You guys realise this is an icon right? These bikes were huge in Europe at their prime time called the Honda Dax/monkey. Always pretty neat when I see some of the originals riding around my home town, 50ccs of nothingness. The fact that they’ve released a 2018model is huge and great, despite its price. It’s not about the suspension or handling or anything like that.
Many younger people are not aware of the history of this bike. Everyone had one from John Lennon to Michael Jackson. $4,000 is not unreasonable knowing that people today pay up to $5000 for a fully restored 50cc original. The magic of this bike is that the design is timeless.
The mini bike was not a new concept. In the early 60's we had domestic built mini bikes, with briggs and Stratton lawn mower type engines. But after the first season of riding, those things wouldn't even start on a reliable basis anymore. When Honda came out with the Monkey bike, it completely took the market by storm. They came complete with working lights and multiple speed transmissions and were utterly reliable and completely kid proof. Honda's introduction of the trail 50/70 series of mini bikes was huge.
I'd take the Monkey over a Grom all day every day... but that price is a bit steep. Too close to the new Honda Cub, which I'd buy instead. Maybe I will... 🤔
Burntwrench I actually really dig the retro look. We vacation a lot on the gulf coast, and I imagine it'd be the perfect bike to put on the back of my Suburban and ride around Seaside. Plus, James May rode one! 🤣
I am definitely looking forward to the cub. I like the cub more because it is more of a full size bike. Not digging the auto clutch, but i'm sure it can be switched to manual.
The Monkey was actually around in the 70's they had like a 65cc engine and were like little trail bikes. I hope this trend of bike companies reviving/reintroducing updated versions of older bikes continues....but I'm a retro nerd, soooo
I understand that mopeds were what they called bikes that had actual working pedals that were used to start the engine (and as a backup power source if you ran out of gas) but Hondas Zs never had pedals.
The little bikes Honda started making in the late 60's were either 50 or 70 cc. The 50ccs were called z50 and the 70cc models were called CTs in the U.S. and either STs or Dax everywhere else in the world. Z's were made up until last year while the last DAXes ever sold were made in 2000 although as time went by fewer countries got them. The Monkey name was never anywhere to be seen on a for-U.S..market bike while in Europe countries like France or Germany got bikes that did actually read Monkey on the badges (while american ones read MiniTrail) I believe the last country (other than Japan) to ever have new z50 was Portugal. And there's still plenty of them there I live in Spain that's why I know all this shit. In Europe there's also a Monkey 125 in black and I don't think a non-ABS versions is available.
I was 7 (1968) when the K1 50 cc came out called the Mini Trail made for kids. Well these are made for adults reliving their childhood which is great, I know because I have a K 3 Mini Trail . Try those roads on 49 cc and drum brakes ( actually please don’t )!
Ah! Finally I find a mini-bike brother. I always wanted the Honda Minitrail, but ended up with a used QA50. Bought it for $50 and had to put rings in it to get it running! I would LOVE to have this bike, but don't have that kind of $ to spare. Maybe in a few years when there are some used ones around.
And no rear suspension. My brother, sister, and finally me adopted our mom's Z50 from that era in turn. All three of us learned to ride on it so I'm feeling a bit of nostalgia watching this. If I bought a new Monkey, I think a part of me would miss the kickstarter. No part of me would miss the hardtail.
Mini Trail Yeah! Love it. :-) 1973 almost 4 years old. First time I rode a "bike". Pops started it for me and here I go very slowly but all by myself. Mind you I couldn´t reach the foot rests and the flat ground seem to be miles way. Some assistance to hold it to a stop and step off... Now I have white hair and beard, still smiling just thinking about it. :-) Cheers
Yeah, those drums weren't much. One of the worst pile up's i ever had was on a CT70. I had spent all afternoon messing with the ignition. I must of stomped on that kickstarter five million times that day. When it finally fired I jumped on and flogged it down the driveway. Didn't think about the brakes, I had just bought the bike. Turns out thirty mile an hour, no brakes and a sharp turn don't add up.
Had a 74 z50 I bought two 2024 black z125 monkeys I’m seven years old again If I want to go fast I’ve got my triumph rocket 3 It’s a mini bike for adults Quit comparing to a grom It’s nothing like a grom They brought this out for us gen xers that grew up with them It’s all memories for us old folk Better than a grom by far
I love this bike. Thanks brother. I love this old school stuff. People understand - a top of the line bicycle cost more than this and you have to peddle it.
@@LDwestwood1986 why not? People in Finland tuned up their mopeds to sometimes go over 100kmh imagine those speeds on old drum brakes and a little bike
@@LDwestwood1986 I live in California & most cities where I live in 45 & 50 mph is very common. I rode my friends grom & just hitting 45 50 mph was almost full throttle. I'm not a huge heavy guy either. I just don't think it's good for the engine to be at near full throttle just to be at city speeds.
