The Honda Z series or Monkey Bike was a line of minibikes made by Honda which have a model number starting with the letter Z. The bike came to be known as a monkey bike because those riding them "looked like monkeys".

Jun 25, 2021 · The Honda Z50 is a 49-cc mini trail bike series produced from 1961 to 2017. More popularly known as the Gorilla or Monkey Bike, this two-wheeler preceded the Dachshund-like CT70 and led the minibike boom of the ’60s with its ultra-reliable air-cooled 4-stroke power mill.

Jan 9, 2025 · Honda’s Monkey is a nostalgic flashback to the original Z50 of the ’60s. But the current Monkey is fully modern in every sense, except for the styling.

Later Monkeys were designated Z50, such as the Z50A (US), J, M, R (US) and Z. These vehicles all had a 4.5-horsepower (3.4 kW), 49-cubic-centimetre (3.0 cu in) single horizontal cylinder four-stroke engine, and a seat height of less than 22 inches (560 mm).

Apr 6, 2017 · An automatic clutch simplified shifting of the bike’s three-speed transmission. The “monkey bike” name came about from the way one looked riding the diminutive motorcycles, and by the time the Z50A made it south to the United States, Honda had added springs to …

Feb 20, 2025 · Although Honda conceived the Monkey Bike for kids, people of all ages, shapes, and sizes can ride one comfortably. It’s powered by Honda’s ubiquitous 50-cc engine, made …

Front and rear wheels were increased in size from 5” to 8” and front suspension was adopted for this model, which also offered an improved riding position.

Honda’s micro Monkey bike became a best seller and a cult classic, with a production run spanning over an incredible 50 years. The Price to Pay for a Honda Monkey Bike? The list price of the Honda Z50 range from 1969-1999 ran from USD225-1,299. Previously owned Honda Mini-Trail Z50 prices sell for USD500- 80,000!

The quickest version of the Monkey was the Honda Z50R – it was released in 1979 with the higher-performance overhead cam 49cc engine capable of more power than the overhead valve unit that had been used on many other Monkey bikes previously.

Driven by the popularity of the Monkey Z50M released in 1967, the Monkey Z50A was launched two years later with enhanced performance, larger tires (increased from 5 to 8 inches) and a new front suspension.