New Grom Knockoff's Are Now in the US
 

I stopped down at Ryker Powersports in Lincoln, Nebraska last night to check out the new Honda Grom knockoffs. I'm not sure what the actual name is (CZ-GRM?, CAZ-GROMM?). Ryker Powersports said that they were among the first to receive shipments of these motorcycles. They're going for $1999 ($1899 each if you buy 4). They look pretty close to the real Grom but they don't quite have the build quality of one (which is to be expected). However, they do look like they would be quite a bit of fun. I took some pictures of the bikes last night. I'll try and upload them at some point today.


Here's a link for some pics & specs: http://omaha.craigslist.org/mcd/5679135142.html

They're being optimistic on the price if they are the TMEC Denali 125 seeing as MSRP is $1599


http://www.sunright.net/linhai-scooters/denali-125%20FX

This is the only video I could find on the bike, from a few months ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97vwsRczmJQ

Apparently, these are semi-automatics

OK, just looked the link you posted--different bike, but I would go for the TMEC, personally]'

power numbers appear comparable to the honda and the kawasaki Z125.

Well I found another name for the bike and a place where you can order it. It's called a Vader 125 and SaferWholesale has them for around ~$1330 (w/ Express Title Fee). I just finalized my order with them this morning and my total came to be $1429.90 (inc. shipping).
Even though I read some horror stories about SaferWholesale I decided to give them a shot. So far my experience with them has been good. They gave me exact details on whats going to happen (motorcycles coming from California 90% assembled, will take 10-15 days to arrive, etc.). We'll see though as we get further in the process. I'll report to you guys and let you know in the Dealer / Distributor Discussion. (BTW, I made sure to pay with a credit card)

Anyways, the link to buy the Vader 125 is:
http://www.saferwholesale.com/125cc-...125ccvader.htm

Here's a quick walkaround video of the Vader 125:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ek0j3phWVQ

Looks like a fun bike...I like the fact that it is manual transmission vs. the TMEC semi-auto. You must post video of your bike once it arrives and of course, we will all have millions of questions!

Ryker was regularly running on Craigslist but it looks like they are all getting flagged for removal now? What do you suppose is going on?

Patient infringement? EPA violations? Both? Take your pick.

My guess is either it's because their ads pop up when you search for a "Grom" and people reported it or because they're spamming CL with too many redundant ad's. They still have some of their ads posted.

Most likely dealer posting in the by owner section. That pisses everyone off.



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Clone of clone?

Not sure if SaferWholesale can sell the bike in California (despite sending it from California per MaxiPad's post.) If they can, that's a great price on what promises to be a fun little monkey bike.

Now if CSC imported the Grom clone, I'd feel a lot more assured given their customer service, support and that they go through CARB testing (so no guessing as to whether you can register it or not in Caifornia) The price would be higher because of all the upfront cost to smog certify a bike. If they could do all that and sell the bike for $2,000 - $2500, I think they'd have another hot seller on their hands.

Maybe so.. However, the genuine version from Honda MSRP's only at $3200 and the Z125 is at $3,000. So for just a little bit more, you'd have a motorcycle authentically built by a motorcycle manufacturer known for their reliability that'd give you high quality components (fuel injection, suspension, etc.), and a high resale value. Locally I can find lightly used Grom's for $2700 obo and I'd bet as the new models start rolling out the used values will drop even lower.

It might be a tough bike for CSC to spoof and make money on, but who knows. I'd like to see them do it.

The part that's starting to get me excited now is the possibility of dropping a Daytona 190 in one of these! Being that the cloned motor in the Vader is a CRF50 knockoff as well as the Daytona 190, I would imagine the Daytona would bolt right up (although there may be a clearance issue, especially as you add an oil cooler and a larger carb). Hopefully more people will buy these and do some crazy modifications to them (someone be my guinea pig)! ;)

The TMEC I posted above is near identical to the Zongshen clone. TMEC use Zongshen engines, and the main difference I can see, besides the TMEC already here in the US, is the TMEC is a 4-speed semi-auto (no clutch lever). If you watch the above video, the guy mentions that. Sunright has an MSRP of $1600, so my guess is a hundred or slightly more off that price at the dealers. I am very tempted to purchase one of the TMEC bikes to try it out.

I do like that mini-motard look of the TMEC, although I'd prefer that it'd be a manual instead of a semi-auto. Do you know of any distributors in the US that are carrying them yet?

Well... I received my Vader!! The bike came quick (ordered it last Saturday and got it today)! I'm so excited to put it together that I think I might knock off from work early today! :D

I plan on doing a comparison video between the Honda Grom and the Vader. My sister owns a Grom, so I'll really be able to pick these bikes apart and distinguish their similarities & differences.

Expect to hear more about the bike within the next few days and for the comparison video in a few weeks!


BTW, so far Saferwholesale has been great to work with! I still need to receive my paperwork though, so it's not over.

