Had a TS150 myself, went all the way from Berlin to the Black Sea cost in Bulgaria and back in 1974. Lots of memories. Thanks for bringing them back with your review!
Just like a good friend of mine who, at the end of the 70s, rode with his girlfriend on the small MZ (TS 150) from Berlin to Bulgaria. Just yesterday he unexpectedly visited me here in his old home (he has lived in Hanover since 1989).
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My first bike, in 1976, was an MZ TS150. I rode it for three years then sold it to my brother before buying it back from him for use to get to and from university. After the 125 cc learner law came into effect in the early 1980s the price of the MZ 150 fell through the floor. I traded mine in for 10 pounds against an almost new one that cost 75 pounds. I rode this until I finished uni, at which time I sold it for 25 pounds. All told, I got my money's worth from these two bikes. I would love to ride one again to compare it to my modern Bonneville. Incidentally, I averaged about 90m mpg, which fit my budget.
MZ are a pleasure to myself. I had a saxon tour 251 based on the ETZ.loved it. Walter Kadden was one of the finest engineers ever in my opinion. The road bikes had a very heavy crank , clutch and piston . You used the inertia of the engine to drive out of corners. You didn't drop down the gears like a Japanese 2 stroke. Great bikes, slagged off by those who never road them or even sat on one.
Inertia is resistance to acceleration so it doesn't drive the bike out of corners. The engine was tuned to give its power at lower revs than the Japanese bikes. MZs were indeed slagged off by people who never road, rowed or rode them.
Those enclosed MZ chaincases were absolutely brilliant. I copied them for a Kawasaki Z750 twin I owned back in the 1980's and used for commuting. A pair of rubber tubes from an MZ and a rear sprocket cover I made in aluminium plate. I rode with it for years, and it worked perfectly. I never needed to clean the chain and hardly ever adjusted it, just gave it a squirt of oil now and then, and it wasn't even an O-ring chain. It's too bad that only MZ ever really used them.
I have an MZ etz 250 1984 . A wonderful machine really - all of the brake / Gearbox anomalies had been ironed out at that stage and with autolube it was finally a modern bike.Its well up to modern traffic demands and is totally reliable.Also it's a joy to work on- easily repaired and parts are easily got .Only hassle now is that they are sought after and prices are rising big time- ironic really as they were the object of much derision originally.A great bike!! Greetings from Ireland
@@Rick-ve5lx No unfortunately it isn't! You could add a nought to that and you'd be nearer the mark! God be with the days when you could get mobile for 150 of anything....
@@declanlee5440 You’re right. My first car was £80. First MZ was a Supa 5 which cost me £120. Russell in Belfast sold ETZs for £875 new I think. I’ve picked up a TS125 this year but it was £600!
I never owned one of these, but I have ridden a few. Solid, unpretentious, comfortable and well engineered. Not fast, but that isn't what these are about.
A friend of mine owned a TS 250. And he was a technical engineer for vehicles. So I know a thing or 2 about the TS series. Interresting: they had experimented with the ball bearings for the crankshaft. And using 15 or 16 balls in the bearing 8I don't know which way around )made a huge difference in durability. The 150 was the bike of choice for many riders. They would praise how smooth the motor was running. The 250 came with 17hp for the solo bike, but 22hp with the sidecar outfit. And there is a guy, stringing together 2 of the 250ties. Means a 500ccm motor with 44hp. (Just like the 500 Ossa Yankee was invented.) Sadly, I never found more information about these. In the late 8ties, I built a transistor ignition for my BMW and a 6V version for my friends MZ. (Still using the points, but the main current goes through the transitor, so your points don't burn.) He was over the moon about how much smoother his 250 would run with this little gadget. The wiring scheme was published in ELEKTOR Magazine in 1972. #34: Auto-Transistor-Zündung in the summer edition of the magazine, always entitled: "Halbleiterheft".
