@@findingneutral FYI : I recommend Amsoil 10w30 metric oil for these engines, I recommend it to everyone! Smooth riding, superior lubrication, zero evaporation losses, clean engine, no viscosity losses enjoy
@@TheCeki1982 This particular version? And thanks for sharing this information 👍 Much appreciated. "Signature Series 10W-30 Synthetic Motor Oil ATM - AMSOIL" www.amsoil.com/p/signature-series-10w-30-synthetic-motor-oil-atm/
@@findingneutral Any Name brand 10/30w motorcycle oil that's changed on time , I like a tad sooner, is fine because the Monkey has a simple engine and the same goes for gas higher octane is just wasting money . That's my opinion but Hondas too as far as gas goes they do recommend their oil for obvious reasons lol . I do own one , not trying to be a know it or anything .
Well, Who actually needs motorbikes anyway. I have a 50cc 70's monkey china clone, just turning 4000miles on the odo and the bike is 6 months old. Serios fun that. But I still want a 125 monkey too real bad... And I have a 750 Inazuma... It's all good. He who dies with most toys wins, right? 🤪 Got to update this. Monkey 125 bought, china monkey sold and GSX is for sale... 🙂
@@suomenpresidentti I know right. Mini motos are great and kind of give carefree laid back riding experience. Plus you can mack them out if one chooses to do so engine wise. Thanks 🙂!
My hopes exactly. I only plan on selling it whenever that day comes when I am just too old and not physically able to ride... until then I'm riding it every chance I get and definitely taking care of it.
So many accessories added. I have the exhaust and fender eliminator only. I’ve had the bike coming up on 3 years now. Banana yellow too. Love this little thing!
I know right? I've had a lot of dual sport bike styles over the years and I must say my Monkey is my favorite as far as ergonomics go. Me being shorter and light makes it fit like a glove even more. Love it.
Love the Monkey! Loving your setup! On a side note... I'm always amused when folks with a Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, or Suzuki are like... "X" amount of mileage and I'm surprised there are no issues! Like... yeah it's a Honda! They go forever with minimal maintenance... unlike Harleys, Ducatis, Aprilias, KTMs, Triumphs, and pretty much everything else that's not the big 4 from Japan.
I Had done 27k miles with mine. Valves are always right on the money. You propably measured wrong the first time. Remember that every other turn of the crankshaft they are closed, when it is combusting, it is a 4-stroke. Every other round they are open at the T-mark. If you change oil often (I do it at every 1250 miles) and use magnetic drain plug, you do not need to clean centrifugal filter almost never. 20k miles on my last interval and very little soot there. There screen was Totally clean. Every 50k miles maybe.
I am all for DIY but to be honest adjusting valve clearance is probably not a good place to begin the learning curve. Reduced valve clearance can result in the valves overheating so it's best to get it right, but if you err it's best to go a little loose rather than tight. As for screws loosening I'd just add a little Locktite Blue to the threads and that normally solves the problem.
I agree with you 100%. Actually I do not plan on doing that again. I'll just let the shop do it so as I don't screw it up. Its been 1,500 miles since my adjustment and so far so good thank goodness 🥵.
Yes. Got it in 2019. Its very fun to zip around on. I'm practicing my cornering on it and confidence building. Also have a Yamaha XT250. The new 2022 Monkeys will have 5 speeds and dedicated oil filter. Sucks you guys cannot get these. The new 2022 Groms look cool though. Maybe you could transition to one.
Found this information online. Guess I put a bit to much oil in last oil change- (The most likely source is the crankcase ventilation system which will have a hose running from the crankcase to the airbox. Bad rings will cause excess crankcase pressure and could blow oil out the breather hose. The more common cause is an excessive amount of oil in the crankcase. )
Great video and review.. I was going to look in the manual for my Spade to get the name right about this and respond, but am glad you got the oil in the cup thing figured out. It's good to check it every few hundred miles and empty it if needed so it doesn't overflow and back fill into the air filter box and filter. But nothing to be to concerned about. I did the same thing on my first valve change 😃. Had to go in a second time because I used the wrong feeler size. On the Spade you have to remove the top motor mount to get the valve cover off, which is a pain but not bad after you do it a few times. The valves were tight and quit before and now are a little clicky. I guess they say a tappy tapit is a happy tapit, or something like that, but to worry when it gets quite. I think 4000 miles is good on a stock spark plug on a small air cooled engine like this.
