Honda Monkey Off Road: Highs and lows (and crashes) for a beginner on the trail 

Emma, I absolutely have total admiration for your exploits, I've been riding 61 years, started when 5, and legally @ 16, in the UK, never been without a bike and they're my best friends and worst enemies, I lost my son to a M/cycle accident 12 years ago and lost my brother 7 years ago, like wise. 😔 I was a motorcycle cop when my son died, I gave up the job, and medically retired. What you achieved on the Monkey was remarkable, considering its limitations of suspension and unsuitable tyres, you really do make me smile and I love watching your vids 👍 I subscribed to this channel purely because of the Monkey, but tbh, I've enjoyed every vid you've made, and find your determination remarkable, I wish you'd wear a bit of protection tho, as flesh comes off the bone so easily (from experience of 13 years as M/Cycle cop) so please consider. My Dad was a speedway rider and he got me grass-tracking, enduro'ing and trialling before I was 10, he ALWAYS made me wear protection, even ear plugs (my hearing is still superb) and it has saved me many times in 'offs' I really hope you continue to enjoy the monkey as motorcycling is just awesome, really awesome, (I've owned 99 and hope to get to a hundred next month with another new one), take care and good luck🙂

Hi Emma. I wanted to offer a lil advice from a woman who has been riding motorcycles for 56 years. I got my first mini bike at age 4 and grew up riding in the dirt then ay age 18 I got my first street m/c. Please - don't ever ride in shorts that includes your passengers. If you bif it your don't ever want to experience a tailpipe burn. The scar will last a lifetime. Please get yourself a warm weather set of ride gear = over-pants, light weight jacket, gloves, & above the ankle boots. You can get a set of vented/perifuated m/c pants & jacket that will protect you from tailpipe burns, road Rash both pavement & gravel etc. Gloves are so important because when you go down and you will bif it the first thing one does hy instinct is to break your fall with your hands. All of which us major OUCHES when one isn't wearing proper m/c ride gear. Great to see a young lady learning to ride and enjoying the freedom of the open roads and trails. Keep the rubber down as they say!!

Some gear you might want to get is clothing designed for riding. A proper jacket with at least padding at the elbows and your shoulders. Armor is even better. Pants the same way. Hard soled shoes that go up past your ankles. You may find them a bit uncomfortable to wear at times but this slight discomfort is much less than the discomfort of healing from cuts, bruises, abrasions and maybe even broken bones. Ankles are the easiest to break. Even a small bike can fall on you and break bones. Your instructor can help point you in the right direction on this gear. Learning to stand up to ride over the rough places will help out a lot. By standing up the bike can follow the surface better. It can pivot around where you are applying your weight. Standing also allows you legs to absorb the bumps instead of your butt and back. On carrying gear tie it on the bike. Get saddle bags designed to fit your bike. A luggage rack comes in handy for packing gear on the bike. Carrying gear in a backpack is very hard on your body. It tires you out much more quickly. It's also hard on your shoulders and back. You might look into classes on off road riding and how to pack gear on your bike. At these classes you will be under the watchful eye of your instructor and be under more controlled conditions. The monkey is a fun bike that can go off-road, but a bike with larger diameter tires and a bit more ground clearance handles rough terrain and larger obstacles easier. When looking around for classes look around for groups that ride off road and camp on bikes. If you find a group you may be able to ride others bikes to give you some experience on bikes set up a bit different. Trying a bike off about the same size as yours but with narrower tires, another with larger diameter tires.

Bent levers: You can straighten w/ a propane torch! Hold the mounted portion in a vise (use wood blocks to avoid marking) heat the bend portion moving the torch slowly but constantliy. A adjustable wrench on the ball end will allow you to move the lever. The yield point comes pretty quickly. Don't quench the lever; let it cool normally.