Brilliant nostalgic post, ! I probably alluded to this time in my life B4? , but as an apprentice technician @ 16 Y O, with my Garelli Tiger cross , was mentored by an older teammate with an MZ 125, his MZ could always out accelerate my little Garelli , more torque etc, but , total NON bullshit , i could always catch and level out on top end with my Garelli screaming and the MZ chugging. BUT ( thanks for your patience) that measured filler cap was so simple and ingenious, you got perfect oil mix ratios every time . with the Garelli , being a young kid and wanting to protect the engine i always kind of put too much oil in " just in case " on account of no real way to get it spot on. times changed and even MZ changed to autolube but at the time, that simple concept of filler cap doubling as measure was brilliantly simple, and must have contributed to the bikes ability to start consistently ( us Garelli & Fantic youths being well practiced at taking the plugs and raging them dry or heating it up with your cliiper fag lighter) Lol
One of my teacher's at college had an MZ, chrome tank and orange painted cycle parts, I think it was a 250 , it was kind of retro looking back in the day and I'm talking the early 1990s, to me they seem to look better with age.😎
One of the best bikes I’ve owned in 40 years of motorcycling never went wrong never failed to start and could go anywhere look at how many times mz won the isdt would make a great adventure bike along with another legend the Honda cg 125
Yes, the MZ can also be an adventure bike, that's right!🙂 Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a tour of 48000 miles!😊 His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine. I write it very often in my comments on MZ, because this story has been forgotten.
Nice review chaps. I owned and rode a 1972 ETS 250 Sport, forerunner to the TS 250. Soundly engineered it cost £90 if I recall seconhand. 1976 saw me do the old RAC/ACU National Rally on it. 600 miles in 24 hours, finishing at York Race Course. So with start and finish points plus the ride home to Wolverhampton, over 800 miles were covered that weekend. I got my Gold Award, and It never missed a beat. I suspect if I owned HWB 36 J now, it would still perform the same feat. However 47 years later the rider is more than a bit worn out!
Remember my TS 125 i had as a runabout & remember how bright the headlamp was being only 6 volt & working off the dynamo. Another good feature on MZs were the rear suspension preload levers that's much handier than a C spanner.
MZs had a 45 watt headlamp in the 1970s when other makes had 25 or 35 watts. You could get an after-market 6V 60/55W halogen bulb (made by East German firm Narva) that made the light even brighter. Also MZs had a DC dynamo with vibrating-contact voltage regulator and quite a large battery, giving a stable voltage and able to support the 45W or 60W headlamp with no difficulty. Many other bikes of that time had the headlamp running on AC from the flywheel magneto/alternator and it would go very dim at low revs. At least some MZs have an emergency position of the ignition key, in which the dynamo is disconnected from the battery and feeds only the ignition coil until the voltage reaches a certain level. This makes it easy to push-start the engine if the battery is flat, something that is difficult or impossible on some other bikes with ignition fed from the battery.
@@bikerdood1100 There is a big advantage that 6v lamp bulbs have over 12v bulbs for use in motorcycles: they are more resistant to vibration because the filaments are thicker and shorter. The main disadvantage is that for a given wattage they need twice as many amps, which means the wiring needs more copper in it for the lamps to work at full brightness.
I had a Trohy 125 ,it had the"banana" shaped tank and headlamp one piece assembly, It had blue side panels ,the tank headlamp assy was cream,the front frame and top tube was a steel welded assy stoved black,the rear frame was a aluminium casting as was the rear mudguard, all stoved in a silver grey enamel, at the front end it was an Earles Fork which was realy nice, the front mudguard was ridged and also a casting in silver grey, it had a air of class and quality even if its appearance was a bit odd , I bought it new in 1975? for a daily 20 mile commute,lovely comfortable bike lt was kept mint condition,then i moved home changed job and had a company car so it was polishedand put in store for a couple of years and eventualy sold, wish i had it still ,as a 77yr oldie it would be ideal for an evening or 4am run in the Yorkshire Dales.
Have the 150 Eagle, 125 is the Alpine. 150 engine is a lot more pleasant to ride with the extra bit if power. Piston slap can be loud but not terminal. Gearboxes can be noisy in 3rd as well. Front brake is marginal, but at least you are not going as fast as the 250 which has the same brake 😂
A very nice video !🥰 The MZ can also be ridden as an adventure bike, like a scrambler.🙂😉 Here is another forgotten story, which I often mention in my comments: Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a remarkable tour of 48000 miles! 😀😎 His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine.
I had this abt 50 years ago. I was very happy with it. It was not fast but driving it in terrain was a great joy. it has long-stroke springs and shocks and big wheels. In city it was a pure pleasure to drive.
