Spicers Auctioneers Ltd
Lot 1046
1963 Honda CZ100. 1963 Honda CZ 100 Monkey Bike, 49cc. Registration number 213 XBB (not transferable). Frame number 3746. Engine number C100 – 63379. The Honda Monkey bike is perhaps most widely known as a groovy icon of the 1970s, but it first saw the light of day in 1961. Originally developed as a 49cc child’s plaything for Tama Tech, an amusement park in Tokyo, it proved so popular that a road-going version was developed, which was initially exported to America and Europe in 1963, with a distinctive chrome tank, folding handlebars and 5-inch diameter rigidly-mounted wheels. The little 49cc overhead valve single cylinder engine and gearbox unit that was introduced with the C100 Cub in 1958 provided the power unit for a variety of ultra-lightweight machines produced by Honda. The C100 power unit was both refined and reliable requiring little in the way of maintenance and, with a three-speed gearbox with automatic clutch, made for a very usable package housed in a simple rigid frame. An ultra-short wheelbase, small wheels, a simple electrical system, a vestigial fuel tank and a thickly padded single seat providing adequate comfort for the short trips the machine was intended to undertake were all features of a machine which, in the case of the folding handlebar version, could fit into the boot of a car. Supported by an extensive dealer network the little machine quickly gained a healthy following being used as a tender to caravans and yachts, a leisure vehicle in its own right, used by both children and adults as a paddock bike, quickly becoming as much a part of the motorsport landscape as Bell Helmets, Castrol R and Heuer watches. The earliest machines are dated by their engine numbers, they have no speedo which in 1964 was inserted into the headlight unit, a white petrol tank, rigid 'suspension' at both ends and rolled edge mudguards. These early bikes were believed to have been hand-built at the Honda factory by selected apprentices using mechanical components from existing models, whilst everything else was bespoke made. There are very limited spare parts now available for these early bikes so they are notoriously difficult to restore, making this complete and original example highly collectable. 213 XBB was first registered on the 31st of December by the Cowie motorcycle dealers of Newcastle, Stockton, Durham and Sunderland at a purchase price of £67.15.5, to a gentleman from Hexham. From the engine number of 63379, 63 is the year and 379 being the number off the production line. In 2001 our vendor purchased it and has restored it with the original components, with the exception of a stainless steel exhaust and a new headlamp lens. Sold with theV5C, V5, 1974 tax disc, 1996 MOT and dating certificate. Our vendor rode it around our saleroom when he delivered it for sale, please note that the V5C states the frame number is the same as the engine whereas the frame is stamped 3746.
