Tiny bikes, fad or wave of the future

[klaviator]

That's the catch. That is why I don't condone it. Insurance and government regulations have ended all the fun. I think this is why the small vintage scene may really catch on. A 150 2stroke can haul some tail and also be street legal.  I know it is a larger engine size but I wish the small bike scene would lean more towards the physical size of the KTM Duke390. That could solve a ton of issues.
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Part of the appeal of a tiny bike is that.........it's tiny :idea-013:  Make it big and you will no longer have a tiny bike. 

Now we could start another thread about small bikes.  Those are interesting too and they are making a real comeback.  While small bikes, think Ninja 300, R3 or KTM390 are much more practical than tiny Bikes like the Grom, they lose some of the tiny, toy like feel of a tiny bike.

[DachshundUberAlles]

I bought a 2017 GROM back in February, mainly as a pit bike. I ride that thing all the time. It's an absolute hoot. Someone asked "what's the point of Ohlins on a mini bike?", you'll understand when you ride them back to back. I get the thought that people have in terms of the initial price coupled with the expenditure of kitting one out. There's SO MUCH stuff available, and I have fully kitted the chassis on mine. The only thing keeping me from going down the engine path is the enjoyment I get sightseeing on it. Sure, I'd love a 20+ hp bigbore upgrade, but my stock motored (even pipe) bike gets me nothing but smiles and waves on the days I'm out checking out neighborhoods. I doubt they'd be that friendly if it was piped up and in terms of performance gain, I view anything less than a bigbore kit as too little return for money spent. Heck, I'm beginning to think I need another one: Keep number one as it is for putting/cruising and make number two a little monster. Yeah, I could spend the same money as number two would cost to build and buy a larger bike instead, but then, I already have a larger bike.
Grom (and it's spinoffs from the other manufacturers) are just the natural evolution of the hopup kits from  companies like BBR that allowed you to go crazy on Z50's, CRF50/70/80/100. Honda saw that and knew there was a market. It's just like their ATC's. Companies were selling the stew out of suspension kits for ATC185's and that led Honda to build the ATC200X. Vetter made a fortune selling Windjammer fairings for the original Gold Wing 1000's which led to the fully dressed factory versions.

[Nice Goat]

In case Kawasaki is reading this, I'd like to see the Ninja 400 engine in the Versys-X

[LawnmowerRG]

With the trend to urban living I see that the small bike is here to stay a while. Maybe not in the Grom/Z125 variety, but sub 500 for sure. I have recommended several people that live in B Ham look at the SR 400. I think it's a great platform for computing and even the weekend run to Cheaha on back roads. Not a bad price for what is a really good classic looking bike. Rebel 300 and 500 are also great choices too. KTM 390s are all sharp.
I think that the truth is that young people realize they can get into a fun motorcycle at a resonable price with a factor warranty. Remember most of them didn't grow up tinkering with old cars and bikes.

[klaviator]

More fun than a barrel of Monkeys?  Another choice if you want a tiny bike.  It wouldn't make sense for me to buy one of these but I want one.  I even fit on it pretty good and it has a comfortable seat, something many bigger bikes don't have.



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This thing would be a hoot at Gymkhana!

[Frank Smith]

That Monkey would be cheating at Gymkhana!

[klaviator]

That Monkey would be cheating at Gymkhana!

If you ain't cheating you ain't trying!

I have ridden my Super 8 in Gymkhana a few times, that was cheating too!