Last week Honda announced it was bringing back the iconic Honda Monkey minibike to Europeans markets (for now. Fingers crossed for U.S.).

According to Honda, the 2018 Honda Monkey is “re-imagined for the present day, with styling that draws heavily on the original, complemented by modern, premium touches such as USD forks, twin rear shocks, LCD instruments, IMU-based ABS and full LED lighting. Its 125cc air-cooled engine delivers 6.9kW power and fuel efficiency of 67km/litre; wet weight is a mere 107kg.”

While searching Honda Europe’s website for details on the new model, I stumbled upon this cool milestones project they put together that traces the history of the Honda Monkey.

Check it out below. Which model is your favorite?

1961

First model. Made for use at amusement parks, with 5 inch wheels, rigid suspension, foldable handlebars and 3.1kW 49cc engine.

1963

First road-going model. Exported to North America and Europe.

1967

First model sold in Japan–with ‘fold-down’ seat 

1970

Quick-detach front suspension made it possible to fit in the trunk of a small car.

1978

First model with custom bike style ‘tear drop’ fuel tank

1984

Limited edition ‘Gold’ model.

1987

‘R’ model with twin tube frame and hydraulic front brake disc.

1991

Off-road styled ‘Baja’ model with twin headlights. (Anyone else seeing Z-50 here?)

2004

In colors based on the CB750F ridden to victory in the Daytona 200 by Freddie Spencer.

2009

First fuel-injected version, with roller rocker arm and off-set cylinder.

2017

New version commemorates 50th anniversary of sales in Japan.