1964 Honda CZ100 'Monkey Bike'

Early production model of the bike that started the "Monkey" craze

Believed to be a UK model with just 770 miles

A very genuine example of the rarest of Monkey Bikes

Very much in-vogue currently and would look just the part at the Goodwood Revival

With the launch of the CZ100 in 1960, Honda created the class of machine known as 'Monkey Bikes', so called because of their diminutive stature. The little 49cc overhead valve single cylinder engine and gearbox unit that was introduced with the C100 Cub in 1958 provided the power unit for a variety of ultra-lightweight machines produced by Honda, the most distinctive of which was and remains the "Monkey Bike". The concept of the "mini motorcycle" was not a new one, with machines such as the Corgi in the UK and the Mustang in the States achieving varying degrees of popularity.

With the introduction of the Monkey Bike, Honda did with the mini-bike concept what they were to do so well in other areas of motorcycle design, they took an idea and refined it to the point where it became accessible to non-motorcyclists. The C100 power unit was both refined and reliable requiring little in the way of maintenance and, with a three-speed gearbox with automatic clutch, made for a very usable package housed in a simple rigid frame. An ultra-short wheelbase, small wheels, a simple electrical system, a vestigial fuel tank and a thickly padded single seat providing adequate comfort for the short trips the machine was intended to undertake were all features of a machine which, in the case of the folding handlebar version, could fit into the boot of a car. Supported by an extensive dealer network the little machine quickly gained a healthy following being used as a tender to caravans and yachts, a leisure vehicle in its own right, used by both children and adults as a paddock bike, quickly becoming as much a part of the motorsport landscape as Bell Helmets, Castrol R and Heuer watches. Today they are very much in vogue, with a flourishing owners club in the UK.

The bike presented here is a 1964 CZ100 and represents the 'Monkey' in one of its earliest and purest forms, with rigid 'suspension' at both ends and rolled edge mudguards. These early bikes were believed to have been hand-built at the Honda factory by selected apprentices using mechanical components from existing models, whilst everything else was bespoke made. There are very limited spare parts now available for these early bikes so they are notoriously difficult to restore, making this complete and original example highly collectable. This lovely little bike has covered only 770 miles and is thought never to have been road-registered.