zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die
This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:55

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

The little Honda Z50 is a bike loved by riders of all ages for how fun they are. They’re also a great platform for custom builds, as we’ve seen with the . Another kind of custom Monkey has come up for sale and this one is a certifiable deathtrap. has the beating four cylinder heart of a Honda CB350F and it could take you faster than any tiny motorcycle should go.

The existence of the Honda Monkey is nearly an accident, Silodrome . Honda originally produced Z series minibikes for use at amusement parks. As it turned out, it wasn’t just kids who loved them, but adults did, too. And those adults looked like circus animals while riding them. So in 1967 Honda gave the gift of the Z50 “Monkey” to the world. The bike was so beloved that it remained in production until 2017, just for it to be as a sibling of the Honda Grom.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

A regular Honda Z50 is a simple machine. You get a 49cc single with a built-in transmission. Seat height was under two-feet and the rider experienced a ravenous 4.5 horses. The Z50 was so simple, in fact, that the first of them didn’t have a suspension. Yep, your tires were all of the ride comfort you got. Many daring riders over the years have decided that the little 49cc engine just isn’t good enough and added a healthy dose of power. That’s sort of what we’re looking at here today.

But this isn’t a dose of power, it’s a shot of adrenaline straight into your veins.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

Gone is the cute factory engine and in its place is the 350cc inline-four from a Honda CB350F. This engine is good for 34 horses and when attached to a CB350, is good for a top speed of around 100 mph.

It is not said how fast the Monkey is in this configuration, but whatever speeds it can hit are probably way too fast for something with what appears to be 8-inch wheels.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

on Mecum doesn’t give any real details about the build, but has the ominous warning that work needs to be done to it. Let’s look closely at what’s going on.

The frame was definitely modified to fit the much bigger engine and the job looks pretty well-done. If you didn’t know any better, you might even think that this was the work of a mad motorcycle manufacturer.

The engine’s four carburetors have also been reduced down to just two. This saves on space and should make maintenance a bit easier. The carbs don’t have filters attached to them.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

Braking and suspension are handled by, not much.

Up front has some limited suspension action that probably wasn’t great for the bike in its stock form, and is certainly useless now. There’s nothing out back, but I doubt anyone is going to ride it long enough for that to matter.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

Braking is handled by diminutive drums front and rear, and it appears that the rear drum isn’t hooked up. Even if it were, I’m sure the Ever Given could stop faster than this could.

Looking a bit deeper, you can see what other parts may need sorting out. If you follow the clutch cable, for example, you’ll find it not connected to anything, instead hanging next to the kickstarter.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

The seat also looks pretty goofy, looking like it was mounted with just a single bolt with nowhere else to put the other bolt. The bars also look pretty incomplete without a headlight to speak of.

Image for article titled This 350cc, 100 MPH-Capable Honda Monkey Sounds Like A Great Way To Die

Considering the lack of brakes and the disconnected clutch cable, I have to wonder if this was ever ridden or was it just an abandoned project. I wouldn’t normally recommend taking on a project of this caliber, but finished, this thing would have to be both the most exciting motorcycle you’ll ever ride...and the last.

This wacky machine rolls across the Mecum Auctions block in Las Vegas . I’d probably recommend bringing a trailer and some good life insurance.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Cars Arrive At Port Covered In Salty Ice After Ship Sails Through Bad Weather
Cars Arrive At Port Covered In Salty Ice After Ship Sails Through Bad Weather
recently arrived in Russia with a precious cargo of cars to be delivered to new owners. There was just one problem: much of the ship and its load of cars were encased in frozen seawater. On December 27, Panama-flagged car carrier Sun Rio arrived in Vladivostok, Russia’s port. It departed...
Jun 17, 2026
Best Reviews 2021: If The 2022 Honda Grom Doesn't Make You Happy Maybe You Can't Be Happy
Best Reviews 2021: If The 2022 Honda Grom Doesn't Make You Happy Maybe You Can't Be Happy
We drove a lot of cars in 2021, we’re reposting a few of our favorites here. Cheap, efficient, and fun: I can only imagine those were the three things in Honda’s design brief for the original Grom. By those metrics, the Grom was a smash success, delivering miles per gallon...
Jun 17, 2026
Symbolic Or Significant? The 4,000 Mile Freight Railway Between Istanbul And Pakistan
Symbolic Or Significant? The 4,000 Mile Freight Railway Between Istanbul And Pakistan
Over the past year, the world became fully aware of the perils present in global logistics. Shipping has been pushed to its limits due to emergent constraints from the Ever Given blocking off the Suez Canal for six days to the bottlenecks at major ports in the U.S. The...
Jun 17, 2026
This Motorcycle Is Ace And You Should Buy It So I Don't Have To
This Motorcycle Is Ace And You Should Buy It So I Don't Have To
I’ve always been a sucker for old Hodakas. They’re simple and good-looking machines that have everything you need for a fun day on two wheels, and nothing you don’t. With a 100cc two-stroke engine it has just enough power to get you into trouble and back out of it...
Jun 17, 2026
Thousands Of Flights Are Being Cancelled Due To Omicron
Thousands Of Flights Are Being Cancelled Due To Omicron
Earlier this week, the CDC after a positive Covid test based on a study that could have been titled, “Delta Airlines said please and c’mon, just look at that face, how do you say no to that.” While airlines, broader response was . Now, it seems it all may...
Jun 17, 2026
Two Die In Train Crash After Car Drives Onto High-Speed Tracks
Two Die In Train Crash After Car Drives Onto High-Speed Tracks
It’s fair to say that passenger rail infrastructure in the United States is lacking. Projects outside the northeastern U.S. to expand commuter and inter-city rail networks are few and far between. One of those fledging rail services has had another fatal incident in South Florida. Earlier this week, in...
Jun 17, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved