05-29-2022, 02:56 PM
Two years ago I, for some reason, sold my brilliant four-speed Honda Monkey 125 and have regretted it ever since. So, when my local dealer (who knows my weaknesses) casually mentioned tha he'd managed to secure the very last 2022 five-speed Monkey coming to Sweden I could not resist. It arrived last week, just before lunch on Wednesday.
By chance I was around so three hours later I was on my way home (setup is hilariously simple and the plates were already there). First impression was, "hey I know you!" Its the same genius package of build quality, comfort and feel-good. The new gearbox felt better than I recalled the four-speed to be, both in terms of spacing between the gears and switch feel. The new longer stroke engine also felt having a bit more mid range poke than before.
Honda has further improved the Monkey with stronger rear shocks and some other details, so overall the riding experience was very pleasant. What Honda did not do, however, was to replace the often out-of-round Vee Rubber tires with better stuff. So when the Monkey went bouncy at 35 mph I decided to order a pair of Pirelli SL-60 when I got home. No big deal, covered by warranty and switching is a breeze. However since I foolishly let my old nimble front stand follow the previous Monkey to it's new home I had to come up with something to support the front. Leftovers from kitchen work resulted in this - not pretty but functional (sort of). So there we are. Early days but all smiles so far.
.
By chance I was around so three hours later I was on my way home (setup is hilariously simple and the plates were already there). First impression was, "hey I know you!" Its the same genius package of build quality, comfort and feel-good. The new gearbox felt better than I recalled the four-speed to be, both in terms of spacing between the gears and switch feel. The new longer stroke engine also felt having a bit more mid range poke than before.
Honda has further improved the Monkey with stronger rear shocks and some other details, so overall the riding experience was very pleasant. What Honda did not do, however, was to replace the often out-of-round Vee Rubber tires with better stuff. So when the Monkey went bouncy at 35 mph I decided to order a pair of Pirelli SL-60 when I got home. No big deal, covered by warranty and switching is a breeze. However since I foolishly let my old nimble front stand follow the previous Monkey to it's new home I had to come up with something to support the front. Leftovers from kitchen work resulted in this - not pretty but functional (sort of). So there we are. Early days but all smiles so far.
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