The original Honda mini bikes from the late 60's and into the 70's had points and condensers, manual chokes and drum brakes but the new bikes have bigger tires, electronic fuel injection, disc brakes. You can even get ABS. I love this new Monkey. I put down a deposit at my local Honda dealership but I won't get it until January.
I paid the price and I am 100% more than happy with my purchase. With the yoshi exhaust this thing is a little ripper with attitude. The seat, blows away any other seat. Ever
These small displacement bikes are so fun in a group. A group of us ride Honda Metropolitans on back country roads. It's so much fun! Especially when we pull into a biker bar and a bunch of us old timers get off of our Metros. I have a Fat Boy and a V-Max but these little bikes are really fun with the gang. Back roads and in town, you can't beat them. More fun than a barrel of monkeys!
I still do not understand, people can barely handle the 600 and 1000 cc and they say that it is little power or a mini motorcycle when they hardly get to be able to apply driving techniques in the 125....
@@ccgb92 no, they were coming up on a "Right lane turn only" so clearly since he went straight, he couldn't have legally been in the right lane with his destination.
John Miller obviously you care. So, if you were coming up to a right turn only lane you would take that turn instead of going where you need? That just makes zero sense.
@@NoMoreQQ Yes I would. It's the driver's fault for not getting in that lane soon enough. You don't turn infront of someone like that and cause someone else to slam on their brakes. That's silly af if you believe that.
Making these retro bikes is the best decision Honda made so far. I have been riding my original 1972 Honda C50h for quite a while now and I have been loving it the moment I got on it. Finding out that Honda is going to bring back the Super Cub with all the modern features is almost as good as having sex for the first time, if not better... I don't care that it is probably the most expensive and slowest A1 licence motorcycle one could buy, because the C125 is a novelty. A novelty I really badly want. Having a C125 sitting next to my C50 sound like a dream for me. And in true Honda fashion they did not cut corners on designing it. Except for the transmission which is both the best and the worst at the same time Honda has solved a lot of issues the original C50 had such as front suspension that WILL kill you if you even think of making an emergency stop, god awful brakes and throttle that turns too much from idle to full throttle. I am so glad that they kept the semi-auto gearbox. As polarising as it may be, it is so nice to use except if you try to downshift at any engine speed other than idle. You HAVE to blip the throttle during downshifts on the C50 which is fun and engaging, but it can also be a chore, make you come across like a dickhead and not to mention that is is bloody dangerous. Disc brakes, finally! stock drum brakes on a C50 slows you down but that is about it. Telescoping front fork. Now, this isn't new to the Super Cub however the old ones came with a leading link design which rides really comfortable, but also makes the front brake extremely dangerous. If you use the front brake the whole front end will hop up, so yeah no nose diving but this is even worse. If you come on the front brake a bit too quickly and a bit too hard, the front end will lift up so quickly that the front tire actually comes off the ground. This means that no matter how fast or slow you are going, if you brake too hard the front end will bounce up and down causing you to loose control and fall. Also they changed the order of the gears, originally it is first gear, neutral (which is an actual gear instead of in between), second and finally third. Which can be useful sometimes but it also causes your first to second shifts to be really slow because you have to press and depress the shifter twice! With the new design you are forced to go either through fourth of first gear to get to neutral. more than double the displacement but not even double the power. This is a bit of a shame honestly... It is not a fast bike and it doesn't have to be. But since the maximum limit of power for A1 licence bikes is 14hp I was hoping for at least 12hp, hearing that it only makes 8hp bummed me out. I hope Takegawa is going to make some performance parts for this engine because I really want to bump up the power to 14hp or maybe even more. It is very fuel efficient though, I have to give them credits for that. even more efficient than the original C50. Seating position and geometry. Comfortable yet a bit cramped, like the original C50 (I'm glad that I have the Dutch version which has the nice buddyseat), true to original though. Eventhough almost everything is changed about this thing it is so much the same as the original and probably feels instantly familiar as well.
Well, Chase, you actually accidentally called this what it was usually called back in the day. "Minibike" was a term for any small bike, with wheels about riding mower size. They went from the most basic, with lawn mower engines and centrifugal clutches, and sometimes only a back brake that scrubbed on the tire, to the Hondas and other Japanese makers who put motorcycle style engines with transmissions on them. Most of the Hondas had automatic clutch, meaning you just pushed the gear pedal. What is usually the clutch lever is a second back brake lever. My 2015 Rancher ATV has this same setup! My friend had one that was made by a company called Bonanza, and it had a 2 stroke Hodaka engine from a dirt bike on it. That sucker would go! But I'd say 90 percent of these back then had no tag, and were driven (mostly...Ha!) off road. Gravel pits, powerlines, and wherever else you could get away with it. The police would chase you and impound it if you were caught, at least here in MD. Back then we would have LOVED if we got 60 MPH out of them! Some people who put tags on them would tie them onto the back of their RV so they had a little transportation once they parked at a campground. The usual Minitrail had only 50 cc. We had NO trouble doing wheelies on them. You just need to be going very slowly to start , or do one from a dead stop. I had to chuckle when you said you had to find out if it would do one, cuz I saw the thing had a 125cc engine, I was wondering how you could NOT do a wheelie! thanks for your review!
