Since its release in early 2014, the Honda Grom has taken the world by storm and captured the hearts and attention of seasoned veterans and new-riders alike. With the popularity of the well-known Honda Ruckus already in the brand’s line-up, the Grom was sure to be a hit for those looking for something with a little more power to carry them through their daily commutes while staying small, nimble, and easy to ride. After owning and building a ruckus over the course of several years, I finally bit the bullet and decided to pass it on to a new owner so that I could see what all the hype was about with the Grom. In this entry, I will be focusing on some of the main weaknesses of the bike from the factory, as well as showing you some of the upgrades that I recommend and have already made to my machine to improve the looks, performance, and overall rideability. With this list of modifications, I will also provide my initial impressions of the products, experiences as a customer, and the installations of these products. (Before and after photos included!)
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| All hardware and instructions are included with this kit. Some wiring and soldering experience required. |
For its size, the Grom screams fun and sportiness straight
out of the crate. With its hard lines and aggressive looks, it’s sure to turn
heads at any traffic light you find yourself stopped at. But upon taking
delivery of my fresh 2015 Grom, there were a few aesthetics that I knew must be
addressed before I could be seen on this bike. Let’s start with the rear
fender. Though the factory rear fender on the grom definitely serves a purpose,
it can also be seen as a giant eye-sore to most. Lucky for us, there is already
a massive amount of aftermarket support for the Grom, which means that nobody
will have to be forced to live with this ugly rear fender as long as they have
a little extra spending cash in their pocket. With many different brands to
choose from for a fender eliminator kit, I opted to go with the tried and true
brand of MNNTHBX (or “man in the box” without the vowels for those unfamiliar
with the company.) Why was my choice so easy you ask? Here are a few reasons:
MNNTHBX has great customer service, fast shipping, and most of their parts are
high quality and made in-house right here in the USA. Once I received my fender
eliminator and taillight kit in the mail, I immediately removed the ugly stock
fender and light assembly and got to work installing this clean, high quality
product from MNNTHBX. For myself, installation of this product was a breeze,
and was well worth the time and money for a much cleaner look at the rear of
the bike. Though this fender eliminator kit was easy for me to install, it is
not a plug-and-play product. The LED taillight and integrated turn signals in
this kit do require some soldering for a clean and proper installation, and I
do recommend professional help if you are not familiar with soldering. This kit also features a license plate mount, allowing for bolt-on vertical mounting, or horizontal mounting with minor plate modification. Please check your local state license plate laws to ensure that you have yours mounted legally. A new
flasher relay will also be required for all of your turn signals to function
properly, which in my opinion should be provided in the kit. This fender
eliminator kit and replacement electronic flasher relay can be found at mnnthbx.com. Pick up some wiring shrink
tube and thread locker for this install while you’re at it! You’ll thank me
later.
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| It's clear why most Grom owners choose the fender eliminator as their first upgrade. The bike should come like this from the factory! |
Along with the rear fender, the next eye sores to address on
this machine were the front signal lights and mirrors. These are two items on
this bike that the designers at Honda should have spent a little more time at
the drawing table on. With limited adjustability, these mirrors don’t help the
rider to see what’s behind them, and with their unusually large size, don’t help
the bike much in the looks department either. The front turn signals on the
Grom may not be an issue to many, but I found them to be much too large and
stick out too far. After a few hours behind my laptop screen, I finally decided
to turn to the depths of Ebay to see what was available from overseas. To my
surprise, I was able to find many of the exact mirrors and flush-mount signal
lights that companies were selling here in the states for half the price! Being
such small parts with no real quality standard to live up to, I decided to
order both my mirrors, and signal lights from independent sellers on ebay from
overseas and was pleasantly surprised with the quality, ease of installation,
and speed of shipping on these parts. Because the mirrors were listed as
universal fit, they came with many different adapter sizes to accommodate many
different applications. I found these mirrors to be much more adjustable and
fit the edgy look of the bike much better than the factory provided “mickey
mouse ears.” I was also impressed with the flush mount signal lights for the
Grom. The lights I ordered were plug and play and required no special wiring
tools or skills, and only needed minor trimming of the mounting washers for a
clean fit. As these front signal lights are also LED lights, you will need a
new electronic flasher relay for the signals to work properly. If you already
purchased this relay with your MNNTHBX fender eliminator kit as I did, you’re
in luck and your signals will work as intended with no need for extra parts!
Normally I don’t suggest that you purchase cheaper products from overseas for
your bike, but it’s hard to go wrong with these mirrors and signal lights when
shops here in the U.S. are selling the exact same thing at twice the price. Spend
some time searching and I’m sure you’ll find similar items to these that fit your style
and needs.
