Even though Honda’s Monkey mini-bike is already diminutive retro ride, a report from Autocar India points to patent filings that suggest another, even smaller Monkey could be on its way to production.
Autocar India reports that patents filed in 2018 suggest that a new off-road-style mini-bike is under development by Honda. This bike would slot below the current Grom-based Monkey 125, itself a revival of the original 1960s Monkey.
That bike, originally launched as the Z50, first came to the American market in 1968 with an 49cc motor and proportions that made riders of all sizes bow their arms and legs awkwardly around the little machine. It was small but it was tough. Tough enough to ride across Mexico. Yeah.
That bike lasted in production in various guises until 2017 when it got replaced by the current bike. But apparently it didn’t take Honda long to realize that the new bike is quite a bit bigger than what it replaced and that they needed another bike, more closely sized to the old product.
The report continues to speculate that this bike will be based on a scooter rather than another motorcycle. The new mini-Monkey, Autocar India says, could be based on the Honda Activa, a scooter that provided a basis for a few different mini-bikes including the Honda Navi.
Should this bike launch, it would likely occupy a price point below the current Monkey’s already low $3,999 price-point, though it is unknown whether it will even make it to the states. Autocar India expresses some doubt that the bike will be sold in the motorbike-crazed subcontinent, so I think it’s even more doubtful we will see these over here as well.
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