/// MOTO CHRON ///

In the last installment of JDM, I featured a Honda Ape and gave a peek into the custom mini-bike culture here in Japan. This week I feature another bespoke Honda mini-moto, and although the Monkey isn't a Japan-only model, I'm filing this under the JDM tag on the virtue of its custom details, not the least of which is that sweet koi fish saddle. If you get the sense that I like small-bore bikes, you'd be right. I first fell in love with riding on a 50cc Super Cub, much like the ones used by Japanese postal workers . With the rural back roads of Gunma, Japan as my playground, I spent every moment I could spare scooting up and down mountain passes in utter rapture at full throttle. If you get the sense that I have a thing for retro bikes, you'd also be correct. There's something timelessly beautiful about a naked bike with a tear-drop tank and simple round headlight. No amount of molded plastic fairings or angry LED transformer headlights could stir my heart the way...

When I'm a little hungry, I often rumble over to one of the many convenience stores in my corner of Kobe. Here, I can find cute miniaturized versions of my favorite confections, a tempting new fizzy drink or seasonal ice cream flavor. I didn't expect to stumble upon this gem of a miniature motorcycle at my local Lawson's , but I'm so glad I did. Just look at it. It is magical. It is glorious. A piece of crap? Yes, no doubt. Only in Japan? Of course. Someone's pride and joy? Absolutely. We measure bikes all wrong. Horsepower, torque, weight, dyno charts, lap times. However, If you measure a bike by the sheer delight it can illicit, then you cannot deny the allure of the clapped out, truck sticked mini-bike. Cheap enough to buy, maintain and crash on a any budget, and - this is key - cheap enough to ride like a horseman of the apocalypse. No number can quantify joy, so there is no use in looking at statistics. The charm of this bike truly lives in the details - so let...