@@davidklementis5913 Excellent information. Thank you so much for sharing this as I was still wondering about the oil thing and did I just put a new plug in for no reason. Yeah, the valve adjustment thing wore my fingers OUT. Then when I thought I had them just right I'd go to lock them down with the Motion Pro wrench/tappet holder and they would get all jacked up. This went on like a hundred times it seems. Ugh 😪. Good info on this topic too so thank you again.
6:05 If you have a lot of oil in the clear tube, it probably means you have too much blow by. These engines weren't assembled with the greatest hands, but nothing to worry about, it'll be fine. If it concerns you, I'd check into getting a better crank case breather with an oil catch can.
Luckily no oil has ever shown in the clear catch resivour. There was just a tiny glop about the size of a quarter near the hole that would drain into the clear resivour. The bike has never been laid down or wheelied either so gravity should be keeping it in place for the most part.Thank you for your response. It puts me at ease since the other listed culprit is bad o rings 🙁. That would suck.
Great video and very educational. I like your Honda Monkey however, can't wait to see and hear your thought regarding your highly anticipated Honda CT (Trail) 125. Hope it comes soon, I promise you will not be dissapointed.
Thanks. I can't wait either. I've already got the majority of my accessories so I'm going to slap those on first thing. I sure enjoy watching videos like yours in the meantime. Helps me know what to expect. 👍
Finding Neutral we are getting pounded with snow and cold temps. It was mild till end of January then BAM!! Im ready for spring👍. Monkey is holding right at 100 miles😂
@@2RCPRODUCTIONS Crazy weather. The one good thing is the Monkey can still be entertaining while dormant. I've heard it be said a man can be mesmerized into just staring at it for extended periods of time... 😲🕔🕠🕕🕡❄🌥🌦🌤☀️🌞😃...
Finding Neutral 😂You are 100% Sir! I brought the seat inside, I wanted to bring the whole bike in the living room but the wife did not share my enthusiasm. I have it winterized with battery tender hooked up but I still go out and take looks till frostbite sets in but not long enough to lose limbs so definitely acceptible👍
Phill from England here Great video dude Great bike too haven't got one yet still saving. I been wondering about the build quality on these little hondas because there made in Thailand.
During my pre-purchase research I looked hard for any problems this bike may have. Essentially found nothing notable. John5XR had his headlight pop out apparently from the bezel design getting loose. I removed my retainjbg screw and put loctite on as he recommended and never had an issue. He also posted a free mod to beef up the retainment hardware. The only thing I had happen was the underside of the front fender started to get surface rust. But that's not totally unusual and had I done some preventative coating it would not have been an issue. Watching Million Dollar Bogan just thrash his Monkey non-stop on his Australian adventure is what ultimately sold me on it. Now with the new upgrades its even better with the dedicated oil filter and 5th gear. As far as Honda's bikes coming out if Thailand goes I've had 3 - Monkey, CB500X, and Trail125. No issues on any of them. So I'd not let that sway you, but I definitely get where your coming from.
Nice Mods and great looking Monkey Finding Neutral. Got to get myself a tail tidy for the next addition. Good to hear the bike is holding up well, I'm only on 1000 Miles and all good so far!
Thanks! 🙂. The Yoshimura tail tidy is pretty cool. The LED tag light on it is bright too. One thing I should have mentioned, but it did not dawn on me until you brought the tail tidy up was after installing it I definately noticed crud from my chain after lubing it now flips up onto the rear if the bike... to include the back if my shirt got spackled with grease dots 😠. On average roadway use and not right after cleaning your chain is good though. But if you plan to off road plan on more debris flipping upwards. Price we pay to look cooler I guess.