My tech drawing teacher had one, a TS250, because of the way it looked but mostly because it was his we never missed an opportunity to take the piss but now, in fact for the last 20 years, I would love one. If you actually look at the numbers they were as good as any Japanese 250 in 1979, maybe a little slower but ultra reliable and a lot more economical. I would buy one in a heart beat now.
@@bikerdood1100 yeah, my cycle ride home from school was around 3 miles and he used to pass me most days, on days when it was pissing down or bloody freezing I would've sold my soul for that bike.
For me a true rock stars bike! Whilst despatching in London in the eighties my Z550 broke down, a very nice bloke called Paul Gray lent me his MZ 250 whilst my bike was being fixed, Paul played bass for the Damned and Eddie and the hotrods!
Fantastic to see the mighty MZ on TH-cam this morning, great video. 25 years ago, in my poverty spec student days, I bopped about on a Smoothrite black ETZ250. I thought it was quite fast once I removed the barn-door fairing, and that superb thing carried me 100 miles door-to-door in all weathers to see my girlfriend (now wife). I once fixed a blown fuse with a bit of foil off the roadside when the HT lead melted itself on the cylinder head. Eventually sold it for 50 quid when the gearbox started misbehaving... I see the prices are on the up now, sadly!
I had one to go to work on, whilst my wife used our car for running the kids about. I easily used to get 60 mph out of it. I am not a bike guy, never even past my test, but it was lovely riding that little bike during summers. Thanks for a great video, from a fellow that is a professor of bikes and biking.
I owned a TS150. It was my last bike before i stopped riding. Just as much fun as the big japanese 4 bangers i had before. Parts are good available. Actually it is a big moped. The ignition key is also used for the DDR Zetor tractor. And i remember if you turn the key anticlockwise you can start the bike when you have a flat battery, pratical isnt it? Greetings from the Netherlands.
Back in my mis-spent youth, a mate loaned me a 150 while my CB 250 was in the shop. Not being used to a two stroke, the first time I took the girlfriend out, I gave it some beans, popped a wheely and she shot straight off the back.
Well he over states He’s young 😂 He does own a Guzzi and the box on his is really good He does have a Guzzi T shirt with What you mean you only got one neutral however
@@bikerdood1100 We can forgive him for being young. I love my Guzzi, but perhaps acknowledging that the gear box is not its best feature, my beloved describes it as a tractor which I feel is a little harsh.
@@simonbirt6121 oh we have a Breva 1100 and a V7 11 Both have excellent gear boxes Toms is a V35 imola which is fairly good I’d say and better than on my old V50
I've ridden a few Mz bikes in the past, and I found the ETZ125 version quite a good town bike. It would pop the front up if you dumped the clutch at traffic lights, and the model I rode had the Brembo front disc brake. You could stand it on the front wheel as the bike was so light. At least the 125 was equipped with metal levers, my Simpson 50 had plastic ones. On a hot day, the brake lever would come back to the bar!
Decent, effective mudguards were commonplace on central/eastern European bikes back in the day, so as to be able to cope with the often less-than-perfect road conditions, The same goes for the full enclosure of the rear chain which, on my new '62/3 Jawa 250 was self-lubricating with a misting pipe coming off the back of the gearbox. My '70 Jawa 350 was exactly the same.
Stalwart of emergency services working on shift work in central London, every police station, ambulance station and fire station had one or more with different engine sizes, no matter what the weather these bikes would get through. The best commuting bike I’ve ever had. Never fast, quite comfortable but ultra reliable.
One of my first bikes was the TS150 at about 13years old for running around fields etc,always started and kept going ,I remember the exhaust as large leafs if chrome plating would fall off😂👍
I've always found MZ attractive bikes (maybe the 250 more so) but I could never stop worrying about that vertical slab of tank in front of my pelvis. I had the misfortune to go flying over the handlebars when someone pulled out of an urban car park in front of me. I wasn't even doing 30. I broke nothing - no skin, no bones - but I was off work for 2 months with soft tissue damage to my left leg. I wasn't milking it for compensation either (!) But I'm so glad that, on my BMW RT, it was my lower left leg that took the impact and not my pelvis or other bits. PS the BMW was a write off.
It was Walter Kaaden (MZ's engine designer) who said "You know when you have achieved the perfect two stroke exhaust system because it will no longer fit on the bike".
