Are MZ's all that bad???

[smegballs]

Hi guys, I have a strange longing for a MZ TS250. I know that they must be one of the most goddamn ugly bikes ever created but since i dont have one i would like to know what the go like. Are they really indestructible commie-machines or are they as bad as my dad says ( slow, horrible noise,break down etc....)?

Anything appreciated

Rich

[G]

They are slow, they do use basic technology and they do seem to have bits fall off a bit more regularly than other bikes.
But then this should be reflected in the price; a jap bike for a similar price is unlikely to be too amazing either.

Power would be low for a 2 stroke 125 from the last twenty years, but probably up there with 4 stroke 125s and the less sporty 250s.

[iCraig]

They're just your standard iron curtain 2 strokes, infinetly rebuildable and good fun.

They handle amazingly well even on mullered shocks too. And they have about 23bhp, so will do about 90mph.

Electrics are a weak point on them, especially only being 6 volts, so the lights are piss poor on them! Oh and make sure it has electronic ignition, if it doesn't barter hard or walk away!

Expect to pay £10 to £500 depending on condition!

[G]

[iCraig]

G, they're light and very flickable. I owned an ETZ251 and that handles amazingly, and I have ridden countless TS250's and Supa 5's and there just as good.

And whoops meant to say 20bhp is what they're quoted as having.

FYI I was a member of the MZ Riders Club for a few years.

[phil2alp]

When I was on a tour in Austria a few years ago I met a couple in Innsbruck who were riding around Europe on an MZ. She rode pillion with a cantilever toolbox on her lap because it broke down fairly regularly. They said they didn't mind though as it was so easy to fix.

[iCraig]

[G]

[iCraig]

[G]

[gerkin]

drum brakes on a mz are death traps ,,go for a etz250 front end swap with disc brake,,,yep electrics are weak point the red charging light comes on until you find the corroded connection ,,great work horses cheap to run and rebuild crank seals a weak point

cheap spares here !

https://www.mz-b.de/mz/emz.htm

[flyer]

My Bro has a MZ sm125, and its a little gem of a bike, with a after market exhaust, it goes well, and sits at 80 mph on a good stretch. I was well impressed when I tried it

[stinkwheel]

They're great. Frankly, who wouldn't want a bike with an exhaust that long?

It's all well and good comparing them to an NS125. Then you encounter a headwind or a hill and you suddenly realise why attaching a sidecar to an MZ, piling it full of stuff and plonking a passenger on the pillion seat has little discernable effect on its top speed.

MZs have torque coming out of their ears (comparatively).
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[smegballs]

on the control panel whats with the green line. Its sort of like a redline but is in the midrange??

Rich

[smegballs]

on the control panel whats with the green line. Its sort of like a redline

[smegballs]

sorry for the double post, not quite sure why that happended.

[gerkin]

thats the usable powerband!

[Noxious89123]

The ones with the green powerbands are the rarest


____________________
'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Zen Dog]

Dont do it! I thought the MZ was great until i actually had to mess with the engine internals, which were clearly designed by a sadist who'd only heard of motorcycles third hand...

If you want a simple rubbish bike, get a CB250 superdream or something, all the lack of performance, without the tears of frustration and the frankly weird riding position.

Zen Dog
____________________
Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, 2011 CBF125 Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[stinkwheel]

[Zen Dog]

Double Post.
____________________
Current - '94 VFR750FR (Dead), '00 VFR800FI, 2011 CBF125 Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[Zen Dog]

[stinkwheel]

Ahh. You're falling into the classic trap of expecting too much from a really cheap motorbike.

You are entirely correct, the engine has changed very little from the late 1960's, the gearbox is totally normal for that era.

Oh, and your clutch plates are warped, that's why you can't set it properly and can't find neutral.

I think the port timing is pretty efficient, and that's ultimately what they are about. They were primarily designed to get East German factory workers from home to their place of work in as cheap and fuel efficient a manner as possible. It is comparatively easy to mess with the port timing, the majority of tuning is carried out using a hand file.

The crankcase halves were never designed to pull apart easily. That's just Mr Haynes making stuff up again. In the absence of a factory puller (never seen one) you have to put them in the oven until they are burning hot, then they'll fall apart.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[iCraig]

[Zen Dog]