New to all of this madness..

[Peanut]

Just thought I'd pop a note to say hi. I picked up a 1986 ETZ 125 from a mate in August (he got it as a barn find for £80!). It's my first ever bike, I'm still on L plates and planning to do my Direct Access closer to the spring. Then I'll get a bike with an electric starter..

I'm based just north of Bristol. There's a local rider's club that I've not managed to meet up with yet. Yesterday I finally got around to getting out to the pub that they meet at, but missed them by half an hour!

As for the bike, it goes, just! It doesn't charge the battery, so I'm working my way through the usual suspects (this forum is very handy!). I found that one of the alternator brushes had come out of it's housing. Taking off the engine cover and finding a loose spring sat in there isn't a great sign, especially for someone new to tinkering. So I managed to fix that. All working, but still the charge warning light on (at least I think the red lamp on the rev counter is the charge warning - Haynes manual is in the post!). After a quick ride out I noticed a smell of burning plastic. I'd managed to re-route the clutch cable so it touches the exhaust. Decided to remove the cover again yesterday, detach the clutch cable and re-route it. Found even more lumps of metal inside the cover this time. Now I'm scared. Surely not even 27 year old East German bikes should be throwing lumps of metal about, should they? The bits turn out to be (mostly) the commutator rings, and I think they're replaceable. Still runs though, although now the clutch is slipping under higher revs! I get the feeling this will be like painting the Forth bridge...

So my first of probably many newbie questions for you experienced chaps is: could you recommend a parts supplier that might carry this commutator/slip ring? Are there generic parts that would do the job? Ebay hasn't helped, and some site in France is out of stock of the specific "MZ" bit.

Cheers

Peanut (Stu)

P.s. Sorry for the wall of text! TLDR: need to find a supplier (pref in the UK) who'll have a commutator/slip ring for the alternator on my '86 ETZ 125.

[Lone-Wolf]

Wotcha.

I tend to use this place - so far they've had everything I've asked for.

MZ SHOP

[Peanut]

Cheers - I'll give them a call!

[Tony the Skin]

Welcome from Lancashire. There are a few suppliers. The MZ shop already mentioned at Prescott is first class. There is also a supplier at Bristol and quite a few others. Try e-bay and you will soon have a list of sources.

[mr_luke]

If it turns out the slip rings can't be replaced easily on their own, you'll probably have to look at replacing the whole rotor. The alternator is not just specific to the 125, but is the same as was used on all the ETZ series, which should make it a bit easier to find. A search for "MZ alternator" on eBay brings up a few, including a new one for £75, and a second hand one for a slightly more manageable £27. The s/h one is from Kev in Stevenage, who I've used a couple of times and seems to be pretty good. It's a shame you didn't make it to the club meeting, as it's the sort of thing MZ owners are likely to have lurking under the bench. Do you have contact details for anyone in the local club? A wanted advert on here might not be a bad idea, as well, and the MZ_riders email group on Yahoo can also be very helpful. I've only got the one spare, I'm afraid, and I've tentatively got plans for it.

[Peanut]

The MZ shop are getting me a quote later this week, so I'll see what they say (ballpark given was less than £75).

Yeah - it was a shame I missed the locals again, but I will get out to meet them!

Cheers for the tips.