Congrats on the bike--can't wait to read about your experiences and especially the comparison to the Grom!

The distributor to the TMEC is sunright http://www.sunright.net/
They list them under 'Aeolus Scooters'

Somewhat similar Icebear Fuerza 125 . . 4 speed manual.

http://www.icebearatv.com/pimages/pm...95_400x400.jpg

http://www.icebearatv.com/pimages/pm...97_400x400.jpg

http://www.icebearatv.com/pimages/pm...46_400x400.jpg

Tortoise, that does look pretty close! It looks like a customized Grom (extended swingarm, different headlight w/ windscreen, etc). I wonder what those are going to go for.

Update on the Vader. I assembled it on Friday. It was pretty easy except for putting the front wheel on, but with a little creativity I did find an easy way to put the front wheel on. I found that putting an A-Frame ladder over the front of the bike then using ratchet straps to lift the front end off the ground worked great.
BUT, I did make a stupid mistake.. When I went to drain the oil, there were two bolts underneath; a 14mm bolt on the left (angled down at 45 degrees) and a 17mm bolt right underneath of the exhaust. My thinking was that bolt that was angled down and that was easier to get to was going to be the oil drain bolt. Boy was I wrong.. That was the cam chain tension bolt. :doh:

The tension spring rod that flew out of there ended up getting all garbled up, so I had to order a new one. I tried finding a place to order the Lifan spring, but I couldn't find an online store that carries them, so I ended up ordering an OEM Honda Grom tension spring. I hope that it'll work. :hmm:

People, please don't be stupid like me. Remember that the oil drain bolt is almost always a 17mm bolt.

But boy does it look pretty sitting in my garage! I'm just amazed that they can sell this bike so cheap! I placed my sister's Grom next to my Vader and I much prefer the looks and features of my bike!

Glad to read you assembled it, minus the mishap :) Do you feel it seems as though it is well-built? I know that Skyteam and Icebear built the CT70 replicas pretty well, as reported by numerous members. Also, pitbikes from China seem to be stout based on numerous youtube videos and members. So, perhaps, the Chinese have the 'minibike' thing down; if only they can replicate quality for full-size bikes!

Thanks, Tortoise, for the Icebear find! Since Icebear offer their CT70 clone as a semi-auto, I am surprised they didn't offer their Grom clone in the same way.

Maxipad, you are correct on the 'custom' aspect as Icebear have their successful custom Ruckus clone lineup in both 50cc and 150cc, and two wheel and trike. They have given several away, or at least offered them, on 'Let's Make a Deal.'

I guess I won't truly know how well-built the Vader is until I can get the motor running. But as far as fit and finish, and all of the little details (led running light, gear indicator, multiple backlit colors to choose from on the instrument cluster, etc.) the bike definitely feels top-notch. I think looks-wise if the Grom looks like it's worth its MSRP of $3,200 then the Vader should sticker at around $3,500+.

If the Vader's motor and transmission are even remotely close in performance to the Grom, then I think it'd be a no-brainer to go with the Vader. But we shall see..

I've finally uploaded some pictures of the Vader, so I'll drop some in this post. (BTW the first pic is where I suspended the bike by the A-Frame ladder, and the last one is a pic w/ all of my bikes including the Hawk 250 :) )

http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...722_194547.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...ichtoneHDR.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...ichtoneHDR.jpg
http://i1088.photobucket.com/albums/...ichtoneHDR.jpg

It looks very natural next to the real deal Grom. I like the black paint. Like I mentioned, perhaps China has the minibike clone thing down seeing at how well their pitbikes and CT-70 clones are according to every owner's reviews on them I have read or seen on youtube. Your thread here has gotten me very interested in the TMEC due to the semi-auto transmission. I had been eyeballing the Skyteam and Icebear CT-70 clones myself, leaning toward the Icebear due to it using the semi-auto tranny.

ICYMI, I just posted a video in the "Video and Pics" section of me riding around on the Vader 125. I'll go ahead and supply the link here as well..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9oXi4I_C7Y

Maxi... was there a tornado recently :hehe:

Thats pretty good thinking with the little Giant!

Yes! I know of them all too well! I'll for sure be buying stuff from them soon. This is terrible of me, but I'm already looking at their engines such as the Piranha (YX) 140 and their Daytona 190. :doh:
BUT, there's nothing wrong with my IP54FMI so I need to quit looking at those motors and focus on the performance parts for my current motor.

And BlackBike, I'm sorry but I'm confused and don't know how to respond to your post. Feel free to call me an idiot for not being able to comprehend your post. :hi:

I was being a jerk about the state of the shop floor. Good thing I 9nly show the nice organized portions of mine.

OH! Haha I gotcha! Yeah, sadly the portion I displayed was about as organized as I get lol..

Any more videos/review updates? I notice that SSR is showing the 'Razkull' as being available vs. under 'coming soon' (where it still is and has been for several months).

http://www.ssrmotorsports.com/store/...reet-index.php

Here are the updates so far:

- The bike still seems to have some kind of charging issue.

