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akylekoz
akylekoz Dork
3/22/19 9:45 a.m.

RC Honda just called me, that $2699 price is for a 2018 ABS model in red.  I'm not in the market right now but that is a used Grom price.

bigeyedfish
bigeyedfish Reader
3/22/19 12:45 p.m.

There was a yellow 2015 on Craigslist in KC or St. Louis yesterday for $1800.  Probably gone by now, but it seemed like a legitimate ad.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn UltimaDork
3/22/19 1:34 p.m.

Out of curiosity I checked the Minneapolis Craigslist for Grom pricing.  For used models I found a 2014 with an asking price of $2400, a couple 2017's for $2500 and $2750, and several 2018's for $2800 to $3200. A local dealer is selling new 2018's for $3349. 

However, a couple dealers over in Wisconsin are selling new 2019's for $2750.  Why buy used when you can get a new one for the same money or even less.

edit:  it appears the Wisconsin dealer prices are for non-ABS models.

CWR67
CWR67 New Reader
3/22/19 5:33 p.m.
akylekoz said:

RC Honda just called me, that $2699 price is for a 2018 ABS model in red.  I'm not in the market right now but that is a used Grom price.

I see they have a bright yellow one advertised in DeLand for $2,399.  That price does not include their "dealer set up" fee which is several hundred dollars I believe.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/23/19 9:43 p.m.

I bought one!!!

And here’s how. Because I wanted ABS, I couldn’t find any private-party used sales that looked realistic (it’s only been available for a year). To the dealers! My goal was to buy a leftover 2018 or a barely-used one.

 First up, every single price listed anywhere is fake. I talked to a dozen dealers (every single one within a 3-hour drive), and every single one, like clockwork, piled on the unrealistic fees. Even the $2400 Groms all turned into $4000 propositions. I received quotes as high as  $5200 for a bike with an MSRP of less than $3500. Why? Because people want them (including me) and are willing to pay for them. A few dealers flat out told me they didn’t care at all and would just sell it in a few days if I wasn’t interested. And, surprisingly, they did. Grom inventory seems to churn fairly rapidly.  

Better still, no dealer would give me a price sheet listing each fee, which was the ammunition I needed to start pitting them against each other. One flat out told me “it’s company policy to never give price breakdowns because then you’ll ask dealers closer to you to beat our price and you’ll get a better deal so we want you to buy from us.” WTF!! Every single answer was “come on in and we’ll take care of you; when can you come in?” And my response to all of them was “After I’ve agreed to an offer sheet and it’s time to pick up my new bike.”

They were less than thrilled with my efforts. But I did eventually get one to crack and send me a breakdown, which I then used to start two dealers kind of sort of bidding to me over email (again, not much effort expended on their part, they don’t have to try to sell these). One sales rep, clearly bound by asinine company policy, wouldn’t mention any amounts in emails but just kept saying “I can match that other dealer come in let’s talk.” She had the nicest bike for sale, so that’s how I found myself driving to Gainesville today. 

I paid exactly $3500 out the door, including fees, tax, tag, etc. That works out to about $3-$3100 for the bike and the rest in tax, tag, and title, so I didn’t really pay any extra compared to a few private sales I saw for $3000. I got the dealer to throw in a new full-face helmet, too, since I was due for a new one. All in all, I figure my relentless cross-shopping saved me about $500 compared to just walking in and buying something. I should mention that this isn’t the best time to buy a bike: local dealers have all hit their March numbers thanks to bike week, and tax season is making consumers spend more than usual. But I wanted a Grom for Hyperfest, and now I have one.

My 2018 Grom ABS has 987 miles, zero blemishes, great tires, chain, 2 keys, etc, and is still under the factory warranty until November. I even found the original owner’s paperwork under the seat—he paid $5200 for this bike four months ago.

Overall, I’m thrilled. Never been happier to have a new dumb motor vehicle in the garage. 

Robby
Robby New Reader
3/25/19 4:31 p.m.

Congrats on the new Grom! The 2018s certainly look better than the 19s. I'm sure you'll absolutely enjoy owning it. 

 I spent over a month talking to every dealer within a few hundred miles of me to get my 2018 Grom (non abs) new. I also found dealers advertising super cheap and it being $1k+ more after everything was done. I just forwarded dealers' offers around until absolutely no one could beat the deal. I ended up getting it for $3040 OTD (taxes, title, etc.) and have put 2k miles on it in a little under a year. I'll be selling it in a little bit and probably won't be losing too much money. 

I thought about a z125, but liked the aftermarket for the Grom better, but my main reason was the resale values for Groms are excellent  

thatsnowinnebago
thatsnowinnebago SuperDork
3/25/19 4:36 p.m.

I rode one of those for my MSF course and had a blast. I'm sure all 6' 200(ish) lbs of me looked hilarious on it. Meaning that the Grom brings everyone joy, not just the rider laugh

clutchsmoke
clutchsmoke SuperDork
3/25/19 11:08 p.m.
Robby said:

Congrats on the new Grom! The 2018s certainly look better than the 19s. I'm sure you'll absolutely enjoy owning it. 

 I spent over a month talking to every dealer within a few hundred miles of me to get my 2018 Grom (non abs) new. I also found dealers advertising super cheap and it being $1k+ more after everything was done. I just forwarded dealers' offers around until absolutely no one could beat the deal. I ended up getting it for $3040 OTD (taxes, title, etc.) and have put 2k miles on it in a little under a year. I'll be selling it in a little bit and probably won't be losing too much money. 