If I was a kid I would think this is the coolest thing ever, just like I thought the Yamaha GT-80 in the mid seventies was the coolest thing ever. It has a Z50 vibe going on.
See premiers are weird because I was like oh sweet, I haven’t seen that bike before and I clicked to watch it, but now that I cannot I will probably just go watch someone else do a review of the bike and never touch this video again.. sadly
Chase actually does a good job in my opinion on his first rides I've already seen reviews on this bike but for some reason I know I'm gonna enjoy chases review. Like I said his reviews are just slightly better then most
I hear ya man. It's a new thing that I'm trying out so I still need to figure out when the best time to publish and what not is. If you don't come back to watch the vid it's not big deal. Thanks for commenting!
The only reason I dislike this video is because you didn't stop comparing it to the Grom and not stoping talking of it... This a very cool bike inspired on the old Honda model's back in the day, I'm old enough to remember those cool bike and personally I really like this one a lot; the down side is yes, the pricing is a bit to high; that being said you do a really good quality videos!
Thanks Chase, really enjoyed that. In 1969 I had a honda mini trail 50cc and had a great time with what was exactly the same bike. I think I'd like another! Good stuff!
I had a Honda mini bike, 30 I think with ape hanger bars. But would climb anything in first and haul ass in third. Rode it my entire youth. Tough mini bike.
Dude! I’m 56 and old enough to remember what the Monkey is copied from. In the early 70’s Honda made a Trail 70. That’s it! My friend had one in 74. That Monkey looks identical to it.
The original monkey was and still is a popular moped in Finland. Fittingly it's greatest adversary is and has always been another mini: a 2 stroke Suzuki PV. If you think that thing is fun to ride just hop on a 80's monkey with a 110cc cylinder kit, raised suspension and a full exhaust.
As a kid I learned to ride on my mom's old Z50A so this definitely hits the nostalgia button for me. I could easily see myself commuting to work on it but that price is a big ask, especially when I have a bike already. Plus, I'm a little tiny bit disappointed that it doesn't come with a kickstarter. The rear suspension is something I can fully get on board with however.
This little bike is going to create a whole new generation of dreamers, just like original mini-trails did back in the day. To bad though, i dont see to many parents popping the 4 grand to buy one.
I rock a highly modified 48cc 2-stroke bicycle. 35mph on flat, 45mph downhill, about 65 miles per gallon. If I ever need to fix it, it's never more than 10 or 20 dollars. 😆
I used to have a 1975 Honda CT Trail 70 it reminds me of that bike I rode the crap out of that thing until my brother ran into a ski lift at Full Throttle bent the front forks and destroying the bike that thing was a lot of fun
1970 CT 90 was what $400 bucks? I bought a new 1973 Yamaha 80 for $375. I was a kid with a paper route and a lawn mowing gig and I only needed to save about 4 months to pay for it. $4K for a mini bike in 2019. Gotta pass on that one. Here's an eye opener. I bought a brand new 1979 Suzuki GS-1000 for $3200. The price of a motorcycle is totally upside down in 2019.
Fun fact: in Australia land, (possibly just country towns) any tiny form factor bikes all the way down to the literal toy 50's etc are all publicly referred too as 'Monkey' bikes, and have been for longer than i can remember. And that includes the old Yamaha PW50's 'Peewee 50' with its own little naming convention. All due to the popularity of the original iterations of 'Monkey bikes' ;)
This bike looks super fun just cause it's the size of a toy....but in 1969 they were about $350 which is just under $2500 by today's rate....I have a speed triple but I always get attracted to goofy things like this
Seriously, other than the price tag this Monkey is all I’d actually need to get to and from work. I live on the Isle of Man, we have no dual carriage ways, freeways, motorways, etc. There’s only a handful of places on island that even have two lanes of traffic to help flow. I live less than 5 miles away from work and only need a vehicle to ship me around, my partner and I could keep the car for shop runs and taking the dog out. We have the TT course obviously, but I don’t have a need for speed, I love the sensation of driving quickly rather than actually going quickly. The only other bikes I’ll even consider are the CB350F and CB500F, whilst they’re faster and cooler bikes, 120+ mpg on the Monkey is so hard to pass on. Especially when my current car rarely gets 30mpg....
I personally like the Monkey better just because of the look and it offers a more off-road approach than the Grom, I will probably wait until we have more of a used market for these bikes before I buy one. This looks like a fun bike to modify and mess around with, it will be soon before all the Honda Grom crowd starts to be obsessed with the Honda Monkey and more and more will be on the used market for at least $1000 less.
