[NickSparkss]

Hey guys,

I hope I'm not duplicating threads here, I checked the search forum function and it didn't look like anyone had asked this before.

Do you guys think the Grom is a decent first bike? I've looked over the forums for a few hours and it seems like people are happy with these little bikes, but I'm wondering if you guys think I could be happy with a Grom as a first time rider with no other bikes to speak of. (I do have an old Civic to fall back on for bad weather) I rode a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 for the MSF course and it felt peppy enough for someone with no other riding experience, although I didn't like the riding position.

For me the appeal is that it's a small displacement bike, which there doesn't seem to be much of here in the US - I wanted to stay 300cc's and under so I can learn the basics of riding, and so I don't have a big enough bike to get into too much trouble haha. The other factor is price - I'm a college student, so the low price of the bike plus the awesome gas mileage is definitely a plus.

My concerns are mainly just that it can't go on the freeway and I don't know how limiting that is. I'll be moving to San Francisco for work in ~1.5 years (after I finish with school) so it needs to be able to handle the hills of the city. The other thing is people warning about getting bored of it because it's under-powered - people always say that about 250's, so I worry a bit about buying a 125.

So what do you guys think? If there are other alternatives that you think I should be checking out, please let me know. I've looked into the Honda CBR250r, and a few of the old CB's from the 70's and 80's, but if there's anything else, let me know.

Thanks all :smile:

[TL;DR: Want to buy first bike - Grom?]

 

[Wildhorse1966]

I wouldn't worry about it being underpowered .. its light and designed for fun .. I personally cant see it being a bad investment .. I think it will hold its value so if you do want to upgrade you wont lose much... I have owned 5 ysr 50's and I have traveled anywhere I wanted to with them .. yes you are only allowed to go on city streets but that can be fun to do .. if your in a hurry and need the freeway then take your civic .. I think this bike will teach you a lot about riding without having to buy a 600cc class bike

 

[NickSparkss]

I wouldn't worry about it being underpowered .. its light and designed for fun .. I personally cant see it being a bad investment .. I think it will hold its value so if you do want to upgrade you wont lose much... I have owned 5 ysr 50's and I have traveled anywhere I wanted to with them .. yes you are only allowed to go on city streets but that can be fun to do .. if your in a hurry and need the freeway then take your civic .. I think this bike will teach you a lot about riding without having to buy a 600cc class bike

Thanks for the reply man.
The lightness is a definite plus - I've been commuting to work/school on a bicycle since I was like 7 or 8, so I'm very used to being able to throw whatever bike I'm on around corners without a lot of fuss.
I feel like the Grom could handle city streets, and there's some nice twisties around here with 45mph speed limits - there's some folks in the NorCal section that do group rides near me, so there's fun roads out here as well.
I'm heading out to a showroom in an hour or two, and they have a Grom in stock, so I'm gonna go feel it out and see what the waiting list is looking like. Probaby not ready to buy today, but hopefully in the next few months, I'll be ready.

 

[Kricu]

I'll try to help you out. I learned on a gz250 at the MSF course near me. Two days later I bought a Zx6r. I rode that, another zx6r and a zx10r for the next 3 years before wrecking my bike this past summer. I hadn't been on a bike since then until a couple days ago. My girlfriend wants a bike so I found a gz250 for her and am planning on giving it to her for christmas. I took this bike out for a quick spin to make sure everything was ok with it. The grin on my face was as big as it ever was being on a big bike. I'm still waiting on my grom but I think that if you really enjoy riding, the grom will be a perfect first bike regardless of its "lack of power". I'm actually not planning on buying another sport bike for a while and am planning on adding a little bit of performance to my grom once I get it so it can handle the highways a little bit but other than that, this bike is really just about having fun while being on two wheels. If you need something for a lot of highway, look at the Ninja 300 or something like a DRZ400sm. Otherwise I think you'll really enjoy the grom.

 

[GromTactical]

Dude, this bike is for you. Lightweight and maneuverable. Epic gas mileage, which is important for college students. Not fast enough to get you in trouble, so you will learn patience and self control. Honda reliability. No surprises in the maintenance dept. Easy to wrench on, so you will learn the basics about bikes and fixing them and keeping them running. Room for a skinny ass girlfriend on the back. Keeps the fatties away. Fast enough to make them squeeze you tight. Great conversation starter. Everyone loves the GROM. Especially the ladies. Guaranteed to get you serious action in the sack. Meow. Hubba Hubba.

Buy it. Buy the first one you find. Enjoy the hell out of it. Report back. That is all, sir.

 

[NickSparkss]

Dude, this bike is for you. Lightweight and maneuverable. Epic gas mileage, which is important for college students. Not fast enough to get you in trouble, so you will learn patience and self control. Honda reliability. No surprises in the maintenance dept. Easy to wrench on, so you will learn the basics about bikes and fixing them and keeping them running. Room for a skinny ass girlfriend on the back. Keeps the fatties away. Fast enough to make them squeeze you tight. Great conversation starter. Everyone loves the GROM. Especially the ladies. Guaranteed to get you serious action in the sack. Meow. Hubba Hubba.

Buy it. Buy the first one you find. Enjoy the hell out of it. Report back. That is all, sir.

Honestly man, after sitting on it at the dealership, I'm in agreement - this is the bike for me. I checked out the Grom, the CBR250r, a Ninja 300, a couple dual sports, but the Grom felt like the best one for my needs. The 300 felt a bit too big, and the CBR felt nice, but the little Grom seemed like it'd be the most fun and economical.

I really appreciate the help you guys, it looks it's Grom hunting season for me :furious:

 

[deddie]

For me, if I planned to do freeway riding, the Grom would be a no go. I know members here take it on the freeway, but it is out of its element there. Yes, great first bike for street riding, but not so good if that street riding takes you on the freeway.

 

[FXCLM5]

its not safe on the highway, you dont have power to get yourself out of trouble,

for instance, merging onto freeways with short onramps, in front of a 18wheeler = not a good scenario = you on shoulder

 

[push bike]

This is the perfect first bike as long as you don't plan on taking it on the freeway as mentioned previously. If I were moving to SF I would sell my cars before the Grom!

 

[iluvgroms]

Yes buy one it will be an awesome first bike and you will enjoy the hell out of it too, so much fun, I smile so much everytime I ride it, you will too.