I can go 4-5 days riding the Vader before the battery has a hard time providing enough juice to start the bike. My temporarily solution is to hook the Vader up to a battery tender overnight every 2-3 days or so. Not a big deal when you have a quick disconnect connected to the battery. And if worse comes to worse, the bike is super light that it'd be easy to push start it if need be.


- The plastics are very brittle.

If you watched my quickie video, you'll notice that the plastic from the tail section broke very easily from a very minor fall (my sister actually caught the bike). Then a week later, the front wheel hugger mounting points cracked on me and the fairing on the left side of the gas tank was holding on by one screw (due to cracking issues). These plastics are definitely not ABS.


- Experienced bogging issues a few times on the highway.

There was a few times where the Vader would cut out on me at about 42-44 mph and would not recover unless I dropped a gear and slowly rev the bike back up. This is probably due to the carburetor needing a larger jet.


- Otherwise, the bike is mechanically (& cosmetically :hehe:) breaking in nicely. Power feels a bit stronger, shifting is feeling smoother and the bike feels reliable.



I am thoroughly enjoying this little bike. It's just a bummer those plastics were cheaply made (which I should've expected anyways). But the cheap plastics doesn't bother me all that much. I actually prefer the bike without the plastics because it gives me less to worry about and now I have easier access to the motor and it's components whenever I need to get to them.



The Razkull looks pretty sweet! I'm a big fan of SSR. I can't wait to see one of those!

It doesn't sound like you have a charging issue. It sounds more like a power drain issue. Is there anything on the bike that could be draining the power?


/

After all you wrote about your issues--keep in mind, it is a Chinese bike after all, LOL Like the Geico commercials--'That's what they do...'

I threw in the SSR bike to show that several Chinese bikes are here or coming. Mysteriously, even after watching the youtube video of one being sold, Sunright told me on the phone that their TMEC 125 won't be available until September :( But it is in the works.

Kawasaki and Honda will be the 'real deal' in this segment, but why spend over $3k when you can have a real thrash bike? I imagine there will be some unknown bikes to arrive--heck your bike kind of 'appeared' as I had been watching the TMEC and SSR bikes. I wonder if this market segment stays robust, will CSC import the Zongshen version?

show us the zong version.

It looks near identical to the TMEC version sold via Sunright but the TMEC version is a semi-auto, no clutch lever bike...
http://www.sunright.net/linhai-scooters/denali-125%20FX

Here is the Zongshen version:
http://en.zongshenmotor.com/?q=node/895

Also, if you look around the CSC blogs, Joe rode one while he was recently in China and has photos of it, too.

The TMEC bike is probably bought as a knock-down kit from Zongshen, but they probably use a semi-auto Zongshen engine rather than a clutch version. TMEC uses the Zongshen 163 FML in their full-size 200 enduro. TMEC are a good company, at least from the perspective of their full-size enduro.

However, the Zongshen version allows you to 'be cool, be funny' so is probably the better of the two bikes ;) ...

"Be cool, be funny"

Yes, Mr. Zongshen, I will!

Not as cool or funny, but far more likely to be available in the US in the next couple months...The TMEC125GY-5

I should have linked to the Chinese site as well as the US distributor, Sunright.

http://www.tmecpower.com/index.php?m...catid=15&id=18

I bet that Rapido would work for csc is LA. They could sell it just under the TT price at some point. Course csc might have to think about building on to their facility.

I have the Vader 125 Grom Clone also. Mine is called a Boom. {BD125-15} All the issues Maxi had..i have too. Broken cheap brittle plastics...loose bolts....pinched hoses...etc. I also have a speedo that doesn't work. Might be from installing the speedo pickup incorrectly...don't know yet. Had to buy a decent battery already..even though i keep it on a Battery Tender Jr 24/7. Originally i planned to do an engine swap even before i bought the Boom, ...but the engine i wanted to use required moving the main frame tube for clearance...so i changed my mind. For now i'm fixing the plastics....removing the tip over switch and all the smog equiptment...and i ordered a Black Widow full exhaust already....$202.00 USD including shipping from the UK. A bore kit and a Mikuni carb are next after i do some research. I'll be paying attention to the engine hop up topics on here.

The SSR Razkull got a great review from motorcycle.com in their ankle biter shootout.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1G5lgbj74Q

Thought i'd let you guys know...a aftermarket GROM exhaust will not fit on the Vader 125 aka Grom BD 125-15 aka Grom clone. I should have done better research before i bought it but didn't and had to cut up the stock header and the aftermarket header and fab {weld} the two together to make it fit. The rear half fits all the mounting holes on the frame...but the front half of the Grom exhaust doesn't fit. It seems the Grom exhaust port aims straight down...while these clones exhaust ports are angled outward about 15 degrees. I don't mind having to weld things to make them fit...but most folks don't have the equiptment...so i thought i'd warn everybody to save you the hassle.