A 21st century monkey bike for the urban guerrilla!
Ok, I've been wrong in the past and it seems that today I have been proven wrong again. Wrong for assuming Honda was NOT planning to bring the MSX125 to the US marketplace. Perhaps I am also partially mistaken for underestimating the evolution of America's motorcycling needs toward the "smart": after all we have the smart bomb, the smart phone, smart car etc so does it not make sense we would also desire a smart bike? The MSX - or the GROM as it will be know here - is indeed a very smart bike from every angle and not least because it's pocket sized yet capable of much. It's arrival in August also exemplifies the smarts of Honda corporate to make this educated decision rapidly. The success of the Kawasaki KSR110 in Asia was certainly an influencing factor in Honda's judgement call but doubtless so were their keen observations of US motorcycling trends over the past decade. Fuel prices and a deluge of media on all things moto have helped increase people's awareness and interest in motorcycling as a pastime and cost-effective method of commutation, and with that comes a need to satisfy all abilities and every demographic. After all God made horses for every size and type of rider, steel-steed manufacturers should take note. Big bikes have dominated the market here in the US and kept new buyers fearful of ownership. On one hand this has maintained bikers as dangerous characters oozing with adrenalized sex-appeal (on which we have capitalized, shamelessly, I'm as guilty as the next), on the other hand it's left their parents' cautionary tales ringing in their ears long into adulthood and kept them away from membership. Either way they're deterred and lacking a plus-side. I also blame the editorials whose reviewers are invariably prejudice toward more powerful bikes and often flog the smaller ones for being "underpowered" or "lacking" in various departments. Just as we do not condemn a person for their height, modest achievements or skin color so we should not demonstrate bias toward the beloved cycle (bikes should be reviewed for themselves and compared only when a comparison is the subject of the article). Disparaging the wee ones most certainly contributed to manufacturer reluctance to bring them here to the US (NOT the case for the rest of the world who enjoy the full range of sizes). Anyway, it's easy to forget as a seasoned jockey that motorcycles must be terrifying for those with the desire but without the knowhow to ride them. For us who've grown up on them we see a machine bursting with possibilities and excitement, newbies see an uncontrollable rocket that'll propel them speedily to a wheelchair or death (if they're lucky). Herein lies a stagecall for the GROM. It looks wicked cool and fast as a fart on a greased lightning rod...but in actual fact its a pint-sized street-fighter with equally petite capabilities: and that's all it should be, let not the critics fault it! It's a midget motard, a traffic-busting urban micro-assaulter for the uber-chic, a lane-splitting roided-out pygmy in a cape and mask, and at just a few horsepower it's little more than a scooter...but in a classic manual motorcycle configuration that'll give thousands of newcomers their motorcycle stripes sans fear and trepidation. It's also my dream city cycle and I'll be first in line at Honda's door come August. I commuted on the KSR for 7 years in Bangkok where traffic is fast & furious, and I almost cried when I left it behind to return stateside. It was in my top-3 bike list. My only dislike was the lack of manual clutch, which the GROM has. Also the GROM is styled badder, and is a 125, and etc which makes it an all round preferable bike for me and one that'll shunt the KSR to 4th place on my list. If we think of the unveiling of particular bikes in terms of historical events I predict right now that Honda has just started the Gold Rush.