It's good to see you having fun Emma! 😁🛵

As a brother to two “little” sisters who are now 32 and 35 years old, I can relate to your brother wanting to pick up a new skill to help out his sister. That was a super nice thing for him to do and not all brothers are like that, so good on him 😅

You did great on the trails. The limited suspension on your bike and tires are making things much more challenging then it would be on a bigger bike. There is nothing wrong with doing the easier trails and having a good time. Love watching your videos ❤

"All The Gear, All The Time". Honestly you did far far better on those trails than I could ever do with your bike and lack of gear. I was clenching ALL my muscles watching you ride on those trails with no gloves, full face helmet, or extra protective gear of any kind!! After my low speed ADV accident last year which left me with five broken ribs and a broken collar bone WHILE wearing full gear, I shudder to think how bad it could have been if I wasnt ATGATT!

Great to see a new rider having a blast on such a fun little bike. As a long time rider I would ignore anyone telling you to do anything different as long as you’re having fun, which you obviously are!

Great job with the riding Emma! That looked like it would be hard to stay Balanced with all those bumps I am impressed 😂

You actually did fantastic for no longer than you have been riding. Off roading and crashing kind of go hand in hand when you first start out so don't get discouraged. As long you can get back up and the bike starts back up, it's all good. I must say though, I think Honda Monkeys are very cool but they do have limitations. If you decide to further your skills, you might want to look into something like a Honda XR 150L which has already been suggested in at least one of the comments. I'm a Honda guy so have to agree. On road or off, get on two wheels as much as you can. BIKE LIFE BABY!! LOL.

A little late to the game here but I ride dirt bikes and this adventure of yours was badass. Hope to see more of this here. Hats off to you young lady!

You did fantastic, thanks for taking me along

That was great! That motorcycle helmet looks really good on you, wear it more. I already noticed the smile on your face during the exercises you did to get your driver's license! I knew even then that there would be more motorcycle content here. Keep it up! Smile more! Ride more! 🙂

Dual purpose (on road, off road) bikes ride very well on and off road whereas road bikes don't do off road that well. Lots of comments mention that and I agree but, as you have shown, you can have lots of fun and do a lot with the Monkey. That large rock hard pack is really the worst surface to ride on because you have to fight each rock. You recognized that and told us you had to focus on the immediate spot in front of you. You are a motorcyclist! Bent brake and clutch levers are normal for off road. Stuff happens when having fun. Great brotherly support. Maybe he has a great sister! 🛵🏍

I've been subscribed for awhile now. Your handiness, your happiness, your confidence, and your video production has increase a lot over time.

Just beautiful! I own 22 myself and trails are we’re enjoying the most

New favourite channel. Living the dream

I fully support a big crazy motorcycle trip 💪😊

Wow, admirable that you added pegs and carried a passenger on the Monkey! I got one last year and it's a blast - but sand is still my nemesis on the stock tires when I go off-pavement!

way to go morgan! what a great bruddah! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼continued travel mercies and blessings. 🕊

I think you are amazing! And as always you’re adorable with your helmet, colored windscreen, sunglasses and that awesome smile. Trails are hard to ride and with your small wheels even harder. But you do it anyway and you deserve praise for that. Keep safe as you enjoy more trails. Greetings from flat 🇳🇱👋😃

Honest understanding of limitations is a character trait that few possess. Enjoyable video.

Pretty wild ride Emma. You nailed it!

Nice to see you riding your moneky. Its how i found your channel as i was searching for monkey bike videos and came accross your channel

Hi Emma! You're awsome! I love your videos! After watching your first Monkey video, it got me thinking. So, I ordered a 2023 Red Monkey. Took two months but got it. I love it! Thanks! 😀 A tip I did to mine was balance the tires, it made a big difference. You ride great! Can't wait to see more of your adventures.!

Emma just be careful out there and keep having fun. Enjoyed your video 😊

It's nice to see you having fun, but man I was relieved when you got back to the bus safe even as shook up as you must have been. My son has been riding a Harley for good part of a year, and its not him I worry about as much as the car drivers who don't pay attention. Take care out there Emma and enjoy.

