Grom Adventure Bike Build

[Jim]

and this is why i stopped signing on this forum. back to WERA i go

[Vovchandr]

and this is why i stopped signing on this forum. back to WERA i go

Because people ask for proof of your claims?

I just sourced two articles that say that HP is unchanged.

Youre saying the bike has 2 more hp for 2021, with no evidence

[breakdirt916]

Get a monkey

[RandyO]

my K-Pipe went tic tic tic, and lost power, only to discover the oil evaporated , don't trust the crank for a top end rebuild, I'm gonna put a crate motor in, probably 140cc, but maybe a 190cc

I hit 63 once on my K-Pipe, but don't a steep hill, best I could do flat going, no help from wind, was about 53, I'm hoping a 140 will get my top speed close to 70, but I wanna be able to maintain 55+ on flat going instead of 45-50

Luckily, with the K-pipe, I'm working with 17" wheels, instead of the 12 inchers on Groms and Z125s

[boosten lebaron]

I put a 150 kit on two of my k pipe motors. I can do 70 but its at like 9k rpms. Its very happy at 55 or 60. They dont last long if abused. I get about 2k miles before im rebuilding them again.

[RandyO]

I put a 150 kit on two of my k pipe motors. I can do 70 but its at like 9k rpms. Its very happy at 55 or 60. They dont last long if abused. I get about 2k miles before im rebuilding them again.

that is what I am looking for, happy @ 55. I am told, they really need oil coolers, air cooling isn't enough, and they are plumbed to add an oil cooler

[breakdirt916]

I'm actually entertaining the idea of the opposite of an ADV vehicle: the Sur Ron

45ish miles is plenty of range to do my local mountain peak ride...minimal maintenance...

[nhbubba]

I'm kicking around the idea of down-sizing my KTM 200 to a Sur Ron. It'd be perfect for the back yard.. which is about as far as I can roam these days.

That definitely ain't no ADV bike though!

[boosten lebaron]

that is what I am looking for, happy @ 55. I am told, they really need oil coolers, air cooling isn't enough, and they are plumbed to add an oil cooler

I havent added an oil cooler to mine yet. I never thought oil temps were an issue as mine tend to go boom when its cold, usually around 6am when i am traveling into work.

[RandyO]

after having all my oil evaporate, in less than 800 miles, I like that adding a cooler will also add capacity, and I wouldn't be adverse to adding an additional small tank, 0.9 qt original capacity ain't much, running 5k-7k rpm pretty much most of the time, it doesn't take long to cycle thru the system

I want to respring my K-Pipe as well as motor upgrades, it's ok, with no cargo, but don't take much to change that, last spring, I went shooting with some friends, I packed 3 handguns, and a couple boxes of ammo in a backpack, and I was riding on a solid rear axle, how much did I add, 30, maybe 35 lbs. weigh 285, so I'm 60lbs over the recommended max payload, to begin with, haven't found anything on spring rates, I do think the stock spring is progressive

[SRTie4k]

I owned a Grom briefly. You're going to hate it offroad unless you really do a number on the suspension, and unless you're a person of very short stature, there are way better bikes out there suited to light weight adventure riding. The TW200 comes to mind. A WR250R would make for a significantly better mini adventure bike for the cost, however.

I'm actually pretty enamored with my CRF250L Rally for light weight adventuring. Yeah it'll cost you ~$1000-1500 more compared to a Grom, but it's at least outfitted for light offroading and adventuring, which the Grom isn't at all. It already has long travel suspension (albeit pretty crappy if you aren't 140lbs with gear), it's got a much more comfy seat, it's got a crossbar for nav, a mini windshield, a toolbox, a decent skid plate, an aux plug for accessories and of course it has more than twice the power at less than 1.5x the weight. And it's still short person friendly.

[boosten lebaron]

I have really been eyeing the crf250 rally the last few months. Now the 300 is coming and its even more tempting. I like the idea of a small, all purpose bike. I was also considering a plain old crf250 and doing it up myself rather than the added expense of the rally.

[Point37]

I owned a Grom briefly. You're going to hate it offroad unless you really do a number on the suspension, and unless you're a person of very short stature, there are way better bikes out there suited to light weight adventure riding. The TW200 comes to mind. A WR250R would make for a significantly better mini adventure bike for the cost, however.

I'm actually pretty enamored with my CRF250L Rally for light weight adventuring. Yeah it'll cost you ~$1000-1500 more compared to a Grom, but it's at least outfitted for light offroading and adventuring, which the Grom isn't at all. It already has long travel suspension (albeit pretty crappy if you aren't 140lbs with gear), it's got a much more comfy seat, it's got a crossbar for nav, a mini windshield, a toolbox, a decent skid plate, an aux plug for accessories and of course it has more than twice the power at less than 1.5x the weight. And it's still short person friendly.

I have really been eyeing the crf250 rally the last few months. Now the 300 is coming and its even more tempting. I like the idea of a small, all purpose bike. I was also considering a plain old crf250 and doing it up myself rather than the added expense of the rally.

^^^agree...i really miss my tw200...i think that may have been my favorite bike...will probably buy another at some point...there is also the suzuki vanvan 200 if you can find one

[nhbubba]

Count me as a +1 on the CRF250 Rally. For some reason I am not much for the bike in base L form, but add the Rally bits and it makes a lot more sense, somehow.

Although I've now convinced myself that my next motorcycle purchase will be a Yamaha Tenere 700.. you know, at twice the price.

