Anyone know of an old German make called MZ?

[skinthead]

I have a line on one for sale, and am considering it heavily. Looks pretty cool, and fairly uncommon. Just not sure what is available for it....or if it is even worth fooling with.

[Hoofhearted]

Motorradwerk Zschopau. Been around since 1956. Don't know a lot about them but I think they ae still in business. What model are you looking at?

[skinthead]

the listing shows something from the late 60's, but the poster says it is early 70's. it appears to be some form of old flat track machine just going by the looks of it.

Might be cool on some level, but I have no idea if it even worth fooling with.

[Hoofhearted]

Any photos?

[VonWegener]

MZs were produced in communist East Germany and after the fall of the iron curtain have become an established small to medium motorcycle builder.
Amazingly in the 50s and 60s MZs were sold by a German catalog retailer named Neckermann. Think Sears here or Montgomery Ward's.
The sixties bikes have very unusual pressed sheetmetal styling which today looks kinda cool but was the kiss of death if you were seen on one in 1970.....

[skinthead]

Ok Von, now you have me really thinking about it.

I believe it is a 250cc 2-stroke single from what I can guess at from the tidbits of info I have found on it. from what was sent to me about it, the bike has some form of racing heritage. Something showed several yearsof championships in the 60's.

I keep looking at the pic thinking vintage style cafe racer.....

[Hoofhearted]

The bike in the photo were nothing spectacular performance wise but they would take you anywhere and get you home. They even had a fully enclosed rear chain. which made the chains last forever (almost).

[Glider]

In addition to the street models MZ also produced a lot of enduro bikes, and many were used in the Six Days Trials and other international enduro events.
We had a 250 MZ enduro bike in the CZ/Husky shop I worked at in the 70's, and it sat on the showroom floor for years before someone took pity on the poor ugly thing and bought it.

If you're into weird, unloved bikes (as I am), go for it!

[Mojomick]

MZs were used as cheap winter hacks over here in the 70's and 80's.
Ugly, slow and smokey, but cheap to run.
It doesn't look like a race winner from the photo, just a standard bike.

[Hoofhearted]

Check out bmzrc.org.uk Looks interesting. What you are looking at may not be a race winner but................

[unclechop]

They all have some blurb how they won the isdt on the fuel cap,
Probably what he is on about a mate has one,ets 250 I think

[Tommo]

What Mojomick said......I'd spend my hard earned on something else.

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

They handle really well,and can be made to be quick.I had an MZ 5 speed in the early 90's,while not as quick as a Yamaha LC,it would easily beat one in the twisties.They are an aquired taste though.I would have another.I think that later MZ's used a Rotax four stroke engine.
It needs to be CHEAP.

[Sporticus]

Was it one of these? There was one living at a local shop outdoors that I really wanted. I finally got too shitty from the elements. Skorpion 660 Sport.

[VillageHooligan]

That yellow bike may be a MV agusta, not MZ. Big single thumper motor.

[Tommo]

Originally Posted by VillageHooligan

That yellow bike may be a MV agusta, not MZ. Big single thumper motor.

A quick search shows that it is indeed an MZ,Yamaha based engine.

[popelli]

Originally Posted by VonWegener

MZs were produced in communist East Germany and after the fall of the iron curtain have become an established small to medium motorcycle builder.
Amazingly in the 50s and 60s MZs were sold by a German catalog retailer named Neckermann. Think Sears here or Montgomery Ward's.
The sixties bikes have very unusual pressed sheetmetal styling which today looks kinda cool but was the kiss of death if you were seen on one in 1970.....

their 2 strokes in the 1950's were very advanced and way ahead of the japanese

from WW2 the germans had learnt how to build expansion chambers (as witnesed by the V1 flying bomb) and make 2 strokes work properly

suzuki co-erced one of their riders to defect in the early 60's and take the 2 stroke secrets with him to suzuki

this enabled suzuki to build a decent 2 stroke

about the same time a leak in the suzuki team allowed yamaha to also build decent race winning 2 strokes

[gasketscraper]

One of the factory workers smuggled parts out of the factory and made an Ultra-Light, which he used to escape Communist East Germany. I know this for a fact, as I saw it on an episode of Mission Impossible.

[skinthead]

Well, it ain't cheap enough that i wanna fool with it. I would rather put that money into my old ironhead. Might be able to get a few items for it for what he wanted.....

[Danny F.]

Leave it where it is, that's my 0.2 cents..

(You won't bee seen in daylight on a MZ overhere in Western Europe..just saying.. )