New project! New project!
I’ve been itching to get a new build going, not to say that the grom or the dizzer are dull, but they are for the most part done to the point where any “mods” would be purely preventative.
The idea was always another mini moto, but I wasn’t sure which. Another grom was on the table, but another grom? Snore. I wanna try something new. The Honda Monkey and Kawi z125 pro were considered, but the Monkey costs more than I think its worth to be frank and I’ve ridden the Kawi a couple of times, I don’t like the way I fit on the bike.
But then Benelli came across my googling. Definitely looks the part, the rear cowling and dual exhaust is straight up sexy. Bonus: they’re about $700 les than the grom, which can go to some upgrades. Only thing holding me back from immediately calling dealers was the Chinese aspect. Benelli is owned by the Qianjiang Group, a large Chinese motorcycle manufacturer. The first thing that came to mind when I heard Chinese built was unreliable. However, I’m diligent, so I dove into review articles, youtube videos, and forums.
I’m glad I did, I was pleasantly surprised. Nearly every article and video I found had positive reviews. Everyone refers to this bike as the “grom killer,” and I could see why. 135cc vs 125cc, 4 valves vs 2 valves, 2 exhaust ports vs 1. Several reviews mentioned the Chinese elephant in the room, but more as a new era. China has been making motorcycles since the 80s, but lately the quality has ramped up. Not to mention that this particular model has been out for a few years now and I didn’t come across any horror stories.
The final push to dive in was CiscoSanJose, a forum member on hondagrom.net. I saw that he had purchased two Benellis after having built out two groms. He knows his stuff, so I reached out to pick his brain. He was all in on these bikes and loving them. Good enough for me.
Thankfully there are a couple dealers in my area, so I made a few calls, negotiated some prices, and before I knew it I had a Benelli with my name on it! Now to get to know this machine a little. Definitely more to come, starting with a first look and first ride. I’m not one for vlogging or being on camera, but I am one for documenting my work, so I’m thinking of youtube videos to go with these posts and vice versa.