Never owned the 125 but had three 250s. I always thought they looked cool, especially the Trophy. The TS/Supa 5 bikes are unmistakeable from the front, tall, narrow with a big headlight and fork gaiters, they give off an insect vibe. Massively underestimated bikes by normies.
@@bikerdood1100 And a very good engine it is too. Had an es and ts 250 in the day. It's just that the es is so different - the leading link forks and very "interesting" styling... I'd love another one if the shed was bigger!
MZs were the commuter, winter hack hero in the 70s and early 80s and were unfairly stigmatised as cheap cr4p. They sold on price and when they broke down with a serious problem people just skipped them and bought another!! I always had a thing for them though, because when you examine them in detail they are very interesting. Consequently, about 15 years ago, a TS125 popped up on eBay and I bid successfully for it. The reason I went for that particular example is because it was NOS, never used or registered!! A dealer had retired and was disposing of all his surplus unsold stock. Interest in MZs was still low at that time so I got it for £350!!! It's an Alpine version, which is the designation for the base model with speedo only and no chrome, in a really nice blue!! I've been in a dilemma about using it since, because it's only new and unused once but I'm not getting any younger and I really would like to experience riding it. So I think I'll exhume it from it's long time garage slot and bring life to it this summer. And I think it deserves a TH-cam vid to mark the occasion!!!
Loved my ETZ251 after having owned a 125 RD Yamaha as a learner bike. But because I was ,and still am, a big heavy, bloke I traded the MZ for a Jawa 35O. Regretted it, because the MZ was more reliable and handled way better. also more economical to ride.After the Jawa, Beemers for ever after.
I remember in the early 90s my friend was told about a TS125 for sale, he went to look at it and we was waiting for him to come back on the Suzuki TS125, but he came back on one of these, it was the best laugh we had for a long time lol, not the coolest bike for over the fields very sluggish they feel more like a 50cc as far as power 🤭
Hi. I own the same bike. I immediately noticed the ratteling noise when throttle is released while driving or when the engine is reved without load. If this noise only occurs when there is no load on the engine it is almost certainly the carburetor. Not the engine. The throttle slide of the carburetor is worn an thus rattles at revs without load. It was a common problem with the BVF 22n1 carburetors.
I had one for years as a daily run about. It was really useful, and I could be half way to town in the time it took to drag the 750 out of the shed. I bought it off a young idiot whose father had bought it for hi,m to learn on he didn`t want it, so the little tit set out to wreck it, but wrecked his leg instead. When I went to see it he raved on about what a load of rubbish it was, I replied that case it was only worth a couple of quid and gave him £2 for it. The MZ Riders Club in the UK is very active, and a great time is had by all.
Nice memory’s I do recall an event in the early 80s bring Skint on a 250 when it slid away from me going down a frosty hill early one morning .. when I caught up with it laying down on its side but still dinging over.. I kicked the foot pegs back straight straighten in the mirror and rode to work simple days 😂 thank you made an old man reminisce..
So einen Hobel habe ich auch eine Zeit lange gefahren. War eine 150 ccm Maschine mit Knieblechen / und Rohrrahmen rings rum. Seitengepäckträger und Seitenständer. Sehr robust und Zuverlässig. Blechprägerahmen mit super langem Steuerkopf. Fast keine Verwindungen beim Sprung, wenn das Vorderrad mal nicht in Fahrtrichtung gezeigt hat und somit immer eine Verwindung provoziert. War sehr zufrieden damit. Peter
My courier firm ran a few MZs in the late 80s. We could rent them when our machines were off the road (or an R65 for almost twice the weekly rate). The MZs were OK, but didn't inspire. However, once the bakelite OE tyres were swapped for decent Metzelers or Pirellis (I forget which) they were transformed. It became a different bike. From memory, they were disc-brake models with a separate oil tank. ETZ250? I forget. Anyway... On reasonably sticky rubber (or rather not on bakelite) they became pretty nifty. I recall the amusing (comedy) rattling, shaking and juddering at tickover... But on the move they did a good job. One might even say they were swift and happy in a fast sweeper.
I had a couple of TS250's back in the '70s for riding to work on in the winter. Cheap, reliable bikes that were fun to ride! Or am I looking back through rose tinted glasses?