You really should come out to the Smokey Mountain Crawl next year. There are hundreds of custom mini bikes, events, and group rides!! It's in Townsend, TN
I just picked up a brand new 2019 honda monkey for $3300. They are unboxing it now and will be delivered Saturday morning. I wanted a yellow one but i couldnt pass on that price, less than a new grom.
The MSRP for the Grom is $3500, the Monkey is $4000. I've got a 2014 Grom, it was the 2nd one I saw in person (I was on a waiting list for a while, Berkeley Honda [good people]). I see 'em a lot now. The Super Cub (automatic) is $3600. I'd rather the Monkey for style and would probably pay the extra $600.
![2019 Honda Monkey Test Ride Review [Scooter or Motorcycle?!]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YFFrcjJAXg4/mqdefault.jpg)
You guys realise this is an icon right? These bikes were huge in Europe at their prime time called the Honda Dax/monkey. Always pretty neat when I see some of the originals riding around my home town, 50ccs of nothingness. The fact that they’ve released a 2018model is huge and great, despite its price. It’s not about the suspension or handling or anything like that.
were huge? buddy, trail 90's still go for $2500 here in Seattle.
especially in finland
Many younger people are not aware of the history of this bike. Everyone had one from John Lennon to Michael Jackson. $4,000 is not unreasonable knowing that people today pay up to $5000 for a fully restored 50cc original. The magic of this bike is that the design is timeless.
@@Sebu98 torille
mark rodriguez here in Australia it the zj 50 I think
The mini bike was not a new concept. In the early 60's we had domestic built mini bikes, with briggs and Stratton lawn mower type engines. But after the first season of riding, those things wouldn't even start on a reliable basis anymore. When Honda came out with the Monkey bike, it completely took the market by storm. They came complete with working lights and multiple speed transmissions and were utterly reliable and completely kid proof. Honda's introduction of the trail 50/70 series of mini bikes was huge.
I'd take the Monkey over a Grom all day every day... but that price is a bit steep. Too close to the new Honda Cub, which I'd buy instead. Maybe I will... 🤔
JAX why get a cub?!
Burntwrench I actually really dig the retro look. We vacation a lot on the gulf coast, and I imagine it'd be the perfect bike to put on the back of my Suburban and ride around Seaside. Plus, James May rode one! 🤣
same price as grom
ronald harmon True, but everyone has a Grom 😉
I am definitely looking forward to the cub. I like the cub more because it is more of a full size bike. Not digging the auto clutch, but i'm sure it can be switched to manual.
The sky in this video is just amazing like 6:55 for example
Great video chase. It was so cool to interact with you live. And I really like the graphs you are trying out.
The Monkey was actually around in the 70's they had like a 65cc engine and were like little trail bikes.
I hope this trend of bike companies reviving/reintroducing updated versions of older bikes continues....but I'm a retro nerd, soooo
It was a 50cc (moped) originally
You talking about a Honda trail 70? (CT70)
I understand that mopeds were what they called bikes that had actual working pedals that were used to start the engine (and as a backup power source if you ran out of gas) but Hondas Zs never had pedals.
The little bikes Honda started making in the late 60's were either 50 or 70 cc. The 50ccs were called z50 and the
70cc models were called CTs in the U.S. and either STs or Dax everywhere else in the world. Z's were made up until last year while the last DAXes ever sold were made in 2000 although as time went by fewer countries got them. The Monkey name was never anywhere to be seen on a for-U.S..market bike while in Europe countries like France or Germany got bikes that did actually read Monkey on the badges (while american ones read MiniTrail)
I believe the last country (other than Japan) to ever have new z50 was Portugal. And there's still plenty of them there I live in Spain that's why I know all this shit.
In Europe there's also a Monkey 125 in black and I don't think a non-ABS versions is available.
Johnny Keller It’s a copy of the
Trail 70 from the early 70’s.
Remember? They came in several colors. Bright green, blue, red, gold.
You can ride all the way to Aspen on that thing.
"Just go man....just go"
You Hungary? No I swallowed a big june bug on the way into town
You can get 80 miles per gallon on that hog.
@@bosco008 traded the van for it, straight up.
All the way to Aspen California 😂
It’s a shame you have no appreciation for the original mini trail on which this is based but thanks for showing it to those who do remember.
The tank to seat gap is part of the aesthetics of the original
If I ever get that bike I'm putting ape hangers on it
It HAS ape hangers. You just have to be a small ape.
Super wide beach cruiser bars.
I was 7 (1968) when the K1 50 cc came out called the Mini Trail made for kids. Well these are made for adults reliving their childhood which is great, I know because I have a K 3 Mini Trail . Try those roads on 49 cc and drum brakes ( actually please don’t )!
