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Post by veg on Nov 9, 2021 22:00:25 GMT 1
Anyone got one? What they like? Quite fancy one, but don’t know if I’ll be bored after 5 miles?
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Post by pedheadfred on Nov 9, 2021 22:45:35 GMT 1
I got a chinky 50cc one it's engine let's it down, got a 125 lump to put in it.
Should be a laugh then and funny drag racing from traffic lights 🤣
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Post by totty79 on Nov 9, 2021 22:47:03 GMT 1
I've got one, had it about 15 years and I'm not bored with it yet.
They're very entertaining to ride but for me they're best when they're ill handling little things on 8" wheels. Once people fit really long swing arms and big wheels they become a bit dull.
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Post by JonW on Nov 9, 2021 23:57:04 GMT 1
I dont even give you 5 miles sadly Tim. I have a friend (hes on this very forum) who bought a brand new Grom for his Mrs. It was when they first came out and we were oggling all the cool parts for them and wondering what to do with it. I was at his house and he said 'take it for a spin...' I went about 25 meters before Id had enough. Ok joking aside it might have been twice that... I owned an SL125 I'd restored at the time and Id done more meterage on that, but not that much more. These small bikes are fun but Ive found that can be really quite scary on roads with huge SUVs and trucks when youve no power to get out of their way.
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Post by veg on Nov 10, 2021 0:06:09 GMT 1
As I live rurally I thought might be a giggle on the small single track roads, I also thought it would be good for the Manx I’m taking the buell in a van and maybe the Lc and thought a monkey bike would be great for nipping into Douglas.
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Post by JonW on Nov 10, 2021 0:35:17 GMT 1
Dont get me wrong, I do think they are a giggle. I used to restore Honda MT and MB 50s so know that small bikes can be fun as they are light and nippy, if not fast to get to their terminal velocity which isnt that high in the modern world. I put big bore kits on some of mine as well and it helped, but they were still very slow compared to modern traffic in top speed and acceleration and no modern driver would realise that when they see you, they all think bikes go faster than them. Imagine being flat out on the country roads by your house, doing less than the speed limit. Each time you go round a bend would you wonder if some distracted yummy mummy speeding along over the limit in an SUV with kids in the back and phone thats just fallen onto the floor of the car would come barreling round the corner and clear you up without even noticing you... Arent they also really exy things now? When i was building these small bike they were really cheap and cheerful things. I saw some of the yanks paying really big money for monkeys a year or two back. nostalgia vs sense etc. There will always be the die hards who say they are fine and its great travelling at 30mph everywhere. I think thats true but that sort of thing is great with your mates for fun, but less so as actual transport. Ok, Im sure you'd be fine but a Monkey is a moped and they are smaller than a DT50 physically. I can see it being a great pit bike and fun on the IOM. I remember being in Alton, Hants a good few years back showing my Mrs where i grew up. Sat on a bench eating some fish and chips in the town we were suddenly (term used loosely!) invaded my monkeys! They were everywhere, a whole club was riding all over the place. It was very cool. Great in a pack but im less sure of the idea on your own. I'll leave you with this. Id love to do this, me and a mate just hanging out. All about the adventure. But im not going to the shops for some milk every other day on one...  |
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Post by stirling11 on Nov 10, 2021 1:16:29 GMT 1
I’ve watched the whole series of Throttle Out
They had a lot of fun on those monkey bikes taking them where they probably weren’t supposed to go
Do I want one, short answer no
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Post by totty79 on Nov 10, 2021 8:51:10 GMT 1
We're discussing a fairly broad range of bikes here. An original monkey or Chinese copy made over powered with a 125 in it is great fun, keeps up with most traffic and feels like your doing double the speed.
An original 50cc is a laugh but other than city centre or single track there aren't many roads you'd want to ride on, more of a collector's bike.
A grom or modern monkey is a refined modern 125 learner bike that while small is massive compared to a monkey, the size and handling is part of the fun.
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Post by veg on Nov 10, 2021 9:14:57 GMT 1
I absolutely understand, I’m thinking Chinese replica with a 125 engine, not an original one and not a grom they are too modern. I did look at gag bikes but stupid money now.
What’s the build quality like on the Chinese ones? Guessing they are literally just rip offs of the originals?
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35 yrs ago I worked at a Honda dealers (frettons of Coventry) we had an old (45 yrs old) builder called Harry who was building brand new z50 and z100’s out of parts we all thought he was mad.
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Post by tonyd123 on Nov 10, 2021 9:29:38 GMT 1
I restored a Kawasaki KV75 and registered it for the road. Fairly rare and nice looking bikes and more importantly, a 2-stroke! Handling at 40mph on those small balloon tyres is "interesting"   |
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Post by billbott on Nov 10, 2021 9:34:38 GMT 1
Not a Monkey bike but I have a Honda C90 with a Chinese 110cc engine fitted. It no faster but has 4 gears so makes hills a lot easier.
The build quality of the engine is superb. Mine has done around 7000 miles, mainly at full chat and never missed a beat. We did the Manx on them in 2019 and discovered the green lanes over there, ended up messing around on those and missed loads of racing.
My mate did a bit of a video if you’re bored:
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Post by totty79 on Nov 10, 2021 13:55:24 GMT 1
I also fancied a gag bike but they're too pricey, you used to see the odd one when there were regular big monkeybike runs - unfortunately that scene was diluted when many Facebook groups sprang up and the forum was abandoned.
