tag #motorcycles
I haven’t ridden the Grom since I got ABS faults1 caused by my non-OEM final drive ratio. To resolve it, I ordered the 12oClockLabs SpeedoDRD Healer.
While the unit is well made, well priced and simple to configure with a single button and a single dual color LED - the instructions were lacking.
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I checked the calendar - the last time I rode was at the end of October 2024 when I installed new different ratio front and rear sprockets on my Honda Grom. I only test rode it and afterwards put it on trickle charger, added fuel stabilator and the weather rolled in. The KTM (Baby) Duke 390 was treated similarly for the winter.
Fast forward to today.
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Another weekend #diy project - 20-30% power increase on #Honda #Grom . These are made for affordable, reliable, daily transportation - which means lots of power is “left on the table”. I already have high flow exhaust, so remaining easy power upgrades were: intake, camshaft and ECU retune. Went with Chimera short ram intake, Decha Performance HR camshaft and DHM ECU stage2 retune. Now the motor keeps pulling hard above 7k whereas before it ran out of breath.
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#ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time is a good way to increase #motorcycle safety. I wear full length gear, including chest and rib armor, along with full height adventure boots. Using the gear should be painless, convenient and quick. In my case the pain was old freestanding always wanting to tip coat hanger. Then I had a wall mounted replacement, but it was crowded. Today I grabbed some 2x4, wall anchors and hooks and solved it for real!
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#Honda #Grom seat is quite uncomfortable and this weekend I fixed it. I used an aftermarket high-grip skin and a 2.5cm thick gel pad. I also re-profiled the seat to round out an annoying ridge between front&back. I was hoping for a straight across shape (motocross style) but didn’t have foam + hotwire to build it up. It looks 8/10, high grip, and comfort got a big upgrade. Not bad for a first attempt.
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I bought #honda #grom for 3 reasons: - a) as customize and mod project (cheap) - b) get comfortable working on engine internals (cheap) - c) learn to wheelie (cheap and non-intimidating) I’ve been shopping for stunt bars (see c) and finally decided on #AngryStuntz unit - reasonably priced, beefy, should work with most tail tidys. Install was quick, but I needed to trim the tidy to make it all fit under the bars + drilled out from metric to imp.
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The replacement “premium” gasket for clutch-side engine cover arrived. 3x the price of #Honda cork-n-paper but worth it!! Strong fiber base + nice silicone bead. I laid the bike down, kept oil in, didn’t make a mess, gasket wasn’t sliding during installation and I was done in 20min. Previously, I had the #Grom on a stand and considered laying it down too hacky. But! that way is superior - better lighting, no mess, gasket doesn’t slide…
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Another weekend project, this time Honda Grom. Todo: remove oil spinner, install high flow oil pump with rear pickup, install 60% over clutch springs and billet lift plate with six bolts, and a Kitaco clutch cover with cartridge oil filter. This will make oil changes a 5min job, will flow 30% more oil for better cooling and no oil starvation when front wheel is off the ground!! Clutch upgrade fixes OEM’s slippage. Spinner removal saves 2.5lb!!
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Done with #KTM #Babyduke 390 \o/ Installed aftermarket airbox cover filter under the seat. Doubles intake filtered surface area for moar power & sound! Previous owner damaged threads of fairing nut plates by trying to use non-metric bolts. Chased threads with a M6 tap, epoxied cracked catches and replaced one broken catch with a hardwood block + a wood screw!! :) Finally quickened the throttle via Powertronics: 80% twist gives 100% power! whoa!
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With bike on stand and waiting for parts, I couldn’t resist finding something to do. The rear lamp was crooked, so took tail apart & found alignment studs cracked - ordered new lamp. Then upgraded mirrors, ordered intake mod which adds filtered air-path from under the seat and backed up the PowerTronics. Old 112-link chain was stretched a WHOLE link - it NEEDED replacing -> bling orange EK. Waiting for more parts :) No 10mm wrenches were lost 😆
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Drivetrain service on #KTM “Baby-Duke” 390 after I measured the chain stretch and it was out of spec. Installed new rear spools, removed the old chain, old front and rear sprockets, removed 4mm of grime in the front sprocket housing, cleaned the chain guides and serviced the air filter. Now I must wait for new parts. I already changed the oil, bled the brakes and flushed with new brake fluid in the spring. 10k miles on this motorcycle so far!!
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4th of July #epic2k24 ride organized by #BASM . Around 100 bikes attended - mostly #sumos , but there was everything from Groms to Harleys and Super Sports. Everyone was safe, tourists in #SF had an additional attraction and at the end we all had delish #tacos . Including ride to and from, I made 165 miles.
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62mi/100km sunday ride. Made a big loop through local mountain roads (Hwy 9 to Skyline Blvd) to Alice’s which is a popular weekend meeting spot for gear heads. Lots of bikes (from dual sports, to harleys to supersports) and cars (porsches, bmws, lamborghinis, supras, miatas and everything in-between). Had some coffee to warm up while checking out a cool Fiata and an old Alfa Romeo along with various bikes.
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After oil change and rear brake flush on the KTM #babyduke , I rode it up Hwy 9 to Skyline Blvd. Nice 1:20 round-trip ride, lots of bikers, lots of cars and a good de-stresser before another work week :)
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Honda Grom “track day” 🙂 stock power and what a blast! I learned so much riding this non-intimidating, cheap, simple mini-moto bike. (no cameras we destroyed during the filming, but the microphone is shot). Used a cheap action cam, Ram suction mount and a DIY external 18650 power for hours of record-time: Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcV0w9Jn_qQ
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For safety, while flying in backcountry or in case of an emergency, I protect my head against Cessna A-pillar with a Team Wendy SAR Tactical helmet. Recently my old headset died and I upgraded to David Clarke One-X. I engineered a new 3d printed Peltor mount for ear cups. DC’s have great design, where I attached an adapter onto existing #4-40 post and bolted through it. PLA here works only in compression.
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The full fingers brake lever on my Honda Grom wasn’t feeling correct. I was about to order an adjustable 2-finger lever, but first looked into my moto parts drawer. I found an unused 2-finger lever for Suzuki DRZ400. It fit perfectly, same dimensions and is more adjustable \o/ :) Q. Do all Japanese bikes use the same levers??
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New bike to me. A 2020 Honda Grom ABS. Came with 700 miles, aftermarket exhaust, adjustable levers and underglow lights. So far removed the underglow, did tail tidy, LED signals, functional bar-end mirrors, quick-throttle tube, cushy grips, adjusted throttle play, adjusted clutch friction zone, sae plug + setup bar and lever angles for my height. Super nimble at 220lb and a great urban ride to unwind. Aftermarket project parts support is amazing!!
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