Bikes

[Islander]

To all UK members and guests,

I am just curious of your choice of MZ. I have recently been looking into the UK websites for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki and I have found Street Motard style bikes like the Honda FMX and the Yamaha XT660X. Is it a matter of price, or preference. It would be great if we in the US had that number of choices to pick from. Unfortunately that lack of choices now includes the MZ line.

[Fil]

Back in 1998 when I bought my Mastiff, there wasn't much in the way of choice if you wanted a supermoto/streetmoto. Even the Baghira was only available as the 'trail' version (with 18/21 inch wheels). It was a simple choice for me really - either buy the Mastiff for a reasonable price, with a reliable motor, or buy a Husky SM610 (iffy reliability, more money) or a KTM Duke (too much money). That was literally the only choice apart from converting a MX/Enduro bike DIY style.
However, even now with the vast choice available today (in the UK and Europe at least), I am very happy with the Mastiff, and in terms of value, reliability and performance there isn't much to compete in my opinion. I also like to be different, which the Mastiff certainly is!!

[DAVID THOMPSON]

hello
At the time i bought my RT125 in 2002 . I was looking for something
to use in town as a basic runabout. With well over 1/2 million miles on
motorcycles ...I hate scooters it feels like i am going to fall off because
there is nothing between my legs.

i took a trip to Uncommon Motorcycles in a city called North East ,PA.
about 20 miles from Erie PA (650 mile round trip)
as he had models from several makers i had went to look at the Enfield,s
made in India but fell in love with the little black MZ RT125
when i saw it was water cooled i figured they built it to last a while..
with several old fixable BMW'S in the basement. I was not looking for a big road bike
after 3 and 1/2 years and 12,000 miles i love it ..it will be my daily driver
till it just can not be fixed any more. 3400 miles per year will mean in 2015
i will have between 40 and 50,000 miles on it and Iwill probely donate it to the AMA
museum as the last real basic transportation motorcycle ever made


i have been riding 50 years so my view of what a bike should be is very different than most riders
i do like the SM style bikes but there all too tall and the seats stink on most of them and poor saddle bag mounting points
Plus the ugly'est headlamps ever seen on anything
As for daily drivers under 20 miles 1 way and speed 65mph or less a mz 125 works great
it ran so nice that 14 months later i bought a 1995 MZ saxon Tour
and yes it runs nice and almost 3,000 miles on it last year

[RiverDrive]

A Motorcycle is like poetry or is poetry it has to speak to you in the way the music you like does.

OK, I'll take an other scotch now

[DAVID THOMPSON]

on a west virginia back road a MZ RT125 plays some sweet sounding
music at 10,000 rpm
and the red necks howl when they find out they have been trying to pass a 125 cc bike

[cat]

hello
With well over 1/2 million miles on
motorcycles ...I hate scooters it feels like i am going to fall off because
there is nothing between my legs.

and it feels like the front wheel is between your feet.

They make such nice scooters these days. They've got a lot going for them... good sportbike type headlights, convenient storage compartments... ...so I sat on one at a dealer the other day. No...I still don't like my feet on those floorboards and the weird short wheelbase / front wheel under you feeling.

[dbates]

Why did I buy an MZ?

I got my 2001 traveller in nov. This is after looking around at what I could afford and find for a commuter/everyday bike. For the price it seemed to be between a suzuki bandit or yamaha divi (us=seca) both with higher milage. What I got was a 4500 mile bike with full luggage and heated grips and scottoiler for the same as a 600 divi (no luggage or heated grips) with nearly 25k on it.

Plus when looking at the MZ vs the japanese products the finish on the traveller was better, wiring maybe not as good, but overall the handling was superb and it had a full faring.

Its not a SM bike but the MZ for me had the best combination of features and seems to be built to a spec not a price.

On the days when you can ride to work in the winter its the best part of the day

[F0ul_Oli]

I have been looking for something like the baggy street moto for a while. I had a TDM in 97 - 2000 and it did the job, but it wasn't light enough. I tried a TDR 250, too old and unreliable, looked at CCM - too expensive, and the KTM was wonderful to look at but again too expensive.

The MZ had a bad name (to brand snobs) but if you are looking for german quality, japanese reliability, but korean prices - makes the MZ an easy choice!

it isn't about price, its about everything - and when you buy something that is soo unusual in the market place, you have to have a thick skin not to take advice from the mags who point at the more expensive brands - who also happen to advertise in their mags!

