This Moto Guzzi V8 GP Racer Replica Is Really A Custom Honda Monkey

Sometimes, artwork imitates life—and generally, life imitates artwork imitating life. This is the Monkey Racer Replica, crafted by the mixed customization skills of Japanese and Thai workforce Ganesha Custom, Okay-Win, and NOTE. It’s not a one-off customized, both; it’s the kind you should purchase, though presumably solely in extraordinarily restricted portions. 

It is, naturally, meant to evoke the styling cues of the Fifties-era Moto Guzzi V8 grand prix racer. (You know, as you usually do with just a little 125cc monkey bike.) That legendary beast reportedly made a stonking 80 horsepower on the crank revving at simply over 12,000 rpm. It additionally managed a document 178 mph velocity on the 1957 Belgian Grand Prix. (It’s in all probability a secure wager that this Monkey isn’t fairly that quick, though it actually appears to be like good.) 

There’s extra to this Monkey Racer Replica than simply Guzzi historical past, although—as we’d guess a few of you in all probability have already noticed. See, famed manga grasp Akira Toriyama is a widely known gearhead. This bike comes from the Dragon Ball universe, the place it’s really a Moto Guzzi V8 racer-inspired mech.  

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Bulma, the character who rides Variable No. 19, could make it remodel between a motorcycle, a bipedal mech, and a trike. Dead giveaways embrace the “Capsule Corp.” branding on the tank, in addition to the large 19 quantity plate emblazoned on the facet. The skinny, black, flashing gentle turrets positioned on both facet of the headlight change the weapons discovered within the manga. 

For these unfamiliar, Toriyama’s work is well-known for its inclusion of implausible extrapolations of very actual automobiles and bikes. It’s manga, so he could make real-world automobiles do something he desires—all whereas paying homage to fascinating current designs that strike his fancy. So, basing Bulma’s bike on that famed Moto Guzzi V8 GP racer design completely, 100-percent tracks. 

Thus, we come to 2022, the place three real-world bike customizers have taken Toriyama’s tackle the Guzzi and introduced it into the true world. The Monkey 125 is a well-liked machine all around the world, however it’s significantly in style as a prepared candidate for personalisation in each Japan and Thailand. (We’re moderately positive this construct doesn’t really remodel, although.) 

Interestingly, as of July 8, 2022, Ganesha Custom is at the moment promoting the Monkey Racer Replica on its web site, for an asking worth of ¥ 1,595,000, tax included however not together with delivery prices. That’s about $11,741 based on right now’s conversion charges, which appears concurrently like quite a bit for a Monkey and never a complete lot for a customized job like this. It’s unclear what number of of those Ganesha plans to make, though it appears prone to be a reasonably limited-edition factor.