Honda Monkey, beloved minibike of Japan, rides off into the sunset after 50 years

Honda bids adieu to its iconic motorcycle after 50 years of a chequered journey. The compact motorcycle caught the world's fancy after its launch in 1967.

Earlier, the world woke up to Honda's announcement that the Monkey would be retired and the last 500 units of the bike would be up for sweepstakes.

The Monkey was launched at a time when there was high demand for small capacity motorcycles. Honda seized the moment to make a single-seater Monkey that was initially used at an amusement park in 1961. The motorcycle later made it to the road after production started in 1967.

Honda is pulling the plugs on the Honda Monkey bike as the demand for the smaller displacement motorcycle has been shrinking and the company is finding it difficult to rejig the bike to comply with the stringent emission norms. Honda Monkey is powered by 50cc, single-cylinder air-cooled engine.

The Monkey, with its short wheelbase, small size and collapsible handles, was a hit in Japan over the ease in riding and packing. Although the motorcycle did not find Indian shores, it generated curiosity across the world. The last update on the Monkey was in 2004 with the 4.5-litre fuel tank but otherwise, the funky minibike remained true to its original style and design through its life cycle. 

It would be interesting to see if the Monkey would be revived from the cold storage in the coming years, considering that the Japanese motorcycle maker Honda unveiled a funky scrambler concept Monkey 125 at Vietnam Motorcycle Show in May this year.