Planet Minis

bidabing007 · 01-13-2009, 10:01 PM

I don't know about you guys, but the history of these bikes has always fascinated me. I am wondering if we could start a HISTORY thread with all this knowledge in one place. Seeing that it's a "mini" website, I think its only fitting that we have a "History" of these minis here? Please contribute what you know is fact. It would be nice to have 1 website with ALL this information instead of having to surf for days to find bits & pieces of information.

Some thoughts to start:

1) What year or specific even date did the 1st Z50 roll off the production lines?
2) Exactly where was this factory? (city, even street)
3) Colors changes over the years?

Anything you guys thing would be "wow, sorta cool to know" type stuff

Z · 01-13-2009, 10:15 PM

I just wrote an article for the new planetminis mag that kicks off the 1st installment of many on the history of the Honda Monkeybike.

Start here for your history:

Honda50.com Z50, CT70, ZB50 and Monkeybike tuning parts.
http://www.honda50.com/g2data/galler...p?g2_itemId=11

Razzo here in the forums is knowledgeable about the US spec bikes. He'll be happy to help.

FastMC · 01-13-2009, 10:49 PM

Here's a little tid-bit.

Honda History - Auto and Motorcycle History, Soichiro Honda

Honda Z50 Minibikes / Motorcycles
The Honda Z-Series refers to the lineage of mini bikes manufactured by Honda Motorcycles. They are some of the most popular mini bikes of all time. Though their official model designations are typically Z50A, Z50J, Z50M, Z50R and ZB50, they are more commonly referred to as the "Monkey" or "Gorilla" because of the way people are said to look when riding one of such bikes.
Most Z-series bikes are small, light, collapsable motorcycles made for convenience and ease of transportation. Their outstanding feature is a 50cm3 4-stroke-engine with an over head camshaft. Some have a centrifugal clutch and three gear manual transmission, while others have a semi-automatic easy-shift transmission for learners.
The first original model of the Honda Z-series was originally produced as a children's ride at a Japanese amusement park, but was eventually refined and put into mass production, hitting the European market in 1967. Since then Honda has produced a wide variety of Honda Z-series mini bikes, but are currently no longer manufacturing new ones as part of their standard motorcycle line-up. Today, replica versions of this bike are being manufactured under the Jincheng Motors China name.
Original Honda Z-Series bikes are becoming increasingly rare, and are typically used as restoration projects by Honda Mini Trail enthusiasts in attempt to preserve their historic value.

01-13-2009, 10:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
bidabing007 PM Newbie Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 33	History of the Honda Z50 I don't know about you guys, but the history of these bikes has always fascinated me. I am wondering if we could start a HISTORY thread with all this knowledge in one place. Seeing that it's a "mini" website, I think its only fitting that we have a "History" of these minis here? Please contribute what you know is fact. It would be nice to have 1 website with ALL this information instead of having to surf for days to find bits & pieces of information. Some thoughts to start: 1) What year or specific even date did the 1st Z50 roll off the production lines? 2) Exactly where was this factory? (city, even street) 3) Colors changes over the years? Anything you guys thing would be "wow, sorta cool to know" type stuff

01-13-2009, 10:15 PM	#2 (permalink)
Z 5th Gear Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: KANSAS Posts: 8,540	Re: History of the Honda Z50 I just wrote an article for the new planetminis mag that kicks off the 1st installment of many on the history of the Honda Monkeybike. Start here for your history: Honda50.com Z50, CT70, ZB50 and Monkeybike tuning parts. http://www.honda50.com/g2data/galler...p?g2_itemId=11 Razzo here in the forums is knowledgeable about the US spec bikes. He'll be happy to help.

01-13-2009, 10:49 PM	#3 (permalink)
FastMC Sporting the Merkin Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: boston area Posts: 5,072 My Mood:	Re: History of the Honda Z50 Here's a little tid-bit. Honda History - Auto and Motorcycle History, Soichiro Honda Honda Z50 Minibikes / Motorcycles The Honda Z-Series refers to the lineage of mini bikes manufactured by Honda Motorcycles. They are some of the most popular mini bikes of all time. Though their official model designations are typically Z50A, Z50J, Z50M, Z50R and ZB50, they are more commonly referred to as the "Monkey" or "Gorilla" because of the way people are said to look when riding one of such bikes. Most Z-series bikes are small, light, collapsable motorcycles made for convenience and ease of transportation. Their outstanding feature is a 50cm3 4-stroke-engine with an over head camshaft. Some have a centrifugal clutch and three gear manual transmission, while others have a semi-automatic easy-shift transmission for learners. The first original model of the Honda Z-series was originally produced as a children's ride at a Japanese amusement park, but was eventually refined and put into mass production, hitting the European market in 1967. Since then Honda has produced a wide variety of Honda Z-series mini bikes, but are currently no longer manufacturing new ones as part of their standard motorcycle line-up. Today, replica versions of this bike are being manufactured under the Jincheng Motors China name. Original Honda Z-Series bikes are becoming increasingly rare, and are typically used as restoration projects by Honda Mini Trail enthusiasts in attempt to preserve their historic value.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)