The Best Honda Mini Moto On Sale In 2024
- The Honda Grom is a high-quality mini moto designed for fun, with tiny dimensions and perky engine.
- The Grom offers a hilarious riding experience, practicality, and excellent build quality for maximum enjoyment.
- Customization is key with the Grom, attracting a cult following of modders, making it a blank canvas for personalization.
If we asked you: what’s the most engaging motorcycle ever made? Chances are, you’ll come up with bikes like the Aprilia Tuono V4, Ducati Multistrada V4 RS, or KTM Super Duke. You won’t be wrong, but you’ll be missing one bike — the Honda Grom. Don’t believe us? Ask anyone who’s ridden a Grom, and they’ll likely agree. The Grom is the best Honda mini moto on sale today, and we’re not kidding when we say it’s an engaging motorcycle.
What makes this bike so much fun? The short answer is that it is a high-quality mini moto capable of doing everything you throw at it. Heck, we’ve even seen them obliterate drag strips! Mini motorcycles are, by design, fun because of their tiny dimensions and perky engines. Originally made for kids, mini motos have found themselves in the hands of grown-up adults looking to have serious fun but on a budget. And the Grom nails that. Let’s look at the long answer now.
In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Honda, and other authoritative sources like Jalopnik, Car Throttle, and Motorcycle News.
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Meet The Honda Grom: A Pit Bike For The Streets
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The Honda Grom was introduced in 2014, and since then, its small dimensions have left a big impression on the motorcycling community. Back then, it had an air-cooled, two-valve four-stroke engine with a four-speed transmission and a simple design. Even then, it sold over 3,000 units across Europe in its first eight months. Since then, it has received gradual updates, including a fifth cog, modern styling, ABS, and LED lights. Today, it’s about as modern as any regular bike should be.
In a decade, Honda claims to have sold over 750,000 Groms worldwide. That’s a big number, and it’s easy to see why. It is a breath of fresh air in the community that’s often busy bragging about horsepower or top speed. This one foregoes all that for something even better: hilarious fun. There’s a reason why this mini moto has nurtured a cult of followers who’d pick this bike over bigger bikes.
Honda Grom Model Updates
- 2014: First-generation
- 2016: Styling update with new stacked LED headlights, side panels, fuel tank, higher seat, and updated exhaust
- 2017: Gentle updates to the engine and the addition of ABS to the front brake
- 2021: Updates for Euro5 with new engine, styling, and five-speed transmission
Hilarious Riding Experience Meets Everyday Practicality
Power Output: 9.6 HP @ 7,520 RPM
If there’s one phrase that describes the Grom, it’s this: silly, fun, and totally relevant. Think of this as the world’s smallest supermoto because this will bring out the hooligan in you. Fortunately, it likely won’t land you in jail, thanks to its miniature engine. Whether you’re turning a local mall parking lot into a kart track or racing down the backroads with the engine pinging off its redline — you’ll love this.
The Honda Grom is a type of motorcycle that proves why it’s more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow. It’s nowhere near as capable as a proper road bike, but who cares? You can wheelie this on a whim (no power wheelies, of course), pull stoppies at every red light, and scrape pegs (knees or elbows, too) in parking lots. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even take it off-roading — it’s not made for that, but you’ll have fun. Chaotic energy and letting your intrusive thoughts win is what this is about.
Performance Specifications
(Specs sourced from Honda)
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Practically Sound Ergonomics And Performance
Then there’s the practical aspect of the motorcycle once you leave shenanigans for the weekends. The Grom’s small stature, unstressed engine, and light clutch make it an excellent bike for beginners and commuters. It’s also pretty comfortable and roomy for its size; the handlebars are high and wide, the pegs are placed comfortably, and the bench seat is large enough for most butts. And lest we forget, it’s super frugal and cheap to maintain!
That’s not to say it’s not perfect; it’s far from that. While handling is predictable, the short wheelbase can sometimes leave the tires at traction’s mercy under hard braking. The suspension also turns useless on cobblestones or uneven surfaces. We also wouldn’t dare take this bike on the highway, as it runs out of breath really quickly. Plus, the shorter dimension will leave you feeling vulnerable to anything bigger than a shopping card.
Looks And Feels Unlike A Budget Bike
The initial iterations of the Grom looked goofy, which Big Red has fixed in its latest avatar. Now, this minomoto is modern, with straight lines and four main body panels. These body panels are also easy to detach, making it super easy to work on the bike. It’s still a minimalistic motorcycle, though, and its appeal is enhanced by the blacked-out parts and funky colorways.
When it comes to build quality, the bike is a typical Honda — high-quality components with no panel gaps or rough edges. Even though the bike is now made in Thailand (not Japan), that doesn’t take anything away from its premium finish. That’s why we say the Grom feels like a Honda, not a budget commuter.
Let Your Custom Dreams Come True
Not too fond of the stock Grom? Then, you’d be happy to know one of its cornerstones is customization. Everyone and their grandma love modding Groms. It’s a blank canvas of a motorcycle, especially considering the minimal lines, easy-to-detach panels, and wide aftermarket support. The sky is the limit here. It’s not uncommon to see Groms slammed to the ground, kitted out like a bagger, or wearing race-spec components. There’s even a Grom in the wild with a Ducati 1199 Panigale R engine — think about it: a minomoto pumping out over 200 horsepower!
Addressing The Monkey In The Room (And Some Rivals)
The Honda Grom shares its platform with another awesome mini motorcycle, the Monkey. This cute little bike pays homage to the original 1960s monkey bike with its retro styling and fatter balloon tires. The Monkey offers a more upright, relaxed riding position and the seat is cushier, too. It’s a terrific retro alternative to the Grom that is just as ridiculous, albeit in an old-school way.
Fun fact: The Honda Monkey was originally called the Z100, but it earned the title of Monkey because of the funky riding position that made the rider look like a monkey.
The Grom’s biggest rival, however, is the Kawasaki Z125 Pro. It features a 125cc engine, nimble handling, and sporty styling. On the road, it’s slightly faster than the Grom since the transmission is geared a bit lower. However, it is also more cramped and does not look as proportionate as the Grom. The Z also lacks the cult appeal and the wide aftermarket support of its rival.
Another rival to the Grom is the CFMoto Papio, which comes in two flavors — scrambler (CL) and café racer (SS). While this mini moto has a sixth gear, it also weighs more than the Grom. And it produces a peak power 1,000 RPM later in the rev range. The design itself is loud and may not be to everyone’s preference. It looks like something out of a sci-fi Anime movie; might be cute for some and over the top for others.
2024 Honda Grom Pricing
Starting MSRP: $3,599
The Honda Grom comes at a price tag of $3,599 for the base variant. Not recommended. Instead, you should pay $3,799 and get the ABS variant. As mentioned, the Grom tends to lose traction under hard braking, so having an ABS is always a good idea, especially for new bikers. You can also get the SP variant, which brings a loud livery for $3,699. For reference, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro and the CFMoto Papio cost $3,649 and $3,299, respectively.
The Honda Grom is the best Honda mini motorcycle you can buy today (although we still think the Monkey is the cuter of the two!). It’s frugal, practical, and easy to ride. More than that, the Grom is simply everything you need in the city. Its purpose is clear: have fun. This is why you’ll find Grom riders puttering around town, spreading chaos with a grin on their faces, without breaking any speed laws. It’s a reminder of how awesome motorcycles can be when they aren’t bogged down by the latest trends or fancy components. Simplicity wins, at least in the case of the Grom.