Ah! Finally I find a mini-bike brother. I always wanted the Honda Minitrail, but ended up with a used QA50. Bought it for $50 and had to put rings in it to get it running! I would LOVE to have this bike, but don't have that kind of $ to spare. Maybe in a few years when there are some used ones around.
And no rear suspension. My brother, sister, and finally me adopted our mom's Z50 from that era in turn. All three of us learned to ride on it so I'm feeling a bit of nostalgia watching this. If I bought a new Monkey, I think a part of me would miss the kickstarter. No part of me would miss the hardtail.
Mini Trail Yeah! Love it. :-)
1973 almost 4 years old. First time I rode a "bike". Pops started it for me and here I go very slowly but all by myself. Mind you I couldn´t reach the foot rests and the flat ground seem to be miles way. Some assistance to hold it to a stop and step off... Now I have white hair and beard, still smiling just thinking about it. :-)
Cheers
Yeah, those drums weren't much. One of the worst pile up's i ever had was on a CT70. I had spent all afternoon messing with the ignition. I must of stomped on that kickstarter five million times that day. When it finally fired I jumped on and flogged it down the driveway. Didn't think about the brakes, I had just bought the bike. Turns out thirty mile an hour, no brakes and a sharp turn don't add up.
Had a 74 z50
I bought two 2024 black z125 monkeys
I’m seven years old again
If I want to go fast I’ve got my triumph rocket 3
It’s a mini bike for adults
Quit comparing to a grom
It’s nothing like a grom
They brought this out for us gen xers that grew up with them
It’s all memories for us old folk
Better than a grom by far
Now that’s a REAL bike
just bought one at the age 49 , and must say i love it , it is so comfy and fun to ride
Just bought a '21 in blue at 45. Looking to buy another👍🏻
@@nothanks1627 I'm looking for one more also Rebel 500 or vstar 650 bobber :)
It kinda looks like an old CT70 which I loved riding when I was a kid. Folding handlebars for storing on the back of campers. Fun bike.
You guys realize, it's to make us former trail70, trail90, guys part of the party too! Beautiful!!
Who wants to get to their destination fast when it’s that fun to ride?!!
Picked up a Yamaha XS1100 for $1,000 that just needed an oil pan gasket.
Blows my mind that people pay full price for new bikes.
Just got my monkey and loving it! Price may have been steep for such a little bike, but looking past that, for me it’s priceless.
My bicycle is almost $4K, so not that bad for 2 wheels with a motor :-)
Not a fair comparison. That's like the Ferrari of bikes I'm sure. My bike was $100 at Walmart
You know they make couches that are more than double that with no special features or any other bullshit...
u mountain bike?
@@edman79 actually 4k for a bike is just about average for a performance bicycle. Upper end bikes are now 5 figures.
@@weirdshibainu That's like saying a Lamborghini is cheap because a Buggati is 2 million.
Love those 2019 bikes, I’m restoring a 1970 mini trail
What an outrageous little thing!
Chase laughs all video I expect.
Tampa Grom Squad, and sold the first Monkey in our area. Love my Grom.
This legit looks like one of those "REALISTIC GTA6 MOD" videos
I love this bike. Thanks brother. I love this old school stuff. People understand - a top of the line bicycle cost more than this and you have to peddle it.
HONDA make it a 250cc & you got a deal worth for $4k
I doubt you'd want to go that fast on this bike
@@LDwestwood1986 why not? People in Finland tuned up their mopeds to sometimes go over 100kmh imagine those speeds on old drum brakes and a little bike
What cities do you ride round, most cities have terrible traffic
Jj Jj you realise 100kmh is 62 mph which this 125 will be able to acieve
@@LDwestwood1986 I live in California & most cities where I live in 45 & 50 mph is very common. I rode my friends grom & just hitting 45 50 mph was almost full throttle. I'm not a huge heavy guy either. I just don't think it's good for the engine to be at near full throttle just to be at city speeds.
Best review online so far. Lots of fun and you pointed out some interesting aspects of the bike. Good and bad.
Man this bike takes me back to my 9th birthday when my dad got me my first bike, 1969 Honda z50 mini trail..best day of my life!
The original Honda mini bikes from the late 60's and into the 70's had points and condensers, manual chokes and drum brakes but the new bikes have bigger tires, electronic fuel injection, disc brakes. You can even get ABS. I love this new Monkey. I put down a deposit at my local Honda dealership but I won't get it until January.
The return of the Mini Trail! Kids loved 'em.
We owned one back in the 60's as well as the 55cc Cub.
Absolutely love my Grom.... But 4K for a Grom with a different look. That's used sport bike, used dual sport/ supermoto price all day.
I paid the price and I am 100% more than happy with my purchase. With the yoshi exhaust this thing is a little ripper with attitude. The seat, blows away any other seat. Ever
These small displacement bikes are so fun in a group. A group of us ride Honda Metropolitans on back country roads. It's so much fun! Especially when we pull into a biker bar and a bunch of us old timers get off of our Metros. I have a Fat Boy and a V-Max but these little bikes are really fun with the gang. Back roads and in town, you can't beat them. More fun than a barrel of monkeys!