Your starting issue may be nothing more than winter blend fuel. I would not bother worrying about it until April or May and I bet the normal starting you were used to comes back. BTW - My wife has the identical bike though completely stock and I have the red/white also stock. We love them.
Thanks for sharing this info. I actually only use ethanol free on all my bikes. Pricey but my hopes are less funk going into these mini motos. I'll surely monitor its starting behavior once we warm up again. Your a luck guy having your other half to ride with. Parting thought, you know how I mentioned oil being up in the air intake and the air filter seeming like it had a faintness of oil upon it? Do you think that could be causing an air flow reduction making the engine stammer a bit cold starting?
If it were carbureted I would say something was clogged caus6it to run lean. Or moisture in fuel. But since its fuel injection could still be moisture or mixture mapping could be off at cold start mode.
Thank you for this information. I only use ethanol free fuel and hope its not jacked up at the station. Was wondering if my aftermarket exhaust maybe had something to do with it running leaner or something. But it runs flawless besides being a bit groggy at first so I'll just leave it be for now. I ended up changing my air filter about 100 miles after my review. Double checked for anymore oil in the breather area and there wasn't any. So I'm glad about that. Maybe I over filled it a tad at some point. Appreciate the moisture info. Will definitely keep that in mind if things go south. 👍
@@findingneutral oil in the breather is a sigh9of overfill or you layed your bike on its side and oil ran into the breather tube. If you change exhaust or modified any air intake parts mixture will change exhaust changes causes lean run conditions and that's not good. You need to reprogram fuel injection to account for changes. You can find that how to information on you tube probably. Been building racing engines for years. Any mods done to exhaust, changes fuel mixture ratios. Same with air intake mods. Hope this info helps
I think the blue color looks awesome. Especially when the light reflects off the paint. Very cool looking. Hope you get to ride soon. Its 43 degrees in North Florida so I can still ride with heat gear on underneath. If your bored and want to mess with it while you can't ride get yourself a magnetic oil drain plug and swap out your oem one. You'll be amazed what it will catch on the 600 mile break in. Plus your factory oil is fresh so you can just put it right back in. I use Gold Plug MP-01.
@@findingneutral Yeah so I got it home and the oil level seemed low even after I drove 5 miles. It was barely in the window with the monkey upright. So I added a quarter quart and then it looked over filled so I pulled the drain plug and drained a little and boy oh boy the oil had specs of metal and a chunk came out the size of a pebble but flattened. First oil change should be at 60 miles not 600. I like the magnetic oil plug ill look for one now. I imagine the screen filter picks all this up but gee whiz.
@@Personlpp Yeah, it does let loose some bits in the beginning. You will most likely see a tiny bit of clutch material as well when you clean the actual oil catch screen. According to the official shop manual after the '0.6' aka 600 mile oil change the next one is not due until 4k? I know this bike is low maintenance and the oils of today are advanced but its hard to stomach running that tiny little 1qt of oil for 4k. I do mine every 1k just to be safe. Also per the shop manual the screen and centrifugal spinner do not need cleaned until 4k. I did mine at 600 miles after seeing others do theirs early. Not a whole heck of a lot in there so I wished now I would have waited on that. Maybe me installing the magnetic drain plug first thing really cut down on the debris going to those areas as much. I think if you install your magnetic drain plug now in the very beginning you will catch much of the bits big and small and be surprised by what it catches.
Meiner hatte bei keiner Geschwindigkeit nennenswerte Vibrationen. Die glückliche Reisegeschwindigkeit lag bei etwa 50-53 Meilen pro Stunde. Dies war jedoch ein älterer Motor aus dem Jahr 2019. Da du noch so neu bist, bräuchtest du vielleicht noch etwas Eingewöhnung? Außerdem bemerkte ich einen großen Unterschied in meiner Fahrqualität, was die Laufruhe betrifft, nachdem ich die werkseitigen V-Reifen ausgetauscht hatte. Ich bin auf Michelin City Grips umgestiegen und meine Fahrt auf dem Hardtop war ausgezeichnet. Wenn Sie hauptsächlich im Gelände fahren, wäre das allerdings keine Idee. Bei einem Fahrrad war meine Kette zu stramm und das verursachte übermäßige Vibrationen. Vielleicht schauen Sie sich diese beiden Dinge an? Ich hoffe, diese Informationen helfen. Sie sind mit Sicherheit eines der coolsten Fahrräder der Welt. Ich habe den Google-Übersetzer verwendet, um dies zu schreiben. Hoffe, es hat funktioniert.
