Mini Bikes (Groms and such)

[decay]

I'm 6'6'', Groms are a ton of fun! for a short time haha

i like the idea of them, but i straight up do not fit on one, at least in any position i consider sensible.

besides that, my boss has a liter-bike and gives me shit for buying and modifying a 300 (honestly- the appropriate bike for my current skill level and my 99%-urban riding).

i would never hear the end of it if i spent my own good money on a 125 thumper.

[z31maniac]

my boss has a liter-bike and gives me shit for buying and modifying a 300

Years and years ago when I had my R6, one of my buddies had an R1 and was going to be gone for the weekend.

He threw me the keys and told me to go ride a "mans bike" over the weekend.

Even a 600cc sportbike is insanely quick, but literbikes are just mind bending.

[varg]

There's nothing wrong with buying and modifying a 300, it's a great place to start and polish skills/form good habits. A majority of the people you'll encounter with literbikes are either so afraid of the thing that they won't dare to try to keep up with you anywhere but the highway or so ignorant of the beast they're riding that they'll try to and eventually wind up leaving skin on the pavement once some turns appear.

[Streichholzschächtelchen]

https://youtu.be/LirGXU3dwEI

[decay]

There's nothing wrong with buying and modifying a 300, it's a great place to start and polish skills/form good habits.

my previous bikes (Derbi GPRs) were two-stroke thumpers and topped out at about 20hp/200lbs after pipe and carb.

the Ninja 300 starts at 40hp/360lb. i've taken an estimated 30lb out with weight reduction so far, and given that i ride almost exclusively in a dense urban environment, anything much faster would be a waste; right after i picked it up last year i got a friendly out-the-window warning from SFPD to slow it down when the thing was bone stock and i'd been getting a feel for quick-shifting... at 7K...

but yeah. if you're tall and want the "mini" experience- hunt for a Derbi GPR or an Aprilia RS50. they are mosquito-light and handle as you'd expect.

[Dj Buttchug]

I don't get the hype for groms and such, when it comes to street use there's nothing they can do that a small dual sport or street legal dirtbike doesn't do better and the thing they're good for, pit bike/trucker's bike, is a very niche use.

This
I daily commute a RMX450. I poach sidewalks/stairs/golf courses/center dividers and pretty much anything I can turn into a wall ride.
At some point ill be arrested for all the fun I have on it.

[decay]

This
I daily commute a RMX450. I poach sidewalks/stairs/golf courses/center dividers and pretty much anything I can turn into a wall ride.
At some point ill be arrested for all the fun I have on it.

someday when i have a garage i'll try a motard, they do look fun, in a very different way.

if i can only have one bike it's going to be a sportbike, lightened and with clipons so my hands are as far down and forward as possible, and i am going to carve city traffic with that hypervigilance part of my brain that needs to be fed every once in a while scanning 5-25m out.

i do wish i saw more groms and their clones around the city, because a lot of people in SF do use vespa/honda/whatever scooters as their primary transportation- one of my new housemates has two disused puch mopeds sitting around- but that's a bridge too far for me.

[DEV0 E30]

I've got a short commute and I've been eyeing bikes again since my 100 series land cruiser is silly to daily commute with. Summer gas prices have me really thinking it should be parked for short distances.

I've had a Ninja 250 (first year of the new body style) and an R6 years ago. Recently I've caught myself looking at Groms but really would like something that I can take on the freeway which has me looking at 300s again (R3 or Ninja 300). A supermoto/motard could be fun, or Zero's FXS (but it's too pricey for what it is). I don't need another 600, while it was fun without even trying I got a few more tickets than I would have liked.

[z31maniac]

I've thought about getting a SuperMoto, but I know I'd quickly lose my license and/or be arrested.

[decay]

I've got a short commute and I've been eyeing bikes again since my 100 series land cruiser is silly to daily commute with. Summer gas prices have me really thinking it should be parked for short distances.

I've had a Ninja 250 (first year of the new body style) and an R6 years ago. Recently I've caught myself looking at Groms but really would like something that I can take on the freeway which has me looking at 300s again (R3 or Ninja 300). A supermoto/motard could be fun, or Zero's FXS (but it's too pricey for what it is). I don't need another 600, while it was fun without even trying I got a few more tickets than I would have liked.

i can validate that the 300 is good for the freeway. it's up from 25 to 40 hp vs the 250. tweak it to your liking and you'll enjoy it. or there's the new 400, which adds more torque than it does horsepower, but shares a lot of parts that were developed for the 300 racing series... my plan is to reward myself for my next tech job with one and swap over everything i've done to the current bike. it'll work as long as i get another kawi green one.

[DEV0 E30]

Or, taking a look at the new BMW G310R, which I didn't know existed until today. Slightly higher premium over the R3 or Ninja 300 but I think it looks pretty damn good. Would probably hold its value better, not that I care about that honestly. I know it's made in India, just like the KTM, but it has caught my fancy.

Hmm.

[Melon]

Kind of want;

[Supadave]

Kind of want;

check this out https://www.instagram.com/p/BySSjBcJBjM/

[Northern]

Or, taking a look at the new BMW G310R, which I didn't know existed until today. Slightly higher premium over the R3 or Ninja 300 but I think it looks pretty damn good. Would probably hold its value better, not that I care about that honestly. I know it's made in India, just like the KTM, but it has caught my fancy.

Hmm.

I didn't know about the G310R or any of the R NineT models, and I like where they're going.

I think I'd be looking for an R3, RC390/390 duke or G310R for the 300 segment if I could go back. Not sure how the KTM stuff really is, but I think only some models are made in India (including the RC390 though). I'd probably end up with the R3 because it seems like the best of the yamaha/kawasaki/honda 300 offerings, and still hasn't received it's beating with the ugly stick by Yamaha (besides the Kyle's Monster Energy livery crap)...

[Melon]

Supadave rustling my jimmies. I approve of jimmie rustling.