The child seat is retro and cute. But the 124cc straight-line leader is the Honda Chari! [Portrait of a 4MINI Enthusiast]

Customizing a moped with a four-stroke engine, known as the 4MINI, began with the 50cc Honda Monkey, and at the same time, tuning of horizontally-placed engines with horizontally-placed cylinders sparked a boom. Naturally, this customization craze spread to other models equipped with the same engine as the Monkey. The most notable examples include the slightly larger Dax, the Chari, a family bike for women, the Gorilla, a modified Monkey exterior, and the rugged-looking Motra. Of course, the Super Cub series, the original horizontally-placed engine, has also been added, and today there is a rich and varied customization scene.

Seven years ago, 4MINI enthusiast and fellow enthusiast, Katsumi Nagasawa, stepped into the world of the 4MINI. He is now 56 years old, so he is a late bloomer, having taken up the hobby in his late 40s. However, his passion is unparalleled, and he has built 20 custom 4MINIs in seven years. This was possible because he is self-employed and has relatively free time and money, but more than that, the joy of customizing a bike with his own hands and the satisfaction of riding the finished bike are irreplaceable.

The Monkey is a path that many people who customize their own 4MINI take. However, Nagasawa does not own a customized Monkey. His favorites are the Ape, which we introduced last time, the Chariy, which we will introduce this time, and the Dax. When I asked him about this, I found it strange that although he has built several Monkeys, he currently only has a few in pieces. This is probably related to the fact that many of his 4MINI friends are Monkey owners, and he has many opportunities to see customized Monkeys on a daily basis. Customizing a Monkey is a deep subject, so if he were to build one himself, he would want to show his utmost attention to detail. That’s why it takes so long to complete, or so I surmise.

So what about the Shariy we’re introducing today? To begin with, I happened to get hold of a fully stock Shariy in good condition. What’s more, it has the original paint job as a new car. When I got it, I thought, “It would be a shame to modify this car,” but after building many horizontal engines, including a Monkey, a bad habit started to get the better of me. “I’ll modify it after all!” I ended up going against my original decision.

Nagasawa is a man of determination to go all the way when it comes to customizing a Chari. First of all, he lowered it, a standard part of customizing a Chari. He kept the stock front forks but cut and shortened the intertube. At the rear, he used a short rear shock and lowered the swingarm while leaving it stock. Furthermore, he had a number of stock parts for the horizontal engine, including one that had been blown, so he installed a Kitaco bore-up cylinder and piston to make it 124cc.

To match the 124cc engine, the transmission and clutch have been changed to special parts made by Takegawa. What’s more, the clutch cover is a sand-cast cover made by the same company from the 1970s that will impress enthusiasts, and the clutch is a reinforced three-plate type. Of course, there’s no room for error in the intake and exhaust system either, with a PE28 carburetor and RPM muffler combined to increase power and improve response.

The rearsets and handlebars have also been customized, and the gauges are genuine Dax K0 parts, but some of you may have noticed something here. That’s right, this vehicle has no one-off cut-and-paste modifications, and if you return the exterior, ride height, and engine internals to their original state, it can be returned to its original state at any time. Since the original paint remains intact, it was thought that there would be no value in customizing it in a way that would prevent it from being returned to its original state.

Therefore, the exterior customization is kept to a minimum. The standard bicycle basket, child seat, seat with new white upholstery, and clear turn signals can be easily removed and installed, and the widened tires and wheels can simply be returned to the standard rims. Currently, the wheels are G-Craft 3.5J in the front and 4.5J in the rear, but the spokes are simply plated and painted over instead of the original. Still, the world of 4MINI is fun because you can change the look so much.

The engine has been tuned up to 124cc, and because the bike likes to run at high speeds, careful attention has been paid to oil management. To that end, a Kijima oil cooler has been installed in front of the engine, positioned as close as possible so that it does not come into contact with the fender. This not only increases the capacity itself, but also places a catch tank under the seat. There is a plate with the Honda logo on the side of the machine. It turns out that it is just the cover of the original crankcase carved out. This kind of sense is also an important point when customizing.

Owning over 20 vehicles! What is the moped customization mania that started with the Ape seven years ago? [Portrait of a 4MINI Maniac] | Motor-Fan [Motor Fan] A media platform that distributes mainly automotive-related articles

As previously mentioned, the 17th Monkey Meeting, held in May 2025 at the Tokyo Summerland parking lot, was a huge success, attracting over 550 vehicles. I have covered this event many times in the past, and as the name suggests, it was truly a […]

https://motor-fan.jp/article/1298611/

Only the frame and tank are genuine! A modified Ape finished with used parts [Portrait of a 4MINI Enthusiast] | Motor-Fan [Motor Fan] A media platform that distributes automotive-related articles

In a previous article, we introduced Katsumi Nagasawa, who enjoys customizing only mopeds, also known as 4MINIs. He has been steadily customizing his bikes in the garage he built behind his house, and now has a collection of 20 bikes. He’s always loved motorcycles […]

https://motor-fan.jp/article/1302763/