The Honda Monkey may not be the only example of Team Red creating a design with seemingly universal, timeless appeal, but it's certainly one of the strongest ones.
If you start out that strong, though, there's one question that could be tough to answer: Where do you go from there? One possible answer is the Baja Africa body kit, released by Honda in Japan in limited quantities in the early '90s.
This kit took the styling cues and graphics of the XRV750 Africa Twin, and then scaled them down to a super-deformed Honda Monkey Z50J size. There's a reason that miniature versions of things have had such a strong fan base for centuries, folks. Every once in a while, someone digs in and presents scientific evidence and studies about why we find tiny things so cute, but you probably already feel it down to your toes if you're human.
Gallery: 1992 Honda Z50J Monkey Baja Africa For Sale
Much like the similarly-beloved Monkey-Davidson kits, any Baja Africa kit-equipped Monkeys don't tend to turn up for sale very often. Especially not in the US. Although some fans have of course imported them over the years, they tend to stay in the hands of the fans who love them.
That's why it's all the more special that a seller located in Fort Myers, Florida currently has this beautiful 1992 Honda Monkey Baja Africa up for sale. From the photos, it looks like it's in fantastic shape, but we must note that there is no running video to demonstrate whether it does, in fact, run.
The matching helmet and goggles certainly take the appearance and charm factor over the top, though. If someone's goal was to display this beauty rather than ride it, then a running video might not matter.
If you're wondering what a bike like this (not this exact bike; we're fairly certain of this because both this listing and the one for the bike show in this video have clear images with frame numbers that don't match each other) sounds like, here's a video that Abhi from Bike-Urious and Iconic Motorbike Auctions posted of himself riding one a few years back. Please note that he's about 6'2", so this is what a 6'2" person looks like on a Honda Monkey Baja Africa.
The 1992 Honda Z50J Monkey Africa Twin That's For Sale Right Now
This little beauty shows approximately 360 kilometers (around 224 miles) on the clock, though total mileage is of course unknown. It has an inverted front fork suspension upgrade, unlike the one shown in the video. While it would be really nice to know how it rides, we can at least see from the photos that it also looks pretty cool with the blue anodized fork tubes.
Now, for those unfamiliar with this kit, it's all bodywork. There's no extended-range tank hiding under that mighty hump and graphics just in front of the saddle. Instead, it's a simple pass-through that allows you to open up the fuel filler cap and add fuel to your little Monkey as needed. Likewise, the rear bodywork has a little flap to allow you to store something small on the little rack behind the saddle. At least it'll be kept out of the elements while you ride, right? Right.
It's currently being offered at no reserve on a bill of sale only in Florida. It was previously imported from Japan into the US in 2019 by a dealer, and is now being sold by a different dealer.
At the time of writing, the bid is up to a steep $16,500 over on Bring a Trailer. The auction ends on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 4:39pm Central. If you want to know what I'd spend stupid money on if I suddenly won the lottery, it'd probably be stuff like this and/or a Monkey-Davidson. And I'd ride them, too. If you'd like someone to talk you out of questionable emotional motorcycle purchasing decisions, I am certainly not going to yuck your yum.
The question here isn't "do you want it," it's "how badly do you want it?" Feel free to let us know in the comments.
