I went shopping for a Grom recently and found out that I probably couldn't get one until fall. The salesman told me he had a pearl white one coming to somebody else who had already left a deposit, and that there was a red one coming maybe sometime in July. I wasn't really too excited about waiting for fall to come oh, so I told him I would just need to chew on the idea. So I slept on it overnight, and contacted him back, saying I'd like to do it. He took my deposit over the phone, and then called me back one day later to say that the white one that had been previously set up for someone else was now available for me, and that I should be able to get it sometime this month of May!!! That was absolutely great news. I have already ordered a rear fender delete setup, a luggage rack black, steel oh, it's it's right on the passenger seat area and does not protrude at all, and stops well short of even getting to the tail light. I want the bike to be useful for errands and maybe even some light traveling, but did not want a heavy hunky looking appearance. I think I would eventually like to find a good quality belly pan, that fits well as I plan on keeping the exhaust stock. I would appreciate any suggestions of brand for that, as I think I would prefer fiberglass over plastic. Could anybody share with the weight would be for fiberglass versus plastic? I thank all of you for this community and I look forward to engaging more.
Hi from Southwest Washington State
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Welcome Lb07! SW Washington myself, Mossyrock, to be specific. I just met another person here who is from Vancouver, WA -SlimJim, I think. He's a Monkey guy, and sounds like you are a 3rd gen guy, but it's all the same to this "OG" guy! AFAIK, fiberglass is "heavier" than plastic, but fiberglass is much stronger, and heat resistant. Check out this link: Difference Between Fiberglass and Plastic – Difference Wiki, it explains the differences in more detail. Please post pics when you get your Grommy, and it looks like we are well on our way to getting a "mini" group out here in SWW - finally! I personally know of 2 others out here, one from Centralia, and one from Longview, if/when I see them, I'll let then know to start posting here, maybe we could put together some rides...
Very Cool! I ride out your way quite often, great area, TONS of scenic "touring" roads, I usually take Jackson Hwy. to go to Longview or Vancouver, and the 505 up to Mt. St. Helens is a superb ride, but I think I will have to get an "extended range" tank, A.K.A. a 2.5 gallon gas can to strap to the back of my Grom this year, I have yet to test, but I think I'm under 70mpg now with all the mods & high performance parts! 😏
Yes there are some great roads around here. To the West Vader to Pe El area are full of nice quiet Scenic roads. It sounds like you have souped up your bike to a point where your cruising speed might be a lot higher than mine. If I were to ride with you it would probably have to be with a bigger dual sport bike which should get nearly 100 miles per gallon. I'm getting the Grom because of today's current fuel prices and knowing that it's going to even get worse I'm wanting to get like 150 off the Grom so I'm not looking to hot rod it at all. Sorry if that is a bummer.
Now worries, no hurries! Definitely not a bummer! I just ride for the pure joy of getting from place to place with the wind in my hair, and the bugs in the teeth.😁 It's therapeutic for me as a combat vet. I put the performance parts on for safety, ironically, since getting cut off by rude drivers (obviously non-motorcyclists) who were passing me unsafely was quite upsetting for me. Also, the extra power is nice for pulling the mountain roads out here, since I love to play on the ride up to Mount Rainier, or when going up to Mount St. Helens, not to mention on some of these beautiful, curvy, country roads! The stock Grom is super enjoyable, I just wanted a bit more "fun factor". I don't ride on the I-5, that is lunacy on a Grom, much less any motorcycle these days. My cruise speed is still the same, around 45-50 mph is perfect. Being a middle aged guy (52) with a family, I'm not the bulletproof speed demon I was in my teens and 20's, and I know very well what it feels like to (both during, and LONG afterward) crash at both high and low speeds on a motorcycle. I have had some doozies, and not looking to repeat my mistakes, or live through that kind of pain again. Regarding mileage, I have gotten up to 135mpg out of my Grom, when it was bone stock. I'm not sure these people who talk about getting 150+ mpg are being completely truthful, or they are not telling us that they had a 50 mph tailwind during the entire ride. I'm not saying they are lying, just that it has not been my experience with my 2015 "OG" Grom around here where we live. Do not be shocked if you don't get that kind of mileage. I will say that it is very cool to pull into a gas station and put in less than $5 to fill up, and people just love to ask questions about the Grom! Lastly, the biggest reason(s) for me to want to get a group of people to ride with is for safety, friendship, and social interaction, and to talk to/hang out with/ride with like minded folks who enjoy the same things in life as myself - that is why I'm here on hondagrom.net!
I like your vibe. I have other bikes for Speed but I understand where you're coming from. It is not fun to go down. My most memorable one fortunately was at low speed. I was riding behind a friend who always like to exaggerate sticking the knee out for Sharp turns as if he were at the race track which is what he did road racing in the Kawasaki 900 1,000 class. I was used to seeing him show off so it caught me off guard when the reason for his knee this time was that while we were making a left hand turn at 20 miles an hour from a left turn lane there had been a truck there previously that it keep that line oil and he barely missed it and my front tire got into it and all that lovely slow motion of just watching the bike slide out from underneath me. Fortunately I just got a cut on my knee as if I had had a little kid bicycle wreck and I broke end of the turn signal off and that was it. Oh by the way, I was riding the tomato soup colored 1975 Yamaha rd350 with expansion chamber exhaust. It was the most weelie prone bike I've ever owned. I also know a little about smaller bikes from before, as I have had in the past a Honda st90, and a Honda mb5 tiny sport bike
Owwch!!! That rd350 was a beast! An old friend of mine had one (his only Yamaha, and only street bike), and that thing was nuts on the pipe, one of the first bikes that really scared me, big bore 2 stroke with a very aggressive powerband! 39 horses with a 6.6:1 compression ratio. It makes me appreciate the more modern hardware out there, we have come a long way with the engineering... BTW, I'm probably going to ride up to Mount St. Helens on May 18 if you're interested, and have the day free. I'm currently getting 76 mpg, but I got my extra range tank ready, LOL! Just in case you were wondering why May 18, (and didn't know this already) - That's the anniversary of the mountain erupting 42 years ago, and the annual opening day of the visitor's center each year (weather permitting!). I guess they are getting ready to put in a new campground and lodge up there, I'll have to post a link to the article I saw about it when I find it again...
). I guess they are getting ready to put in a new campground and lodge up there, I'll have to post a link to the article I saw about it when I find it again...Like the old saying goes, "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 5 minutes, it will change!" definitely applies here in W. Washington in the springtime! I just looked again at the weather last night, and saw that it had changed again, and not in a good way! Well, Tuesday looks good still, so I'm gonna run up to Olympia for the day. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that maybe the weather will turn nice for Wednesday but I definitely won't hold my breath!😨
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