Manufacturer | Honda |
---|---|
Also called | Monkey Bike |
Production | 1961-1999 |
Predecessor | Honda Super Cub |
Successor | Honda Ape |
Class | Minibike |
Engine | 49 cc (3.0 cu in), OHC, air cooled, four stroke, single |
Transmission | 3-speed semi-automatic transmission |
Frame type | Backbone |
Brakes | Drum |
Related |
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". [1]
The original model of the Honda Z-series was the 1961 prototype Honda Z100, [1] originally produced as a children's ride at the Tama Tech Japanese amusement park. [2] It was eventually refined and put into mass production, hitting the European market in 1964. [3]
Most Z-series bikes are small, light, collapsible motorcycles made for convenience and ease of transportation. They have 50 cc (3.1 cu in) four-stroke engines with an overhead cam. Some have a centrifugal clutch and a standard three-speed manual foot-shift lever, making it a semi-automatic transmission, while others have a conventional manual clutch and a three- or four-speed gearbox.
Monkey bike is the name given to a small, low-powered motorcycles introduced by Honda in the 1960s, the first being the 1961 Z100. [4] Later Monkeys were designated Z50, such as the Z50A(US), J, M, R(US) and Z. [5]
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 less than 22 in (560 mm). The first Monkey bikes did not have any suspension, but front suspension was soon added. By 1974, when the Z50J was introduced (US 1972 Z50AK3), suspension had been added to the rear, as well. The first Monkey bikes had 3.5-by-5-inch (89 mm × 127 mm) wheels, but later models had 3.5-by-8-inch (89 mm × 203 mm) wheels.
The early Z series Mini Trails are still highly popular, decades after the end of production, often selling for several times their original price. Refurbishment and upgrade parts are available from a variety of sources and vendors.
The low power of the 49cc engine used in the Mini Trail and Super Cub has resulted in numerous upgrade possibilities, including replacement with larger and newer Honda horizontal engines.
In March of 2017, Honda Motorcycle president Chiaki Kato announced that the Z50 series would be discontinued in August 2017, due to new and pending emission-control regulations in Japan, which would be very difficult for small-displacement engines to meet. The model would be retired with the release of a limited-run 50th Anniversary Special Edition, which was only available to Japanese consumers. An online lottery, open from July 21 to August 21, was used to select buyers of the 500 units, which sold for ¥432,000 (about $3,900) including consumption tax. This final model of the Z50 mixed aspects of the Z50A (1968) and the Z50AK3 (1972) with a plaid-covered seat duplicating the original Z50M and most parts were chrome plated.
Numerous similar small motorcycles predate the Honda model, notably the World War II Welbike motorcycle used by parachutists, and limited numbers of minibikes powered by a repurposed lawnmower and chainsaw engines were produced in the 1950s and 1960s. This type of design did not become commonplace or popular until the introduction of the mass-produced Z series.
The Honda Dax model (the ST series in the North American market) is not a Monkey, but rather a bigger, two-seat variant, with larger 10-inch (250 mm) wheels and on some markets also a larger 70 cc (72) engine, instead of 50 cc (49 cc) as the Z50. The name Dax origins from the german word "Dachshund", a breed of dog with a long, sausage-formed body, as the frame of the Dax looks like of them with its long, press steel frame. In the US, the Dax was sold as the CT70 (Cross Trail). The Dax models have a monocoque stamped sheet-metal frame, similar to some other early Honda motorcycles. This also houses the fuel tank, battery, and wiring loom.
While Honda has ended production of the Z50, there are several similar trail bikes being produced as licensed replicas in China; some are parts-compatible with original Hondas. Famous examples are Lifan and Skyteam
In 2018, Honda introduced the Honda “Monkey 125” (as the 2019 model year). While actually based on the Honda Grom, the model name, styling, and paint scheme are directly inspired by the early Z series.
The Honda XR series is a range of four-stroke off-road motorcycles that were designed in Japan but assembled all over the world.