DID THE 125 HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE TS250 ( PINKING AT SPEEDS OVER 90 KPH ) IF YOU KEPT ON IT WOULD SEIZE ..WHICH I COULD NEVER SOLVE ,, AND I TRIED TIMING RICH MIXTURE PREMIUM FUEL ETC ETC.. ed in usa
As a youngster in the 70s you had to be very cool to ride a MZ. Because the bike was cheap, reliable, economical and easy to maintain. BUT it was quite slow and the cool factor was minus 100. So only very self conscious people would ride one or people who just don’t care about cool.
@@bikerdood1100 Right. But we were young and at least had the same interest in impressing girls and other young fellows than in riding a motorcycle. So most would prefer a 250 Honda or a 125 Kawasaki because they were considered more “cool” or the exotic 150 Gilera. But two guys didn’t bother and rode the MZs. I couldn’t afford anything before leaving school. From my first self earned money I bought a 3 year old Yamaha XS 650 in 1981. I’d loved a Triumph or Norton but they were quite rare and I was afraid of having to buy a lot of non metric tools for those. Anyway, I remember the lack of idle on the MZ. So at traffic lights you always knew there’s a MZ by listening to the RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng (green) Määäääääääh, Määääääääääää 🤔Anyway, thanks for the video, I enjoyed it.
@@bikerdood1100 we all did. But impressing the girls was important too in those days. Actually most girls didn’t care about bikes. They preferred horses. At least in the area I grew up.
I had a 150 when i was a youth, a friends brother said that he could make a better looking bike out of orange boxes, i didn't believe him ! The exhaust blocked up on mine and the baffles couldn't be removed so i just loosened the downpipe clamp and ran it with the silencer half hanging off for a while.
Ive got an mz ts 125. Comfort, handling and suspension are ten times better than contemporaries like the YB100. Don't faff around with a 12v conversion, just fit an LED bicycle lamp to the handlebars. Modern ones are actually better than a conventional 12v 55w bulb!
@@bikerdood1100 No,you can ride them with 40-year old block-tread Pneumants and they will see you out. Or you could have some fun. I've done both and know which I prefer.
Cool bike! What is the thing about parking lights, why do German machines still have them, and what is the etiquette of using them? I like oddball bikes like this one but it is my nature and job to take it to the next level!
I think the parking light was to comply with the then laws. Certainly, back in the day (50's/60's), my Czech-built Jawa had that facility, as did the Ariel Leader and from memory the two lights on the Royal Enfield casquette served the same purpose.
I believe that it’s a demand in all european countries and as far as I know, the british isles too. I could be wrong about the latter, but it’s absolutely a demand within the EU that any vehicle to be used on public roads must have a parking light in case of a possible parking on an unlit road. A pure safety feature.
While I am thinking about it. Something that doesn't have much coverage on YT is the Quasar foot forward bike. Perhaps a topic for a future video for you?
Mz etz 125 is a lot better option in my opinion. Front disc brake, looks better, has rev counter and has a higher top speed (because it has 5 speed transmission).
" A quick shake to mix the oil" Nope!! Put the oil in first and the petrol going in will mix in nicely. Put the oil in after and it could settle to the bottom.
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Had a TS150 myself, went all the way from Berlin to the Black Sea cost in Bulgaria and back in 1974. Lots of memories. Thanks for bringing them back with your review!
That is bloody impressive
Bet it was an amazing ride
Just like a good friend of mine who, at the end of the 70s, rode with his girlfriend on the small MZ (TS 150) from Berlin to Bulgaria.
Just yesterday he unexpectedly visited me here in his old home (he has lived in Hanover since 1989).
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My first bike, in 1976, was an MZ TS150. I rode it for three years then sold it to my brother before buying it back from him for use to get to and from university. After the 125 cc learner law came into effect in the early 1980s the price of the MZ 150 fell through the floor. I traded mine in for 10 pounds against an almost new one that cost 75 pounds. I rode this until I finished uni, at which time I sold it for 25 pounds. All told, I got my money's worth from these two bikes. I would love to ride one again to compare it to my modern Bonneville. Incidentally, I averaged about 90m mpg, which fit my budget.
And now the150 would cost a Lot more
@@bikerdood1100 And would be unsellable used. Who would want a 150 when the learner limit is 125?
