Honda Monkey Milestones

The Honda Monkey is a small 50cc moped/motorcycle built by Honda from 1961. it is built to drive into the city and is easy to drive because of its size. This also uses the reclining Honda four-stroke engine

History
In the early 1960s, Honda experienced massive growth. This was because the Super Cub had just been introduced and immediately appealed to the general public. His simple, solid technique made it easy and cheap to use for most. Honda had wanted to bring to market an even smaller model for a while that could drive through even narrower streets.
The story of the Monkey begins in 1961 with the Z100 as an even more city-friendly variant of the C100. They were delivered in small numbers in Japan, even smaller numbers in America and maybe even more countries. At the Tama Tech Park amusement park and Suzuka racetrack, these little mopeds with the Super Cub’s engine were an attraction. it had small but wide straps with a simple tube frame without suspension. As a result, the Z100 looked separate and special, which made it popular for the visitors. When you drove on such a device, you looked like a monkey, which is why it is often called Monkey.

 

1961 Z100
First model – made for use at amusement parks, with 5 inch wheels, rigid suspension, foldable handlebars and Super Cub (C50) 3.1kW OHV 49cc engine. Backbone frame, triangular tank.

1963 CZ100
First road-going model – exported to North America and Europe.

1967 Z50M
First model sold in Japan – with ‘fold-down’ seat, handlebars and pegs to fit in the back of the car (the new fuel cap also added to prevent leaks when stored on its side during transport). Centrifugal clutch.

1969 Z50A
Telescopic front fork, 8” front wheels, low slung exhaust and indicators for the first time.

1970 Z50Z
Quick-detach front suspension to make it fold down even smaller to fit in the trunk of a small car. Centre stand to support the bike during the removal of forks

 

1974 Z50J
Rear suspension and independent swing arm. First trapezium fuel tank and block tyres

1978 (Z50J-I)
First model with custom bike style ‘tear drop’ fuel tank with increased capacity of 5L

 

1979 (Z50J-I)
Chrome plated edition

1984 (Z50J-I)
Limited edition ‘Gold’ model

1985 A-Z50J
First appearance of hand operated clutch

1987 A-AB22
‘R’ model with twin tube frame, single shock rear suspension and hydraulic front brake disc. 10in Comstar wheels with box section swingarm

1988 A-Z50J
Dual mirrors for the first time

1991 A-Z50J
Off-road styled ‘Baja’ model with twin headlights

 

2000
Millennium model

2004 Freddie Spencer Special
In colours based on the CB750F ridden to victory in the Daytona 100 by Freddie Spencer


2006
40th Anniversary

2009 Monkey Limited Edition JBH-AB27
First fuel-injected version, with roller rocker arm and off-set cylinder. Trapezium shaped fuel tank

 

2017 50th Anniversary Edition
New version commemorates 50th anniversary of sales in Japan

2018 Monkey 125
An all-new Monkey 125, re-imagined for the 21st century, takes to the roads of Europe