Getting Dirty With A Grom Is More Fun Than You Can Handle

Every iteration of Honda Grom I've ever ridden has put a giant smile on my face and a giggle in my helmet. It may just be the single greatest motorcycle on the planet, whether you want to admit it or not. Heck, slap a pair of knobby tires and some taller handlebars on it, and it's an even better trail bike than Honda can muster from its mediocre Trail 125 built around the same exact motor. The Canadian kooks from Range Road Moto recently pitted a lightly modified Grom against the Trail, and it came out on top in every competition, save deep water fording. And even then, fitting the Grom with a snorkel would have had it accomplishing the same. 

When I tested the Grom back in 2021, I said it delivered "miles per gallon and laugh-out-loud moments in equal number in a compact and inexpensive package." I absolutely adore this bike, and despite weighing more than it does, I never felt oversized or too heavy for it. I actually found I loved it more because of its low power output, rather than in spite of it. The 125 makes plenty of torque to get moving off the line, and while it lacks top-end speed, you just have to hustle it every time you go for a ride. 

While the lack of top-end speed is a detriment to its on-street performance and relegates you to slower surface streets, it might actually be a help when you're riding in the dirt. The gearing is low enough to pop wheelies and spin the tire in pretty much any situation, so you can kind of just chug along over just about anything. It's definitely no match for a high-suspension dirt bike when the trail gets craggy, or perhaps non-existent. But if you've got a reasonably groomed trail, even this short suspension bike can handle just about anything you can throw at it. Even steep hills, to a certain extent.

The Grom does for this generation what the [original] Trail did for its fifty years ago. Two machines built entirely around being cheap to buy, cheap to run, easy to ride, and above all fun. That last part is the part I care most about. Motorcycles are way too serious.

That's the conclusion that Range Road Moto came to after a few days of trail riding on both the Grom and the Trail 125. Even if this bike wasn't built for trail riding, and could be improved with some better suspension and larger wheels, the Grom is a better all-rounder than the Trail 125 which was built with trail riding in mind. The manually-operated transmission from the Grom would make the Trail a better overall bike for trail riding. Maybe Honda could compromise and build either a tall Grom with bits cribbed from the CBR, or a Trail with the Grom's transmission. Either way, I think it would be a riot. 

There's just something about using a tool that wasn't meant for a task that makes it a little extra fun. The Grom was built to terrorize city streets and for young riders to pop wheelies. The Grom customization scene is deep and far-reaching. If you wanted to build a purely off-road oriented Grom, there's someone out there making the parts you need. Heck, that doesn't sound like too bad of an idea. Maybe I should just do that myself. See you out on the trails, Grom gang?