Honda Monkey Chrome Special Edition 1979 4-speed, only 1,493 km!, Vantaa

Rare chrome special edition! One of the first years when the Monkey was available as a 4-speed, of course at a steep price of nearly one and a half times the standard model. This version is chrome everywhere, including the frame and exhaust! These chrome special editions were offered with the traditional 3-speed semi-automatic and brown seat, as well as with the completely new 4-speed manual clutch and white seat, and this is the most expensive 4-speed manual clutch model of them all.

Although the moped is already 47 years old, it shows no visible wear at all. The tank, grips, etc. look unused. The seat is old but not worn, and even the brake pedal still has the original delivery rubber cover on it. That rubber cover is not supplied with the spare part, so I dare to claim the moped has only covered the 1,493 km shown on the odometer.

The challenge with these chrome versions is oxidation, which has happened to some extent here too, but not so much that it could not be cleaned up with polishing alone. The seat is original and intact, which is rare, and it shows the moped has not been ridden much. The seat would also become quite tidy simply by cleaning off 50 years of dust.

This is a very rare early-production 4-speed model, which is highly sought after by enthusiasts. The moped still has all its original parts and nothing has been replaced with aftermarket items. For example, that original chrome side cover with crown and in intact condition fetches unbelievable sums at Japanese auctions. Or a chrome exhaust in clean, intact condition — you simply cannot get those anymore!

Below is what the previous owner said when the moped was bought from Japan:

"Thank you for visiting.

1979 Silver Plated Monkey
I bought it about 10 years ago and rode it for a while, then stored it in the garage.

Currently, the fuel tap, mirror, and front brake switch cable are missing.
The battery is old and needs to be replaced.
The carburettor is a PZ22.
Before listing, we performed a simple cleaning of the carburettor and confirmed that the engine would start."

So the fuel tap and front brake cable are missing, the carburettor has been replaced with a larger one, and the moped is running, but it is still sold as a whole for repair. Someone has painted the chrome wheel covers black; they should be cleaned of paint and/or restored.

The moped can be registered directly in Finland, and all required documents come with it. These have a top speed of around 40 km/h; with a larger carburettor it can go just over 45 km/h, so that may need to be changed if you want a fully road-legal machine. The last two pictures are Honda catalogue images from 1978–1979