▲ 2018 Honda Monkey Bike. In this ultra-sensitive era of near-neurotic political correctness and suspicion, we wonder if anyone at Honda lost any sleep with regard to the moniker of this bike. Officially it's called ... well, the Monkey 125, and it was unveiled last year (2017) as a concept/teaser exercise to gauge reaction—the consensus of which invited Honda to bring it on and replace the model it canned just a year or so earlier. You've already figured out the capacity, and we can add that it churns out a little over 9hp from its SOHC, 2-valve, air-cooled, fuel-injected engine. The gears number four. The clutch is conventional (as opposed to centrifugal). The wheels are 12-inch. ABS is standard. The mpg is somewhere approaching 200 (but will be considerably less if you're enjoying it properly). The colours are red/white or yellow/white. It will be arriving in the UK when Honda's good and ready, and no doubt we'll get the low down (no pun intended) on the price. Looks like a hoot? We think so.

MOTORCYCLE NEWS

April 2018

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Mutt's 2018 Fat Sabbath

Nobody's yelling anymore that the Chinese are coming. That's because, of course, our oriental friends are now well established here in the UK—and not for the first time. One hundred to two hundred years ago Chinese goods, largely knock-offs of Wedgwood crockery and Chippendale furniture flooded the British market, which shows exactly how the wheels keep on turning. If it could be copied, the Chinese did copy it. The Western markets were awash with both good and poor quality unlicensed products. Well here are two more wheels turning, these hoops coming from Mutt Motorcycles in Birmingham, a smart up-to-the-moment company that's steadily building a fashionable brand based upon a Chinese licensed Suzuki GN125 copy. [More...]

Evotech Z900RS parts

Evotech Performance (EP) has launched a range of accessories for the Kawasaki Z900RS and Z900RS Cafe. Ten parts are in the line-up. These are:

EP Tail Tidy
EP Radiator Guard – black
EP Radiator Guard – stainless steel
EP Crash Protectors
EP Front Spindle Bobbins
EP Rear Spindle Bobbins
EP Mirror Extensions
EP Paddock Stand Bobbins
EP Folding Brake/Clutch Lever Set
EP Short Brake/Clutch Lever Set

We've featured Evotech parts many times, and we've visited their operation in Lincolnshire and were impressed by the quality of manufacture and efficiency of the operation. And that efficiency translates into the lowest prices possible for these accessories.

[More...]

HJC Black Panther helmet

We have to confess, we don't really know who the hell the Black Panther is. That's largely because these days there are so many super heroes crawling, flying, bouncing, buzzing and crashing around the movies, TV shows, pop videos and magazines that we've lost track. It was simpler in our day. Way back then you had only Superman and Batman to worry about—and, of course, the Legion of Super Heroes, and the Justice League of America members, and okay, the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, and Captain Marvel, etc [Don't forget The Atom and Marvelman - Ed]. The point is, there are so many more heroes these days, and we can't keep up with the parade. [More...]

Click the link for: March 2018 motorcycle news from Sump

"Live to ride, and ride to live." Amen to that, brother...

EAT SLEEP RIDE REPEAT T-shirt £19.99

This the second edition of these Bobber T-shirts, and they're different from edition one which were printed on grey. Why the change? Well, we received numerous email enquiries asking if we had these tees on black. So eventually we relented and changed the colour (ya gotta keep the customer satisfied, are we right?). Anyway, these shirts sell fast. The new batch is here, but they won't last long. To get yours while it's going, click on the image or the button below. You never know when the production fairy will call it a day...

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