ETZ 250

[dutchie]

any ETZ 250 owners in SYDNEY ? interested in sharing know-how to keep our MZ's going/running better ? i have been riding mine since 1984.... thats about 140,000 kms of commuting, so i have a coupla stories to tell. i have run a log book covering pretty well everything. any like minded MZ nut who wud like to correspond ..... i await your responses.... cheers

[jackotom54]

Hi, i have just bought a 1995 mz etz251 with only 15000miles on clock and in very good condition, can you give me some idea on reliability, or any other things to look out for.
thanks very much dave.
i am located in hull in the uk.

[dutchie]

hi dave, standard points/coil (fixed with elctronic ignition)
and standard fuse box(replaced with car type) are the weakest links in the ETZ250 1984 + models. yours is a later model , so these items should be updated and hence improved upon. greasing the chain every 3-4000 kms has extended the chain life to over 100,000 kms. ordinary mineral based 2 stroke oil is ok. synthetic is overpriced and wasted on the MZ. i am no mechanic, but brake fluid and fork oil every 20,000 kms is easy for the back-yarder. any pointers you have, would be handy, as we are all still learning. cheers from downunder... AL

[Gromit]

Hi, i have just bought a 1995 mz etz251 with only 15000miles on clock and in very good condition, can you give me some idea on reliability, or any other things to look out for.
thanks very much dave.
i am located in hull in the uk.

I bought myself, as a winter bike, a '92 ETZ301 nearly 4 years ago which had only covered 11000km at the time and had one previous owner (I have the original purchase invoice from 1992). The bike's in excellent condition (could do with a new exhaust though) and is great fun to ride. Thing is, I love the bike so much it gets used year-round, although doesn't do many miles - it's only on 19000km now.

Anyway...

The bike had stood idle for a couple of years before I bought it and so the crank seals had perished. Also the ignition was playing up until it died on me in London traffic one morning. However, Burwins came to the rescue and fitted a new ignition system for around 80 quid. It's not put a foot wrong since. Martin (head engine guy and owner of Burwin m/c) re-built my motor with new seals, bearings and did the 3rd gear strengthening mod and ever since it has run beautifully. It ALWAYS starts first kick, no matter how long it has been left or how cold the air temp is.

I admit it may be overkill but I use fully synthetic 2T oil in mine - it does run a lot smoother and bearing in mind it has to run flat out much of the time I see it as an insurance policy for the motor. I tend to buy it in bulk at Bike shows for under £5 a litre so with the mileage I do it's not too expensive. Halfords often had discounts on oil too, so I tend to wait for those offers too. With an NGK B8HVX plug in the summer, and a B7HVX in the cold months, the engine feels great and is amazingly smooth. These plugs also fur up a lot less (ie not at all in fact) when the bike's ridden for long periods in slow, heavy traffic.

It's worth getting some stainless front brake pad retaining pins as these help prevent the pistons/pads binding when the roadsalt inevitably finds its way into the brakes.

Other than that, I can't really think of much else which goes wrong, if it ever does. The bikes certainly like to be used though, like all 2-strokes.

[dutchie]

thanks for the info. keep on mzing. please explain: 3rd gear strengthening mod . i have 2 mz's. my ist mz (purchased 1984 new) now has 140,000 (approx 85,000 miles) and has recently had a gear problem of not engaging third gear easily. my 2nd mz (which i have been riding for just over a year), is starting to develop a similar problem. could you please advise me what this mod entails. the more detail the better. thanking you in anticipation... regards... dutchie (downunder).

[wifluf]

any ETZ 250 owners in SYDNEY ? interested in sharing know-how to keep our MZ's going/running better ? i have been riding mine since 1984.... thats about 140,000 kms of commuting, so i have a coupla stories to tell. i have run a log book covering pretty well everything. any like minded MZ nut who wud like to correspond ..... i await your responses.... cheers

dutchie

i bought an mz 3 months ago
had been sitting around for 3 years
changed batt and started it and it was blowing pure fuel out!
black smoke and fluid
so
new plug
new points
new needle assembly carb
dropped the thing in the carb to make run leaner
now blows grey smoke! - (like it should?)

have changed fork oil
and have got most parts for a master cyl from bsa regal
(its better than a local bike shop )
becuse its leaking
cheap - takes a week- gets delivered

next thing is to find time to ride it
see how it goes- and fix master cylinder

oh and drain tank and put in new diaphrams i ordered
and fit new air cleaner
and i guess strip carb again


i love the style- berlin wall style

regards

kieran

_________________
MZ ETZ 250 1985
guzzi cali 2 in bits

[Phil Krix]