I lived out side bolder in the foot hills and your video brought back a lot of memories another awesome video 🥰

Hi Emma. I enjoy your videos a lot. As an old male your videos give me a look at a refreshingly different lifestyle than mine. I admire your courage. That being said the one thing we have in common is the love of motorcycles. Though in over 50 years of biking I’ve had exceptional skills on pavement, adequate skills on dirt. Last year I had a 2023 Grom (I have 5 motorcycles in total), it was terrible in dirt with those 12 inch tires. Brilliant on pavement except for its very low top speed. I sold it and picked up a low mileage 2015 Yamaha XT250 because of its low seat height. Watching you on the Monkey I’m pretty sure we have close to the same inseam. The XT250 is much more capable than me on dirt in my old age with the much superior suspension and 18” back tire and 21 inch front. The Grom wasn’t up to my skill level at all. Long way of saying you did really well on a less than decent dirt bike. You will enjoy it much more on pavement or smooth dirt roads. Enjoy the bike regardless.

I drive an older Land Cruiser that requires a lot of maintenance. Been looking at an alternate mode of transport for when my cruiser is down. The monkey is at the top of my list. Such a sharp looking little bike and just looks like it would be a blast. I’m glad I found your channel. Real world riding vs a generic walk around video is always best.

Hello, I never commented before but been watching you since the first day, I just wanted to let you know that I think you're an awesome, amazing young beautiful person, entertaining and fun, love your content ❤️, keep up the great work

We just found you You have a great sense of humor and we haven't stopped laughing. We're going to go watch your back videos. That is no way a 4. We were thinking more of an 8, but you did great. Thank you and blessings. 🤗🦋

Emma I wouldn't take my truck on some of those roads lol, I'm so squeamish about breaking something but it looked very fun. I haven't ridden a moto bike in decades as a teenager I had a bad motocross accident that left me not wanting to get on a bike again sad but true. You are doing such a fine job just taking it easy because that is what the trail calls for so low and easy is the name of the game. Be safe out there and thanks for sharing.

The Trails are not so much out of your skill level, but more about being way above what your little motorcycle was designed for or is capable of.

Great job pushing yourself. Keep up the great work. Enjoyed the video.

You go girl I have been on bikes a long time you keep learning you are doing great keep the gear on the day you don't will be the day you need it God Bless

Agree with everyone. You are doing great at this. The monkey bike is a great little bike and light so at least if you do drop it you can pick it up again. Don’t let it’s limitation be your limitation.

Good job Emma! Getting experience is a lot of fun isn't it!

really enjoyed your commentary on the trail rides. 😊

Be careful Emma. Easy to get bitten while riding, off road is harder due to obstacles, on road due to folks in cars driving like they want to kill you. Always remember to move around on the foot pegs to keep your center of gravity above the bike, especially on rough ground. Lean forward going up hill, lean back going downhill. Use the same kinds of weight shifting side to side as the conditions demand. Oh, and practice sliding a little so you get the feel of it. That way if it tries to get out from under you on gravel you can react appropriately. 😁Have a great time! ATTA BOY MORGAN! You are a great brother! I lost a sister in an accident last year. The things I regret most are the things I did not do for her. Just wish I had done more. The things you help your sister with will bring you much joy.

your energy is so inspiring

18:17 You just tasted a little of motocross riding! Split decisions made quickly with follow through! Yahoo! So glad you did that run. A memory for your lifetime! A first

I love your adventurous desire and follow thru. I like your editing style and the choice of music. You have so many talents. Truthfully your motorcycle adventures are what got me suggested to your RU-vid channel. However, I can't help but think you may have gotten the wrong motorcycle for the type of riding you enjoy. Honda makes a Trail 125 that I think would be perfect for you. Although I do like the styling of your Monkey better. I am glad you are safe. Please keep the content coming. May God always watch over you in all of your endeavors.

Fun video! Just so you know that the rocks that are about fist size and a little bigger are referred to as "Baby Heads" in the off road motorcycle world.. they are always challenging! you did a great job on your Monkey! Hope to see your bike camping video soon!

This makes me want a monkey to ride offroad, but I just got rid of my dual sport because I have no good places to ride around here. Glad you are having so much fun with it.

