OSCA and The Mini Monkey Bikes

May 8, 2023

The travel companion needs sleep, so instead of visiting the shrine with all the war criminals, I go see Sasaki Osca somewhere west of Tokyo center. We met last time I was here where he took me to meet a bunch of enthuiastic riders of his miniature Monkey bikes. They are about two-thirds the size of the already small real Monkey bikes, but are road legal and at 30-35 mph top speed relatively safe in traffic. I think.

I rode one last time, as my debut on twisty Japanese mountain roads, which was as fun as it was scary. Their four stroke engines range in size from 31 to 36 cc, the things sell for $3,340 / dkk 22.568 apiece, and so far he has managed to shift over a thousand of them. The ones with two 25 cc engines cost about twice as much, but then their top speed is 45-50 mph. 

Years ago he tried to revive the German motorcycle marque Horex, but only managed to make a handful of the sportsbikes that used his own frame design and the 650 cc single made by Honda. He still owns the Horex name for Asia (and if somebody wants to take over that and all the spares he did get made for this, just write to him at kozaru@kozaru.us.)

Guess technically his place is still in Tokyo, but it is a nice looking suburb. The house is bigger than the old place, but of course still filled with bikes of various kinds, including an Italian Lazarrini race bike from 1978. At 75 years of age he doesn't actually race anymore, but the moderne 250 cc offroad-ish bike parked outside is in regular use.

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Back in town Axel is upright again, and shows me his pricey hotel, where only two of the floors are for people who intend to actually sleep there. Otherwise it's one hour rentals and such. Then Andreas shows up, and we find a restaurant decorated with comix of all sorts and where you get the waiters' attention using a tambourine. All you can eat for $20 / dkk 150, and this being Japan, it's good stuff. We round of the evening with a visit to Don Quichote, a chain store that sells seemingly anything, including unspeakable items normally found only in porn shops. 

 



It was pissing down that day, otherwise I’d have suggest he take i outside and fire it up. 


View into his back garden, where a racoon pays him a visit now and then.


Old guy at pastry shop beneath subway station.

Guy at the far table noticed me taking a pic. 

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