You’ve Seen The Honda Monkey, Now It’s Time To Check Out The Honda Donkey!
The Honda Monkey first came to life in the late 60s and instantly made a name on the market, thanks to its undeniably fun riding experience. Cut to 2022, and this still remains the case with the latest 125cc iteration of the Monkey. But how do you make the Monkey even more funky and enjoyable? Well, this was exactly the challenge Deus Ex Machina faced when Honda Korea hit ‘em up for a custom Monkey build. Luckily, the Australian bikemaker came up with a plan and prepared a riot of a custom bike they call the Honda “Donkey”!
Custom Honda Monkey By Deus Ex Machina
The idea ahead of the build was pretty simple - to keep things easy, fun, and dynamic while maintaining the Monkey flavor. Accordingly, most OEM parts of the Monkey remain, but there are plenty of accompanying upgrades as well.
Starting with the design, the Honda Donkey has a proper off-road vibe to it and a lot of it has to do with the array of bolt-on parts. The list here includes an aluminum engine bash plate, a squarish headlight guard, and a considerably taller Pro Taper handlebar with accompanying knuckle guards, all of which you’ll usually find on ADVs.
In addition, Deus Ex Machina has also thrown in toothed footpegs, a handlebar stabilizer, and dirt-friendly Dunlop rubber, making it perfectly capable of taking anywhere and everywhere without a hiccup, just like a Donkey would. Meanwhile, a gorgeous tricolor paint job (featuring Honda’s signature red, blue, and white colors) brings everything together.
The bikemaker didn’t just stop here, though, and spruced up the mechanicals too. As a result, the stock 125cc now breathes much more freely, courtesy of a handmade full-system exhaust as well as an aftermarket air filter while the aftermarket Ohlins STX 36 rear shock absorbers up the potential in the suspension department.
Thanks to all the aforementioned changes, the Honda Donkey surely promises to be a lot more fun (and capable) than the stock bike. Sadly, though, there’s no news on whether the Donkey is up for grabs since Honda Korea sanctioned it in the first place.
However, we’re sure most of the bolt-on parts are available separately and you can get easily get ’em shipped to the States, meaning it’s not impossible to create your very own Donkey. Or whatever you’d want to call it.
Like what you saw? Then, we suggest you also check out this insane Dakar-flavored Honda Grom.