Honda Z 50 M.

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Honda Z 50 M Mokick

The Honda Z 50 M is a small mock-up from the " Honda Monkey " model series and is the successor to the Honda CZ 100 Monkey (1963–1966). The Z 50 M was mainly sold by Honda in Europe and Japan between 1967 and 1969.

Previous model

Compared to the previous model, the Honda CZ 100 , the Z 50 M has undergone fundamental changes. The Z 50 M differs from the CZ 100 not only visually, but also technically. For example, the Z50M had the 50 cm³ OHC engine known from the Honda SS 50, which had the bumper engine that was popular up to then replaced older Honda motorcycles.

properties

With the Z 50 M, Honda tried to live up to the “small and portable” monkey concept even more: the seat and handlebars could be folded down, the footrests could be folded up and the fuel tank and carburetor could be largely sealed for transport. But the frame , fork and tank also differ significantly from the CZ 100. The few remaining similarities with the CZ 100 are the small tire size of 5 inches and a still rigid frame.

In Japan, a version with an unthrottled engine with around 3.3 kW (4.5 hp) was sold in a few copies. This special model also had chrome-plated fenders, but was never exported. There are some advertising brochures showing the version with the chrome-plated fenders.

A trademark of the Z 50 M is the seat cover with a tartan pattern , although there were also versions with a black cover.

Z 50 M in Germany

The Z 50 M is also called the “boat monkey” there. Where this name ultimately comes from cannot be traced back. On the one hand, the monkey concept was advertised as being the transportable second vehicle that could be taken on planes or boats . On the other hand, the nickname “Bootsmonkey” could also be associated with the English word “boot”, which means the trunk of a (large) car .

In the first Z 50 M brochures , the Z 50 M from Honda was called "Foldup 50" (collapsible). This name did not catch on, however, and the name Monkey "Z 50 M" was essentially used. Only a few models were sold in Germany. Due to special TÜV regulations , the production version of the Z 50 M was not approved for German road traffic . A few German Honda importers therefore modified the Z 50 M in order to obtain approval for the vehicle. On the whole, however, the Z 50 M remained rather a rarity in Germany . The European Z 50 M model differs from the Japanese model z. B. by the leadership and location of the exhaust . While the muffler is located under the frame near the floor in the European models, in most Japanese models it is located in the middle of the frame under the bench. The French version also has an oversized headlight.

Since the Z 50 M was sold in relatively small numbers, it is now a very popular collector's item.

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