’92 Monkey Baja Africa

Fancy striding into the world of the adventure bike but not sure about the seat height on Honda’s Africa Twin? We have splendid news – there’s a considerably lower version available…

Is there anyone who doesn’t like Honda’s dinky Z50 Monkey bike? Surely no other machine is as universally appreciated. It helps that there have been very many versions over the last 60 years, giving the 49cc four-stroke even wider appeal. Following on from the original 1961 amusement park bike (designed to get kids interested in riding), there have been chrome-plated Monkeys, a Freddie Spencer replica, off-road versions and a shimmering gold example. And in 1987 there was even a sporty Monkey R with a twin-spar beam frame and clip-on ’bars. But surely the coolest Z50 of all is the dual-purpose Baja. Launched in 1991 and only available in Japan, the chunky Monkey was inspired by the firm’s Africa Twin and so featured dirt-style bodywork, twin headlamps, brush guards and fabulously ’90s graphics. Just 3000 examples of the Baja model were made and they now fetch firm money – a low-mile bike went for almost £8000 at auction a short while ago. All very nice. However, someone switched-on at Honda realised that if the Monkey Baja was supposed to be a homage to their Africa Twin

– a bike that had won the Dakar Rally and was making a splash as a road bike in the growing giant trailie market – then surely it needed to be something rather more special. And so in 1992 they introduced the truly wonderful ‘Africa Kit’. Ordered from Honda as an official accessory, the kit included huge oversize one-piece bodywork with fuel tank, side panels and humpy seat unit with integral storage. There was a bashplate to protect the horizontal single (although being a bit of flappy plastic its protection was probably limited to deflecting daffodils in full bloom), a natty deflector panel for the clocks, and an extension for the front mudguard. Honda offered a rear paddock stand and matching helmet stickers, too. Converting your Monkey into full-on Africa spec was easy as well. The kit was purely cosmetic and bolted on over the standard parts – opening the filler on the huge ‘tank’ released a flap and revealed the Honda’s standard fuel tank loitering underneath.

Only available in Japan in restricted numbers, it’s unknown how many Africa Kits were sold. And rarity now means collectors clamber over each other to get one. The Monkey Baja Africa above, which shows just 1700 miles, was sold last year by bonhams.com for nearly £16,500. But if you could afford it you would, wouldn’t you?