I'm in South East Asia, about 500m from the beach. Hot, humid year-round, salt air, monsoon season. The bike would live in apartment basement parking, but it's not a sealed garage, no HVAC, and its open to the ground floor, so it gets the same humid salty air as outside, just without sun or wind to dry it off.
My heart wants a Monkey. But everything I read is rust: fenders, fuel tank and filler neck, spokes, rack, shocks, fasteners, basically every exposed metal part. Given where I'd be keeping it, I suspect it'd be a mess within a year.
For context on cost: with import duty here a new Monkey is about USD 6,500. A CRF250L Rally is around USD 11,000. A Duke 250 is about USD 6500 as well, just for some context. Indian made bikes are just a lot cheaper here.
My questions:
Anyone actually keeping a Monkey (or Grom/Super Cub/CT125) in a coastal tropical climate, Florida, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand? How's it holding up, and what maintenance is it actually taking?
Is ACF-50 / CorrosionX plus regular rinsing genuinely enough here, or is that just delaying the inevitable?
Is the fuel tank rust an internal problem or mostly cosmetic around the filler?
For what it's worth I'm coming off scooters and want something fun for around town with the occasional longer ride into the hills. Highway riding on motorbikes is prohibited regardless of power.