The 2017 Honda Monkey Bike

The motorcycling world didn’t pay much attention when Honda showed its ‘Monkey Concept’ at the Bangkok Motor Show in March this year. It’s not surprising, really, given that Honda never even released any official pictures.

But new design patents show that the iconic old-school Monkey bike could be reborn and have a production future.

Although instantly recognizable as a Monkey bike, the MSX125-based design is actually a lot bigger than the original Honda Z50 Monkey bike. Those are 12-inch wheels, where the classic Honda Monkey bike has eight-inch rims, so the fact the motorcycle is still in proportion shows it’s something approaching 50 percent larger.

Presuming its dimensions are similar to the Honda MSX125, though, it will still be small – just more usable than the original Honda Monkey bike but at the expense of not fitting so easily in the boot of a car.

While the patents are extremely close to the design of the Monkey Concept shown at the Bangkok Motor Show, there are detail differences. The patents show screws on the airbox cover, for instance – details that indicate a production machine over a show-stand mock-up. The rear shocks and springs are also different, as is the seat.