as solid as a rock.
I started on a 250 Nighthawk (same 230 c.c. engine as the Rebel) and at the time I was ~185 lbs and 5’11”.
It was just fine for everything except freeway riding which it was capable of, but not ideal. It could do a sustained 60-65 mph all day, but I had to down-shift when going up long hills to maintain the 60-65 mph speed (no big deal). It would top-out at around 75-80 mph, but was definitely buzzy and less pleasant to ride at that speed. It could handle taking a passenger around town no problem too if you dialed the suspension pre-load up.
I found this that you might want to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFWfh8t3cZc&feature=related
Suzuki GZ-250 (cruiser) and TU-250 (standard) are other bikes to consider.
RabParticipantGary856 said:
“With only 1000 miles of riding experience, you haven’t even started the learning process. If you want to learn to ride, something similar to the Versys (with a more standard, upright position) would be a much better choice than the R6s”.
I agree.
RabParticipantPicking up the bike, yes, that’s the best way I know to do it. If you’re lifting it from the right side, put down the kick-stand before lifting in case you lift it too far and it tips over on to the left side. The kick-stand might just stop it from falling all the way over.
#1 I don’t like the idea of walking with the kick-stand down as you may trip over it or it might catch on something. As I can “flat-foot” it, I always duck-walk my bike as I think there’s less chance of it tipping over. It doesn’t look very cool, but better to be safe than to be cool I think.
#2 is a novel approach and I’m assuming that the engine is off when doing this. I’d be afraid of the bike tipping over though because there’s no-one to catch it if it over-balances as you’re walking it.
Most people just make sure that they always reverse into any parking space (unless it’s facing up hill) by duck-walking the bike backwards into the space and using the front brake to slow if necessary. If you can’t do that, then I’d say look for a lighter, better fitting bike (which might not be a bad idea anyway).
RabParticipantRabParticipantThis is a great question and one that I’ve often pondered myself.
Based on my research, I agree with WeaponZero that modern motorcycles can easily run to 100,000+ miles if they are not abused or badly crashed, and are regularly maintained.
Because of a number of factors however, the inexperienced often get the impression that bikes are worn-out when they get to around 50K because they don’t see many higher mileage bikes for sale.
The reasons for this are, I think:
1. Many motorcyclists, want to try out other bikes and expense be damned, so they buy a new bike, ride it for a bit and then want to try something else; resulting in many low mileage, newish motorcycles for sale.
2. Motorcycles are generally looked upon as toys in the U.S.A. rather than as transport, hence we very often also see bikes for sale that are years old with very few miles on them (especially Harleys).
3. Unscrupulous sellers may replace the odometer (or wind it back on mechanical ones) making it look like the bike has done a lot less miles than it actually has (I don’t know how common this is, but it happens).
4. Many bikes get smashed-up or damaged so as to be not worth repairing before they get to 50,000 miles as parts are *very* expensive to replace with new ones.
5. Owners of high mileage motorcycles may decide that it’s better to hang on to old faithful as a second bike versus what they would get for it in terms of cash.
The generally accepted myth (that bikes are clapped-out by 50K), is also perpetuated by some dealers who want to sell you a new bike (of course).
So! Given the fact that there seems to be a plethora of used motorcycles on the market at the moment, I would say that for a “quick” sale, sell before 20K miles, otherwise, use it some more and be prepared for it to maybe take longer to sell. Alternatively, if your bike is still serving its purpose and you have no real desire to get something else, regularly maintain it and hang on to it. In terms of buying a new(er) bike, you either take the depreciation hit on your current bike now, or later.
As CBBaron said, “each year and 1000 miles causes less depreciation than the previous”.
Keeping the bike longer is probably the most cost-effective method, although you’ll have to find more money to buy your next bike when you do eventually sell it.
For buyers, the age of a bike can be much more of a safety factor than high miles though. The older a bike is, the more likelihood there is that seals will have dried out, rubber perished, and that metal fatigue and/or rust will have taken their toll. The more owners a bike has had, the more chance there is that it has been abused or neglected at some point in its life.
There is no simple answer that fits all, and the decision regarding when to sell your bike is one you’ll have to tailor to your own circumstances and wants.
All of that said, a GS500, being a popular beginner’s bike and a very worthy commuter, should still sell pretty easily regardless I would have thought.
July 29, 2010 at 2:15 am in reply to: To windshield or not to windshield – that’s the question. #27860RabParticipantYes, it’s only at speed that you really need a windshield.
You’ll probably have to experiment with height and angle quite a bit before you’ll get it set just right for you.
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