[aGromination]

Hey guys and gals,

This past weekend I drove the Grom about 400 miles round trip to Charlottesville, Virginia from Washington DC. Took back roads down to C'ville and came back up Skyline drive (Shenandoah nat'l park, Appalachians).

I packed everything I needed to camp (no food though except snacks & water), including:

-2 person tent
-sleeping pad
-sleeping bag (rolled this up with the pad)
-camp pillow (about half size of a normal pillow)
-extra fuel bottle
-change of clothes
-duffel bag
-compression sack
-2 water bottles
-walking shoes
-U lock for helmet/jacket

Observations:

-That seat is hard, and probably needs to be replaced/restuffed if I'm going to do future long rides.
-Knees get sore after riding for an hour bent in that shape.
-Grom can keep up pretty well on highways with 55 mph speed limits. I could go 55 to 60 on flats w/ no wind (my Grom is stock, not fully broken in, and I'm a lightweight)
-If you are creative and pack well, you can really carry a lot (w/ a rack of course). I got everything I needed for a 2 day camping trip with some room to spare.
-GreatShield clip grip (see pic) from amazon.com worked well to hold my iphone in its case (used this with sae to cigarette lighter adapter, see pic, zip tied to Vagabond rack)

Pics!

 

[Grom1202]

Awesome !!!!!!

braap

 

[wondermuscle]

That is so sweet! What rack do you have?

 

[Heinrich]

Very nice! How did you mount the box on your grom?




Sent from my iPad using HondaGrom.net

 

[BlueRidge]

nice.. i think the grom will be the vehicle of choice to do a end to ender on the BRP..

 

[aGromination]

That is so sweet! What rack do you have?

It really works well- it is the Vagabond Motorsports fender eliminator and rack. Really nicely built steel rack- Two reasons I chose this setup:
1) there are attachment points on the sides of the rack that Vagabond is eventually going to use to make side racks for Givi saddle bags.
2) Vagabond also has a plate to clamp the milk crate down with very securely.

 

[aGromination]

Very nice! How did you mount the box on your grom?

See my post above- it is basically a thin steel plate that You can buy with a Vagabond rack that clamps te milk crate right to the rack using Allen keys (makes it a bit harder to steal).

 

[aGromination]

nice.. i think the grom will be the vehicle of choice to do a end to ender on the BRP..

I thought i might see you pop up in this thread! ;-)

Agreed - the Grom is pretty much perfect for these windy roads where agility is more important than pure speed. On the big hills just kicked it down to 3rd and could easily accelerate uphill to about 42 mph.

 

[jmzd4]

I love these threads. Awesome, looks like a good time.

One question though, why did you not run the wire for your phone under the plastics? the green tape messed me up

 

[BlueRidge]

I thought i might see you pop up in this thread! ;-)

Agreed - the Grom is pretty much perfect for these windy roads where agility is more important than pure speed. On the big hills just kicked it down to 3rd and could easily accelerate uphill to about 42 mph.

haha.. over the weekend i went to a the NASRA spring nationals.. a guy from FL came up and slept at the race track.. he was using a hammock that folded down into a small bag.. i am thinking of getting that to go in a backpack.. he had a sleeping bag that fit in it nicely.. would make camping on the grom even easier..

 

[aGromination]

I love these threads. Awesome, looks like a good time.

One question though, why did you not run the wire for your phone under the plastics? the green tape messed me up

Haha yeah, I know- not pretty.. It was a last minute addition right before I left. Definitely going to go under the plastics for the more permanent install. Maybe a handlebar mounted 12v too.

 

[jmzd4]

Haha yeah, I know- not pretty.. It was a last minute addition right before I left. Definitely going to go under the plastics for the more permanent install. Maybe a handlebar mounted 12v too.

I have the Eclipse on mine for a 12v. Amazon.com: EKLIPES EK1-110B Black Cobra Ultimate Motorcycle USB Charging System: Automotive

 

[aGromination]

haha.. over the weekend i went to a the NASRA spring nationals.. a guy from FL came up and slept at the race track.. he was using a hammock that folded down into a small bag.. i am thinking of getting that to go in a backpack.. he had a sleeping bag that fit in it nicely.. would make camping on the grom even easier..

A hammock would be perfect for Grom camping. Frankly I was surprised how easy it was to fit all I needed. I think if you are a little creative and take a step back and evaluate what it is you will actually use, the Grom is more than capable of trips like these. Maybe even longer- esp with saddlebags.

 

[aGromination]

I have the Eclipse on mine for a 12v. Amazon.com: EKLIPES EK1-110B Black Cobra Ultimate Motorcycle USB Charging System: Automotive

Thats nice- I like the idea of an on/off switch. What do you do with all the extra cord? Leave it under the seat zip tied or ..?

 

[BlueRidge]

Thats nice- I like the idea of an on/off switch. What do you do with all the extra cord? Leave it under the seat zip tied or ..?

i ran a cig lighter one and the extra cord i just zip tied under the seat..

 

[jmzd4]

Thats nice- I like the idea of an on/off switch. What do you do with all the extra cord? Leave it under the seat zip tied or ..?

Once you get it installed there really isn't any extra cord to hide or zip tie down. In fact it had just enough wire to reach where I have it installed, which is on the clutch side of the bars. The only zip ties I put on there were used to tuck it up next to the existing wires from the signal controls/horn. The rest just followed the existing wire harness under the plastics to the battery. I haven't had to use it for the phone yet as I haven't had the chance to do any real long distance rides yet. I also have to find a new phone adapter as I just upgraded my phone from Galaxy S3 to S5.

 

[wildgromin22]

This is so cool. My favorite threads. I too, am definitely going to do some major camping with my Grom. Now, I'm just torn between which rack to get, the standard one that's been out for awhile, or the one you have. Can't make up my mind - like everything else on this bike.

 

[Ven0m0uS]

I thought i might see you pop up in this thread! ;-)

Agreed - the Grom is pretty much perfect for these windy roads where agility is more important than pure speed. On the big hills just kicked it down to 3rd and could easily accelerate uphill to about 42 mph.

I was pretty much going around the same speed uphill as well on my trip. On the worst hills with wind I would slow down to 38mph. This thing is super agile on the twisties. It's fine just as it is for me. Check out my ride thread.

http://www.hondagrom.net/forums/10-grom-events/3731-ride-ss-la-santa-cruz.html

Sent from my SCH-I435 using HondaGrom.net mobile app

 

[pwr2wh8]

here's another variation of a phone charger. it has a smaller profile, has dual 5v @ 2A ports but lacks a cigarette lighter and switch. for android users, i can confirm this charger will charge at AC speed. many generic chargers charge at USB speed which is much slower.

http://www.hondagrom.net/forums/12-...ster-handle-bar-mounted-dual-usb-charger.html

good luck on your trip!

 

[aGromination]

This is so cool. My favorite threads. I too, am definitely going to do some major camping with my Grom. Now, I'm just torn between which rack to get, the standard one that's been out for awhile, or the one you have. Can't make up my mind - like everything else on this bike.

I would go for the Vagabond rack- it's only slightly more money but like I said, he's working on add-ons for the rack like mounts that slide on for Givi side panniers! To me this potential extra functionality is valuable. Good luck and let us know your camping strategies and ideas when you do go!