Next up in the aesthetics department comes the body pieces
for the Grom. I found it difficult to find anything wrong with the body panels
on this bike that needed changed, but there are definitely parts available to
add to the bike that can improve its aggressive looks even more. First on my list were the MAD brand side
shroud vents from steadygarage.com. These side vents replace the faux side
vents that come factory on the Grom, and definitely give it a mean look that
will separate your bike from the rest in your crowd of riding buddies. Shipping
was quick and painless, and my parts arrived in a timely fashion to my front
door. Initially, I assumed that these side vents were molded from black ABS
plastic, but was disappointed to find that they were actually molded in a
thinner white plastic, and painted matte black to match the matte black gas tank
of the bike. I have an eye for perfection and detail, and straight from the
packaging I noticed that these vents were poorly painted and would need some
work to live up to my standard of quality for my brand new bike. After some
light scuffing, and a fresh, heavier coat of matte black paint, my side vents
were ready to install. Installation of these vents is straightforward and simple
with a basic set of tools and really improves the looks of the bike. Knowing
what I know now, I probably wouldn’t have forked out the $65.00 for these
vents, but I am happy with them after improving the finish with my own paint
job. My most favorite and probably the
most popular body addition I have seen on the Grom, is the fiberglass
under-cowl. Under-cowls give these bikes a much more race-inspired look and
immediately eliminate the scooter vibe that this bike puts off. After some
research and price shopping, I chose to purchase the color-matched under cowl
from TYGA Performance out of Thailand. TYGA performance has been around for
many years in the motorcycle racing industry and has provided Grom owners with
a variety of different options to personalize and customize their bikes. Being
an impatient guy, I purchased the fast shipping option for my under cowl and
waited for its arrival with excitement. Unfortunately, after a whole week, my
cowl still hadn’t shipped yet. After giving it a few more days, I submitted a
gripe letter to the owner of TYGA explaining my frustration of paying almost
half of the price of the product for faster shipping, and not receiving the
product in the time estimated. With little negotiation needed, TYGA promptly
refunded my complete shipping cost, and shipped my cowl for free the next day
and provided tracking. Days later, my cowl arrived safely and well packaged.
Detailed instructions, hardware, and extra decals were also provided with the
cowl and installation went smoothly over the course of about 30 minutes. I found
that patience was a must with the installation and fitting of this part, but the
end result was definitely worth it.
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| The color-matched TYGA under cowl gives the Grom that sporty look that it lacks from the factory, and looks amazing with the MNNTHBX exhaust peeking out through the back of it! |
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| The Gazi shock provides amazing looks and performance at a great price. |
After riding my grom for the first time, I quickly noticed a
few things that compromised the handling, performance, and safety of the bike.
The suspension was too soft and the brakes needed some work. Once again with
strong aftermarket support, these items were easily replaced with the click of
a mouse. For these upgrades, I returned to steady garage as they are an
exclusive dealer for the suspension I chose, and were one of the only shops on
the web that had the brake components that I wanted in stock. For the
suspension, I went with a Gazi reservoir shock. This shock is one of the higher
end shocks available, while still being less expensive than the well-known
Ohlins brand shock. With its unique horizontally configured reservoir and red
spring, the Gazi was an easy choice for me. I also liked that the shock had
both dampening as well as spring rate adjustability that many shocks at the
same price point did not have. Installation was straight forward, but requires
a stand that lets the rear end of the bike hang free while you remove the old
shock and install the new one. On my test ride, I immediately noticed that the
Gazi was a much stiffer shock and that it helped the bike tremendously with
cornering and maneuvering through traffic. Like many, I also noticed how poor
the stock front suspension was set up after upgrading the rear, and I hope that I will be able to address that issue sooner than later. Though this shock was a great choice
for me, lighter riders may find it to be too stiff and may not be happy with
this one. I am 155 pounds and found the support of the shock to be perfect for
a rider of my weight. After my suspension upgrade, came a much needed overhaul
of the brakes. If you have ever ridden a stock Grom, you’ll notice the
sponginess and lack of braking power right away. Many companies offer a full
brake upgrade kit with stainless brake lines, new brake rotors, and upgraded
brake pads, but these kits can be very costly. Rather than purchasing a full
brake kit, I was able to put my own brake kit together by purchasing stainless
brake lines and rotors separately for less money. For the lines, I purchased
the Galfer brand lines complete with new banjo bolts and crush washers.
