Nostalgia is a powerful emotion. After all, it?s the foundation of business for brands such as Harley-Davidson and Indian, and model lines such as Triumph?s ?modern classics? and the BMW R nineT and R18.
It?s also the driving force behind ‘Gorilla,’ the latest build from Bunker, the prolific custom powerhouse based in Istanbul.

Mert and Can Uzer, the brothers behind Bunker, were inspired by their customer?s reminiscing?which dates back to an early fascination with minibikes in the 1970s. ?On his first boat trip at the age of 8, Alp was spellbound when sailors docked their boats at the Vieux Port de Cannes,? says Mert, ?and then cruised along the coast on scooters and minibikes.
?At night, he watched them ride back up the gangway and store their machines on the boats.?
As an adult, Alp still loves the sea, and he?s become fascinated with by the Honda Monkey as he?s gown older. And even though his first bike was a Harley Fat Boy, he?s always yearned for a Monkey.
In 2018, some 40 years after Alp first watched the bikes roll onto the boats in Cannes, Honda reintroduced the Monkey. Alp was delighted but also somewhat dissatisfied with the modernized look. He felt that the ?new? Monkey 125 lacked the retro feel he craved.

?My brother had just finished a custom project with Bunker,? Alp says. ?It was a total rebuild of a Triumph scrambler and I loved it. I suddenly thought, ?How cool would it be if I could customize a new Monkey to look more like a retro ...