The Honda Z50J (early versions, 1972-1978, sometimes referred to as Z50J1) is a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

produced by

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

belonging to its

Honda Z series The Honda Z series or Monkey Bike was a line of minibikes made by Honda which have a model number starting with the letter Z. The bike came to be known as a monkey bike because most people looked large in relation to the very small motorcycle: ...

family of

mini bike A minibike is a two-wheeled, motorized, off-highway recreational vehicle popularized in the 1960s and 1970s, but available continuously from a wide variety of manufacturers since 1959. Their off-highway nature and (in many countries) typically enti ...

s. The j-series came after the m-series (1966-1969) but the very first Honda Monkey was the Z100 from 1961 made for the amusement park Tama Tech in Tokyo Japan. It was followed by the commercial version CZ100 in 1964. The Z50J (J1) began

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

in 1973 and those were sold as 1974 models for the European and Japanese markets. In its first few years of production, it was mostly the same as its American counterpart, the Honda Z50A produced since 1972. But in 1978, when Honda dropped the Z50A from its American motorcycle lineup, the European Z50 continued to evolve with a new drop-shaped tank and bicycle style seat, often referred to as the Z50J2. It was produced until 1999. Fewer Z50J2 were being produced each year and were finally sold only as

limited edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

s. Finland had its own edition of the Z50J2 through the 1980s to 1999 since it was registered as a moped in finland and not a motorcycle. 1987-99 Finnish models used non-foldable "BMX" style handlebars; they did not come with indicators, had 6 volt lighting, and most were black and red in colour. File:Z50RHS.jpg File:Z50LHS.jpg File:Honda Z50J.jpg

See also