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Honda Grom: Beginner Bike Profile + Owner Reviews
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uncle_bernieParticipant
I went to Beaumont to check it out because the price and mileage were just so right. So far I’ve only go the test ride to go on as I was going to drive to Beaumont and trailer it home (as long as it checked out) but uhaul and I got out of sync on the details of my trailer reservation. So, right now, the bike is still there for me to pick up. My initial impression is that I did notice a bit of difference between the responsiveness of the shaft drive on the s50 and the belt drive of the s40. I think it’s going to be down to a matter of learning how to clutch/shift properly with a shaft drive but it’s really too early to tell. As I committed to Ben below I’ll do a review of my experiences as I learn them via a review.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantYou asked me before about reviewing the s40 and I didn’t do it… I’ll try to be a little more diligent about noting my new experiences on the new bike and what’s different. In other words, I’ll try to overcome my inherent laziness
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantWell, the s40 is a fine bike, I like riding it a lot. I just got more comfortable on the freeways fairly quickly and my rides started getting longer and I felt I needed a bike with a little more muscle. The s50 (50 cubic inches) is a little over 800 cc’s though I’m not sure what the horsepower is. It felt really good though test riding it today so I’m stoked to open her up and see what she can do.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantIt’s really hard to tell what’s best for you without sitting on a few different models and see what’s comfortable for you. Seat height, placement of controls and definitely the weight are all important to consider. When the bike starts leaning to the right or left when you come to a stop you want to make sure inertia won’t carry you to the pavement and it’s comforting to be able to put your feet flat on the ground when you come to a stop as well. Other than that, stick to a model that has a fairly forgiving power band (NInja 250 (or any of the bikes in the 250 category really), Suzuki s40, Kawasaki Vulcan 500, etc etc) and you should be fine.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantEven though sport bikes aren’t my first choice (I got to meet Peter Fonda at a bike rally years ago in which he rode an Indian model “Easy Rider” chopper…just too cool) the ’08 Ninjas have to be about the coolest looking 250’s around. I imagine they’re a blast on curvy roads as well.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipant4th largest population in these United States…and an end to end drive through this massive behemoth of a state is pure h-e double toothpicks…
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantAs Confucius say, man who ride bike with engine smile many times…have fun and don’t forget to think.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantThere are lots of great opinions on this site about the proper first bike. Someone made the comment that the Suzuki S40, which I currently own and started out on, is like the Ninja 250 of the cruiser world. I think that’s a fairly apt comparison, although I think the Ninja’s top end exceeds the S40. I have ridden my S40 for about three months now and am hoping to trade up to an S50 soon but the S40 is a pleasure to ride and is pretty forgiving in making those initial riding mistakes that inevitably happen. If you’re a sport-bike-kinda-guy I haven’t seen anything that’s as appealing as the Ninja 250 for a first bike. I’m not really drawn to that style bike (although I imagine riding one would be a LOT of fun) but I can certainly see the appeal there.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
May 16, 2008 at 10:41 am in reply to: Been studying before I take the course after I get a full time job after College. #6358uncle_bernieParticipantNo clue why, but that reminded me of Hobbes for some reason. The basic tenet that “…the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”. Given that, my contention is we need to have some fun along the way. Motorcycling is fun (and demands respect). Sounds to me like something right up the alley of one with religious faith. Enjoy your time in the saddle
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantFrom this site I found The Motorcycle Superstore. They have great prices on gear. Be prepared to spend at least $400-500 to outfit yourself “inexpensively”.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantAnd here I thought 120 mile weekend jaunts were long! Wilkommen!
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantGlad you got back in the saddle.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantNo idea where “Murglewurm’d” came from, but for reasons unknown to me I like it!! Good luck with your new two-wheeled journey. Incessant reading is a good start.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantI’m down here in the deep south that is the Gulf Coast. I capitalize because our unique bent for catastrophic weather events gives this area of the country a particularly singular, though not altogether correct, moniker of desperate cohesion. My uncle lives in Vermont and used to be an avid rider years ago but, alas, no longer straddles the iron horse. I’ve been there now twice myself and think it would be a great state to ride around in. Good luck finding riding buddies.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
uncle_bernieParticipantI had a humbling experience having to hard brake at 35 mph on one of our Houston feeder roads. I wasn’t quite prepared and laid on the back brake a little too heavily and lost traction. Luckily, the truck in front of me and my front wheel missed meeting each other by about seven feet, but for a while there it was fairly unnerving. Good on you that you practice these things in non-emergency situations.
~He who laughs last didn’t get the joke…
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