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ADV RidesRound the World Journey on a Grom – Crazy or Crazy Fun?

Round the World Journey on a Grom – Crazy or Crazy Fun?

Swedish adventurer sets out on RTW journey astride his trusty 125cc Grom.

Published on 04.10.2019
“Round the world? ON this?!” is often the reaction 23 year old Nicklas Aittamaa says he gets from people as they look at him in disbelief. In July 2018, the Swedish rider packed his stuff on the tiny 125cc Honda Grom and set off in hopes of visiting every single continent on the planet. Nicklas has done over 22,000 kilometers (13,670 mi) on the trusty Grom so far and is still going.

Last year, he bought his Grom and left Sweden riding East through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, and currently, Myanmar and Thailand. Why the Grom? “I just wanted to do something different. I know plenty of people have done similar trips on small bikes – but not a Grom”, he says. According to him, the bike is perfect: it’s small, fun, and a real head-turner.

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

The Swedish rider is travelling solo, although he says occasional company is always welcomed. His plan is to ride to New Zealand, then ship the Grom and ride the Americas and back to Europe. “If finances allow, I might do Africa as well, but nothing is decided yet”, he said. Nicklas’ route is very spontaneous: he rarely plans ahead more than a few days. As an example, his detour through Nepal was completely improvised.


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Nicklas usually doesn’t cover more than 300 km (186 mi) a day, although he has once ridden 650 km (403 mi) in a day. The Grom only needs one liter of fuel to cover about 50 km (31 mi), so with all of his tanks full which amount to 10.5 liters, he can do well over 525 km (326 mi) before he needs to refuel.

How It All Started

Nicklas grew up in a country house and rode mini quads, pitbikes, and scooters for as long as he can remember. After finishing high school, the young adventurer decided he wanted to travel. Having spent a few months working on a farm in Australia on a work-and-travel visa, he left for Bali to surf. Here, he rented a scooter and thought to himself: “what if I never stopped? I could ride this bike back to Sweden”, and the idea for the journey was born.

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

Nicklas went home and worked in minimart warehouses and as a grocery shop manager for a while to save for his big trip. He has no sponsors and is funding his trip using his savings which he accumulated working in Sweden. “I worked for a long time and just saved every penny, lived on my brother’s couch for over a year and then left. My wish is to be working as a photographer or filmmaker along the way, as a freelancer”, he said.

According to him, people love seeing the Grom on the road. Big smiles and glances of admiration follow the tiny bike everywhere, and some people look confused, but Nicklas says it’s always positive and he even hears “hats off to you!” from other riders.

Kitting Out The Grom

Before he left, Nicklas did a few modifications on the bike. He installed a YSS rear shock to handle extra weight, a luggage rack, a Puig windshield which was later replaced by a Yahama scooter windshield, a Bride Gel seat and added a SW-Motech air cushion for extra comfort. For a GPS, he uses his phone mounted on the handlebars. Along the way, he also added a custom built crash bars, LED lights, and extra fuel tanks. He camps a lot as he travels and confesses that he has already sent some of the luggage back home after realizing he didn’t need so many things.

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

Discoveries On The Road

Nicklas says this trip has made him a better rider. “Being on the bike for long hours each day will inevitably make you more skilled. You learn to handle the bike much better, react to traffic situations or road conditions quickly, and react faster”.

The best part of this trip, according to the Swedish adventurer, is learning about different cultures, particularly the Muslim world. Nicklas says he’s very happy with the decision to travel through Iran and Pakistan – the two countries where he experienced exceptional hospitality and generosity. “The locals share their religion and culture so willingly, it just absolutely amazes me. I feel very fortunate to have this experience”.

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

The worst incident so far has been a bad case of food poisoning in Pakistan. The Grom has been holding well, and Nicklas says he’d love to tell Honda what a cool bike they’ve made. “I feel really lucky, but so far, I had no issues with the bike whatsoever”.

As he travels, Nicklas documents his adventures on an aptly named Gromance YouTube channel. “I wanted to save my trip in some way, and I also wanted to share what it’s like to travel the world on a small motorbike. Another reason was wanting to show people what countries like Iran and Pakistan are truly like, because most still have a very negative view of them.”, he said.

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

Riding the World on a Honda Grom

Currently, Nicklas is traversing Thailand and says both he and the Grom are doing great. Will the young Swedish rider and his Grom make it around the world? I have a feeling they will – but follow them to find out for yourself.

Author: Egle Gerulaityte

Riding around the world extra slowly and not taking it too seriously, Egle is always on the lookout for interesting stories. Editor of the Women ADV Riders magazine, she focuses on ordinary people doing extraordinary things and hopes to bring travel inspiration to all two-wheeled maniacs out there.

Author: Egle Gerulaityte
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Dave
Dave
April 10, 2019 12:05 pm

Interesting read – if your researching for more of the same this young mature woman has documented in writing ( 2 books now ) of her epic journeys well before the internet existed !
http://www.heather-ellis.com/

Anna Dabney
Anna Dabney
April 11, 2019 11:52 am

An interesting and heart-warming story.

Ron
Ron
April 14, 2019 5:03 am

Excellent and courageous effort Nick.
Glad you found Riders Corner in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Best wishes for the next kms.

jean-francois
jean-francois
May 2, 2019 7:01 am

when you travel on a small byke , you are going slow and it give you the opportunity to enjoy the sinery and the people on your way…

Spiff
Spiff
January 15, 2020 3:28 pm

Nice. How will he get to Antarctica? The article says all 7 continents, but omits any details about the southernmost one.

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