2019 HONDA MONKEY BIKE
FIRST IMPRESSION
P98
The good news is, the Monkey Bike is back.
Recrafted and repackaged for a new generation, the
Monkey Bike aims to bring the fun back into riding,
just like it did nearly 50 years ago. Back then, the
Monkey Bike was the happy accident of a ride at an
amusement park owned by Honda, with the name
"Monkey" sticking because larger riders looked, well,
like monkeys when they rode it (see sidebar).
Part of what Honda is calling its miniMOTO seg-
ment, the 2019 Honda Monkey Bike is crafted using
the insanely successful Honda Grom as its base. As
such, the Monkey Bike gets the same basic 125cc
single-cylinder, two-valve, four-stroke engine as the
Grom, although changes have been made to the air
intake system with a different airbox and fuel injection
mapping. The Monkey Bike does get the same 31mm
(Above) LED lighting front and rear
gives a modern touch to the retro
design. (Top) Rennie getting down
to the serious business of rigorously
testing rear suspension stability.
