The Best Grom Clone
 

Simply put, what is the best grom clone for under 2,000 USD?

I'm here in California

thinking of going with the Tao Tao hellcat -- I live here in San Diego, I'm not so sure about shipping ect. Also -- are these little bikes something that you want to keep in a garage? Or would it be ok to park it, and leave it, out on the street?

I can't answer your question about which clone is the best because I look like a Grizzly on a tricycle trying to ride one, but I can give advice on this aspect of it.

If you CAN park it in a locked garage, or otherwise bring it indoors, the chances of the bike being stolen are reduced immensely. If you have no choice but to park it outside, you will want to take as many steps as you can to secure the bike and reduce the visibility of it to potential thieves. Just understand that no matter what you do, if somebody wants to steal it, they will.

1. Get a GOOD heavy duty security chain and lock. The best chains and locks in the industry, by far, are Abus. They are made of a special alloy that is hard to cut, and their locks are damn near bullet proof. This is evidenced in the price however, generally running between $200-300 for the chain and lock combo.

If this is too rich for your blood, Kryptonite and Oxford also both make good chains and decent locks - with or without alarms, for the more budget restricted individual and will still do a good job.

My suggestion would be to either use an anchor if possible and a loop end style chain, or otherwise get a longer chain (at least 6 ft) that can look through the frame or a boxed in part of the swing arm (never the wheel) that can then also be looped around a tall light pole, or other such post/hoop/etc that would be difficult for thieves to break. 6ft might sound like a lot, but it runs out fast when you have to loop through a frame and around something else.

Either way, securing the bike in this manner will make it harder for somebody to just pick up your bike and toss it in the back of a van or truck. This is a common method by which many bikes are stolen.

2. The adage, out of sight, out of mind, really plays a role. It is worth getting a bike cover, especially one that is fitted and has a locking cable on it if it has to be stored in the open. Statistically it is shown that a covered bike is much less likely to be stolen simply because you can't see what it is beyond a basic motorcycle shape, and the time it takes to remove the cover just adds to that.

3. Additional "annoyances" as I like to call them, while often being easy to defeat can also kind of add on to the time it would take to steal the bike. These include alarmed disc locks, brake or clutch locks, and so on.

4. An alarm or GPS tracker (or something with both) can also be deployed.

Obviously with such a cheap bike like these, spending as much as the bike costs just to secure it is a bit silly, and not all of them need to be employed. If I had no choice but to park my bike outside though, you bet your butt I would at least do the first three to some level.

Icebear

according to belmonte motor, the icebear is illegal in california. -- it might be a different model than the icebear vader 2



Shoot, I really don't know what to do,

there are many times when I'd have to park it in public

and if I got one, I'm not sure if our house owner would allow us to have it in the garage.


Also, I'm in California, who should I buy through? Kronicracing?


eeek


I want one so bad, I just don't want it to get stolen.

Speak with Pete at Kronik before committing. Just be aware that he is pretty much the same price as the mega online dealers like Powersportsmax or Superiopowersports. Belmonte is reputable, as well as their 'alter-ego' Venom Motorsports. But, not sure of Belmonte's prices, but I know Venom is a few hundred more than most online dealers. If Kronik wasn't so reputable, I would suggest Belmonte or Venom first. The advantage of Kronik is him being a California dealer, it saves you the hassle of registration and all that other stuff. If you could make it up to Simi Valley to pick it up in person, that would be good, but he does provide free shipping. His price will have to include tax and registration, so keep that in mind, but you have to pay it anyways, not to mention dealing with your local DMV office. I was living in Northridge up to a few weeks ago, and have visited Kronik a few times. Pete has his opinions on things, and seems to feel the Hellcat is inferior to the Vader, so does not carry the Hellcat. I have no idea if his opinion is fact because I can only base my observations on these hallowed pages as I own neither bike, but I have seen many a happy Hellcat owner. At one point, I wanted a Hellcat and had no desire to buy a Vader, but I have full faith in Pete and would have no problem buying a Vader from him knowing what I know and forgetting about the Hellcat. The page I am linking does show Icebears as well, so ask him about those, if in fact they are still California CARB certified.

https://www.kronikracing.com/Scooters.html

If it was my money, best grom clone under 2k is without question the lifan kp mini. 150cc motor and best quality build with it being a lifan. Most expensive option when compared to a hellcat or vader but I do not think anyone could seriously say it is not the best option. Pretty sure people have been saying it is carb compliant for Cali also. My second choice would be the vader clone that looks like the new grom not the original vader.

I was going to suggest this until he said he is in San Diego, and these are not CARB legal like they were for a short while about a year or so ago.

I think you'd be better off with a Boom 125 than the Taotao , the initial build quality seems higher than the Hellkats. Also, the Vader is available in Gen 2 bodywork like the more recent Grom while the Taotao Hellkat is still Gen 1.
The price difference is not much , Kronik Racing will also steer you towards the "Vader" over the Hellkat.I'm not knocking Hellkats , I'm just remarking on impressions gained after a long time of reading these Forums about the amount of, and frequency of, problems encountered.

If you HAVE to keep it outside, you will want to invest in a quality rain proof cycle cover , I really don't think leaving it exposed to rain etc is a great idea for a lot of reasons ,the Chinese clones simply dont have the degree of paint / assembly quality to resist exposure to the elements like a Jap bike does, and neither do the electrics / wiring harnesses.
The Vader is legal in Cali for sure and both the Gen 1 and Gen 2 models will take Grom bodywork, the "Lil Ducati " model may not due to its distinct look and build.

Anything from KronicRacing that doesn't have the weight cap of 198lbs


I'm 280 lbs, any recommendations? I dont want to get the lifelan, I'm California -- Looking to keep it 125cc



Edit I guess that was an error on the website

I'm on SSI, I need transportation, and the most cash I can put together is 2 grand.

I like my clone now but if I could do it over probably not.

I got mine under similar circumstances.

I think with chinabikes, especially with buying online you can get fucked or end up with something broken out of the box and not have a dealer response for a while or not at all. Kronik is good from what I hear.

I don't think you are going to have a good experience with the clone. 9hp and 280lbs.

How long / far will your commute be? Do you have experience working on motorcycles? Do you own or have access to tools to work on one?

[QUOTE=scoot newb;321992]I don't think you are going to have a good experience with the clone. 9hp and 280lbs.

I agree with this. You would be better off getting a 250cc of your liking which can be plated in Cali.

IKR and it's probably more like 7 HP with a carb and pipe. :)

Even with the mikuni carb? How exactly does an excessive load slow an engine down? The engine isn't exploding and ceasing. I'll be very disappointed ☹️