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Meet Our Official Partner: HONDA MONKEY125 Custom by James (Smallbore & More)

 13 min read

James (Smallbore & More)'s MONKEY125

Webike Official Partners have come together with Webike Japan to create the world's greatest "Riders' Connection". Here is a "HONDA MONKEY125" custom by Webike Official Partner James from "Smallbore & More".

Handle

Up front we have the Sex Machine Racing Triple Clamp which is a work of CNC art, plus it's much lighter than the stock triple tree. Bolted to it is the SP Takegawa Super Multi Dash. James loves watching the rev counter needle climb to the limiter. Although he thinks the stock "monkey eyes blinking" dash is cute, he feels that the bike misses a rev counter and a gear indicator, which are both addressed by installing this SP Takegawa dash.

Engine

This photo shows the Kitaco 145 barrel with piston and cam, custom oil cooler lines, Kitaco clutch cover, Kitaco starter motor cover (in red), Kitaco oil filler cap (in black), and Kitaco red clutch bracket. James has been really impressed with the performance of the 145cc kit. Power at the rear wheel is 12.1bhp when combined with an exhaust and intake, and that's a whopping 39% increase in power from where the baseline BHP reading was when the bike was totally stock. "It makes riding the bike so much easier. Overtaking and maintaining top speed in 5th gear is a breeze! It really did surprise me just how much more rideable +20cc made the bike," says James.

Intake & Exhaust

This DNA Stage 3 Air Intake Kit with billet alloy end caps was purchased directly from DNA in Greece. They are one of the lowest resistance intake kits available thanks to the twin filter design. James really loves the symmetry of this kit and the billet alloy ends tie in well with the SMR Billet Triple Clamp. You'll notice that in between the filters, a 6 row oil cooler fits snugly in place, keeping the additional demand from the 145cc engine oil temperature in check!

The exhaust is the Over Racing RS-R Full Titanium system, which is exactly the lightweight, loud, underslung exhaust that James was looking for. "It is so light, I thought Webike had accidentally sent me an empty box!," he commented, adding, "The sound of the exhaust is something else, it has a lovely deep note that only gets better under full throttle." The kit comes with a baffle, but James enjoys the higher decibel sound without it. He highly praises the finish and quality of OVER Racing exhausts, and has one on his 1981 Z50J that's currently being built as well.

With the DNA Stage 3 Intake Kit installed, there wasn't a lot of room for an oil cooler solution, so it took a while to find the 6 row cooler from Steady Garage in the USA. It's almost made to measure and fits snugly between the filters, held in place with a custom made bracket. One issue is that with the weather in the UK, the oil is probably running a little cold, so James is looking at innovative solutions to restrict the airflow to the fins on colder days.

Chassis

The decision to lose the iconic high chrome fender from the front of the Monkey was a big one, however once that decision had been made, the carbon fibre front fender and fork guards (Nemoto and TYGA) were the perfect solution. The carbon fibre weave is beautiful and they are strong and light and really add that sporty feel to the front end.

For the rear, Ohlins rear shocks with G Craft billet adjusters take care of keeping the tyre in contact with the ground. Although Honda improved the stock rear shocks on the JB03 over the JB02, they were still quite soft for James, so this was one of the first modifications he completed on the bike. The kit comes with 2 different spring rates to choose from, and you can increase or decrease preload of the spring and dial in the compression speed and rebound speed. These are paired with Ohlins fork cartridge internals up front. One of the first things people say when they see the bike is, "Wow, its got Ohlins suspension!"

An OVER Racing Braced Swingarm (standard length) is equipped. You could argue that with the low power of the Z125, there's no need for additional bracing of the swingarm, it's not like the torque is going to flex it, however James' opinion is, "Wow, it looks good!" Hanging off the swingarm is an underslung Brembo P34 Caliper in Ducati Titanium Grey with red lettering. This doesn't just look great, but makes getting the rear wheel in and out much easier.

