Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1042406
2019 HONDA MONKEY BIKE FIRST IMPRESSION P104 Monkey, known to some as Catalina Island in Califor- nia, thus became over- run with monkeys riding Monkey Bikes, as grown adults—some rather suc- cessfully—tried to party like it was 1968 all over again. As for the Monkey Bike's performance, it's not go- ing to blow you away. The Monkey Bike will finish last in almost any performance comparison of the current generation of minibikes like its brother in the Grom, Kawasaki Z125 Pro and Benelli TnT135. The suspension is very soft, the brakes are not fantastic, and the engine doesn't have the same punch as what you'd expect consid- ering it's cut from the same cloth as the Grom. Now for the good part. None of that matters. That's because the Monkey Bike is all about giving you the kind of laugh you thought was long gone in modern motorcycling. All that stuff I said about the Monkey Bike's perfor- mance, especially when compared to the Grom, is one of its charms. The lack of outright performance makes the Monkey Bike one of the most genuinely enjoy- able bikes I've ridden for a long time. Yes, the suspen- sion is soft, but it soaks up low-speed bumps well, and with that massive seat, you'd have to be pretty picky if you found the ride uncomfort- able. Yes, the motor doesn't have the poke of the Grom (I rode one at the test back- to-back) due to the airbox changes but it's got more than enough to keep a smile on your dial. And yes, you'll get more looks on a Mon- key Bike—and more people stopping you in the street to tell you how they had an OG Monkey Bike back in the day—than you could possibly imagine. I have absolutely no idea how the Monkey Bike handles at high speed, nor do I have any idea about how fast it goes, because the Isle of Monkey doesn't allow for excessively high speeds (especially while trying to dodge the golf carts of the residents). But if you've ever ridden a Grom, you'll know you're not going to take this bike on the freeway. That said, the Monkey Bike will be fast enough that getting around the local streets will be no problem. You get two colors with the Monkey Bike (Pearl Nebula Red or Banana Yellow), with the Red the only option that comes with ABS. But nostalgia comes at a price, and at $3999 for the base model and $4199 for the ABS version, the Monkey Bike isn't what I'd call cheap. Nor is it likely to be the only bike you have in the shed because, let's face it, the Monkey Bike isn't exactly the most practi- cal thing around. But then, who cares? The Monkey Bike is the kind of bike everyone needs to ride, simply because it makes you feel good to be alive and riding a motorcycle. CN