Zero Motorcycles are known around the world for their electric motorcycles, and their designers and engineers are renowned for their knowledge in this type of bikes. But those people have a life outside Zero Motorcycles, and what they do on their spare time might surprise us all!
That’s the case of Cole Mishler, a Zero Motorcycles designer, who built the Honda Grom Reaper – that’s the name Honda gives to the MSX 125 in the United States.
Mishler’s passion to build electric motorcycle went up a notch when he decided to remove the combustion engine of the Grom 125, and replace it with an all-electric engine, sourced, obviously, from Zero Motorcycles, and a set of batteries to energize that zero emissions engine.
This new electric engine boosts the maximum power to 27 hp, more than double the power of a stock Honda engine, and the battery module is a single ZF 3.6 kWh unit, taken from a Zero FX, that fits in the ‘tank’ area.
The changes didn’t affect only the performance side of the little Grom 125. Cole Mishler also worked on the design creating custom fiberglass fairings, new wiring loom, new suspension units from Öhlins and a new rear sprocket almost the size of the 12’’ wheel itself.
That enormous rear sprocket, combined with the increase in torque, and that increase is of +800% to a max of 66 ft lbs, guarantees that the Grom Reaper accelerates hard and according to Mishler “it’s a wheelie machine!”.
We really like this custom Honda Grom Reaper with its streetfighter looks.