Honda Monkey 125 2021 — Specifications

What drives a manufacturer as serious as Honda to keep a motorcycle that looks like an adult toy in its lineup for over sixty years? The answer can be summed up in two words: pure fun. The 2021 Honda Monkey 125 has no touring pretensions, no sporting ambitions, and that is precisely what makes it so appealing. This little 104 kg machine on its 12-inch wheels triggers an instant smile — the same one you had as a kid pedaling too fast down a hill.

The 124 cc single-cylinder borrowed from the Grom produces 9.4 horsepower at 6,750 rpm and 12.7 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. On paper, it's modest. In reality, it's enough. The Honda Monkey 125 top speed caps out at 90 km/h, which rules out any highway escapades but perfectly suits the machine's urban and suburban purpose. The long-stroke architecture (50 x 63.1 mm) favors low-end availability, and the five-speed gearbox delivers a cruising comfort that earlier four-speed versions never had. For the record, the very first Monkeys made do with just three gears. Progress marches on.

On the chassis side, the steel backbone frame houses an inverted fork up front and twin side-mounted shock absorbers at the rear, with 100 mm and 104 mm of travel respectively. Braking relies on a 220 mm disc with a two-piston caliper at the front and a 190 mm disc with a single-piston caliper at the rear, all overseen by ABS paired with an IMU inertial measurement unit. This level of electronic equipment on a bike of this size deserves to be highlighted. Honda has also integrated full LED lighting and digital instrumentation. For those considering personalizing the beast, the Honda Monkey 125 accessories market is particularly rich: luggage racks, guards, aesthetic or mechanical tuning parts — the community is never short on ideas. Forums are brimming with owner feedback and custom tips for transforming the little ape to your liking.

The 5.6-liter tank draws a smile when set next to any touring bike. But with a claimed consumption of around 1.5 liters per hundred kilometers, the theoretical range exceeds 350 kilometers. That's more than respectable. The seat perched at 775 mm makes the bike accessible to nearly all rider sizes, and the 104 kg wet weight allows effortless handling. Up against the Kawasaki Z125 or the Honda Grom with which it shares its engine, the Monkey plays a different card: unapologetic retro style, generous chrome, and offbeat character. The Grom targets young A1 license holders with a streetfighter look. The Monkey speaks to those who want an object — almost a rolling collectible — as much as a means of transport.

Listed at 4,149 euros, the Honda Monkey 125 price sits at the upper end of the mini-bike segment. It's expensive for 9 horsepower, that much is true. But it's the price of flawless fit and finish, Honda reliability, and a likability factor that few motorcycles can claim. The used market is starting to offer 2020 and 2021 examples at softer prices for tighter budgets. The Honda Monkey 125 verdict is nearly unanimous among owners: you don't buy it to go fast, you buy it to feel good. And that might just be the best reason there is.