Bleeding your brakes is required for this upgrade and professional help is
recommended if you are unsure on the install. Next, I installed my new Racing
Boy brand wave rotors for the front and rear. These rotors sell for about half
of the price of other brands, with close to the same quality. Installation is
simple as long as you have the proper allen wrench and a stand for your bike
while the tires and wheels are removed. Upon test riding, I immediately noticed
a substantial difference in braking power and response. I did notice that as I
put more miles on my new rotors, that they took some time to break-in and
improved even more after about 20 miles.
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| Racing Boy wave rotors provide great loos and performance by cutting down on rotational mass due to being lighter than factory rotors. |
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| Galfer brand stainless brake lines and banjo bolts improve braking power by eliminating cable expansion and provide more accurate feedback to the brake lever and rider. |
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| The dual under-body exhaust from MNNTHBX provides great performance gains, looks, and balance of the rider and bike. |
My most favorite purchases on my performance modification
list, are the exhaust and intake. With many different exhausts on the market to
choose from, I was able to narrow my selections down to two or three choices,
and finally narrowed those down to one, based on looks and sound. Off of the showroom
floor, the exhaust on this bike is quiet and heavy, and quiet can be dangerous
in traffic if drivers around you cannot see you. With that in mind, I went for
the notoriously loud line of exhausts from MNNTHBX. As a returning customer,
this was an easy choice because I have run this exhaust on my Honda Ruckus and
I absolutely loved it. The fit and finish of the dual underbody exhaust was
perfect, and after removing the stock exhaust, only took me around 10 minutes
to install. Though the quality and looks of this exhaust are amazing, you may
want to think long and hard about your decision to purchase it. This exhaust is
loud and grabs everyone’s attention. If you like your neighbors, and want them
to keep liking you, this exhaust may not be for you. Especially if you are
riding to and from your house early in the morning or late at night for
commuting, and need to be quiet about it. My initial reaction after riding with
this exhaust other than the sound, was that it gave the bike a much needed
boost in bottom end power throughout all of the gears, as well as a more
balanced feel of the chassis due to its center-mount configuration. Score! With
an exhaust upgrade, typically also comes an intake upgrade. After a bad
experience in the rain on my Ruckus, I opted to stick with my stock air box
configuration, and only upgrade my stock filter to a K&N brand filter assembly. I purchased this filter through a seller on Ebay because they offered free shipping where others did not. Though I didn’t notice any substantial power gains from this upgrade, I do have
a peace of mind that my bike is getting more air flow to the engine and that
the filter is one that can be cleaned and doesn’t need replacing. A short sound clip video of my personal bike and exhaust will be posted at the bottom of the page.
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| This upgraded air filter from K&N provides up to 50% more airflow, and is a lifetime filter because it is able to be washed and reused unlike the factory provided paper filter. |
Last but not least for my recent
upgrades are a couple of small additions to the bike that may not immediately
be noticed by your average person. First up are these awesome “shorty” brake
levers from hardracing.com. These items arrived in a timely fashion with no
customer service issues. These levers come in many different colors to match
your bike, and are CNC machined from aluminum for an awesome look. They also
have on-the-fly adjustment levers to fit the needs of nearly every rider.
Installation was easy, but shimming of the clutch lever may be required for a
tighter fit as mine did. A simple washer will fix this problem. Next, with protection
of expensive components in the event of a crash in mind, I purchased and
installed these great looking H2C brand aluminum/delrin crash bungs from drowsports.com. Being a
return customer, I knew that shipping and customer service wouldn’t be an issue.
These pieces not only look great, but will protect your expensive front forks
and rear swing arm from coming in contact with the ground in the unfortunate
event of a crash. If you find yourself dropping your bike on its side, the delrin cap portion of the bungs are replaceable to keep them looking like new! Like the brake rotor upgrade, installation is easiest with
the proper stands for the bike, as well as a thin-wall socket that will fit
inside the crash bung to tighten the axle nut.
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| CNC brake levers allow you to customize the look of your bike with different colors, as well as giving you the adjustability needed to fit the needs of each individual rider. |
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| The delrin cap is easily removed for access to the axle bolt and nut if you ever find yourself needing to remove your wheel. |
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| BEFORE... |
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| AFTER! |
Though I did my best to represent the sound of this exhaust,
I recommend that you hear one in person before making the decision
to purchase one. Its is LOUD!
Videos
MNNTHBX fender eliminator install video
MNNTHBX exhaust install video
Brake line bleeding how-to video
Rear shock install video
Shop Links
MNNTHBX
Steady Garage
TYGA Performance
Drow Sports
Hard Racing
