VOLUME 57 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 15, 2020 P111
(Far left) Power is
made via a 124.9cc
air-cooled fuel-injected
four-stroke motor.
(Left) ABS is available
as an option. (Below)
How can you resist
hoping on the Monkey
and going for a ride?
You can't.
airbox/exhaust system has all
the emission bits, it all works
magically together.
The obvious style wins are the
metal, chrome and stitching spe-
cifics that take a sharper-edged
mini sport bike and turn it into
a savory classic. The flat-seat
motorcycle industry precursor to
plastic-faired rockets of question-
able aesthetics is alive and well,
here. This is a throwback to the
good-old-days of motorcycling
where style was absolutely king.
I love every part of the Mon-
key-ness of this bike. Chrome
fenders—love. Round instrument
gauge that blinks monkey eyes
at you when you start it—love.
Retro Honda wing logo on the
gas tank—love. Seat upholstery—
love. Cast wheels—love. Twin
shocks—love. Headlight—love. It
doesn't stop.
CAPABILITY
Performance is a terrible head-
line for the Honda Monkey.
First, it's not important. Second,
nobody cares.
Capability is much more accu-
rate. And the Honda Monkey has
just enough momentum inside it
to make you feel cool and be ca-
pable for urban assault. It's not
fast. It's pretty slow, actually. But
it can move away from stoplights
quick enough to be carpool
competitive up to about 40 mph.
It's better on 25-35 mph streets
and Dairy Queen parking lots—
cruising like a cool bike should
and blowing people's minds with
coolness.
For the past few months I've
used it to commute across town,
swinging from stoplight to stop-
light and cutting through shop-
ping center parking lots. I've also
taken it on a couple insanely fun
day trips to the coast (about an
hour drive in a car) and through
the hills separating Orange
County and the Temecula Valley
in California. I've tested plenty
of motorcycles on these roads,
exploring the smallest and twisti-