Mines an Easy Rider (importer branded) Jincheng. Quality is alright, similar to cheaply made big brand budget 125s these days, anything alloy is a bit soft and rubber bits don't last. There was one brand with dodgy looking welding and stories of snapped frames I think it was Houndu. Skyteam are probably the most common, I've ridden them and worked on them and they were alright.
There have been some very poor engines in the past but they tended to come in in batches and were often the blingy performance ones made solely for export, the engines that are also used domestically in other bikes tended to be ok. I use a Zongsheng 125 H/O and it's pretty good for what it is.
The parts you can get from the likes of Takegawa are amazing like 4 valve demo heads, but they don't come cheap.
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Post by veg on Nov 10, 2021 14:05:44 GMT 1
Not a Monkey bike but I have a Honda C90 with a Chinese 110cc engine fitted. It no faster but has 4 gears so makes hills a lot easier. The build quality of the engine is superb. Mine has done around 7000 miles, mainly at full chat and never missed a beat. We did the Manx on them in 2019 and discovered the green lanes over there, ended up messing around on those and missed loads of racing. My mate did a bit of a video if you’re bored: Loved it 👍 I used to green lane on a drz400e best fun I’ve ever had on a bike that looks just as much fun. |
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Post by tacky1 on Nov 10, 2021 15:47:23 GMT 1
I have this one that I restored, Im 6,2, 220LBS (100KG  ) and its great for roughly 5 mins  |
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Post by steve h on Nov 10, 2021 16:32:07 GMT 1
I have this one that I restored, Im 6,2, 220LBS (100KG ) and its great for roughly 5 mins Do you wear one on each foot? |
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Post by abar121 on Nov 10, 2021 17:20:26 GMT 1
I restored a Kawasaki KV75 and registered it for the road. Fairly rare and nice looking bikes and more importantly, a 2-stroke! Handling at 40mph on those small balloon tyres is "interesting" Great. I have been tempted by a couple of project KV75s. What are the parts like to find? |
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Post by tacky1 on Nov 10, 2021 19:55:18 GMT 1
I have this one that I restored, Im 6,2, 220LBS (100KG ) and its great for roughly 5 mins Do you wear one on each foot? Might be easier that way |
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Post by copper99 on Nov 11, 2021 20:28:28 GMT 1
I restored a Kawasaki KV75 and registered it for the road. Fairly rare and nice looking bikes and more importantly, a 2-stroke! Handling at 40mph on those small balloon tyres is "interesting" Thats a smart looking thing.. I love my YSR, few of us locally have them, while they mmaybe small, ergonomically speaking, I find mine far more roomy than my Ducati 996, we've done a few 70 mile trips. 
My mates latest, Rainey rep.
 If you fancy one Veg, go for it, you wont lose any ££ on one eitherway. |
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Post by rigga on Nov 11, 2021 20:43:10 GMT 1
Mate has a Dax, for little trips out, and summer nights to the pub, he seems to like it.
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Post by tonyd123 on Nov 15, 2021 16:41:46 GMT 1
I restored a Kawasaki KV75 and registered it for the road. Fairly rare and nice looking bikes and more importantly, a 2-stroke! Handling at 40mph on those small balloon tyres is "interesting" Great. I have been tempted by a couple of project KV75s. What are the parts like to find? Parts are still fairly readily available. Sometimes you have to look to the US or Canada as they were never officially imported to the UK, but there are plenty of NOS and second hand spares here now. If you ever decide to buy one, make sure that 1st/2nd gears work correctly. Being semi-automatic they get crunched and worn selectors and dogs are very common. It took me a while to find some for mine, second hand ones are normally poor and I eventually got some NOS ones from Canada. |
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Post by Stef on Nov 15, 2021 22:04:00 GMT 1
I bought one to throw in the back of the car to ride back when I dropped my car off for a service at a local specialist, which is usually every 3 to 4 months. It saved having to get the wife and young kids at the time, to pick me up. And it was another excuse to get another bike. It was my stand in bike after my KTM fell ill for my local hillclimb. It's not a genuine Honda, its a Zhenhua or something, it goes ok for a 125, does about 60 on it's current gearing.  |
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Post by JonW on Nov 16, 2021 0:05:29 GMT 1
True story: I bought a an F2 owners manual on ebay at the weekend and the guy came to drop it off on Sunday out of the blue as he lived close by and Auspost is so bad these days that it would take weeks to get here, plus i think he had the time and fancied a chat. Turns out he was a nice bloke and he bought the F2 new in 87. Obviously id bought this manual cos i had one so he shared his story, always nicer than just getting a parcel. Sadly his F2 was gone as he was taken out by a car when it was 4 years old and sold the mangled remains for a few hundred bucks a year or so later... that effectively ended his 'biking career'.
Amusingly he told me he'd decided that he fancied a bike again about 18 months back and bought himself a brand new modern Honda Monkey. Said it was a lovely thing and that he loved it, but.... hes only done 28km on it in that time. Hes just scared to ride the low and slow thing in traffic in the city. I get it, round here the driving standard is low and the cars are mostly big pick ups and SUVs driven by distracted folk. The thought of being the slowest thing in acceleration and top end even on city riding scares me too...
Now then, that KTM... thats more what i would ride in the city. I sooo need another one of those in my life, not that my licence would thank me.... :/
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) and its great for roughly 5 mins 
