How many were imported?

[95SaxonTour]

Any idea how many of the Saxon variants were imported to the United States? I heard rumor of the number being something like 100 or so. Anyone have any other figures?

These bikes seem incredibly rare over here. Many folks I've run into in my motorcycle circles are confused when see my bike. Questions inevitably ensue and many ask how I had it shipped over. In reality, I bought mine ten miles away from a ATK enthusiast.

Ryan

[DAVID THOMPSON]

they are rare i have a 1995 Saxon tour rotax motor its the only one i have seen...
and i saw 1 silver at athens ohio about 5 years ago
dave

[MZCountryRider]

I've been told that 100 Saxon Tour, 100 Saxon Country, 50 Silver Star and 50 Silver Star Gespanne were imported. Don't know if that's correct or not.

There's been an NRX on Craigslist for quite some time, lots of hyperbole in the ad ( "The low end torque that these bikes possess is legendary. Unlike the US model Saxons, this one is equipped with both kick and electric start."):

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/mcy/4332544692.html

[DAVID THOMPSON]

mine has kick and electric and a metric speedo both on the speed needle and odometer
they sent so few of these in that they did not fit a miles speed meter

and i never really checked the head lamp lens to see which direction it projects the light on high beam
and a couple labels on mine were in German when they should have been in English
i got mine from a fellow in CARY NC in Oct 2003 he said he got it new old stock in PA in 2000

but i do not remember him saying what city or dealer it came from
will ask wife if she has a folder of paperwork on it and see whats in it

the tires had been changed and were too BIG for the RIMS

parts book says 300x18 front and 110/80x16 or 120/80x 16 rear is same as some scooters and Buell blast
but the 110/80x 16 is hard to find in a rear tire in the USA
Dave

[95SaxonTour]

I've been told that 100 Saxon Tour, 100 Saxon Country, 50 Silver Star and 50 Silver Star Gespanne were imported. Don't know if that's correct or not.

There's been an NRX on Craigslist for quite some time, lots of hyperbole in the ad ( "The low end torque that these bikes possess is legendary. Unlike the US model Saxons, this one is equipped with both kick and electric start."):

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/mcy/4332544692.html

Yeah, I've seen that one listed. The price seems a bit optimistic, though. If he sells it at that, it will definitely make me feel better about mine when I throw money at it.

According to those import numbers, I've ridden .01 of the total bikes brought in. I can't say that of any vehicle I've owned. That said, I wasn't really impressed with the Country I rode. It was much more suited for the off road than street. The Tours that I have ridden are real nice commuters and suck on the interstate. The front fork stabilizer I added on mine helps a little on the buffeting fron the semis, but still tiresome after a few hours.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

with mine going fast on wet pavement is scary

may be the tires

dave

[MZCountryRider]

Yeah, I've seen that one listed. The price seems a bit optimistic, though. If he sells it at that, it will definitely make me feel better about mine when I throw money at it.

According to those import numbers, I've ridden .01 of the total bikes brought in. I can't say that of any vehicle I've owned. That said, I wasn't really impressed with the Country I rode. It was much more suited for the off road than street. The Tours that I have ridden are real nice commuters and suck on the interstate. The front fork stabilizer I added on mine helps a little on the buffeting fron the semis, but still tiresome after a few hours.

The Philly NRX seems to have finally sold, at least the ad is down for the first time in many months.

I've ridden 3 total: my friend Joseph's Saxon Tour, my Saxon Country and my recently purchased Silver Star.

I found the Country to be more suitable for the street and easy off-roading, but anything too rough or bumpy and it was out of it's element. The suspension was fine on the street, but the rear shocks were waaaay too stiff off-road. Steering geometry wasn't optimal off-road either. Loved the engine, but the chassis was just too crude IMO. Even the '77 XT500 that replaced it is much better.

The engine from Joseph's Tour is now in my '91 ATK - it will replace the XT500 once it's finished.

[95SaxonTour]

The country I rode was pretty harsh in comparison to the tours that I've ridden. Though, I rode the country when we switched off rides on a ride up from Vermont to James bay, QC.

Personally, I'd say the country was well more suited for the last 200 miles to the destination. That's considering I was riding a Suzuki GS 1150 with street tires.

Ryan

[95SaxonTour]

And as far as the electric start and metric speedos go, as far as I know, that's way they all came. As well as the Bing carby, any exceptions?

Ryan

[DAVID THOMPSON]

i think the bing cv carb was a usa thing

i would have preferred the Dellorto carbs

after 28 years with a bmw r90s and no problems i prefer the Dellorto

i use a bike as a daily driver and things to work on are not what you want over the years the bing cv was a pain

dave

[mzredstar]

I`ve got a bing on the redstar pain in the rear trying to get a throttle cable for it (UK)

[Little General]

I know I’m probably only communicating with Dave and a couple other MZ guys, but I just read this post about how rough a ride the Country is. I was thinking of servicing the forks but I couldn’t get the fork cap off this morning very easy , so I decided to chill a bit. The roads around my house are crappy country single lane roads or the better ones have a lot of ridges in them which makes the country ride like a horse wagon with steel wheels. Bad thing is most of the roads I ride are this quality and makes riding not so enjoyable. Even my BMW gs bucks a little. I guess I will just grin and bear it.

[Puffs]

Following a biased and flawed moderator choice (someone posting aggressive personal attacks is rewarded, while my technical posts are removed - behind my back & without any justification!), I have withdrawn from this forum.

[Little General]

Thats funny, there are no adjustments on the country. All I can do is check to see if there are spacers in the fork tops and put in lighter oil.

[Puffs]

Following a biased and flawed moderator choice (someone posting aggressive personal attacks is rewarded, while my technical posts are removed - behind my back & without any justification!), I have withdrawn from this forum.