[whysub01]

Had a GSX-R 750 for 8 years and just under 180,000 miles as my commuter. Looking for something impractical that I wouldn't use for the commute, and bought an XR650 Supermoto which fitted the bill. 500 mile oil changes saw to that.

Then the Gixxer got written off in a crash, and the XR was used for a few weeks. Got a GT Kawasaki, a Divi, GSX1100F, all of which I hated-they weren't as good or as "worn to me" as my Gixxer. But I loved the XR through town, I wanted an SM, but one that could do the miles. Looked at a CCM, but the build quality was pitiful (bent angle iron for the indicator mounts!), and decided on the MZ. Does all I ask of it.

The bought a Skorpion Sport as I was heading for ban on the IL4's i had. Again, not the fastest thing on the motorway (will hold 100 for miles though), but fantastic handling on the backroads. More happiness per mile on my MZ's than any other bikes I have owned.

Still miss the Gixxer, even bought an identical one to replace it, but it wasn't the same. if it hadn't been crashed, I would never have fond out about the mz's.

Next i fancy a 1000SF to join the garage.

[F0ul_Oli]

Got a GT Kawasaki, a Divi, GSX1100F, all of which I hated-

I had a GSX1100F - hated that as well it until I did a bikesafe course and learnt to get the best of it - then some $%£^^ stole it the very next day!!!!

Maybe I should have mentioned I also have a GPZ1100S - but that is currently for sale as I have decided to make the MZ the main bike - I find that riding the MZ and then riding a sport tourer means I have to relearn when I get back to the MZ!

[DAVID THOMPSON]

You fellows in europe seem to have a big problem with stolen bikes

in my area they steal the ATV 4 wheelers and farm tractors

not many street bikes come up gone missing

4 wheel drive trucks are high on the missing list and if found are usually
missing engine or drive train parts
ar dave

[cat]

You fellows in europe seem to have a big problem with stolen bikes

afaik (Europeans correct me if I'm wrong), it's the UK that has such so much vehicle theft, not Europe as a whole. (I still find it a bit difficult to think of England as part of Europe, anyway.)

[keithcross]

Motorcycle theft is quite high in most European cities. The reason that the UK appears is because of the concentration of our population. Bike security is a big problem here, with insurance being loaded if you dont have an alarm fitted or park the bike in a brick built garage. If I park my bike outside my house overnight, instead of in my garage, then the bike is not covered for theft between 10pm and 6am

Keith

[cat]

Motorcycle theft is quite high in most European cities. The reason that the UK appears is because of the concentration of our population. Bike security is a big problem here, with insurance being loaded if you dont have an alarm fitted or park the bike in a brick built garage. If I park my bike outside my house overnight, instead of in my garage, then the bike is not covered for theft between 10pm and 6am
Keith

I think the other reason is that the internet (for us, anyway) is an English-language thing, so what we hear about is usually to do with USA, UK, English-speaking countries.

Well,... if my insurance company knew that my car is parked in the road at night instead of in the garage (which is what the premium is based on)... the garage is too small - the car barely fits in and anyway, I need it for the bikes - I can't leave them in the road.

Yes, here they ask... in a garage? access-controlled gate? electric fencing? etc.

But bike theft is not such a problem here, it's car theft. They aren't interested in bikes. (Not that bike theft isn't a problem, it's just..different 'demographics'.)

What are they doing with all these stolen bikes? I read recently that...some high percentage of vehicles in the UK were unregistered. I was surprised, it sounded like Africa or something.

anyway, it reminds me - again, I need to do something about my garage door.

[keithcross]

All road going bikes in the UK are registered(ie with a registration plate). Off road bikes that will not be used on public roads or areas , such as compition bikes are not. In the UK our rules for what is and is what is not allowed on teh road are a bit tighter than some american states.
Stolen bikes tend be be stolen for 3 different reasons in the UK
1. To ride home of take up in the local woods etc (so called Joy riders here) these bikes tend to be found as burned out wrecks, apperently to destroy forensic evidence.
2. To be broken for spares. This is normally done by professional thieves and organised gangs
3. To have their identity changed, diffenernt chassis numbers etc. Oftewn a bike is cloned, that is they obtain the details of your bike, then obtain a registration documant and put all of the details of your bike on a stolen one. Very often vehicles are stolen for a market abroad, Russia is a favorite at teh moment. It has also been known for stolen bikes to turn up on the race track here This is now being monitiored by teh authorities.

Keith