Thanks 🙂! It's a Ruroc rg1-dx. Its a snow sports helmet, but where I live helmets are not required so me wearing this is better than most riders in my state who wear just a bald head. It has some excellent technology and most of all looks great and is comfortable in the cold and heat. They have a sale going on now I believe. Heres the link - www.ruroc.com/en_us/rg1-dx-snow-sports-helmet-chrome.html
@@findingneutral generally speaking the intake side loosens while the exhaust side tightens. I usually for first adjustment put them in the middle of the specs. After a few hundred miles I'll recheck and see what's doing what. As in is the intake getting tighter or looser. After that I'll adjust to the max spec allowed so I can ride longer w not worrying about adjustments. You can put them on tighter side of specs but that requires a lot more frequent adjustments. Usually thats done in perf applications. In which case you want trouble free riding and less maintenance of course. I'm just trying to help you out a bit as you mentioned it was youre first time. I'd say put it int the mid of the specs ride for 2-300 miles. After that check what everything is doing and then adjust accordingly. Ride safe and enjoy yourself
@@parkersgarage4216 Thank you for this information. I will definately note this on my next adjustment. Every bit of info helps for sure so much thanks for taking the time to offer details on what the valves do. This shared knowledge can help others as well with theirs. Awesome 👌.
Do you still have the monkey? The reason I’m asking is that I’m a 55 year old man with one replaced knee and am just contemplating getting one of these for quiet easy rides in the country. I love the looks of them but wonder if I’d be better off getting something just a little bigger.
Sadly no. I had to re-home the Monkey to make room in the garage. It was/is a great bike though. Literally the most comfortable seat I've sat on. I had zero problems with it. The 2022's now have an independent oil filter and 5th gear. That's a great thing. If you opt for the 2022 do some research though. The new engine is like that on the Grom and there's been numerous complaints about bearing, shaft, and clutch issues. Maybe Honda is still working out the quirks of the updated engine. But who wants to be a test subject right? I'm 5'6 and 155lbs with my gear on. On a flat run with no headwind your looking at about 55-60mph tops. Definately go sit on one and see how the ergo's feel. I found it to have a great rider's triangle though. Lots if great videos out there on it. I do miss it too. Regrets... In the end you have to be comfortable, especially with ortho stuff (I know all about that). I'll pay extra for comfortable. Then what are you mostly going to be doing with it? Casual back roads are where this bike shines. Highway reved out it can do, but it might get ragged prematurely doing so. Geez, I'm rambling. Hope this info helps. Feel free to ask any questions about any bikes I've posted.
@@findingneutral Thanks for the response, my local dealer just got two used ones in, one a 2021, the other a 2022, both with less than 400 miles. I have just sitting on numerous bikes just to test out the comfort because I don’t have as much flexibility with the replaced knee and I’ve not ridden in years. The majority of use would be just rides through the countryside, East Tennessee, with no destination in mind most times. I like the ergonomics of the xt250 as well and the extra power is enticing but I just love the looks of the monkey and the seat is just so comfortable. Thanks again for the response and the videos.
@@samuelfink4799Cool. Nice to have options. The Honda Monkey is definitely way cool looking and very comfortable stock off the sales floor. I had not rode in 10 years. The Monkey was my re-introduction back into riding. It was perfect for that. Very forgiving and I felt very safe on it. Plus it had next to no vibration and was super smooth riding. I did get rid of the oem Vee tires for Michelin Pilots, which made a huge difference in ride quality on hardtop. Will they let you test drive one of them? The XT250 is also great and you will most likely end up wanting to move up to one after you get comfortable riding again. Not sure if having 2 bikes is possible in the future, but if you were able to get those 2 you'd be set and have fun switching between each bike. Tons of accessories out there for both bikes. Good luck with your selection.
