Howdy bike-lopnic fans! How are you on this most glorious of days? I’m feeling pretty good right now, because this afternoon I’ll be receiving a brand new Grom from Honda for an extended test session. I’m predisposed to like this little two-wheeler because I have commuted on small bore Hondas for years primarily on the Grom’s spiritual ancestor 1982 MB5.
Honda probably wants me to say very nice things about the Grom, and I just might, but I’ll have to ride it first to find out if it’s worthy of the glory that was the MB5.
(Full Disclosure: Honda reached out to ask if I would like to test any of its current lineup. The four-R CBR1000RR-R isn’t ready yet, and the Africa Twin has been covered to death elsewhere, so we decided to test a couple of bikes that have been in the lineup for a little bit to see how they hold up. I have not yet seen the bikes in person, as they will be delivered to my office in Reno, Nev. later today.)
Despite having been introduced six years ago and visually updated three years ago, Jalopnik has never reviewed the little 125cc Honda—though Andrew did sit on one once. It’s time to change that, because you can’t get much more analog than a little zippy boy like this one with a 4-speed manual gearbox. I am not a small man, so I expect to look ridiculous in the saddle, but that’s sort of the point. My commute is completely on flat surface streets, so I will get a great idea of how the bike works in its normal environment, though I do expect to take it a little outside of its comfort zone on some of the great riding roads in the area.
Don’t worry, though, I’ll still be socially distant and ride responsibly. I’m going alone, I will avoid shared spaces except when I absolutely need gasoline, and I’ll bring some Purell.
I haven’t been on a motorcycle since I began self isolating back in March (literally the day I got back from my Royal Enfield road trip) so I’m excited to swing a leg over something again. We’re in the heat of summer already in Nevada, so that will be an excellent opportunity for me to get in some serious riding miles while I have a Honda in the driveway.
You meet the nicest people on a Honda. I wonder who I’ll meet.
More importantly, I wonder what you all want to know about the Grom.