Tag Archives: monkey bike

Motorcycle News, News

What are the best bikes for tall riders?

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Tall riders have almost as much trouble finding a bike to suit their build as short riders and it’s not just about seat height.

For short riders, seat height is the most important factor. So we put together a comprehensive list of seat heights of your favourite motorcycles to compare.

Lanky-legged riders might also find the list of interest, especially if they read it from the bottom up as the bikes are ranked from lowest to tallest seats.

The tallest bikes are mostly adventure bikes, followed by naked and sports bikes.

Some motorcycle companies such as BMW and Harley-Davidson will offer high-seat options.

There are also many aftermarket companies and upholsterers like John Moorhouse of Ergo Seats that can offer taller seats.

Ducati GT1000 carbon wheels farkle project tall
Ergo Seats added more padding to my Ducati GT1000 seat

However, a tall seat won’t solve all tall riders’ woes.

Tall tales of woe

The main problem for tall riders is feeling cramped in the legs and arms. This is the result of the combination of seat, handlebars and footpegs.

Having a tall seat won’t help if the footpegs are too high or the bars too close.

For example, most cruisers have very low seats, but if they have forward controls, they can be very comfortable for tall riders.

Conversely, some sports tourers have high seats, but the pegs and clip-on bars are too close and non-adjustable.

So tall riders should look for a motorcycle that has adjustable bars and footpegs.

Clip-on bars are rarely adjustable for more reach. However, one-piece bars with a significant bend in them will move further away for a comfortable reach simply by rolling them forwards.

Of course, you will also have to then adjust the mirrors and levers to suit.

There are also replacement bars, but be aware that wider and taller bars have their legal limits. Click here for more information on “ape hanger” bars.

Michael Madsen looks cool as "The Gent" with his ape hanger bars in Quentin Tarentino's Hell Ride Handlebar maximum measurements challenged regulations tall
Michael Madsen looks cool as “The Gent” with his ape hanger bars in Quentin Tarentino’s Hell Ride. But are they legal?

Few motorcycles have adjustable footpegs, but you can buy accessories that move the footpegs a little further away. You will also have to adjust your foot brake and gear shift to suit.

Highway pegs are also handy for relieving the cramped feeling of footpegs that are too close.

Suspension can also be adjusted, but usually only with the addition of slightly longer rear shocks. Be aware that these will change the handling and steering geometry of the bike.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Motorcycle News, News

James May and the Art of Motorcycle Reassembly

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This video of former Top Gear and now Grand Tour presenter James May reassembling a Honda Z50 “monkey bike” over 30 minutes is not a mechanic’s guide to reassembling a motorcycle.

It’s actually quite an entertaining ramble through the motorcycle fanatic’s philosophy of motorcycles, riding and keeping your tools tidy. 

Apparently the average time viewers look at a YouTube video is just over a minute and the first thing they do is check how long the video is and then pull the scanning bar to the most interesting points.

Not so with this half-hour video in his series, “The Reassambler”, in which he reassambles household items such as a food mixer, record player and Hornby train set.

James May is Captain Slow

Like slow cooking, the infamous “Captain Slow” presents his version of  slow TV and it must be enjoyed in its entirety.

I never once felt like scanning ahead, just relaxing in May’s warm and avuncular Pommy tones and going along with his observations about life and the art of motorcycle maintenance.

It actually took about 13 hours to record the half-hour video which is distilled down to an entertaining 30 minutes. 

James May has always been a keen Honda fan with a collection of Honda and other mainly Japanese bikes.

In the video he extolls the virtues of the Japanese company that he says helped bring down the arrogant British motorcycle industry.

Monkey Bike2018 Honda Monkey Bike hefty price

Meanwhile, the monkey bike is a suitable motorcycle to be reassembling as the manufacturer has reassembled the bike to give it new life.

Sales of the monkey bike began in March 1964 with the Z50M model, and production ended in 2017.

However, the bike returned to manufacture last year with some modern updates including ABS, LED lighting, five instead of four gears and a standard clutch with a lever, not a centrifugal clutch.

Last year a monkey bike owned by John Lennon sold through H&H Classics at the National Motorbikes Museum for £56,250 (about $A100,300, €63,150 $US77,900).

John Lennon on his Honda monkey bike valuable hefty price
Lennon on his monkey bike

It is the highest price paid for a monkey bike and almost double the estimated price of £30,000 (about $A52,000, €33,700, $US40,000).

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

News

Monkey around in Romania on monkey bikes

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The Adventurists must be the first motorcycle touring company to offer tours on monkey bikes and now add tours of Romania riding one of the most famous roads in the world.

Two years ago they launched the Monkey Run in the Sahara, crossing the Atlas Mountains to the Moroccan coast on 50cc Monkey Bikes and followed up with the Monkey Run Peru.

Now they will tackle Romania’s famous Transfăgărășan Highway.

The Adventurists Monkey Bikes Monkey Runs Romania

Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson called it “the best road in the world”.

We don’t often agree with the bike-hating TV presenter, but we have to agree on his verdict of this challenging piece of heaven.

Cost and charity

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The Adventurists will operate two Romanian Monkey Runs in 2019 at the end of June and in mid-September, costing £1295 (about $A2320, $US1665).

As per all their adventures, The Adventurists ask participants to all raise £1000 in charity donations.

Half goes to their charity partner Cool Earth and the other half goes to which ever charity is chosen by the participant. Since they started, they have raised £7.5million for charity.

Secret location

Apart from riding monkey bikes, the tour will be unique because there is no defined route, says MD Daniel Reeds.

It starts in Sighetu Marmatiei, close to the border with Ukraine, before travelling a few hundred kilometres to a secret location.

The route in between is not set, but Daniel urges riders to include the paved Transfăgărășan Highway across the Carpathian Mountains. The road was built in the early 1970s as a strategic military route and goes into Transylvania were riders can visit Dracula’s Castle.

Monkey Bikes Transfăgărășan Highway
Transfăgărășan Highway

“Beyond that we encourage riders to look at their maps as little as possible,” Daniel says.

“The idea of the Monkey Runs is to give people a true adventure that allows them to get under the skin of the country they’re in in a way that a normal holiday wouldn’t.

“There’s no set route, no backup and no support. That’s the whole point. You could just rock up, enjoy the launch party, team up with another rider and ride in tandem the length of the country to the finish line and you’d have an amazing time.”

Monkey BikesThe Adventurists Monkey Bikes Monkey Runs Romania

This aim for adventure is why The Adventurists chose Honda Monkey Bikes, rather than more comfortable or powerful rides.

“Monkey Bikes are a whole lot of fun and it’s hard to take a serious fall,” Daniel says.

“Because they’re low to the ground they also feel much faster than they are, but in reality they’re slow enough for you to truly appreciate the landscape you’re travelling through.

“They’re perfect for this trip and they’re bound to break down at some point, which means you’ll be forced to engage with the locals and find out what the country and culture are all about.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com