Monkey Lovin'

Thought I would say Hi to all you fellow monkey lovers. Sadly i don't own a bike at the moment, but am desperatly looking for one. I used to own a ST70 back in the early 80s, the great memories I have from back then of that fantastic little machine have inspired me to seek out another. At 47 years old it must be my mid life crisis, cheers Paul.

Welcome to the site Paul! Good luck in your hunt for a bike! Are you looking for one in decent condition/recently restored or are you looking for a project?

Hi James, I would love to say that I am in a position to buy a 'Minter' but the reality is that it would probably have to be a restoration or a running project. I usually fettle bicycles so this will be a bit of a step up but I enjoy the build side of things as well as the riding. I have such good memories of my old Monkey from back in the 80s that I would like to get hold of one again before the prices become too prohibitive. Am trying to get the GF intersted too so we can go riding as a couple, she used to be an off road rider in her youth. Its great that the humble ST70 has its own website, the internet is a great place!

A restoration/project makes the whole experience a lot more interesting and fun! I started off with a runner (although in bad cosmetic condition) and transformed it. They really are great little machines and you can find all the help you need on this forum! There are some members here who have years of knowledge and know-how who are more than happy to help!

Best place to keep a look out is either eBay or the For Sale section on this forum: http://www.st70.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=4

Welcome to the forum and good luck on the future project!

Please keep in mind that the Honda prices of their spare parts are a LOT more expensive as they were back in the 80's...
The cheapest option is to find 1 or 2 complete bikes in bad condition, but from which all old parts can be refurbished.
Or to keep your eyes open for e well-priced gem.

I was quite shocked actually when I realised how much they had increased over the years. I bought my 1974 ST70 back in 1983 for £100 from a work colleague. He was also selling a Suzuki Sand Bike at the time too but the Monkey appealled to me more. It was great for nipping to work on. At the time I lived in north London and my GF of the time lived in south London. I had it off to quite an art getting from mine to hers as quick as possible. Of course back then the roads of London were deserted compared to now. Sadly the bike got stolen from outside my house in 1985 whilst awaiting an engine repair. Unfortunetely it was uninsured at the time

That's the problem with these bikes, they are so small and an average person could pick it up and load it into a car! When I used to ride mine I was so careful about where I parked it and when I left it unattended.
I work on a large office park/complex with security and even if I could ride to work (I can't because my ST is still broken ) I would be worried about leaving it outside all day!

For those very reasons I never leave my 70s racing bike locked up outside my work place, it is safely tucked up in our store room, even then its locked up. It's a sad inditment on society that people will do you over as soon as look at you. If I do get a Monkey I would never bring it into work. A mate has a Harley Davidson that he custom built at great expense from basic parts. If he ever has to leave it outside in his front garden he chains it to a security loop mounted in his driveway with high strength steel chain.