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+--- Thread: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions (/showthread.php?tid=6907)
Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - ChipBeck_imp - 01-15-2019
Gentlemen,
I mentioned in another thread that I had ordered and taken delivery of a new yellow Honda Monkey bike. At the time I ordered one I had only seen pictures and had never sat on or even laid eyes on the actual bike. I have in the last couple months, reacquired my son Charley's first motorcycle, a 1996 Honda Z-50 and restored it to brand-new. Before putting it on display I rode that actual monkey bike all over my neighborhood several days in a row. I looked like an idiot but it was great fun.
With that recent experience on an actual Honda Monkey bike when I went down to pick up my new one I was surprised at how big it was! Compared to the original monkey bikes this thing is huge and clearly made for adult riders. Compared to the original Monkey bikes, this is a Gorilla bike. The photo below shows the size difference between the Z50 and the new Z125. The car in the background is my brand-new 2.0 L turbocharged Honda Accord Sport with a six-speed manual transmission. It's fun too but that's another story.
I finally had a chance to put about 30 miles on it today and this little bike is about as much fun as you can have at 20 to 35 mph. My home is at 1600 feet elevation in Scottsdale, Arizona. The paint and build quality is outstanding. The little bike starts instantly and all the controls work like you would expect on a Honda. The shifter was a little bit notchy and didn't have the crisp feel of most Hondas but perhaps when I put a few more miles on it that will improve.
It's not real powerful for a 125 but it pulls cleanly from very low rpm. Even though it's big for a monkey bike it still gave me the cool feeling I had as a kid riding my minibikes. I found myself subconsciously scanning the road for police cars so I could duck down a side street so I wouldn't be pulled over for riding an unlicensed/non-street legal minibike on the street and had to remind myself that this thing has a license plate and I'm perfectly legal.
The seat is huge and soft, bigger and more comfortable than the seating area on a CB1100. The ride is smooth at any speed and the engine is relaxed and smooth up to 35 miles an hour, beyond that it starts to feel busy. I haven't run it to top speed yet but I'm sure it will hit 50 mph.
I know some others here have complained about tires, suspension, and brakes but I do not share those concerns. This is a low performance urban toy, not a serious motorcycle. I am 5' 11' and 195 pounds and this bike was both comfortable and hauled me around easily but I wouldn't want to take it out on the highway. The brakes on my non-ABS model are fantastic. The rear brake works better than the one on my CB1100. The tires are fine for this low-speed bike. And the relatively soft suspension makes the bike comfortable. Up to 25 mph the suspension soaked up the impact of rain gutters that run across the street in my area without bottoming. At 35 mph the rear shock would bottom out so I just slowed down to hit them a little softer.
The new monkey bike is living proof that motorcycles can be great fun at low speeds. If you want feel like a little kid again this new Z125 will certainly take you there. This is a different kind of performance, 0 to 12 years old in 5 seconds. The bike doesn't need any performance modifications. The stock exhaust will never aggravate your neighbors no matter how many times you ride around the block. Hopping this thing up would be like training a French Bulldog to race. Even if you made it marginally faster it will still be slow.
Bottom line, I love this thing. It's a blast. I'll take it to go get hamburgers or to pick something up from the store. Mainly, I'll just take it out and ride it once in a while to take my mind off work. I won't need to go far or for very long. Even if my office was close I'd be reluctant to ride this thing to work for fear that somebody would pick it up and and haul it away in the back of their pickup truck.
Like the original Z50's, the Z125 is a toy. A really fun toy for adults. All the best.
Chip
RE: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - GoldOxide_imp - 01-15-2019
Well written piece Chip. Thank you for sharing your perspective.
(love AZ)
RE: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - LongRanger_imp - 01-15-2019
Thanks Chip, excellent. "0 to 12 years old in 5 seconds." Very clever -- I love it!
The first time I rode mine, I thought the rear tire was low on air. That's how comfy the seat is.
RE: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - GoldOxide_imp - 01-15-2019
Our butts have grown quite a bit since we were children.
RE: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - the Ferret - 01-15-2019
Very nice pie e Chip.
Byw my son got that exact car, same color too, from his wife for Christmas last year. he likes it. A lot!
RE: Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - pekingduck - 01-15-2019
The Monkey does look larger in person than expected. It's seat is more comfy, but I'll stick with my Grom. It is a far more capable bike than people think.
My most memorable ride on one was from Pasadena to Palm Springs to pick up a Honda Element at the last minute, in 100 degree heat.
No maps or GPS, just headed east. Rode 94 miles on the streets until they ended. Then 60mph down the highway the last 8 miles into the Coachella Valley where it was 108 degrees at 8pm. The bike was solid as a rock, and so much fun.
Gorilla vs. Monkey Bike Impressions - Capo - 01-15-2019
Very cool review, thanks Chip. I may pick one up as my ‘beach bike’ for the summer.
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