Hi Dutchie. Not in Sydney - down in Canberra. Have EZT250 about 1 month as commuter to stop wear and tear on others bikes and will use to do Strezlecki track next year. Interested to know about tyre choice . Mine fitted with Prirelli MT65s. Notice that front tyre is 3.00x18 not 2.75 x 18 as per specs. Have heard that this bigger tyre size ruins handling with standard front rim and that a large rim is needed to run this size which can improve stbility and handling.

What do you run and what are your comments?

[Louis Mair]

Hi
I've done about 40 000k on my ETZ (Saxon). If there's any difference between 2.75 and 3.00 on the front I doubt that you'd notice it. I once had a TS250 with a Honda front wheel, between the steel rim and the 3.25 tyre the handling was worse. The back tyres don't last long on the 16" wheel versions. I like to get maximium miles from my money. Cheap tyres and cheap two stroke seem to work fine. The factory manuals recommend greasing the chain. I take off the side cover and brush on grease (cheaper than sprays).

One strange fact about the Bing carb (1990-94) is that mine suffered from needle wear. This was cured by lifting the needle to the next (unworn) groove. I guess the bike had done about 40 000k at that stage. The later models (Saxons and possibly Kanunis) with the later front disc have slightly offset wheels. Tensioning the chain with a straightedge, as though the wheels were meant to be in line, will be expensive on chain, sprockets and bearings. You get the same type of offset if you fit ETZ forks to a TS.

I hope you get as much fun out of yours as I've had out of mine!

[Phil Krix]

Hi Louis,

Thanks for the comments re tyre size. I ended up changing the rim on the front of the MZ, laced on a rear rim from a RM125 which worked out nicely and cheap. Did notice a difference. Firstly just visually you can see how different the profile is with the wider rim and the 3.00 tyre versus the original rim with the 3.00, the difference in size doesn't sound like much but its a fair percetnage of the overall size. I noticed immediately that the steering was quicker and more progressive.

Mine is a '83 ETZ250 so it has 18 inch wheels all round, I beleive your model also has a shorter wheelbase apart form the different 16 inch rear wheel.

I've done afew changes which has made the bike a real pleasure to ride. Took some guidace from the racing MZ tuning guide when determining mods. Sidecar springs in the front forks and welded and redrilled a smaller rebound damping hole in the front forks. put in about 25 W oil ( a blend of 30W and 5W) Took about 10mm length off the front forks. Replaced the standard rear shock springs with harder Ikon( formerly Koni) progressive rate springs. This made the greatest difference in handling as the originals were too soft and made the front end feel light and would also tend to run wide on corners. These springs were shorter so I had to machine up some spacers to make up the difference and provide suitable preload. Also added an extenion of about 1 inch on top of the shock to quicken steering which is good and bike is still very stable. Will probably increase rear height in careful increments. All I need to do now is add some nuts on the thread as spacers so this is easy.

Also put a braided line on the brakes as the original rubber lines were way past replacement time. Another big improvement here and cheaper than originals.

This may all go against cheap motorcycling but considering the little cost and the great improvement in handling and I guess safety, its well worth the effort.

Regards
Phil Krix

[etzdude]

hi dave, standard points/coil (fixed with elctronic ignition)
and standard fuse box(replaced with car type) are the weakest links in the ETZ250 1984 + models. yours is a later model , so these items should be updated and hence improved upon. greasing the chain every 3-4000 kms has extended the chain life to over 100,000 kms. ordinary mineral based 2 stroke oil is ok. synthetic is overpriced and wasted on the MZ. i am no mechanic, but brake fluid and fork oil every 20,000 kms is easy for the back-yarder. any pointers you have, would be handy, as we are all still learning. cheers from downunder... AL

Hey there Dutchie what type of electronic ignition did you put in your etz 250?

I have one but have only had the fuse vibrate loose other wise it has run a treat.
I replaced it with a cheap auto parts wedge type fuse holder.
A electronic ignition could be even better to get rid of having to do the points.

Keep it sticky side down,

etzdude

[DAVID THOMPSON]

http://www.mz-b.de
makes replacement electrical systems for a bunch of old European
bikes check out what they offer
ar dave