The front brakes are equipped with a Brembo P4 caliper (with Revolution 220mm adapter bracket), as well as Kamu brand floating discs with Motul 700 brake fluid, which is paired to a Brembo RCS 17 Master Cylinder. This makes stopping the Monkey so easy (even with 1 finger!), and you have to admit, they look beautiful. For the foot controls, OVER Racing rearsets are connected to a DynoJet quick shifter! According to James, "this was the first UK JB03 to have a DynoJet quick shifter fitted, and the gear change is seamless and so quick." This is his favourite modification by far!


Message from James
All in all, I love looking at, modifying and riding the Honda Z125 Monkey. It's such a fun, little bike to ride and great in stock form. But be careful, modifying these bikes is addictive. At first you start small with a minor change or a sticker here and there, the next minute you have the engine in pieces in your garage adding lightweight internal parts! You have been warned!!! Check out our youtube channel Smallbore&More where you can see Simon and myself fitting all these parts! James.

Gallery

Specifications

Part Details
Engine ENDURANCE Lightweight Flywheel
WirusWin Hyper Valve
KITACO Clutch Cable Receiver
KITACO Starter Motor Cover
KITACO Super Oil Pump Kit
KITACO Clutch Cover Kit
KITACO Super Throttle Pipe
SP Takegawa Slipper Clutch Kit
KITACO 145cc LIGHT Big Bore Kit
Samco Sillicone Hoses
Speedshop Cam Chain Tensioner
OTB Clear Cam Gear Cover
G-Craft Billet Tappet Covers
Carb / Intake DNA Billet Stage 3 Air Intake
Exhaust OVER RACING GP-PERFORMANCE Full Titanium RS-R
Frame OVER RACING Swingarm OV Type Standard
DHM Titanium Swingarm Axle
ZETA Heel Guard
Brake brembo P4 Caliper
brembo RCS 17 Master Cylinder
HEL Performance Braided Lines
brembo Reservoir
TWM Span Adjuster
Front Brake Caliper Bracket Racing Disc 220mm REVOLUTION MONKEY-125 Black
Kamu 220mm Floating Disc
brembo P34 Caliper
Revolution Underslung Caliper Hanger
Kamu Solid Rear Disc
Wheels Dream Machine Custom Painted Honda Monkey Blue with Painted Silver Pin Stripe
DRIVEN Driven Racing Sprocket Nuts
Kitaco Wheel Spacers
Michelin Power Pure Tyre 140
Suspension OHLINS Rear Shock Absorber
G-Craft Suspension Hook
Ohlins Cartridges
G-Craft Billet Compression Adjusters
Steps OVER RACING Rearsets 4 Position
Drive System DID ER Series Chain 520ERVT Gold with Rivet (ZJ) Joint
OVER RACING Sprocket Cover with Changer Assist
Superlite 37T Rear Sprocket
DynoJet Quick Shifter
Handle / Steering Sex Machine Racing Billet Alloy Triple Clamp
ProTaper Honda Mini Bend Bars
Renthal Bar End Inserts
Oil Cooler Steady Garage 6 Row Cooler
Julian Best DNA Compatible Cooler Bracket
Bodyworks TYGA PERFORMANCE Fork Guard
HONDA Rear Rack
ComposiMo Tank Risers
RHS Side Panel
Nemoto Carbon Front Fender
DIOS Carbon Fibre Rear Fender
Julian Best Tail Tidy
Electrical SP Takegawa Super Multi DN Meter
SP Takegawa Hyper Ignition Coil
DynoJet Power Vision 3 ECU Control
DynoJet Quick Shifter
Oxford Heated Grips
Shido Lithium Battery
Denali Sound Bomb Air Horn

Original Source

Smallbore & More
Youtube

Hakuyo
Hakuyo

editor

Hakuyo

A foreigner who rides in Japan, Japanese call this "Gaijin Rider". 6th year in the Webike global team. He feels and shares the real bike life in Japan then presents you how interesting Japanese customs are.

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