The Honda Grom for 2014
A little bike with a big attitude
The 2014 Honda Grom is a hoot, delivering an enjoyable riding experience to novice and expert alike. It makes an ideal pit bike due to its compact size, lightweight and exceptional agility. It comes across looking like a mini-sport bike, but is much more comfortable to ride ? even for someone my size (6?4? and weighing in at 230 lbs). Okay, admittedly I may possibly resemble a 500 pound gorilla on a mini-bike when tooling around on the Grom, but it?s FUN, so who cares?
Honda traditionally refrains from publishing horsepower and torque ratings for their powersports equipment, due to so many variables inherent in measuring output, but the Grom has plenty of get up and go. A dyno test ranked it at just a smidge under 9 horsepower close enough in fact, to give it a 9 horse rating.
Power comes from a 124.9cc SOHC, 2-valve, air-cooled single-cylinder,?four-stroke engine with PGM-Fuel Injection featuring automatic enrichment and electric ignition. Motive energy is geared through a four-speed sequential manual gearbox, and reaches the rear wheel via a chain final drive.
Dimensions are compact, but not necessarily Lilliputian. The Honda Grom has a wheelbase of 47.4 inches and an overall length of 69.3 and it tips the scales at a mere 225 pounds.
Suspension componentry consists of 31mm inverted forks up front with 3.9-inches of travel, and a single shock with a steel box-section swingarm and 4.1-inches of travel in the rear. The Grom rolls on 12-inch Vee Rubber brand donuts mounted on 5-?Y?-spoke, black-painted alloy wheels ? 120/70-12 forward and 130/70-12 aft. The rake or Caster angle measures 25 degrees and the Trail measurement is 81mm or 3.2-inches.
The 2014 Honda Grom is a hot commodity and comes with a full complement of standard equipment and features, required fluids and a full fuel tank, ready to ride with a base price of $3,199. Figure roughly another $150 for dealer preparation and handling bringing the estimated total sticker to $3,349. Due to its popularity however, you?ll be hard pressed to find one available at this price. Instrumentation includes an LCD digital dash featuring a speedometer, a bar graph tachometer, an odometer with A&B trip meters, a clock and fuel gauge.
The Grom is available in either a Pearl Red or Metallic Black finish. My test Grom was done in Metallic Black with gold anodized front forks.
SUMMARY: Technically, the Honda Grom is designed to accommodate both a rider and a passenger. The seat is long and there are pegs for a passenger. The Grom is certainly sturdy enough to handle a two-up scenario, depending of course primarily upon the size and weight of the rider and then factoring in the passenger?s bulk.
I found that the seat?s extended length made it nearly a perfect fit for my long frame. For me, carrying a passenger was out of the question, which in my book makes the Grom an ideal choice for tooling around in an urban environment, running errands or just for fun. The Grom is also capable of short freeway stints, but again, this depends on the rider?s structural statistics. I did a short freeway run, but I didn’t have a warm fuzzy feeling doing it.
The styling of the Honda Grom alone is enough to make one smile, but riding it really clinches the deal. It is rider friendly regardless of one?s level of expertise, making it an ideal choice for a young, beginning rider still in their formative years.
Bottom line, the Honda Grom is also perfect for aging riders who happen to be entering their second childhood, or for those who never really got out of their first. And, if just under 9 official horsepower is not enough to suit your fancy, there?re already parts available for souping up the Grom, including a non-street legal exhaust, but should you happen to be the law abiding type, there?s also a slip-on exhaust that will up the ante a bit. Kudos to Honda for coming up with the Grom – It not only looks cool, it is cool, and it?s a blast to ride. If you can find one, don’t hesitate to grasp the opportunity to satisfy your inner child.
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?[wptabtitle] SPECIFICATIONS: 2014 Honda Grom [/wptabtitle]
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| Base Price: | $3,199. |
| Price as Tested: | $3,349.* est. Dealer prep and handling fees may vary. |
| Engine Type and Size: | 124.9cc SOHC, 2-valve, air-cooled single-cylinder four-stroke engine with PGM-Fuel Injection with automatic enrichment and electric ignition. |
| Horsepower (bhp): | Close enough to 9 horses to count as such. |
| Torque (ft./ lbs.): | Not listed. |
| Transmission: | Four-speed sequential manual. |
| Drive Train: | Final drive – Chain. |
| Suspension: |
Front – 31mm inverted forks with 3.9-inches of travel. Rear – Single shock with steel box-section swingarm with 4.1-inches of travel. |
| Brakes: | Single 220mm disc with hydraulic dual-piston caliper up front / single 190mm disc with hydraulic single-piston caliper in the rear. |
| Tires: | Vee Rubber120/70-12 front / 130/70-12 rear mounted on 5-“Y”- spoke black-painted cast aluminum alloy wheels. |
| Wheelbase: | 47.4 inches |
| Length Overall: | 69.3 inches |
| Curb Weight: | 225 lbs. |
| Fuel Capacity: | 1.45 gallons including 0.38-gallon reserve. |
| EPA Mileage Estimates: | TBD |
| Seat Height: | 30.1 inches |
| 0 – 60 mph: | Not tested |
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Review by Arv Voss
Arv Voss is a Northern California based freelance motoring Journalist and member and past officer of several noted Automotive Journalist organizations who contributes regularly to a number of national and international media outlets. He reviews not only cars, trucks and SUVs, but motorcycles as well.