1:12
I really like how you guys edited the cut to cinematics, very smooth switch with great background music!
I loved it when you’re saying it would be great for new riders while cruising along with a forgotten turn signal blinking away... 😁
I still do not understand, people can barely handle the 600 and 1000 cc and they say that it is little power or a mini motorcycle when they hardly get to be able to apply driving techniques in the 125....
Ego.
7:12
Boomer Camaro flyby denied
Left lane is for passing, that was an idiot move by the monkey driver.
@@ccgb92 no, they were coming up on a "Right lane turn only" so clearly since he went straight, he couldn't have legally been in the right lane with his destination.
@@NoMoreQQ Who cares? You don't turn in front of someone who is obviously about to pass you.
John Miller obviously you care. So, if you were coming up to a right turn only lane you would take that turn instead of going where you need? That just makes zero sense.
@@NoMoreQQ Yes I would. It's the driver's fault for not getting in that lane soon enough.
You don't turn infront of someone like that and cause someone else to slam on their brakes. That's silly af if you believe that.
Spoiler. Its a more expensive Grom with worse rear suspension.
Watch royal jordanians video on it he says its better than the grom in a few ways feel wise to ride
Ive never heard of wrose suspension
Because suspension totally matters in a bike that slow...
Fake news
Because suspension that sucks, really matters on something that already sucks. That’s basically what you said...
Adorable little bike. It could be a mini-bike for a kid or a mini-bike for an adult. I want one....and I'm 56.
I think thats why they made it its a resurrection of the 70s bike. They knew it would give people in there 50/40s nostalgia
This was the bike I wanted as a kid...but Kawi got me with the Z125 when it came out...
Fun factor off the charts...
Making these retro bikes is the best decision Honda made so far.
I have been riding my original 1972 Honda C50h for quite a while now and I have been loving it the moment I got on it.
Finding out that Honda is going to bring back the Super Cub with all the modern features is almost as good as having sex for the first time, if not better... I don't care that it is probably the most expensive and slowest A1 licence motorcycle one could buy, because the C125 is a novelty. A novelty I really badly want. Having a C125 sitting next to my C50 sound like a dream for me. And in true Honda fashion they did not cut corners on designing it. Except for the transmission which is both the best and the worst at the same time Honda has solved a lot of issues the original C50 had such as front suspension that WILL kill you if you even think of making an emergency stop, god awful brakes and throttle that turns too much from idle to full throttle.
I am so glad that they kept the semi-auto gearbox. As polarising as it may be, it is so nice to use except if you try to downshift at any engine speed other than idle. You HAVE to blip the throttle during downshifts on the C50 which is fun and engaging, but it can also be a chore, make you come across like a dickhead and not to mention that is is bloody dangerous.
Disc brakes, finally! stock drum brakes on a C50 slows you down but that is about it.
Telescoping front fork. Now, this isn't new to the Super Cub however the old ones came with a leading link design which rides really comfortable, but also makes the front brake extremely dangerous. If you use the front brake the whole front end will hop up, so yeah no nose diving but this is even worse. If you come on the front brake a bit too quickly and a bit too hard, the front end will lift up so quickly that the front tire actually comes off the ground.
This means that no matter how fast or slow you are going, if you brake too hard the front end will bounce up and down causing you to loose control and fall.
Also they changed the order of the gears, originally it is first gear, neutral (which is an actual gear instead of in between), second and finally third. Which can be useful sometimes but it also causes your first to second shifts to be really slow because you have to press and depress the shifter twice! With the new design you are forced to go either through fourth of first gear to get to neutral.
more than double the displacement but not even double the power.
This is a bit of a shame honestly...
It is not a fast bike and it doesn't have to be. But since the maximum limit of power for A1 licence bikes is 14hp I was hoping for at least 12hp, hearing that it only makes 8hp bummed me out. I hope Takegawa is going to make some performance parts for this engine because I really want to bump up the power to 14hp or maybe even more.
It is very fuel efficient though, I have to give them credits for that. even more efficient than the original C50.
Seating position and geometry.
Comfortable yet a bit cramped, like the original C50 (I'm glad that I have the Dutch version which has the nice buddyseat), true to original though.
Eventhough almost everything is changed about this thing it is so much the same as the original and probably feels instantly familiar as well.
Finally a first ride!!! FR's are why I subbed C2W in the beginning... Always enjoyable!
I seen it in person this morning. It reminds me of my first motorcycle when I was 8. Just like a taller version of a old 1977 Honda z50.