My first 'real' bike, after a moped, was also a TS150. Bought new in 1977. I learned to ride on it before trading up to a TS250.
MZ are a pleasure to myself. I had a saxon tour 251 based on the ETZ.loved it. Walter Kadden was one of the finest engineers ever in my opinion. The road bikes had a very heavy crank , clutch and piston . You used the inertia of the engine to drive out of corners. You didn't drop down the gears like a Japanese 2 stroke. Great bikes, slagged off by those who never road them or even sat on one.
They are an unusual mix of stroker and big single
@@bikerdood1100 unusual, but i love them.
Inertia is resistance to acceleration so it doesn't drive the bike out of corners. The engine was tuned to give its power at lower revs than the Japanese bikes.
MZs were indeed slagged off by people who never road, rowed or rode them.
@@nightjaronthegate indeed so sir
Those enclosed MZ chaincases were absolutely brilliant. I copied them for a Kawasaki Z750 twin I owned back in the 1980's and used for commuting. A pair of rubber tubes from an MZ and a rear sprocket cover I made in aluminium plate. I rode with it for years, and it worked perfectly. I never needed to clean the chain and hardly ever adjusted it, just gave it a squirt of oil now and then, and it wasn't even an O-ring chain. It's too bad that only MZ ever really used them.
I have no idea why other companies just let the chains rust
Back in the day a lot of Brit bikes ran full chain enclosures
I have an MZ etz 250 1984 . A wonderful machine really - all of the brake / Gearbox anomalies had been ironed out at that stage and with autolube it was finally a modern bike.Its well up to modern traffic demands and is totally reliable.Also it's a joy to work on- easily repaired and parts are easily got .Only hassle now is that they are sought after and prices are rising big time- ironic really as they were the object of much derision originally.A great bike!! Greetings from Ireland
Iran an ETZ from the same period
Very sturdy
I wonder if it’s the one I sold for £150 - oh dear.
@@Rick-ve5lx No unfortunately it isn't! You could add a nought to that and you'd be nearer the mark! God be with the days when you could get mobile for 150 of anything....
@@declanlee5440 You’re right. My first car was £80. First MZ was a Supa 5 which cost me £120. Russell in Belfast sold ETZs for £875 new I think. I’ve picked up a TS125 this year but it was £600!
Nice video! Also nice to read all this comments full of fond memories. All I can say is, get up and find yourselfes one. MZ is worth it ! 😊
How very true
I never owned one of these, but I have ridden a few. Solid, unpretentious, comfortable and well engineered. Not fast, but that isn't what these are about.
Very true
A friend of mine owned a TS 250. And he was a technical engineer for vehicles. So I know a thing or 2 about the TS series. Interresting: they had experimented with the ball bearings for the crankshaft. And using 15 or 16 balls in the bearing 8I don't know which way around )made a huge difference in durability. The 150 was the bike of choice for many riders. They would praise how smooth the motor was running. The 250 came with 17hp for the solo bike, but 22hp with the sidecar outfit. And there is a guy, stringing together 2 of the 250ties. Means a 500ccm motor with 44hp. (Just like the 500 Ossa Yankee was invented.) Sadly, I never found more information about these. In the late 8ties, I built a transistor ignition for my BMW and a 6V version for my friends MZ. (Still using the points, but the main current goes through the transitor, so your points don't burn.) He was over the moon about how much smoother his 250 would run with this little gadget. The wiring scheme was published in ELEKTOR Magazine in 1972. #34: Auto-Transistor-Zündung in the summer edition of the magazine, always entitled: "Halbleiterheft".
How does a sidecar add 5hp? 🤔
@@stephenshipley1066 The sidecar didn't. The company was allowed to implement the stronger motor. (For whatever reasons.)
