Morecambe bay monkeys
Every once in a while you may see a smaller than usual motorcycle either nip past you in traffic or blasting around the streets nearby.
This is no A.S.B.O youth braking the law but a fully road legal “Monkey Bikeâ€, Yes “Monkey Bike†These little machines date back to the early 1960’s & range from a power output of 50cc up to 160cc’s of absolute power.
With annual running fees very cheap & the bikes being very small & easy to store they became very popular for business men in big cities to use to commute back & forth to work on.
There are around 300 monkey bikers around the country that attend organised runs through out the UK over the course of each year & we know many more of you have them either sat in your garages or homes just waiting to be ridden.
There are different clubs & runs for Monkey Bikers, each covering different areas of the UK.
The price range on these little bikes can varey, a classic 1970’s Honda monkey can fetch up to £1800 and sometimes a lot more. You can pick them up from as little as a few hundred pounds though depending on the condition of them. Many of them that you will see will be a Chinese or Japanese copy, a lot cheaper and parts & accessories are easily available.
Extended Swing Arms, Alloy Wheels, Full Race Exhaust Systems, up-rated Suspension & much more.
Depending on your pocket money you can easily spend into your thousands… Upgraded Engines, Clutches, the list is endless.
None of this changes the fact that you cant beat the feeling though of riding in groups of hundreds through towns & villages in either full faced or open faced helmets, with the wind in your face, flies in your teeth, cold chins & snotty noses. Every run out is as good as the rest whether you are camping or in a B&B, over the weekend nobody is left behind. Most runs will put on a “Back up Vanâ€, for as little as a £1 a day you are guaranteed a lift home, should you brake down.
This will take you old boys back to your youth, give you ladies your chance to get your own back & get out on your bike for the weekend, leaving the “Husband†at home. Whether it was you on your Bmx’s, Vespa’s & Lambretta’s, RD350’s or something else, a Monkey Bike will bring it all back.
Young learners on 50’s to Old 50’s on 125 nifties every body is welcome.
So to all you “Secret Closet Monkeys†out there, GET IN TOUCH or GET IT OUT. You don’t know what you are missing.
A few clubs are… Organised runs through….
The Monkey Spunkers. The Lake District.
North West Monkeys. The Yorkshire Dales.
Morecambe Bay Monkeys The Isle of White.
More details can be seen on www.monkeyrun.co.uk
Videos of different Monkey Runs & monkey madness can be viewed on youtube.
Put in a search for Monkey Bike/Monkey Run, plenty will come up
