It’s a big year for a little bike with a new name and engine for the 2021 Honda MSX125 Grom. Originally launched in 2014, the UK finally joins the rest of the world in officially adopting the Grom title next year. And will now come with a new Euro 5 compliant, five-speed 125cc engine.
The nickname for youngsters starting out in surfing or extreme sports since the 60’s, and shorted from Grommet, the Grom name has helped reinforce the fun aspect of the mini-bike which has become hugely popular (like the Monkey, Dax, Ape and other smaller capacity Hondas through the decades).
Sales so far have topped 750,000 of the 125cc machines, which is pretty impressive. And it shows how it’s popular with younger riders restricted to 125cc, but also with older motorcyclists who want something small, fun and customisable.
So Honda has decided to embrace quirky styling with the major update, and allow for easy changes by having all of the body attached with just six large bolts each side. Making it easy to change things out when you want.
The 2021 Grom features a sleek LED headlight, pared-down seat unit and subframe, and a redesigned LCD dash which now includes a rev-counter and gear position indicator.
Three colours will be available, with Mat Gunpowder Black Metallic, Force Silver Metallic, and Gayety Red. All three look good, although the neon bolts on the Silver version would probably look better in matt black.
The chassis is unchanged, but now gets black paint, along with the exhaust, wheels and swingarm. Colour comes from the bodywork, gold finish on the front forks, and a yellow shock spring at the rear.
So the 2021 Honda MSX125 Grom still has a short wheelbase of 1,200mm, a low seat at 761mm, and 31mm USD suspension at the front, with 12-inch cast aluminium wheels and 2.5 inch rims.
The big change for the little bike is with the engine. It’s the new 125cc two-valve air-cooled unit homologated for EURO5, and packing 7.2kW (9.6hp) at 7,250rpm, with peak torque of 10.5Nm (7.74 ft lbs in old money).
Combined with a five speed gearbox and wider ratios, the top speed increases from 92km/h to 94km/h (58 miles per hour). But the lower gears are still aimed at nipping around urban traffic. It just means you can cruise more easily if you do have to venture onto dual carriageways or motorways.
Low friction internals mean a claimed 66.6km/l, or 156 mpg, which means you’ll potentially get around 390 kilometres (242 miles) from a full 6 litre tank of petrol.
And even with such a small, fun bike, you still get ABS for safety, operating through an IMU. Which means it’s still more practical than a new Monkey or Super Cub C125, and more quirky than a CB125R.
There’s no official list price yet for the 2021 Honda MSX125 Grom, but the 2018 model is still listed by Honda UK at £3499 if you want to pick up a previous edition. With the Super Cub at £3,449, the Monkey at £3,799, and the CB125R at £4,099, you can expect the new Grom to slot in somewhere just under £4,000, which also means fairly affordable finance around £70-£80 per month (depending on deposit, finance firm and APR).
Aside from the lime green neon bolts on the silver version, which gives me a flashback to bad aftermarket choices on 1990s sportsbikes, the 2021 Honda MSX125 Grom looks like a good update. It looks arguably more fun than ever, keeps all the things people enjoyed, and gets even more practical with a fifth gear.
Check out all our coverage of the Honda range of motorcycles, past and present, here. Along with customs and other special editions. And if you can’t stretch to a new Honda MSX125, or don’t want to put a brand new bike in the heands of a young rider, then there are lots of examples on offer right now on eBay from around £1500. Including a special 2019 Repsol Fireblade replica with Tyga fairings and exhaust system.
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