Z50M "Monkey"

Honda Monkey was the first Z50 Series mini bike released in 1967 to the European, Japanese and Canadian markets, becoming one of Honda's first practical mini bikes.

Although the Z50M was theoretically road worthy, it did not have various safety components and was therefore mostly just used just for fun off roader. Riding mini bikes often lead to getting ticket in the US.

However as far as Japanese version goes, I have seen quite a few of them on the street with legal tags and turn signals. Lack of the shocks was bit harsh on your butt, I bet....These bikes are not extinct today, they are some of the least common of the Z50 series left running.

The model was produced at numerous factories and there were three basic sub models. The Japanese domestic model (JDM), the European model and finally the French model. The main differences were the Japanese's high 'lunch box' exhaust and the french model's larger 5" headlight fitted with a yellow bulb.

The popularity of this mini bike are still going, some of them are turned into pretty cool custom bikes. There is also a forum dedicated to the Honda Monkey.