MZ : How good/bad are they really?

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Especially one with...oooh...say....80 proper BHP

If only they could be re-geared easily

'Hog

 

And replace the front bake cable/hydraulic set up.

 

Mono boxers do not have it. The brakes are already excellent, enough for
BT45 tyre technology.

'Hog

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Paul - xxx

Not rare at all. It's just a KE125 that's had lots of rebores.

--
Wicked Uncle Nigel - There are few things in life more sinister than a
public toilet with the lid closed.

WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20 BOTAFOT#150 HYPO#0(KoTL) IbW#41
SBS#39 OMF#6 Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner",
Honda GL1000K2 (On its hols) Kawasaki ZN1300 Voyager "Oh, Oh, It's so big"
Suzuki TS250 "The Africa Single" Yamaha GTS1000

 

That's good news. I found the system on my old R100RS a tad lacking.

 

Yes.

Of the 250 two stroke machines the ETZ (1981 on) is the most modern pre
lube and Brembo pattern brakes, excellent handling, 12v electrics. Good
for 80-85mph and light on chains (fully enclosed) and tyres.

The TS Supa 5 (1975 - 1982) - five speed, petroil drum braked also has
excellent handling, nice torquey engine good for 75 ish but under braked.
'Distinctive' looking.

TS 250 (1973-1977) ES 4 speed engine in what amounts to a Supa 5 chassis.
These are identifiable as the heads have vertical cooling fins - later
machines don't.

ES 250 (1968 - 1973) The mighty Snorky. Earles forks, mad styling.

I'd go for Snorky every time but as a practical winter hack an ETZ is the
best bet. The Supa 5s are nice bikes and I prefer them to the ETZs.

See here for the shite old bike economics:
http://www.mztech.fsnet.co.uk/articles/mz_eco.html

They're not as cheap or free as they used to be but £250-350 will get a
usable ETZ.

 

I prefer "striking":
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/mzes250/

The Supa 5 is a little distinctive too:
http://www.sweller.dynalias.org/supa5/

 

Still think the Trophy is uglier than the gomper in Girls Aloud.

Supa 5 is ok - I'd have one of those - like the rest of Girls Aloud (they're
on the telly ok?)

I had a '76 125 for a year two yonks ago. We used to call it The Snot.
Brilliant bit of kit.

Dave

 

There's a funny thing, I had a 150 one of those (of many).

It went a-travelling and is now in the care of Pip (I think).

Before:
http://www.sweller.co.uk/sob/red-ts.htm
After:
http://www.sweller.co.uk/sob/risen.htm

 

That was CZ with the combined gear/kickstart if memory serves correctly.
Utterly horrible pieces of shit; MZs were much better in comparison.

 

The MZ 125/150s had a shared *shaft* (well, one ran in the other) but the
CZs had a shared lever arrangement - if my memory serves me right.

Either way, CZs are fucking awful.

 

Nice one!
I keep thinking about another 125 - there was a "Wilf Green Special"
(whatever that was!) on e-bay a week or two back. I gave that some serious
thought - especially as there was a "standard" 125 in the deal as well.

* Its still there! 5 hours to go.....
</thinks again>
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/M-Z-125cc-Wil...oryZ9931QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Dave

 

What do you make of this:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1967-MZ-RT-12...oryZ9931QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Dave

 

It does. And for good measure, the lever was connected to the clutch as
well, a la Triumph Slickshift circa 1955.

My Jawa 350 combo had the same system. This made starting the thing a
feckin' lethal operation, because in addition to the kickstart being the
gear lever (and thus on the 'wrong' side)[1], it was stuck in between
several feet of steel piping that held the sidecar to the bike.

Any kickback, any foot slipping off the lver, and your shin made contact
with something bloody unyielding.

As for the ignition switch - if you turned the key on, all the warning
lights would come up, and the electrics would function, but the ignition
circuit was not activated. To switch on the ignition proper, you then
had to push the key *down*, into the lock.

Bizarre. I used to leave the key in it, because I figured out that; (a)
nobody would be daft enough to want to steal it; (b) that they wouldn't
be able to figure out the ignition switch even if they wanted to steal
it; (c) they'd look for a starter button, and then look for a
kickstarter before retiring baffled and; (d) if, against all odds, they
did bring it to life, as it was a combo they'd crash it.[2]

Oh yes.

[1] But the same side as an MZ's kickstart.
[2] *Waves* at sweller

 

sweller wrote

Rubbish.

I had a £175 one way back in the days when a bike cost a pound a cc.
Much influenced by their off road experience CZ made a bike almost ideal
for banging round London (which is where I lived at the time). Fastest
thing on the road up to about 40 it was.