Is this the LAST Offroad Adventure Ride on the Honda Monkey 125? Do I need to move to a bigger bike?
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- Опубліковано 28 кві 2023
- Everybody needs to grow up at some point, right? For the last several years I've been obsessed with Honda's "mini-moto" line of 125cc street legal play bikes, starting with the 2019 Honda Monkey 125. When I bought the Monkey, I was purchasing pure nostalgia. I had grown up around a 1970 Honda Trail 70 as a kid - although it never worked right until I got a hold of it as an adult and restored it - and along with the Honda ATC's that my family had, old Honda's really hit home for me. When the Monkey was finally in my hands, I wanted it to be capable of hitting the trails of Upstate NY where I grew up riding the Trail 70 and ATC's. Why couldn't it? The small bore Honda Trail bikes of the 70's-80's were built for the trails OR the roads, which is exactly what I wanted! The Monkey is a little bit different of a species than it's ancestors however...
When I first jumped on the Monkey, I was impressed. It is super easy to ride, not too small, very comfortable, and staggeringly good looking. In Florida where we live, the Monkey can handle just about everything you'll encounter except deep sugar sand. With offroad being my preferred style of riding, I started gearing the bike up for offroad use almost immediately, fitting better rear shocks and knobby tires, along with gearing and engine mods to give it a bit more grunt through the heavy stuff. That first big test was the following year when I brought it to our cabin in Upstate NY to hit the mountain trails I grew up on as a kid. When I hit the "real" trails, I was impressed that the bike could handle the rough and rocky terrain, but instantly knew that it wasn't the trail bike I had remembered the Trail 70 being, and realized that I was using the wrong tool for the job (even though it was a ton of fun!). For our 2022 trip, I added more parts to outfit it to be an "adventure bike" - with it in mind to cruise the backroads as well as hit the rough stuff - but during this trip, I realized that the Monkey just misses the mark as a small-bore adventure bike - no matter how much I wanted it to be - and ultimately realized this would be the Monkey's last "offroad adventure".
Thanks for your views and opinions, but the Monkey is to me " way cooler " than the others and I'm willing to put up with it's short comings as it's my only bike! I LOVE IT!
You’re right, the Monkey isn’t “made for it” and just because it’s capable doesn’t make it the vehicle of choice by any means.
Glad to hear your keeping the monkey. But agree, I have mine done up pretty much the same and it’s great for just zipping around the yard, dirt roads, or a quick run into town. I go through bikes like crazy, but think I will always keep this bike. I had two of the z50 as a kid so there’s the whole nostalgia thing going on. I take the bigger bikes out when I want a serious ride. All that said…the monkey always puts a smile on my face when I go for ride. PS…Where did you get that handle bar bag?
Great vid, was quite a ways down the path to decking out a Grom for the same thing but ended up coming to pull the pin on it. All for the same reasons you outline with the Monkey, they absolutely shine for around town, but struggle off road. Then when pushed off road they start breaking and falling apart.
With all the Videos that I saw about the Honda Monkey going off-road, I'm really confused as to why the CT125 it's not more Popular.
I just bought a Honda XR 150 L
Pretty funny. I have a Triumph 900 SS that I've done some crazy trails with as well. Same thing. Neither the Monkey (which I also have) does this well, nor the big Triumph. It may mean getting something like a KTM, to ride deep and fast.
Get on that thing John! (Or are you tired from riding all week? lol) 2nd gear through that and wring that throttled out like a dish rag!
If you have reached the point that doing the trails at the pace that suites the Monkey is no longer fun for you it is time to move on and go bigger.
I’m looking for a low pace adv bike myself(this will be my only bike), in which way is the Grom more suitable for the trails you ride compared to the monkey? I plan to go on smoother gravel roads than the rocky trails you ride. Here in Sweden I can’t get a Trail 125, but the XR125L is available - I’d like to try efi though which seems more trouble free. Thank you for the great content!
Such a shame to hear this, I just got my Honda Monkey 2 days ago and am planning to on light off road with friends that are getting CTs imported (we don't get them in UK) I guess this video came out a bit late for me, but atm I love it anyway, we'll see how it goes, I've just got rid of my 900 ninja to get some small bore fun..👍