Super cute video. Very cool of you to show off the monkey more. They are so much fun! I constantly have people asking me about mine all of the time. Oh, also I love 😍 your heart shades. As far as becoming a more novice rider, it takes time. I recommend finding a motorcycle safety course which will give you a motorcycle endorsement on your DL (legally required in some states like here in Florida), but more importantly, if you can find a good set of instructors/ school, you will learn so may useful things about riding and safety. It's usually a half day of classroom instruction followed by 2-3 days of hands on course instruction on bikes which are a bit bigger but not by much. The costs are around 300 bucks to include getting the endorsement put on your DL.. I was so glad to have that extra knowledge, endorsement and confidence booster. It has helped me tremendously, especially when I do have to take this tiny bike on a highway or busy city streets. Off roading is a whole other kind of learning experience. Kudos for being a badass!

Love today’s video was fantastic video keep up your amazing work please stay safe and healthy and prayers and blessings for you both love your Aussie family friend John ❤❤

Smiled through the whole thing. You are absolutely adorable.

Thank You Very Much For Sharing Your Adventures 👍🇯🇲

next time on the tricky stuff, stand up on ya bike pegs while moving. you'll be amazed how easier it is.

Emma big respect for your life style and monkey excursions I own a 2022 monkey and love off road especially dirt roads and fun trails. I put on knobbies even thou the stock tires work to a point. Loose surface and smooth tires are dangerous.I have found that the knobbies work fine on the road in dry conditions. The shocks are also a weak point the front is so soft it can't handle any sharp edge bumps. I weigh twice what you weigh so these mods were nessasary. It's not a dirt bike but can handle light off road duties. Developing your off road skills takes time and patience. Please get some boots and gloves at least off road protection is paramount. Love your channel and all your adventures stay safe 🙏

you are having a blast ! superb :)

It’s good to see you honing your motorcycle skills. You may catch up with Itchy Boots at this rate! Many of us long time riders are worried about your lack of protective riding gear. Gloves. Earplugs. A summertime riding suit with padded impact protection on the knees & elbows. A full face helmet. A hydration backpack & some snacks, in case you’re stranded in the boonies. Love that winch for the bike. Thinking of doing the same on my truck. Happy Trails!

As a first time viewer of your channel I really enjoyed watching a young lady test her riding skills on a moto. Like others in the comments, I think it’s time to graduate to something a little bigger, perhaps a small dual sport and maybe more riding gear than a helmet before those little scratches become more serious. Having a similar lifestyle (living off grid) as a full time rv’er, theirs nothing like jumping on a bike from the campsite and exploring the trails and advancing the skills. Colorado has some of the best trail systems. There everywhere ! Enjoy

Good job Emma. Long time cycle rider here (60yrs riding). Level 4 is about your limit untill you get more skills and more suspension (ie a more dirt worthy bike). You are going fairly slow but I would suggest some safey gear. I'm not a safety first nut BUT falling over is not crashing. Crashing hurts. Falling over gives you and your bike some character marks, that is normal. In a crash usually the first thing hitting the ground is your hands, wear gloves. If your hands are damaged you can't do anything, not even wipe your own butt. LOL. Next thing that hits the road is your chin and chest. Get a chin bar on your helmet or a full face helmet. That big face shield is pretty good protection at low to moderate speeds, but they are hot. Carry water. I carry plenty. Up to two gallons in dry conditions. Walking out, with a limp, can take a long time. I usually carry some extra layers in case it gets cold or rainy. Can you fix a flat tire? In a pinch you can ride a long way on a flat tire. It isn't fun but better than walking. The Inner West has tens of thousands of miles of gravel and forest roads. My favorites are central Idaho and western Montana. Roads everywhere from 1s to 4s. Those bigger numbers are for expert riders. A 7 probably has steep grades, big rocks, narrow with drop offs, fallen trees, switchbacks, etc. On internet...check out ADVRider a huge website for all types of riders and bikes. ItchyBoots.... a long time rider. Smaller bike. All over the world. Just wandering. Currently in west Africa. She just had major bike trouble where there was no cycle shops and horrible roads. Quite an adventure getting her bike to a mechanic. There are some travel logs but she is my favorite. Maybe because I ride the same way. No plans and a vague destination. I also ride a smaller bike, but not Monkey small.

