The Cub & The Monkey
Honda’s hoping people can bear-ly wait to go banana’s over these 2019 rereleases.
Elvis was just making his way through your speakers, the baby boomers had mostly found their way into the world, & the American people were looking to live a post-war “normal life.”
This my friends was the fabulous 50’s. It was also the decade Honda would introduce to the American public what would become their bestselling motorcycle, the Honda Super Cub. In fact, it is the vehicle with the most production in the history of the combustion engine. If you were one of the popular consumers to purchase one of the 100-million super-cubs sold, you’d be happy to know they will be back on the market in for 2019.
Where it began
The original Honda was designed to fit mass appeal for the growing Honda company, and during the design process co-founder of Honda, Takeo Fujisawa insisted one of its design features be that you could drive it with one hand, so you’d be able to carry a tray of Soba noodles with the other. This would clearly appeal to the Japanese market delivery boy market.
Down the road, this incredible simplicity would clearly appeal across a number of global markets, even those without Soba noodles. Personally, I’d love to sit inside of a Kawasaki, or KTM development boardroom today and have someone put up their hand to note the bike’s design should make carrying noodles easier!
What You Get
It seems Honda was looking for a bike to fit into a low-end price-point category and this beauty will fill that void nicely. The MSRP is a throwback price tag of $3599 off the showroom floor and covers all your basic needs just like it always has. The 2019 Honda Super Cub comes with the classic “step through” design system. A 125cc fuel injected engine that has enough get up an go to take care of your daily running around in the city. As for highway traffic, I wouldn’t venture out onto the interstate with one of these as its 9.25HP engine maxes out around 50MPH.
Image: icdn4.digitaltrends.com A look at the cute little Monkey
But wait, there’s more!
At the same time, Honda is also planning to release the slightly cooler-looking bike of the same engine. The Monkey will be under re-release, and Honda is expecting people to go banana’s over it! The Monkey and the Cub utilize the same engine taken from the underbelly of the single cylinder Honda Grom. Both bikes weigh in around 230lbs with LED lighting, and the Monkey using exclusively LED’s. The Monkey also uses a 1.5-gallon gas tank, so you can easily fill it with tips from your Soba noodle delivery job.
ABS isn’t stock, however, and it’ll set you back a couple hundred bucks for the upgrade. If you’re in the market, perhaps a stylish blue & white Cub for the wife, and the Monkey in classic Honda red or hilarious banana yellow for yourself.
Image:wikipedia.com A hardworking Supercub in Vietnam
Each bike has a tried and tested history, along with a well-timed release to fit both an aging baby-boomer market and their nostalgic approving roots for when they see the grandkids roll up on one. As well as a young hipster crowd who will appreciate the throwback design and Pabst Blue Ribbon color coordination. No matter whose driveway you spot it in you can rest assured, “You meet the nicest people on a Honda.”
Header Image: wikipedia.com A 1958 Honda Super Cub first generation.