Well, Chase, you actually accidentally called this what it was usually called back in the day. "Minibike" was a term for any small bike, with wheels about riding mower size. They went from the most basic, with lawn mower engines and centrifugal clutches, and sometimes only a back brake that scrubbed on the tire, to the Hondas and other Japanese makers who put motorcycle style engines with transmissions on them. Most of the Hondas had automatic clutch, meaning you just pushed the gear pedal. What is usually the clutch lever is a second back brake lever. My 2015 Rancher ATV has this same setup!
My friend had one that was made by a company called Bonanza, and it had a 2 stroke Hodaka engine from a dirt bike on it. That sucker would go!
But I'd say 90 percent of these back then had no tag, and were driven (mostly...Ha!) off road. Gravel pits, powerlines, and wherever else you could get away with it. The police would chase you and impound it if you were caught, at least here in MD. Back then we would have LOVED if we got 60 MPH out of them!
Some people who put tags on them would tie them onto the back of their RV so they had a little transportation once they parked at a campground.
The usual Minitrail had only 50 cc. We had NO trouble doing wheelies on them. You just need to be going very slowly to start , or do one from a dead stop. I had to chuckle when you said you had to find out if it would do one, cuz I saw the thing had a 125cc engine, I was wondering how you could NOT do a wheelie!
thanks for your review!
You are not just the absolute best motovlogger, you are an absolute master at editing I love it so much man
If I was a kid I would think this is the coolest thing ever, just like I thought the Yamaha GT-80 in the mid seventies was the coolest thing ever. It has a Z50 vibe going on.
Hey Chase.... You are the best!.... Keep posting incredible videos 🔥🔥👍
See premiers are weird because I was like oh sweet, I haven’t seen that bike before and I clicked to watch it, but now that I cannot I will probably just go watch someone else do a review of the bike and never touch this video again.. sadly
Your a liar there are tons of videos on this bike already we don't want u hear anyway 😎
I'm just teasing man
Chase actually does a good job in my opinion on his first rides I've already seen reviews on this bike but for some reason I know I'm gonna enjoy chases review. Like I said his reviews are just slightly better then most
Dan Miner most of the time his reviews are good but his CBR300 one was terrible
I hear ya man. It's a new thing that I'm trying out so I still need to figure out when the best time to publish and what not is. If you don't come back to watch the vid it's not big deal. Thanks for commenting!
When I first saw the Grom, I thought "That would be great as a little scrambler". And here it is.
The only reason I dislike this video is because you didn't stop comparing it to the Grom and not stoping talking of it... This a very cool bike inspired on the old Honda model's back in the day, I'm old enough to remember those cool bike and personally I really like this one a lot; the down side is yes, the pricing is a bit to high; that being said you do a really good quality videos!
In fairness, he did point out that it's running on a grom frame, so the comparisons are natural.
So many nice reviews on the Monkey alone everywhere just make me wanna buy one. Thank you for your video.
Thanks Chase, really enjoyed that. In 1969 I had a honda mini trail 50cc and had a great time with what was exactly the same bike. I think I'd like another! Good stuff!
Love this thing, like the retro look, bring back the old bikes!!!
I had a Honda mini bike, 30 I think with ape hanger bars. But would climb anything in first and haul ass in third. Rode it my entire youth. Tough mini bike.
Dude! I’m 56 and old enough to remember what the Monkey is copied from. In the early 70’s Honda made a Trail 70. That’s it!
My friend had one in 74. That Monkey looks identical to it.
You Big Dummy my first bike was a trail 70 wanted to upgrade to the 90 but didn’t happen...
The original monkey was and still is a popular moped in Finland. Fittingly it's greatest adversary is and has always been another mini: a 2 stroke Suzuki PV.
If you think that thing is fun to ride just hop on a 80's monkey with a 110cc cylinder kit, raised suspension and a full exhaust.
As a kid I learned to ride on my mom's old Z50A so this definitely hits the nostalgia button for me. I could easily see myself commuting to work on it but that price is a big ask, especially when I have a bike already. Plus, I'm a little tiny bit disappointed that it doesn't come with a kickstarter. The rear suspension is something I can fully get on board with however.
Honda never go old school, they always go with more stylish futuristic bike.
Taking a mini-bike on the highway. A little crazy.
The price is LUDICROUS!
had a honda mini bike in 80's was a 3 speed super fun wish i had one now.
Wow, I love this bike :D Price's quite high tho... great review anyway!
This little bike is going to create a whole new generation of dreamers, just like original mini-trails did back in the day. To bad though, i dont see to many parents popping the 4 grand to buy one.
I really love that little bike probably going to purchase one to accompany my Grom.
״no slipper clutch, point noted"
chase is such a pampered rider...
The king of first rides👌😍absolute awsome video and very cool bike, looking forward to see a custom one of these
I rock a highly modified 48cc 2-stroke bicycle. 35mph on flat, 45mph downhill, about 65 miles per gallon. If I ever need to fix it, it's never more than 10 or 20 dollars. 😆
I used to have a 1975 Honda CT Trail 70 it reminds me of that bike I rode the crap out of that thing until my brother ran into a ski lift at Full Throttle bent the front forks and destroying the bike that thing was a lot of fun
Great video! Love the shots of you riding. Very pro!
