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street-legal minis.

Discussion in 'Mini Racing' started by rk97, Jun 13, 2018.

  1. rk97

    rk97 Well-Known Member

    I start a new job in July. Current employer has to buy out my vacation time. Had the internal debate with myself between buying a nicer car, or buying a 'new' bike. Decided I need to be honest with myself, and acknowledge that I will not commute to work, and thus the only logical choice is a bike that I can race on kart tracks, but also take out for a couple of hours on the weekends I'm not racing.

    Grom or Z125 Pro are the primary obvious choices.

    What other bikes should I be considering (including the Chinese Grom copies)? Also curious about how the groms crash. I know that's inevitable, and I just want to be prepared for how many street parts I'll need to remove. I'm thinking I can wire the entire rear fender assembly to a trailer wiring harness, and make the whole thing 1 plug and 2 bolts to remove turn signals and license plate.

    125cc bikes are just the most convenient option. I am not entirely opposed to making a street-legal XR100, or even something as large as a WR250x ...but the Grom seems like the simplest option, and relatively low-cost. I do not trust myself to invest the time into getting the XR/CRF street-legal, nor am I confident I can find a clean one, with a title, for a low enough price that makes the street conversion remain less than a used Grom/Z125 when all is said and done.

    What sayeth the beeb?
     
  2. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    YSR.
    You can get all kinds of stupid with engine swaps, too. A CR80 can get you 115 mph, KX65 might keep you legal for mini-racing, there's an air-cooled Yamaha 80 engine that drops right in and, of course, you could just hop up the stock engine which would be good for 60 mph and leave a Grom crying in puddles of its own tears.
    If you wanna get real stupid with a swap, RZ/Banshee 350 and on...
    You'll be in it for less than a Grom if you can find one that's not original...unmolested YSRs might be a unicorn, with the accompanying price.

    Oh, what do we have here? 1989 Yamaha Other | eBay
    It may not look like much, but it's a gold mine at that price. I swear, you could strip it in one night, clean/paint/refresh and have it back together the next night, assuming you had the few missing parts (available) and you let the paint dry.

    Zuma Scooter Parts and YSR Parts
    These guys have been at it for decades.
     
  3. TurboBlew

    TurboBlew Registers Abusers

    search craigslist for an Aprilia Sportcity 250 or 300. Way better than a grom/z125 for street schenanigans. :D
     
  4. sharky nrk

    sharky nrk Rubber Side Up

    Headlight is four bolts and a plug and honestly, you can get like every plastic piece on a grom for like $200 other than lights and speeds are kinda low and they crash well so it depends on your tolerance for scrapes and such. Grom or Z125 is going to be much more practical for street work if used that way then a YSR or NSR50/NSF100 or whatever similar bike but the trade off is what you gain on the street you lose at the track. I LOVED my XR100 but honestly it just cost way to much money to do up the 100s unless you already have an XR/CRF and your patient with finding parts/deals.
     
    Shenanigans likes this.
  5. rk97

    rk97 Well-Known Member

    YSR would be fun, but I'm not sure it would pull the wife (or my 4 yr old) around as a passenger very well.
     
  6. pscook

    pscook Well-Known Member

  7. SuddenBraking

    SuddenBraking The Iron Price

    Sub'd as this is the primary reason I'm looking for a Grom. Have a race setup TTR 125 for kart tracks but I love the ability to ride track bikes on the street to get to know them better.

    So, how do Groms crash?
     
  8. rk97

    rk97 Well-Known Member

    I have two kids under 5, and the wife has no interest in trying to entertain them at the track, or be left at home with them for too many weekends a summer. As a result, I can only commit to a couple of weekends a year without pressing my luck too far... Otherwise I wouldn't care if the bike was streetable. That said, i don't want to spent an hour removing and/or reinstalling turn signals so they don't shatter every time I lowside.

    I'd probably throw a pipe on the bike to help it breathe a little better, and that's about it... Maybe some swing-arm sliders and peg sliders, or possibly folding levers. But I'm not the guy who wants to spend $5000 (or even $1000) modifying a 125cc bike. I'd sooner buy a CB500 or an old SV650.
     
  9. SuddenBraking

    SuddenBraking The Iron Price

    I've got 5, 3, and one one the way.

    I feel your pain.
     
    rk97 likes this.
  10. rk97

    rk97 Well-Known Member

    my 4 yr old is pretty cautious, and I know enough people at kart track events that I'm starting to think I could bring her with me, and she'd be okay with friends keeping an eye on her while I'm on the track. I have to do a trial run as a spectator, and I can sit her in the bleachers, and then let her know that I'm walking away ...for the entire race. See how she does when I'm not WITH her, but still able to swoop in if she starts getting upset.

    with that said, she's cautious. I hate when my kids demonstrate my least favorite traits that they've undoubtedly learned from me... She is not the type to wander off and explore, and definitely will take me seriously when I explain that she can't go on the track, or dart around the paddock.

    Ultimately, I'd like to have her out in the kids 50 class in the next couple of years, but she hasn't shown the ambition or coordination to make me very optimistic about that. my (almost) 2 yr old is going to be the wild one. I hope I'm not too old to keep up with her when she really starts to grasp racing.

    If i can get my youngest racing, and my oldest engrossed in a book, the wife gets a day to herself, and I get as many race weekends as I want!
     
  11. fastfreddie

    fastfreddie Midnight Oil Garage

    Sorry, I wasn't considering passengers.

    I, personally, swore off passengers decades ago cuz I didn't want to deal with any guilt if something bad happened, even if it was out of my control. Refusing passengers is within my control...I have no guilt.
     
    SuddenBraking likes this.
  12. rk97

    rk97 Well-Known Member

    I have a spare set of leathers that are a little short on me, but fit my wife pretty well. She's good in my spare race gloves and 'expired' (but never crashed) helmets. I would probably go full leathers for my daughters too. Even just around the block. I mentioned the kids 50 class (with OMRL). I have a good base of folks from whom I can borrow kids leathers, and just return them with a $100 in the pocket in a year.

    I wear full leathers on the street 90% of the time. Even the few times I commuted on my Katana 750, i would leave a business suit at teh office the day prior, and wear full leathers into the office. My only street crash ever was on a brisk saturday morning trip into the office. I had jeans on over my 2-piece leathers (they don't fit under). They sustained the only damage in the crash (well, the jeans, and I cracked a case cover).

    The option for a passenger would be nice, even if i rarely utilized it.
     
  13. baconologist

    baconologist Well-Known Member

    Kymco Spade has been getting good reviews. 150cc / 5spd, 70mph out of the box $3k
     
  14. rider.87

    rider.87 New Member

    To answer the question you keep asking, the Grom crashes VERY well. I can't tell you how many times mine has been on the pavement "on track of course" The parts are readily available and dirt cheap. Just check whatever site you use to buy OEM parts of you don't believe me. The most expensive and major part I've bought for mine was less than $300 and that was a new OEM frame from Honda! That didn't happen on track though, some big shot on his new R1 decided he wanted to see what the ass end of a parked Grom felt like on a street ride.
     
    rk97 likes this.

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