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Got my MSX125 today

36632 Views 105 Replies 55 Participants Last post by  Wannabegp
Well, the bike has "come home" and I have managed to put 20 miles on it around the country lanes before it hammered down with rain.

Initial reactions:

Driver sits very "perched" on top of the bike, unsurprisingly.

The seat is not soft, imagine budget airline. Definitely a "mod" option.

The seat height / handlebar angle is slightly uncomfortable, BUT I have just traded in a "cruiser" with high bars, so it may just be a matter of getting used to a new driving position.

Handlebars - I would have liked to have them 2" higher, easy fix if I dont get used to the current set-up.

Finish - wow, extremely good. Very neat wiring, nicely clipped / tucked away with good insulation etc. Paintwork is very good, plastics finish is to a very high standard.

Engine - very nicely finished, some of the covers are plastic and they may be replaced by aluminium / alloy replacements when they get scuffed, but as it stands on day one, they are very neat and clean lines.

Engine - Starts instantly, runs very smoothly revs freely.

First ride - warning! The front-end is extremely "light", especially after a bigger bike, so bear that in mind. On the road, very stable, considering the length of the bike / wheelbase. Engine pulls very well, no hesitation at all. On a nice twisty country lane with no traffic, I looked down and I was doing 50 mph at just over 6000 revs and the bike was really happy.

Ride - the ride is "firm" to "hard" so I think I might want to have a slightly softer tail-end but the road-holding on choppy secondary road was very good, just the odd "jar" to the spine on the rougher road surface patches.

Impression - felt I was riding "on" the bike and what was weird, you can hardly see it in your vision, but bear in mind my other bike is (was) a cruiser so a different type of machine.

Road-holding - very good, I was not expecting such sticky road holding. The roads were dry. Left-handers seemed to be an easier route (remembering we drive on the proper side of the road here (left). It is probably just an impression, I am sure that there is no difference.

Mirrors - USELESS. The mirror stems assume your body is 12" wide and the edge of your chest / arms block the rear views completely. These have to be changed. They seem to be mirror-finish plastic rather than glass mirrors, so the image, when you strain yourself to use the things look slightly like images in a fairground mirror.

Lights - in daylight the (UK) headlamp is bright. The book says 35w but not the bulb type. I have read it is an H1, but it does not look like one, so the headlamp unit will have to come off to get to the bulb and have a look.

Headlamp - always on when engine running.

Front Indicators - Warning - if you are looking to change them, be aware that they are side-lights AND indicators. Yellow sidelights in the UK are illegal, they have to be white, so I am not sure how these got type-approval. Anyway, more light to the front is good, so I will plead ignorance if I get pulled by the Old Bill. They do not auto-cancel which is a shame, so I am going to have to watch that as I am used to them turning off after 20 seconds / 500 yds.

Rear Light - LED and nicely lit.

Horn (Audible Warning Device) - LOUD. So nice to get a horn that shouts instead of a limp beep.

Small moan - unlocking the seat means the seat comes off completely, rather than hingeing, so with helmet and gloves in-hand, unlocking the seat is quite hard and then you have to do something with it (like put it down on the ground) while sorting out everything else. I have a rear rack on order from Bikerz Bits and will fit a small top-box for helmet / lock storage as there is nowhere to keep a lock/chain - which is not surprising on such a small machine.

Fun Score - 11 out of 10. :cool:

Will happily provide answers to any questions, if I am in the house. :D

Jeff
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Congrats Jeff I have never been so jealous what makes it more intense is I want to see some actual Grom pictures? Do you have any?
Congrats Jeff I have never been so jealous what makes it more intense is I want to see some actual Grom pictures? Do you have any?
I didn't post any as there are numerous posts (new one today) with lots of shots. The only difference with mine is - it's black.

I will post some shots when I take "stuff" off for inspection (like looking at what type of headlight bulb (need higher wattage?)) so people can see what is involved.

Jeff
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I think we are all equally jealous! You can't go wrong with a black one but it's the second fastest color to the red ; )

Isn't the stock wattage for the bulb 35W?
Driver sits very "perched" on top of the bike, unsurprisingly.

The seat is not soft, imagine budget airline. Definitely a "mod" option.