@@findingneutral I haven’t asked just yet, to be honest I was sort of hoping the desire would pass. Your situation sounds a lot like me in that I sold my other bike in 2011 so with that long layoff and just being older(55) and my fake knee I have a little apprehension getting back into it.
@@samuelfink4799 Yeah, it was a lot of pondering for me. I wrecked back then and almost didn't make it. So getting back into it was and still is a bit odd. All I do is short rides on non busy roads. Still fun but on high alert each time I go out. An idiot jogger with a lose dog caused my crash back then. I never saw the dog until it was in full chase mode and it took out my front wheel... then met my bash plate. My bash plate won. Since returning to biking I've encountered more lose dogs, each received a swift boot to get them away. So yeah, dangerous. Plus horrible drivers galore. I'd definitely start small and cheap if your remotely apprehensive. Maybe even see if you can rent a bike or maybe sign up for a safety course that supplies the bike. Cheaper than buying one then not enjoying it or your knee disagreeing. Good luck with your decision.
The aftermarket exhaust could of effected the idle. May need jetted out a little bigger running that exhaust on it. I can't say for sure without knowing the details.
It eventually stopped doing that. I'm just taking a guess, but I think it might have been the ECU relearning because I put the Yoshimura on? I only ever use Ethanol free fuel too. Never swapped the battery out either.
I've never ridden a pit bike so I had to look up by definition what they are used for. If your talking stock, I'd say a doodle bug. You'd have ground clearance and suspension problems with the Monkey and more things to break if dropped.
Cool. Thanks for the info. I never layed the bike down so overfill sounds like the culprit. I will look up the ECU reset procedure. On another topic, I noticed the bike exhaust was a bit more stank or potent following the muffler swap out. Can that be due to the catalytic converter being removed along with the OEM exhaust? Was curious about that.
@@keithtrent4446 I've had the exhaust almost 1 year and for about 3,500 miles. I was just curious as I read an article how catalytic converters cut down on emissions. Was wondering if it was like when you get behind an old truck without one. Its not overwhelming just slightly noticeable.
@@keithtrent4446 Both mine are stock engine wise (besides the Monkey having the RS3 muffler only) I have oring chains on both as well, which supposedly adds drag. My Monkey running on a flat road with no wind can get up to 60-62ish (tucked with wind to your back a bit faster). So far I've only got the Trail125 to 54mph and it seemed tapped out. But I know the gearing is set up differently on both. Personally I love having both. Its fun hopping on one then the other. Kind of like hopping on two different rides at an amusement park 😃👍😃👍
In my opinion the Michelins are a smoother ride than the stock Vee tires. It should be noted the Michelin tires have a smaller profile than the Vee tires, which impacts the appearance of the bike a bit. For a better on road experience it was a worthy sacrifice in my opinion.
@@sharifela7993 I kept my stock Vee tires on for about 1,000 miles. Then I noticed the rear tire got out of round and the ride got a bit bouncy and crappy. So I went ahead and changed them out, problem solved. If you are going to be riding off road I would leave the stock tires on and get your monies worth out of them. If you are going to be riding on road only like me, then maybe just ride on the stock tires a bit until you get situated on the bike. Put about 1000 miles on it to make sure its the bike for you? Unless you know for sure your happy with it (since you already ordered your RS3 👍) AND you fully plan on being on road period, then I would say yes just go ahead and slap the Michelin City Grips on. They are the safer option on the hard top in my opinion when it comes to slick roads, traction, and cornering.
There isn't any risk of damage unless you've let them go SO bad the bike has problems starting or running poorly. And if that's the case then you've genuinely neglected the issue lol.
I am extremely diligent on the maintenance so I should have this little bike a great while. The situation with a lackluster cold start resolved itself. Coming up on 5k miles soon, still no issues 🙂👍
@@findingneutral Yup motorcycle EFI isn't as advanced as a car engine ECU would be so cold starts are still meh. My CRF450L will sputter and die for the first or second attempt if it's pretty chill outside. I would get a magnetic drain plug if available as it will also keep the micro ferrous material from being cycled around but that hasn't stopped Honda's little OHV engines over 50 years now.
