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Took the Grom on a 400 mile camping trip. Pics!

14K views 27 replies 13 participants last post by  VB 
#1 · (Edited)
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!

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Audio equipment Technology Headphones Electronic device Gadget
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Discussion starter · #6 ·
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.
 
Discussion starter · #8 ·
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.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
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.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
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.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
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!
 
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