Honda Z50A K1 Legendary 'Monkey bike' 1969
Late 1960s classic Z50 'Monkey bike'
Used as a race team paddock bike
Supplied with a dating letter and a V5C
Honda made their first motorcycle in 1949 and one of their most distinctive and best-loved designs is the Z series of small wheeled mini-bikes that came to be known as 'Monkey bikes'. The first version of the Honda Z-series was the 1961 prototype Honda Z100, originally produced as a children's ride at the Tama Tech Japanese amusement park, that was eventually refined and put into mass production in 1964. By the late 1960s, the bike now sported front suspension but still with a hardtail rear with fold-down handlebars so it could be carried in the boot of a car.
This Z50 has spent most of its life as a paddock bike for a couple of car race teams. Once he retired from racing, the vendor restored this iconic little bike including a refresh of the paintwork, re-chromed mudguards and chain guard, new tyres and tubes, new handlebars, new piston rings and valves and a new carb. With the help of a dating letter from the Honda Owner's Club, it is now registered on an age-related number with a current V5C. Whilst probably Honda's smallest and simplest models, it remains one of their more collectable bikes, ideal for use in motorhomes or even the boot of a family car.
Late 1960s classic Z50 'Monkey bike'
Used as a race team paddock bike
Supplied with a dating letter and a V5C
Honda made their first motorcycle in 1949 and one of their most distinctive and best-loved designs is the Z series of small wheeled mini-bikes that came to be known as 'Monkey bikes'. The first version of the Honda Z-series was the 1961 prototype Honda Z100, originally produced as a children's ride at the Tama Tech Japanese amusement park, that was eventually refined and put into mass production in 1964. By the late 1960s, the bike now sported front suspension but still with a hardtail rear with fold-down handlebars so it could be carried in the boot of a car.
This Z50 has spent most of its life as a paddock bike for a couple of car race teams. Once he retired from racing, the vendor restored this iconic little bike including a refresh of the paintwork, re-chromed mudguards and chain guard, new tyres and tubes, new handlebars, new piston rings and valves and a new carb. With the help of a dating letter from the Honda Owner's Club, it is now registered on an age-related number with a current V5C. Whilst probably Honda's smallest and simplest models, it remains one of their more collectable bikes, ideal for use in motorhomes or even the boot of a family car.