Emma, I absolutely love your enthusiasm for riding. Certainly admire your perseverance for trying harder terrain to improve your skills. 30 + years riding on and off road and do a great deal of " adventure riding". PLEASE (at a minimum) get yourself a proper pair of gloves and boots. I would hate to hear of you being injured from even a minor "off" on the bike. Don't worry about the ney sayers about the monkey being unsuitable for off road. Plenty of people all over the world ride much less in much worse conditions.. it's what you are comfortable with. Enjoy the ride , be safe , and take things at your comfortable pace. I would be more than willing to give you some pointers or ride with you to help broaden your skill set. Just hit me up.

Nice work Morgan!

Love the monkey content! You are going cross country on the monkey!!! That is awesome. I have a 22 grom. With and air intake, exhaust, dhm cam monkey will go 60ish consistently. You can pop the front wheel up pretty easy.

Congratulations, you are beautiful, brave and determined, keep giving us your wonderful videos.

Good for your brother! Nice job man!

This video popped up in my suggestions, well done. The motorcycle community is very good at giving unsolicited advice and I can see that there's a lot of comments of that already. I hate to add to that and I'm not sure that it's even relevant as it's been 8 months. Plenty of people have commented about riding gear, I agree with them. But bare minimum I strongly advise getting some solid motorcycle boots. For what you're doing, adv motorcycle boots would probably be sufficient. Every single injury I've had riding has been foot related and it's been due to me not having the proper footwear. I haven't had any issues since I started wearing enduro boots and I've crashed plenty of times since. Enduro boots would probably be overkill for you but it's just something I always mention. I hope you keep riding and exploring on your monkey. You should check out Backcountry Discovery Routes, they're probably a bit more out of your skill level and they'd be a bit much for the Monkey, but it's something to work towards for sure and you seem like the type of person who would enjoy doing them.

I love your adventurous spirit! Please get some gear for riding. Boots. Gloves. Jacket. You need protection out there.

Love you're energy.

That 4 out of 10 road is why I sold my Monkey. It would be super easy on any other motorcycle. I went on a road just like that and learned that the Monkey is not made for that kind of riding

Shot out to Morgan! Thanks for being such a GREAT brother! That’s awesome

Emma, You are doing some pretty adventurous stuff. I have to echo some of the other comments made here though. A pair of light leather gloves and sleeved shirt, or better, protective jacket would go a long way to increase your confidence besides protecting your skin. I went down without gloves and couldn't do my job for over a month while my hands healed up. Keep yourself safe while you do your adventurous stuff. I look forward to seeing more of your adventures.

I'm not good on rocky roads, I would have gone down more than once.I love the gravel roads though.Great job.

that looks like a lot of fun, you are certainly braver than i am.

Try to select a lower gear and don’t ride the clutch, control your speed with your throttle and a combination of front and back brakes. Well done, hope you enjoyed. Much love❤

You, who are challenging mountain trails with monkeys, are alive and well! Once I got my hands on a monkey, I also wanted to try the mountain trail challenge.

You really need a nice dirt bike trail. Smooth and fun. The fire trails here in the GW Forest in the Shenandoah Valley are big fun.

Thanks. Like your winch a lot.

Welcome to the world of motorcycling! The monkey is a fun bike. Keep your maintenance up and it will last you a long time. Trails are fun but make sure to not go beyond what it is capable of lol.

You make that Honda look great.

You’ve done well on the Monkey considering you’re new on those types of backroads. Everyone falls. Itchy Boots, On Her Bike and kenisia adv(I’m sure I spelled that wrong). They all fall. The difference they’ve got a bike made for true off roading plus they are wearing some gear to help protect the body. Practice, don’t do more than the bike can handle , or you. And maybe invest in some simple riding gear. Stay safe.