Dude this is just like a 1970 CT 90. It looks beautiful.
But 4k. Jesus.
1970 CT 90 was what $400 bucks? I bought a new 1973 Yamaha 80 for $375. I was a kid with a paper route and a lawn mowing gig and I only needed to save about 4 months to pay for it. $4K for a mini bike in 2019. Gotta pass on that one. Here's an eye opener. I bought a brand new 1979 Suzuki GS-1000 for $3200. The price of a motorcycle is totally upside down in 2019.
Come on people, 4k? We spend that amount any day. Add it to the Credit Card! 🤷♂️
The gap in the tank-seat is the style take from the original Honda monkey bike the late 60’s z50a. That Z50a had a big goofy pillow seat also.
$4k only seems pricey to people who didn't learn to ride on the Monkey's Grandfather... For the younger crowd, you've got the Grom.
Fun fact: in Australia land, (possibly just country towns) any tiny form factor bikes all the way down to the literal toy 50's etc are all publicly referred too as 'Monkey' bikes, and have been for longer than i can remember. And that includes the old Yamaha PW50's 'Peewee 50' with its own little naming convention. All due to the popularity of the original iterations of 'Monkey bikes' ;)
Man i hope they add abs, traction control, adjustable shocks, cruise control, throttle by wire, and many more electronic aids to this bike
The red one has ABS and adjustable shocks. I think it also has a nicer dash.
This bike looks super fun just cause it's the size of a toy....but in 1969 they were about $350 which is just under $2500 by today's rate....I have a speed triple but I always get attracted to goofy things like this
Seriously, other than the price tag this Monkey is all I’d actually need to get to and from work. I live on the Isle of Man, we have no dual carriage ways, freeways, motorways, etc. There’s only a handful of places on island that even have two lanes of traffic to help flow. I live less than 5 miles away from work and only need a vehicle to ship me around, my partner and I could keep the car for shop runs and taking the dog out.
We have the TT course obviously, but I don’t have a need for speed, I love the sensation of driving quickly rather than actually going quickly. The only other bikes I’ll even consider are the CB350F and CB500F, whilst they’re faster and cooler bikes, 120+ mpg on the Monkey is so hard to pass on. Especially when my current car rarely gets 30mpg....
Don't forget about my mini moto... "Benelli TNT 135" new on the scene, but blows the grom out the water. 😁😁😁
Im so jealous. They haven't released them in Canada. Im hoping they will, I would buy one immediately.
Don't forget about the Kymco Spade, it's a great Mini Bike!
It looks aaaaa real fun.👌 maybe I'll try to rent one when I go on vacation in Hawaii.
I had a Beneli 65cc mini bike. This monkey reminds me of my old minibike.
cool bike and looks like a fun backroad bike to get the fun on
New Monkey is perfect for small towns where you don't have to drive on motorways. The price is not that bad because Honda is quality.
I personally like the Monkey better just because of the look and it offers a more off-road approach than the Grom, I will probably wait until we have more of a used market for these bikes before I buy one. This looks like a fun bike to modify and mess around with, it will be soon before all the Honda Grom crowd starts to be obsessed with the Honda Monkey and more and more will be on the used market for at least $1000 less.
These bikes are great for taking a camping because they fit inside camper. Old school rules
You really should come out to the Smokey Mountain Crawl next year. There are hundreds of custom mini bikes, events, and group rides!! It's in Townsend, TN
Looks like Honda 50 of my youth!!
Next test suzuki pv!
It shouldn't be compared with 2019 monkey. It should be compared with older monkey.
Totes adorbs. Your manhood left the building
The Honda Monkey Is a Rebuilt Mini Trail Just Updated and it's COOL
It reminds me of the ct 70 trail with a bit more power. It was very popular when I was a kid in the 70s,
Great video as always chase, I loved it
Great video great shots of the bike
There is also the kymco spade in the mini bike line up. Shits dope
I just picked up a brand new 2019 honda monkey for $3300. They are unboxing it now and will be delivered Saturday morning. I wanted a yellow one but i couldnt pass on that price, less than a new grom.
This thing reminds me of my brothers ct70 from when I was a kid
The MSRP for the Grom is $3500, the Monkey is $4000. I've got a 2014 Grom, it was the 2nd one I saw in person (I was on a waiting list for a while, Berkeley Honda [good people]). I see 'em a lot now. The Super Cub (automatic) is $3600. I'd rather the Monkey for style and would probably pay the extra $600.
I don't think it is expensive, the fuel economy in this baby is insane and it is pure fun
Your imagery is amazing breh
Very reminiscent of the old 50cc Honda Mini Trail.
Watched that intro 20 time just for the song.
It looks like my Honda mini trail fifty I had when I was five years old