Monkey bike
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Monkey bike is the collective name given to various small, low-powered motorcycles first made popular by Honda in the 1970s.
Numerous similar designs predate the Honda model, notably the World War II parachutist motorcycles such as the Welbike, but these were not commonly known by this name until the Honda design made the type of vehicle commonplace.
These vehicles are typically 50-90cc, with a single cylinder four-stroke engine, and have a seat height of 24 inches (60 cm) or less. This gives the rider a crouched appearance, making him look like a stylized image of a squatting monkey, hence the name.
The "Dax" model is a 2 seat variant.
In Japan, the small size of the vehicle and the propensity of tuning parts available has led to a sub-culture of "racing" monkey bikes, with vast amounts of money being spent for minute horsepower gains.
- See also: Minibike
Monkey bikes are currently utilised by the company drive-U-home, out of London, England. The business employs drivers equipped with monkey bikes. The drivers take customers home in their own vehicle, stowing the monkey bike in the customer's trunk. Upon arrival at the customer's destination the driver collects the fare, assembles the bike, and continues to the next customer. This scheme has seen recent popularity in London, UK.
[edit] External links
- MonkeyRun.co.uk (A popular UK-based Monkey Bike website listing road runs)
- driveuhome.co.uk (A popular London-based business utilising monkey bikes)