[Crconnor18]

+2 for a 250 Rally / +1 for a T7.

Maybe I’m just frugal but I can’t fathom bashing around a $11-12k (after purchasing necessary crash protection) bike as they are designed (T7 that is) while the rally can be found for $5k.

The rally seems to be a smaller efi KLR with the same power to weight ratio though. At that point I’d keep my KLR

[SRTie4k]

+2 for a 250 Rally / +1 for a T7.

Maybe I’m just frugal but I can’t fathom bashing around a $11-12k (after purchasing necessary crash protection) bike as they are designed (T7 that is) while the rally can be found for $5k.

The rally seems to be a smaller efi KLR with the same power to weight ratio though. At that point I’d keep my KLR

Just make sure you set aside some suspension money for the CRF. In stock form it's pretty lackluster on anything but smoother class 6 roads. For maximum bang-for-your-buck ratio, a lot of people love the ~$350 YSS rear shock and then buy a ~$100 heavier spring for the forks. Or go all in on Ohlins/Racetech front/rear for ~$1000.

FWIW I bought my 2017 Rally with a rack and Seat Concepts seat for $3850 a month ago, it was a smoking deal in today's bike market. Last year they were selling for $4k all day long on ADVRider. Deals are out there, just gotta get lucky I guess.

It's not a great enduro, but it is a really fun dual sport/mini adventure bike.

[nhbubba]

Damn. That makes an awful lot of sense.

Some other interesting options out there too. Like the BMW g650gs singles. I've seen late model instances go for that $4k mark too.

[nhbubba]

You can really do up both ends on the crf250 suspension for ~$1k?!?

[SRTie4k]

You can really do up both ends on the crf250 suspension for ~$1k?!?

Doing your own install, yes. As I understand it, it's a game changer on this bike.

Racetech
https://www.crfsonly.com/catalog/pro...oducts_id/6692

Ohlins
https://www.srcmoto.com/collections/...ally-2017-2019
https://www.srcmoto.com/collections/...ally-2017-2020

CRF250L non-Rally is slightly cheaper.

[MattR302]

I feel like it's apples and oranges when you comparing a Grom vs a 250cc dualsport.

If you're building an "Adventure Grom" going in, you're already starting off with expectations that you're not going to be doing any highway and you're not going to be doing anything gnarlier than forest roads. The fun of a Grom is its small size and weight and the fact that it doesn't go fast.

When you start looking at the 250cc dual sports, they are full-size bikes (I'm 5'8" and felt the 250 Rally was quite big). And then you get into the inherent weaknesses/compromises of all dual sports, dirt vs road capability. 250cc barely does highway speeds, they're still all 300+ lbs, stock suspension sucks for off-road use, etc etc. You can end up throwing a lot of $$ to set it up one way or the other. Then there will always be guys saying that for the same price, you can just get a KTM.

Like you said, you already have a couple dual sports in your garage - do you want a more nimble version, or do you want the silly fun of trying to take a Grom places it shouldn't be? (Although, I'm thinking the TW200 might be a fun middle ground)

In terms of the 250 dual sports, it's the performance rankings have always been #1: WR250R, #2: KLX250, #3: CRF250L. They're all bumping up to 300cc, but I'm betting the rankings don't change. Never really saw the appeal of the 250 Rally - it weighs almost as much as my DR650.

[SRTie4k]

There is a really good thread on ADVRider (here) about a couple from New Zealand who rode their Groms across the TAT. IIRC the only real problem they ever had was a blown rear shock, and ironically it was an aftermarket shock. After replacing with the OEM shock, they made it the rest of the way without a problem.

I realize the Grom is somewhat of a novelty, especially so as an adventure bike. As someone 6'2", my biggest hang-up with the Grom was always comfort; the street suspension and god-awful seat offroad would rattle fillings loose, and my ass would be on fire after a 30 minute ride. I'm sure a replacement seat would do wonders, but I still wouldn't want to ride 100+ miles with that suspension offroad. Despite being way underdamped, the CRF suspension is a magic carpet compared to the Grom. And it'll do 70mph on the highway, even with my 240lb fat ass. My Grom would only ever do 60mph tops on a downhill with a tail wind.

[Point37]

i still say tw200 all the way...fun small bike, not very fast, low to the ground/center of gravity, can load up gear easily, lots of aftermarket since it's almost unchanged since 1987, good forum support and who doesn't love that fat rear baby!...78mpg, 31.1" seat, 1.8gal, 278lbs wet, ~70mph, carb, 5 speed (vs 134mpg, 30" seat, 1.45gal, 229lbs, ~60mph, FI, 4 speed grom)...

https://www.tw200forum.com/

[Crconnor18]

who doesn't love that fat rear baby!

A fat rear is a necessity these days in all aspects of life

[OneCheekRider]

I have a Z125 and a WR250R. The WR is much more versatile on and off road, I also have a set of street wheels for the kart/sumo track and a dirt set. The 125 does put a big shit-eating grin on my face when I take it to the grocery store and run errands. I just can't picture taking the Z off-road, but maybe I should try

[feralchimp]

Threw a leg over both a Grom and a Monkey last week. I'm not a big dude, but I felt like the suspension was close to bottoming just sitting there. Have you guys who ride these minis regularly all jacked up the preload on both ends? Is there lean angle available otherwise?

Suspension on my past 250L's was really soft too, but there was a lot more of it to use up.