The Honda Shadow refers to a family of cruiser-type motorcycles made by Honda since 1983. The Shadow line features motorcycles with a liquid-cooled 45 or 52-degree V-twin engine ranging from 125 to 1,100 cc engine displacement. The 250 cc Honda Rebel is associated with the Shadow line in certain markets.
The Kawasaki Ninja 250R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki originally introduced in 1986. As the marque's entry-level sport bike, the motorcycle has undergone few changes throughout its quarter-century lifetime, having received only three substantial redesigns. In some markets the Ninja 250R has been succeeded by the Ninja 300.
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The Honda Super Cub is a Honda underbone motorcycle with a four-stroke single-cylinder engine ranging in displacement from 49 to 124 cc.
A minibike is a two-wheeled, motorized, off-highway recreational vehicle popularized in the 1960s and 1970s, but available continuously from a wide variety of manufacturers since 1959. Their off-highway nature and typically entirely off-road legal status differentiate minibikes from motorcycles and mopeds, and their miniature size differentiates them from dirt bikes.
The Honda CRF series is a line of four-stroke motocross, trail, and dual sport motorcycles manufactured and marketed by Honda.
The Honda Z50A is a small motorcycle with a 49 cc (3.0 cu in) single-cylinder four-stroke overhead cam engine and a semi-automatic transmission. It was made by Honda from 1968 to 1978 and it was the second generation of the Z50 series of minibikes.
The Honda Z50M was the first Z50 Series of mini bikes produced by Honda. It was first made in late 1966 and released for sale in 1967 to the European, Australian and Canadian markets.
The Honda Z50J is a motorcycle produced by Honda belonging to its Honda Z series family of mini bikes. The j-series came after the m-series (1966-1969) but the very first Honda Monkey was the Z100 from 1961 made for the amusement park Tama Tech in Tokyo Japan. It was followed by the commercial version CZ100 in 1964.
The Honda ST-series minibikes are known as the Dax in Japan and Europe, and the Trail 70 in Canada and the US.
The Honda CT series was a group of Honda trail bike motorcycles made since 1964. The CT designation is a slight exception in Honda nomenclature in that "CT" does not indicate a series of mechanically related bikes, but rather a group of different bikes that are all for casual off-road use.
The Ducati Supersport and SS are a series of air-cooled four stroke desmodromic 2-valve 90° L-twin motorcycles made by Ducati since 1988. A limited edition Supersport called the SuperLight was sold in 1992. The name harked back to the round case 1973 Ducati 750 Super Sport, and the 1975 square case 750 and 900 Super Sport. The appellation 'SS' was applied only to the later belt drive (Pantah) based models.
The Mustang was a lightweight motorcycle built by Gladden Products Corporation in Glendale, California, from 1946 to 1965. The second production version, the Mustang Model 2, was among the first motorcycle manufactured in the United States to have a telescopic fork.
A pit bike is a small motorcycle, used primarily for recreational purposes, stunt riding and motocross racing. Pit bikes are characterised by small, air-cooled engines, and are rarely used for professional racing, instead being intended for use in the pit lanes of racing events.
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The Honda Chaly is a minibike that was produced by Honda between 1972 and 2000.
The Honda Z50RD, also known as the Christmas Special or the Chrome Edition, is an all-chrome Honda Z series minibike released in 1986. A limited edition of the Honda Z50R, it is considered to be rare.
Honda Z100 was a prototype Honda Motor Company minibike which was introduced at the Tama Tech amusement Park in Tokyo, Japan in 1961. The Z100 minibike was never meant to be produced and sold to consumers. The success of the Z100 prototype convinced Honda to produce and sell the minibike to consumers.
Honda CZ100 was the Honda Motor Company's first minibike which was sold to consumers. The CZ100 minibike was first introduced in 1963 after Honda saw how well their Honda Z100 prototype was received at The Tama Tech park.
With its compact dimensions, Z100 riders were described as looking like Monkeys, hence the term "Monkey Bike."