Looks like Central City; a beautiful area indeed! I used to live in Evergreen myself.

Love your enthusiasm. monkey Bikes a re Cool. Alot of people over here Aussie start on Postie bikes and still do the trails. Get some proper safety gear. Ditching the Monkey in Sand shoes and shorts will hurt for ages. Good on ya girl.

Good job pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone--but not too far. Try it again letting others know, and when the weather is better. You'll succeed and build confidence. It's hard with those small diameter wheels. They find every rock and rut.

I don't comment to often but always enjoy watching!! 😊On a dirt bike you'd kick butt on those trails for sure. You got the skills Just got to get on the right bike. I struggle with PTSD and your vids help me relax. Thank you for your hard work. Stay safe

Great job on the rides, your skills are definitely improving. Might wanna get some gloves and boots for any riding you wanna do.

Your so lucky to have brothers and a sis.your very luck to have a morgan that helps you fix bits that makes your life easier and safer.

Since you bent your lever you should look at new smaller levers, they will be much easy for your hands to reach as it looks like you really have to stretch your hands out to reach the factory levers. Also standing up when you ride trails helps alot with maneuvering the bike. I ride a Grom and it helps alot. But keep it going, you're doing great!

So many good trails in CO. I sold my two dual sports in 2020 but I think I’m gonna get a Himalayan when I hit the road in November. If you want any rad trail recs near Denver/boulder there are some amazing rides

Emma, i highly recommend on your front motorcycle rack, to use two receivers, one on each end of the rack, for the center one will break ware it mounts to the center, and it will be more stable with two.

Emma, maybe wait on that 7 trail. Practice, practice, practice. You don't want to get hurt out there by yourself. Have fun, you will get there. ❤❤

The Monkey with its bigger cc's is very capable. We use to ride the z50r's and old monkeys everywhere. Experience is your friend. Enjoy!

Have fun ! 🏍

Heard the crash at 22:50. Love your editing and sense of humor! Love the way you handle things. You need a true off-road bike for what you're trying to do. Your skills are fine.

Love the monkey I want one so bad hope you share more monkey content

Colorado trails are a little different than trails in most other states because you're also dealing with the altitude. With that said....there are plenty of great places for beginners to ride and you can build your skills and confidence. And the Monkey can easily handle them. -Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs has has one end of a trail that goes all the way north in to Denver. 99% of that trail is easy to ride. But it's 50 to 60 miles long. -Rainbow Falls Trail Head is a fantastic place to ride. Trails for all levels of riders and great forest/mountain scenery. -Lake Terryall Colorado is a source of dozens of more trails you and the Monkey could easily tackle AND it's a great place to Boondock with the Bus too.

I am lovin’ my GROM more and more, but I need tires more like yours for off pavement riding. It fits right inside my van. This rough terrain has really improved your confidence and riding skills. I suggest that you add some light weight leather gloves to your attire.

Hi Emma, where are you finding the roads and ratings to go with them? i just found your channel and i like your style, keep up the great work

You are my kind of woman, thanks for sharing ❤

Awesome to see a monkey being used this way. I feel like you'd be more confident on the trails with some gear (gloves, jacket, etc.), but you did great for what you attempted here.

Great channel. Love it! Have you been to Grand Lake more specifically Stillwater Pass campground. You can ride dirt trails all day! Can’t wait to see you get some air!! Thxx Emma

Good going!

Buen vídeo!. Entretenido. Un saludo 🇪🇸.

Your choice of bike is perfect. Take a riding class or two to learn a few tips and tricks. A really big tip to learn for a first timer is to lift your butt up a few inches off the seat, this lowers your center of gravity from about 30" down to about 10" and makes for better low speed manoeuvring over rough terrain. Keep practicing.

My uncle had a older mini this size that I rode wheels off in Calif. They had RXR track almost in back yard. Me brother an I screamed an got everyone up too save them from train, we think, is coming straight through the house. Hahaha! See that flashing train light coming straight at us! Kids!