The Monkey Run

“Monkey bikes are not meant for much. They’re certainly not designed to travel almost 620 mi / 1000 km up and over enormous mountains or across tough terrain. So this is exactly what we put them through. They are, and I whisper this, because I am secretly in love with mine, a piece of junk. Our Monkeys were incredibly unreliable, unsophisticated and at times a temperamental toy. They will, at any moment, break down which made planning our journey almost pointless. We had to learn to let go of distance goals, and just run with what the Monkeys gave us.” – Laura Coughlin

That being said, there is something absolutely special about the Monkey. “Our bikes never failed to impress me. ‘How the f%$# did it just make it over that mountain?’ ‘How the f%$# did the tire not burst over that rocky road?’ ‘How the f%$# did I manage to stay upright riding into that massive riverbed?’ The thing about the Monkey is that no matter where you go, people smile when they see you. People want to talk to you, they want to high-five you, they want to ride with you. The proper bikers may think we’re mad, but they’re also secretly a little bit jealous. We ride pieces of s#$@, but we get welcomed into towns like Kings.

Laura Coughlin originally hails from the rainy shores of the United Kingdom but currently lives and works in sunny Dubai on the edge of the desert in the United Arab Emirates. “I only started learning how to ride motorcycles when I moved to the UAE. There is a lot of deserts to explore, and I wanted to find the best mode of transport to do that. Technically I don’t have a motorcycle license, yet. Although I’m in the process of righting this terrible wrong.”

“I was looking for a unique adventure, something that would take me to a new country, that would push me to a new limit, but ultimately would be a hell of a lot of fun. I’d been following The Adventurists for a long time. They organize crazy events each year such as the Mongol Rally and the Rickshaw Run. Back in 2015, I’d completed the 2175 mi / 3500 km Rickshaw Run across India with two friends. Despite having a few near-death experiences I truly enjoyed it. So by the end of last year, I was itching for a new adventure, and the Monkey Run caught my eye.” Taking place in Morocco, which is a well-established and loved destination for motorcyclists, the Monkey Run sees about 50 participants from around the world “race” across the country on a Chinese version of Honda’s famed Monkey bike. “It was the perfect adventure for me.”

The Adventurists deliver the bikes to the starting line in Merzouga, Morocco. “We arrived after a twelve-hour bus ride from Marrakech to a basic campsite in the middle of the desert. And there they were, all lined up and waiting for us.” The trip was a substantial distance for a mass produced $300 duplicate of Japanese ingenuity. “According to my highly inaccurate odometer on the bike, we traveled just shy of 560 mi / 900km.” With such mechanical devices of dubious production there thankfully wasn’t many issues during the entire trip. “I got off pretty lightly with my bike; she barely had any problems at all. But within the group, there was a long list of breakdowns. One bike’s piston rings burned out completely, so it was rebuilt at a local shop using a found pre-used piston. We saw front wheel bearings basically turn to dust on one bike. It just collapsed and seized up completely. Other than that we had issues like a snapped key in the steering lock barrel, so we had to hotwire the bike, and of course, everyone’s foot-pegs either fell off or got loose. One bike lost its handlebars 1 mi / 1.5 km before the finish line after the rider accidental slipped into a ditch. We probably should have done more than we did. At best we made sure the bikes were topped with oil and the chains were well-lubricated.”

Gunning a 50 cc motorcycle across Morocco’s rugged mountainous landscape is no small feat in itself. Doing so for extended days of riding with barely any typical Adventure motorcycling gear is even more impressive. “I thought I would want to dig a little hole and bury the bastard by the end of each night. I thought sitting hunched over for hours with my knees up to my chin would be unbearable. It turns out; it was surprisingly comfortable!” Just as the bikes themselves navigation was a bit simpler than your average $400 GPS product. “I had a physical map of Morocco that we used to get us across the country. The signal for our smartphones, especially high up in the mountains, was pretty limited, so we relied on the map and some local knowledge for much of the journey.” The Monkey Bike also has zero luggage space, so the riders had to get creative. “I found a 30cm-long wooden pallet and zip-tied it lengthways to the back of the bike to give my bag a little ‘shelf.’ I brought a tiny sports bag and packed very, very light; one pair of jeans, one denim jacket, three t-shirts, two ratchet straps, a head torch, wash bag, and that’s about it. And to be honest, I smelled pretty funky by day five.”

The original Monkey was launched in 1964 with the Z50M model. The first model of the Honda Z-series, however, was produced as a children’s ride at a Japanese amusement park. Its popularity grew, and it was eventually refined for mass production with its first European launch in 1967. The name, ironically, stems from “the way people are said to look when riding on these bikes.” A monkey or a gorilla astride a circus-size motorcycle. These early versions featured a 4.5 hp, 49 cc, single horizontal cylinder four-stroke-engine, and a seat height less than 22 in / 56 cm. Fitted with 5 in / 12.7 cm wheels the initial models had no suspension and relied on the bulbous tires to ease bumps in the road. It didn’t take long though before Honda added necessary front forks for rider comfort. A decade later in 1974 saw the release of the first model with rear suspension, the Z50J.

The Monkey has achieved such a cult status that Honda has launched a fully revised version to hit showroom floors in 2019. The new edition will feature a Single-cylinder 125cc SOHC four-stroke engine with a four-speed manual gearbox. The seat height comes in at 30.6 in / 77 cm making it “easy to flat-foot it in parking lots or at stop lights.” Along with the upgraded suspension, the new Monkey will see Honda’s Anti-Lock Braking System making the fun much saver for those emergency stops. The new editions are available in two colorways; Pearl Nebula Red and of course Banana Yellow.

“It’s hard to imagine that any riding experience will ever top the feeling I had riding across Morocco on a monkey bike. Will there be better, or more memorable times in my biking lifetime? I certainly hope so. But if not, I reckon I’d die happy with these moments alone.” A particular day that stood out was on day three of the run. “The sky was blue, and we were at our highest point on the trip. A good 8200 f / 2500 m above sea level in a small, freezing town called Imilchill, with a downhill adventure to our next stop. Never have I seen eight adults so happy, winding down the Atlas Mountains without a care in the world. In reality, our speeds never topped more than 40 mph /65 kmh, but it sure felt like we were elite racers. My friend called it our ‘Bluebird Day,’ carefree like a bird on a blue sky day. It was one of the single most special moments of my life.”

And as for any future unconventional adventures of the two-wheeled variety. “The wonderful Scottish gang that we innocently teamed up with at the beginning are planning their next incredible adventure for June 2019; Riding affordably priced scooters around Scotland’s scenic North Coast 500 route. The rules so far are that it must be a 125 cc or smaller step-thru scooter costing a maximum of 400 earth pounds, that’s around $500 US. Bring. It. On!”

To see more of Laura’s adventures follow here on Instagram.

Imagery by fellow Monkey riders Gary Morrison, Andrew George McMullan, John Godfrey, and John Stewart.