I'm looking to finish setting up the Grom for some parking lot drills and maybe light kart track duty. Want to keep it street ready so no slicks. I put the Ohlins suspension front and rear, it's got a pipe on it but everything else is stock. I tried some parking lot figure 8's on it this week and I was disappointed, I crashed twice with the rear washing out trying to get my knee down. Stock tires and they're about 10 years old. 25PSI. So I ordered some Dunlop TT93's. Looking for some tips on setup. Wondering of axle sliders are worth it, so I don't keep banging up the pipe.
I think axle sliders are cheap enough to just get them and throw them on. I have a gen 1 so axle sliders don't protect the exhaust so I cant comment on the effectiveness of them for that purpose.
Axle sliders are inexpensive overall. So yes, buy some. Those old tires aren't going to hold up, especially at 25 psi, so I'm not surprised you slid out. The TT93s will be fine, but follow the recommended pressures for them, at least for drills and track, of 16-18 psi cold. Also, fo what it's worth if you're going to use it on a kart track, if the bars are the OEM, throw a set of ProTaper KLX 110 bars on. better leverage and opens up the cockpit.
I’m meh on axle sliders. Look up new oem part cost so you go into this with your eyes open. An axle and nut from honda cost less than sliders do. That is why groms are great track bikes. Nothing else has parts cost so low AND readily available. Swingarm spools i 100% endorse. Make tire changes better. But you can also save the $ by just laying the bike on its side on the ground first. (On the axle nut side, after first removing the acle nut of course). Just my .02 I track my bike all the time. Any tires will do because it is your job to ride to the grip you have. But also 9hp doesn’t overwhelm the grip you’ll have. Only poor riding does that. But yes I use tt93s frequently. I go through 2 sets a year riding at least 1x a month. Agree with scridercoach, bars are cheap and the ape hangers on a grom are just stupid ergonomically. get to a kart travk and you will appreciate and understand what the parking lot drills are supposed to do for you. And there are few more fun days on 2 wheels that that. Especially if you take like minded friends along. Addictive in the best way.
The bend is the "KlX110", really common for Groms and Z125s. Clip ons are fine, but just not common on them.
Klx bars are in the ballpark for sure! Everyone is different. Buy some bars and see what you like. I went through 3 sets before settling on what I have. I prefer the lowest bars I can get away with. At some point the bars will hit and damage the cowl. Sadly it may end up being where your brake line that attaches to the master cylinder that hits the bodiwork before the bars. Or your switch gear pod does. I am not running a stock master cylinder for example. When someone (not me) rode my bike off the track and crashed, the banjo bolt punched a hole in my cowl. Doh! With the bars on, turn the steering lock to lock? Ample clearance? Do the bars flex (rubber mounts)? Force them to. Because they will in a crash and what had clearance before won’t after. So trial and error is required. The width of the bars affects how much leverage you get This is a minibike. And it won’t be flicking into a turn at 70 mph. Generally you’ll be training yourself to use the correct amount of bar pressure to turn it quickly but not put too much in. Minibikes usually require less muscle than “normal” bikes. So don’t go crazy and put 40” wide bars on there. My suggestion, is try different bars. Ask your friends what they have sitting unused. I loaned a buddy 6 different unused bars I had. Its like shoes, better to try them on and see what fits YOU. If none do, then you know what not to try next. And you waste less $. Last, I did not like the rubber mounted bars on the grom Too flexy for my preference. There are options to use aluminum substitutes for the rubber mounts. You won’t notice when you first go to a track. As pace comes up, you may start to notice more. Its an easy retrofit once you start noticing the bars moving. But don’t switch too soon. First thing I think you should do is use that as a training aid. Stop hammering the controls! The bars will move less. When you have yourself under control, ditch the rubber mounts. I say fix yourself first and when u solve that, then modify the bike. That’s my approach anyway… TMI, apologies. Such is how my brain is wired…
I only ride my Grom on track, never street. If you have the Ohlins fork internals I'd suggest dumping the fork oil that Ohlins provides and replacing w/ some 20w oil, it firms up the front end nicely and makes it feel more stable and planted without making it harsh. Stock Grom tires are terrible for anything other than city riding, so it's not too surprising that you had a fall so easily. After you're done with those Dunlop's I would highly recommend Kenda KD1 or 2 tires, they're ridiculously cheap, very forgiving/predictable and more than enough grip. Fronts last 3-5 track days depending on temps and how hard you feel like pushing them, rears will last quite a bit longer. I would also endorse the ProTapers, I run the Henry/Reed bend and to me they're just about the perfect. The clip one setups make the bike feel too cramped IMO and their cost is pretty high. I run cheap Amazon bar sliders and I do run axle sliders that have inexpensive replaceable pucks; these are a requirement for most cart tracks as they don't want you gouging their tarmac in a crash, apparently the kart guys get real cranky about that. Grom front brakes are pretty terrible, steel braided lines and sintered pads are a massive improvement over stock Grom stuff. If you want a huge braking upgrade, get a used TL1000 master cylinder and a Brembo P32 front caliper, you'll be pretty surprised at how well this little bike can stop.
For you guys that race WERA with your Grom, is there anything that we have to do for a belly pan? I know the big bikes have to have some kind of belly pan. Other than safety wiring the usual suspects, is there anything I HAVE TO also do to the bike to be race ready? (Catch can, tail light removal, headlight removal)
