[VillaHiller]

Completely new to riding except for a couple of days riding a dirt bike 35 yrs ago. Saw the new Indian Scout. About 550 lbs and lots of power. Looked great. Great reviews. But didn't seem like a good idea for a new rider. Plus, I'm not really looking to tear it up. Just looking for some fairly mild fun, around town, maybe some country roads, but not highways. Started looking at smaller bikes including Honda 250s and 300s. Then saw the Grom. Read up on it, watched tons of video. Looked like a blast.

Went to local Honda dealer and sat on a bunch of bikes including the Grom, which felt great, especially at only 225 lbs. (I'm 5'10", 170, and 51 yrs old). Mentioned the Indian Scout and my concerns as a newbie. He said the biggest issue for new riders and larger bikes isn't the weight but the unfamiliarity with operating clutch, shifter, throttle, etc. and that is the reason for most drops. Said that the Grom would be great as a training bike to build that familiarity with operating a bike and that once you mastered it, you could go from a Grom to a bike with the size and power of an Indian Scout.

Sounded great but maybe almost too good to be true.

What do you guys say?

 

[mad8vskillz]

grom is really easy to ride. but really hard to max out (handling-wise). if you can ride a bicycle and shift gears in a manual car, you're qualified to ride a grom. But gettinig all the lean and all the braking out of it, is going to take A LOT of experience.
The scout won't be so easy to ride, not hard per se, but will be pretty easy to max out. I'm willing to bet that a week into ownership you can scrape parts through corners.
it's going to be a bit apples and oranges. yes some things will transfer, but a grom is better thought of as a bike to ride, not as a learning tool.

tl;dr: grom is easy to ride, and hard to ride fast. indian is meh to ride and impossible to ride fast. skills may or may not transfer

 

[Longhair]

First thing every new rider should do is take the MSF Course because it will save you from an accident or even your life.

For a beginner, I would recommend picking up a used 250cc to 500cc naked bike over a Grom. The biggest reason not to go with the Grom is simple: When you drop the Grom, you are able to stand up and get out of the way before the bike hits the ground. That is something that is not very possible with a bigger bike.

Cruisers are easier to learn based on the lack of throttle response & lean angle compared to a naked / sport bike however, you will pick up some bad habits that will not show until you ride a naked /sport bike.

 

[VillaHiller]

Thanks

Thanks to both of you. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Absolutely on the MSF course. What you said about the weight of the bikes - the Grom not being heavy enough to give the experience of dealing with heavier bikes - was what I suspected.

 

[ProDigit]

Yeah, i wouldn't get the grom as a starter bike for a stepup bike.
I would start with a 250-350cc bike, depending on how much freeway you are willing to do.
the power difference between 125 and 250cc is minimal, but I think the Honda Rebel 250 will be a much better preparation for an indian scout.
just swap a 15/30t sprocket on that rebel and you got a decent bike for town and highway.
The grom might be very limited, and is good as a toy and fun bike. Nothing about the grom screams seriousness; only game.
The grom is a stepup from a bicycle, good for youth and young adults having fun.
The rebel will be more comfortable, and more like a motorcycle, without the danger of loss of traction, or doing wheelies.