THE diminutive Honda MSX125 (or ‘Grom’) is no stranger to going on the fabricator's table for aesthetic or performance upgrades. We aren’t sure though that we’ve ever seen a Grom that looks quite this extreme.
The bike is the result of a collaborative effort between legendary bike builder Guy Willison and an artist and sports shoe customiser called MattB Customs. The reason they are building the dinky drag racer? It’ll now be shipped off to Wheels and Waves, where it’ll have to do battle with a raft of other 125cc customs from all over Europe.
Guy Willison-built turbo and NOz Grom drag racer in detail
The bike, aptly named ‘HOLD ON’, is a pro-street-inspired vision of what a Grom would have to be to slay on the ‘strip. The most obvious change is the huge stretched swingarm, which has been under-braced and fabricated in such a way that it can hold the bike’s *checks notes* nitrous oxide canister! Guy and the team didn’t stop there though, as to extract every last ounce of power from the usually easy-going engine, a Garrett turbo was slapped on for good measure.
Completing the look is a perfectly executed set of race fairings complete with a custom paint job, custom leather seat, and custom exhaust system.
Speaking about the mechanical side of the build, mastermind Willison said:
“When asked to work with Matt on this project, I felt there was only [one] direction we should go - a 'no holds barred' turbo-charged, nitrous oxide injected drag racer pared to the bone with styling and paint job to match.”.
The other person behind the bulk of the styling of the bike is MattB Customs, and, if you’re like me, you might be wondering who he is. Turns out Matt is a world-renowned sports shoe customiser and artist, who started making custom sneaks for his mates and family at the age of 17. Fast forward to today he has 126k followers on Instagram and his designs have been worn by Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande, and Marcus Rashford to name but a few!
“It’s been such an unreal experience” Matt said “to explore and apply our art style to something crazy that isn’t shoes or accessories. We wanted to make it look as though the bike was THAT fast, the paint couldn’t even stay on, creating an illusion of the paint dripping off the bike. It's turned out exactly how we wanted it!”.
As mentioned before, the bike will now be shipped off to Wheels and Waves, where it’ll be judged against the bikes from the rest of Europe. The competition includes two dinky Dax, two MSX125 Groms and three cheeky custom Monkeys, which will be on display at the Wheels & Waves festival in Biarritz from Wednesday 21st to Sunday 25th of June.
To check out the other bikes and cast your vote, head on over to the official website and take part in the online poll.
