Mini Mad Max Honda Monkey tribute lets you live your Jim Goose fantasy
This Honda Z50J has been transformed into the tiniest Mad Max tribute bike you'll ever see, complete with fairing, police lights and enough attitude to shame bikes 20 times its size.
It takes a certain kind of person to watch the original Mad Max, and see Jim Goose’s iconic Kawasaki KZ1000, and say, "Do you know what that needs? About 950cc less!" That seems to be the train of thought that helped to create this miniature movie star.
Listed for sale on Bring a Trailer is what can only be described as the world's least intimidating replica of Jim Goose's legendary Kawasaki, a bike that is arguably the real star of the 1979 cult-classic blockbuster. Instead of a fire-breathing litre bike, though, the donor machine is a humble 1986 Honda Z50J Monkey. It produces roughly the same horsepower as a decent ride-on lawnmower, but somehow still looks ready to chase down the Nightrider.
Whoever built it clearly understood the assignment, with the tiny Monkey now wearing a hand-built bikini fairing inspired by Goose's MFP machine. It’s complete with a smoked screen, blue police lights and sirens (which look functional), crash bars, pannier boxes and metallic paintwork that immediately screams Mad Max. From a distance it looks convincing, but from up close it looks even better, because that's when you realise just how ridiculously small the whole thing is.
The proportions are what really make it work. Goose's original Kawasaki KZ1000 was all menace, muscle and all Australian V8-era swagger. This little Honda looks like someone accidentally shrunk it in the wash which makes it quite frankly adorable.
While the looks as most definitely the part, the performance isn't exactly movie-spec, as underneath all the cinematic cosplay sits Honda's trusty 49cc four-stroke single and four-speed gearbox. Instead of ripping across the wasteland at triple-digit speeds, you'll probably be chin-to-tank trying to keep up with an enthusiastic cyclist.
That doesn't really matter, though, as bikes like this aren't built to be fast, they're built to make people smile. I can guarantee that every Mad Max fan who spots this bike is almost certainly going to mutter, "That's brilliant."
It's also another reminder that Monkey bike builders possess a level of creativity that's hard not to admire. We've already seen Africa Twin replicas, Harley-Davidson-inspired customs and all manner of tiny tributes over the years. This one sits comfortably alongside the best of them, if only because it commits so wholeheartedly to the joke.
Would Jim Goose actually ride it? Probably not. Would The Toecutter spend the next decade trying to live down being overtaken by it through town? Almost certainly.
You can check out the listing on the official website.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