I thought about a z125, but liked the aftermarket for the Grom better, but my main reason was the resale values for Groms are excellent  

I see that you're in Illinois as well. Let me know when you're ready to sell. I'd be quite interested.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/26/19 6:17 a.m.

In reply to Robby : 

Very nice! Yeah, seems like there are way more non-ABS models, so I was definitely limiting my options by wanting that. I figure if it saves me from dropping the bike once then it’s worth it, though. Nice deal!

 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/26/19 6:21 a.m.

10-mile update: I LOVE IT!!!

I rode it to work yesterday and have never arrived with a bigger smile on my face. And because it’s so small, I can just ride it right in the front door and park inside the office. 

Other news: I found the original owner and got the maintenance history. He assured me it had its 600-mile service at the dealer, and told me he traded it in on a Yamaha R3. He told me to take care of his baby, and said he wanted to go for a ride with me next time I was over in Gainesville again. Sounds like I lucked out with the PO, and that explains why this thing is so nice. 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UberDork
3/26/19 6:29 a.m.

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Now it needs to be faster.

Or faster-er.

OHSCrifle
OHSCrifle SuperDork
3/26/19 6:30 a.m.
Tom Suddard said:

Oh boy... I found some leftover 2018s with ABS at a dealer not too far from me....

https://www.rchillhonda.com/--xInventoryDetail?id=6308892&utm_source=www.cycletrader.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=dealer-click&utm_content=view-inventory-link

Same dealer shows 2019’s for $2799

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/26/19 6:50 a.m.

In reply to OHSCrifle :

Yep, fake. The 2018s were actually $4k, and the 2019s were more. 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/29/19 6:57 a.m.

Made my first modification: a rack!

ProDarwin
ProDarwin UltimaDork
3/29/19 7:14 a.m.

I'm late to this party.  My thoughts are this:

1)  For those prices, I'd also be looking at Ninja 250 or 300 because real bike.  Not sure if you could carry it with you though.

2)  Did you think about an e-grom at all?  Their website is down, but seems perfect for pits.  And like 1/3 the price.  Could do a battery upgrade and still be under 1/2 price.

 

I'm curious to know what riding a grom is like compared to a normal sized bike, because the e-grom route has been tempting me.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
3/29/19 7:57 p.m.

That's a  lot of money to say, "I don't ride a scooter."

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/29/19 8:52 p.m.

In reply to Appleseed :

Hey, I’ve bought stupider things. cheeky Sometimes people buy things because they want them, which is why we’re not all driving beige Camrys to work every day.  And yeah, I don’t like scooters. I figure there are worse flaws to have as a person. 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/29/19 8:57 p.m.

In reply to ProDarwin :

I thought about it, but a Ninja and a Grom are very different sizes when it comes to hauling it around to races and riding it in a tight paddock. Plus, I’m digging the mini bike thing. 

I ruled it out because knockoff. I try to avoid that sort of stuff as much as possible, because at events I really don’t want to be working on my pit bike while I should be working, and on weekend rides at home I don’t want to be working on my pit bike when I’m not working. Plus, as somebody who makes their living off of intellectual property, and used some of that living to fund this Grom purchase, I hate supporting those that make their living by stealing others’ IP. 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/29/19 9:01 p.m.

Oh, and how it rides: It feels waaaay closer to full-size bike than scooter. The riding position isn’t cramped or anything, so the only real tell that you’re on a tiny bike is how far forward you’re sitting compared to the front tire versus where it would be on a big bike. It handles quite well, and unlike a scooter you grip the tank with your knees just like a real motorcycle. 

ProDarwin
ProDarwin UltimaDork
3/30/19 7:23 p.m.
Tom Suddard said:

In reply to ProDarwin :

Plus, as somebody who makes their living off of intellectual property, and used some of that living to fund this Grom purchase, I hate supporting those that make their living by stealing others’ IP. 

I totally understand and applaud respecting IP.  However, is the egrom stealing ip?  The components look different and obviously the drivetrain is totally different.  So what IP is being stolen?  Frame geometry?

Unfortunately Honda doesn't offer an electric grom

 

On the subject of working on it... Not wanting to work on it is exactly what makes an ebike so enticing.  Lube the chain and charge it... That's it.

 

stuart in mn
stuart in mn UltimaDork
3/30/19 8:33 p.m.
ProDarwin said:
I totally understand and applaud respecting IP.  However, is the egrom stealing ip?  The components look different and obviously the drivetrain is totally different.  So what IP is being stolen?  Frame geometry?

 

Well, they certainly stole the general appearance of the Honda.

 

 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard Director of Marketing & Digital Assets
3/30/19 9:01 p.m.

Yeah, its a copy of a first-gen Grom.

I was more referring to knock-offs in general, as i could have saved lots of money by buying a Tao Tao. The E Grom’s 40 mph top speed  knocks it out of the running, too. 

Nick Comstock
Nick Comstock MegaDork
3/30/19 9:17 p.m.

If I'm not mistaken I read something in passing not too long ago about Honda maybe making an electric Grom type bike. I know they are releasing an electric PCX scooter soon. 

I like scooters. Never owned one but wouldn't be opposed to having one. My next two wheeled vehicle has a very high chance of being electric. And 40mph top speed would be perfect for my commute. An E scooter holds more appeal than a traditional gas one. But I've been daydreaming of DIY converting an old motorcycle. 

 

ProDarwin
ProDarwin UltimaDork
3/31/19 8:55 a.m.

Yeah, the E-stuff isn't quite quick enough for my needs.  However, when you bump the voltage they go quicker.  IIRC going to 96v will get you to 50mph.

akylekoz
akylekoz Dork
5/3/19 8:10 a.m.
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