The seat height / handlebar angle is slightly uncomfortable, BUT I have just traded in a "cruiser" with high bars, so it may just be a matter of getting used to a new driving position.
how tall are you jeff? Just trying to figure out if it would be the same for me.

The seat since you had mentioned being so hard i will probably cut out the foam and replace it with a comfort gel and resew it.
You can't go wrong with a black one but it's the second fastest color to the red ; )

Isn't the stock wattage for the bulb 35W?
Stock is 35w, I like bright. Maybe a HID if there is room for the control box in the headlight unit or 55w otherwise. HID's are 35w but 85 volt usually.

Aftermarket HID's are illegal in the UK, although lots of people fit them to cars and bikes. The scatter pattern of a HID is wrong if fitted to a standard light unit and, in UK/Europe HID's have to be (a) self levelling, and (b) have headlight washers fitted which aftermarket kits cannot do. It is an automatic fail of the roadworthiness test (after 3 years on new vehicles and annually thereafter). What is the law on this in the U.S.?

Actually, I think you will find the red bikes are slower as the paint is heavier.

Jeff
very jealous.. congrats.. lots of pics please!!

joe
I guess using a regular bulb that emits brighter light like an HID would be a good option too, but they can also get as pricey as an HID kit.

Do you know the bulb number on the Grom?
how tall are you jeff? Just trying to figure out if it would be the same for me.

The seat since you had mentioned being so hard i will probably cut out the foam and replace it with a comfort gel and resew it.
I am 5'11" in old measurements and 175 lbs. I had to get a calculator out to convert our metric standard for you! If I said 170cm and 79 kilo I am sure it would have been harder!

The seat cover is stapled onto the plastic base, so it should be easy to undo, modify and restaple. However, there is not a lot of spare material so if the gel is "thicker" than the thin foam under the cover, then it may be challenging to get the cover back on.

Jeff
I guess using a regular bulb that emits brighter light like an HID would be a good option too, but they can also get as pricey as an HID kit. Do you know the bulb number on the Grom?
I have read, on here, it is an H1 but looking in the unit, it looks more like an H4. As I mentioned, I will disassemble the headlight, photograph the work, and post the result of the investigation as soon as I can. I have to go and collect, load and unload 80 paving slabs weighing 50lbs each tomorrow and, trust me, I am the size where people kick sand in my face, so I may not be riding the bike, or even picking up a screwdriver tomorrow :)

Jeff
very jealous.. congrats.. lots of pics please!!
joe
Of me? :(

OK, will see what I can do. What I might do is some close-ups of the engine and under-seat etc. as there have not been many of them. There have been loads of professional photos from various websites of the whole bike in various sexy poses, and I am not that good a photographer.
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well not necessarily of you lol, the bike if possible.. real images of a real msx would be hot to display !

joe
one more question.. how long did you ride it today? :)
one more question.. how long did you ride it today? :)
NOT LONG ENOUGH :( :mad: About 20 miles in total.
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had a beer tonight in honor of your new bike jthspace. stay thirsty my friends.

joe
Ohhhh the first of my "friends" to get one! Awesome!!!


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Some photo's then. These are some close-ups of the engine and bike, there are plenty of photos on the site of the MSX in general.

Right hand engine view - note large circular cover is plastic.



Left hand engine view - same plastic cover
Note : Keyhole for seat unlock



Rear view right side, note the "tail" does not look too intrusive in real-life



Close-up of rear wheel / disc brake



Underside of seat showing staples to be removed if recovering

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Good stuff. 2 more months to stare at these pictures....
th
Good stuff. 2 more months to stare at these pictures....
Gosh, sorry to hear that . . . . :(

Well, anything I can do to make it easier . . like not telling you I HAVE BEEN RIDING IT TODAY or any other unkind and/or demoralising news.

Growing up, not well-off (as an understatement), I never had Levi's or similar branded stuff while a lot of my friends had the latest sneakers and other gear. Nowadays I realise it is no big thing, but then . . . sheesh the end-of-the-world to a 14 year old.

Jeff
2
Picture of the comprehensive toolkit that comes with the bike



A view under the seat - not much spare room.
I uploaded a larger image so you can see the detail.

Looks like a computer socket at the top of the picture (red cap)?

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