Honda Monkey Bike
Hey hey we’re the Monkees! Or maybe the Beatles...
Yes the Honda Monkey mini motorcycle both old and new !
Once upon a time, our man at wemoto Thailand found this little diamond in the rough, looking somewhat despondent amongst a lot of junk. This prompted us to think about motorcycles which are small but perfectly formed, like the pint-sized Honda Grom, and wonder about the relative merits of each. Much better to think about small yellow motorcycles in Thailand than the endless rain in the UK!
‘You meet the nicest people on a Honda’
The little Honda Monkey was the precursor to the Grom, first coming out in 1961, and in fact the very groovy John Lennon had one back in the day which sold at the National Motorcycle Museum Auction in 2018 for...£57,500. Holy Moly obviously a design classic, ridden by an icon, is something everyone wants on the back of their camper van when heading to Devon for the bank holiday - at least we hope it’s going to be ridden not just moulder in a collection. They are, like a lot of older motorcycles, easy to work on and restore and most of the parts are still available so there's no excuse not to use one however elderly it is.
The Monkey was irresistible-looking from the start, they knew how to make an instant hit (bit like John Lennon in fact) in the 60s. Great to be seen on and great to wiggle through the traffic, a unique and innovative motorcycle at the time, which by the 1970s had acquired cult status and are still very collectable today.
Going Bananas
Honda brought out a new one, in homage to its 60s parent in 2014, with chromed high rise handlebars, and frame, swingarm & shock absorbers painted the same colour as the fuel tank - our personal favourite - got to be banana yellow. Reliable - like a Honda in fact - the 125 air cooled engine is economical with a sturdy build and the mini motorcycle has ABS brakes so everything is in full working order for today’s roads.
What Do You Think?
Hey folks out there...we wonder...who prefers the Monkey to the Grom? The Grom is maybe easier for a full sized human but still neat and little. But the Monkey is just so cute looking. Anyone tried either or both and care to venture an opinion?
Personally we’d like one of each - got a Grom already which is very popular - wonder if that lonely little Thai one is for sale :)
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