@@AliasTekTV Good info. Thanks for sharing. I was being a little to hypersensitive in hind sight with it. I've noticed with my magnetic drain plug it now has next to nothing these days. People getting the new 2022's with a dedicated removable oil filter and 5th gear will be loving it.
They are crash guards for the engine. Only draw back with the design is once mounted you have to take off the righthand guard to be able to service your oil spinner/screen since the install brackets are connected to the top of the oil case cover. Besides that they seem rock solid. Heres the link... www.rg-racing.com/browsetype/Crash_Protectors/Honda/Monkey/CP0453BL/
Excellent question. I've heard both. Honestly I'm not knowledgeable enough to give an accurate answer. Its hard to believe they go to tightening down upon themselves. The norm is stuff loosens up with time I thought? I would do some more research if I were you. Mine were tight though per the specs, that's even if I did it right. If I had to do it over I'd just let the shop do it. I'm not good at that stuff unfortunately 😕 Stressful.
@@findingneutral Depending on the valve design, but from my experience they tighten. When the engine gets hot the metal will expand a little so when the valves are tight a valve will be slightly held open. That's why if you have trouble starting a warm engine its possibly a valve problem. 4,000 miles is actually very little for a motorcycle engine. I have put over 100,000 on a motorcycle and usually the bike gets wrecked and destroyed before a motorcycle engine is able to be worn out. Also in reality you could use the original spark plug for probably 100,000 miles. You have a nice bike and it was a great video. Take care.
@@Jeremybaland Thanks Lone Ranger 🙂! That's excellent information and thank you for sharing it. I hope one day to put as much mileage as you have on your bike on mine. Time is the one accessory that eludes me most.
www.t-rex-racing.com/2019-2020-Honda-Monkey-Center-Stand-p/n30-19cs.htm The center stand is great for doing maintenance on the bike and adds to the vintage looks. You will lose ground clearance though so its something to consider if you ride off road a lot. Also the metal bracket that serves as a stop when the center stand springs upwards to the closed position can easily bend if you let the center stand slam itself shut just by pushing the bike forward off of it. Mine started bending pretty quickly. Did not realize it until I noticed my drive chain touching the center stand. I bent the stop back and corrected it, but noticed the metal used for the stop thing was kind of cheap. I just ride the stand upwards with my foot now. No issues since.
@@jeffreyelliott622 Bike does not come with the center stand. T Rex Racing sells them. This part takes away ground clearance. No big deal for on road, but could be a problem off road.
Raywilliams motorcycles in the UK. Its on ebay listed as PYRAMID BANANA YELLOW FLY SCREEN WINDSHIELD HONDA MONKEY 125 18 - 20 21250Y Comes in 3 colors. I requested a tinted plastic screen as well. Comes clear otherwise.
@@findingneutral Does the windshield just snap on somehow or is there some taking off bolts of sorts as well as the handguard protectors ? If I bought a Monkey that would be the only add on bling I would do to it !!! Now I want one sooooo bad !!!! What's the initial break in mileage time b4 oil & filter change maintenance and is it easy to do yourself or is it best to just go to the dealer and have done ?
@@jeffreyelliott622 The windscreen and hand guards both utilize hardware to install. Once you put them on it would be best to leave them on. I think it would be a pain taking them on and off. First oil change is at 600 miles. Thereafter most folks change the oil around every 1k. The manual says you can go longer though. Check out John5xr on RU-vid. He has a video which details the maintenance intervals according to the shop manual. This bike only has an oil spinner and screen to filter the oil, no filter you replace. According to the manual the first cleaning is not due until 8k. Most do it way before though. There are videos on that as well. I did it myself. Not to hard, but not something I'd want to do often either. I highly recommend getting a magnetic oil drain plug for this bike to help catch the bits in between oil changes. Also it appears Honda is releasing a 2022 version that will have a 5 speed gear box AND a dedicated replacable oil filter. Similar to the new Grom they just released. Might be worth the wait?
