Introducing tips to improve your monkey’s appearance with low-difficulty custom techniques [17th Monkey Meeting in Tama]

Hearing that there will be a large gathering of customized Monkeys may scare beginners away from customization. However, even light customization can significantly change the look. Customizations costing hundreds of thousands of yen are not the only way to go, and even simple customizations can be transformed into a style that is in no way inferior, depending on your sense of style. Here we will introduce an example where the number of modified parts is minimal, but the effect is maximized.

The Monkey 125 has undergone several changes since its release in 2018. The model we are introducing this time is the 2021 model equipped with a new engine that uses a 5-speed transmission, and features distinctive graphics on the fuel tank. Takasu Yutaka, who rides this Monkey 125, says that this is his second Monkey 125. His first one was scrapped in an accident. However, he loved the Monkey 125 so much that he bought another one.

The first Monkey 125 was also enjoyed with some light customization, and the second one was also slightly modified using the same method. First of all, the muffler. The Monkey 125 is usually an up-muffler style, but this was deliberately changed to a down-type Yoshimura muffler. This is because I wanted to enjoy the sound, but changing to a down-type muffler meant I wanted side covers that were not installed on the standard model. This was because the standard model was hidden by the muffler and so was unnecessary.

So, I decided to install Yoshimura side covers, just like the muffler. Yoshimura, the manufacturer, is anticipating demand for down-type mufflers and has developed a right side cover set. However, I won’t be using it as is. Yoshimura sells the Monkey logo separately, but I didn’t use that either, and instead added the monkey mark. This successfully gives the impression that the manufacturer is unknown.

The Monkey 125 of this year has distinctive graphics, but it should originally have the Honda wing mark attached to the left and right sides of the tank. However, Takasu peeled off the original tank mark. Instead of just peeling it off, he replaced it with a new emblem with the Honda logo pasted on one letter at a time. Strangely enough, this succeeded in giving a completely different impression from the normal one.

And above all, the front bikini cowl makes a huge difference to the bike’s appearance. The bikini cowl used is made by World Walk, and is a general-purpose product that can be used on any bike. It looks large when viewed alone, but surprisingly, it doesn’t look out of place when attached to the petite Monkey 125. In fact, it fits so well that the presence of the cowl seems natural.

Another change was made to the seat. The stock seat only has a pattern on the top surface, but this was changed to a G-Craft Tuck Roll. This seat allows for more forward and backward movement than the stock seat, and has a solid sitting point, so it provides excellent support while riding. The seat height is also lower than the stock seat, which also improves foot placement. However, the biggest effect is that it dramatically changes the style.

As we’ve introduced, the only major changes were the addition of a bikini cowl, a change to the muffler, the addition of side covers to accompany the muffler change, and a change to the seat. By using small tricks here and there, the bike has been successfully transformed into a great look with minimal changes to parts. This kind of light customization can be done in no time, so it’s definitely an example that beginners to customization should take note of.