Have seen the 500 twin on line
Great work
@@stephenshipley1066 the exhaust manifold was longer in the export version this killed 4-5 HP
Brilliant nostalgic post, ! I probably alluded to this time in my life B4? , but as an apprentice technician @ 16 Y O, with my Garelli Tiger cross , was mentored by an older teammate with an MZ 125, his MZ could always out accelerate my little Garelli , more torque etc, but , total NON bullshit , i could always catch and level out on top end with my Garelli screaming and the MZ chugging. BUT ( thanks for your patience) that measured filler cap was so simple and ingenious, you got perfect oil mix ratios every time . with the Garelli , being a young kid and wanting to protect the engine i always kind of put too much oil in " just in case " on account of no real way to get it spot on. times changed and even MZ changed to autolube but at the time, that simple concept of filler cap doubling as measure was brilliantly simple, and must have contributed to the bikes ability to start consistently ( us Garelli & Fantic youths being well practiced at taking the plugs and raging them dry or heating it up with your cliiper fag lighter) Lol
The bike has a lot of neat practical touches
Seems great going faster on a slow bike , great fun got too put a smile on your face 😊
Great little video, thanks 😊 👍
How very true
Sometimes less is more
One of my teacher's at college had an MZ, chrome tank and orange painted cycle parts, I think it was a 250 , it was kind of retro looking back in the day and I'm talking the early 1990s, to me they seem to look better with age.😎
They have aged surprisingly well
I think as you get older you appreciate things much more 😊
@@carlarthur4442 a sobering thought
One of the best bikes I’ve owned in 40 years of motorcycling never went wrong never failed to start and could go anywhere look at how many times mz won the isdt would make a great adventure bike along with another legend the Honda cg 125
True
Yes, the MZ can also be an adventure bike,
that's right!🙂
Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a tour of 48000 miles!😊
His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine.
I write it very often in my comments on MZ, because this story has been forgotten.
Nice review chaps. I owned and rode a 1972 ETS 250 Sport, forerunner to the TS 250. Soundly engineered it cost £90 if I recall seconhand. 1976 saw me do the old RAC/ACU National Rally on it. 600 miles in 24 hours, finishing at York Race Course. So with start and finish points plus the ride home to Wolverhampton, over 800 miles were covered that weekend. I got my Gold Award, and It never missed a beat. I suspect if I owned HWB 36 J now, it would still perform the same feat. However 47 years later the rider is more than a bit worn out!
Nice 👍🏻
Most bikers at the time took the piss out of MZ in general, when in reality they were solid well engineered bikes.
Very True
Remember my TS 125 i had as a runabout & remember how bright the headlamp was being only 6 volt & working off the dynamo.
Another good feature on MZs were the rear suspension preload levers that's much handier than a C spanner.
It is surprisingly good considering 6v
MZs had a 45 watt headlamp in the 1970s when other makes had 25 or 35 watts. You could get an after-market 6V 60/55W halogen bulb (made by East German firm Narva) that made the light even brighter. Also MZs had a DC dynamo with vibrating-contact voltage regulator and quite a large battery, giving a stable voltage and able to support the 45W or 60W headlamp with no difficulty. Many other bikes of that time had the headlamp running on AC from the flywheel magneto/alternator and it would go very dim at low revs.
At least some MZs have an emergency position of the ignition key, in which the dynamo is disconnected from the battery and feeds only the ignition coil until the voltage reaches a certain level. This makes it easy to push-start the engine if the battery is flat, something that is difficult or impossible on some other bikes with ignition fed from the battery.
@@bikerdood1100 There is a big advantage that 6v lamp bulbs have over 12v bulbs for use in motorcycles: they are more resistant to vibration because the filaments are thicker and shorter. The main disadvantage is that for a given wattage they need twice as many amps, which means the wiring needs more copper in it for the lamps to work at full brightness.
I had a Trohy 125 ,it had the"banana" shaped tank and headlamp one piece assembly,
It had blue side panels ,the tank headlamp assy was cream,the front frame and top tube was a steel welded assy stoved black,the rear frame was a aluminium casting as was the rear mudguard, all stoved in a silver grey enamel, at the front end it was an Earles Fork which was realy nice, the front mudguard was ridged and also a casting in silver grey,
it had a air of class and quality even if its appearance was a bit odd ,
I bought it new in 1975? for a daily 20 mile commute,lovely comfortable bike lt was kept mint condition,then i moved home changed job and had a company car so it was polishedand put in store for a couple of years and eventualy sold, wish i had it still ,as a 77yr oldie it would be ideal for an evening or 4am run in the Yorkshire Dales.
Ideal indeed 👍🏻
Have the 150 Eagle, 125 is the Alpine. 150 engine is a lot more pleasant to ride with the extra bit if power. Piston slap can be loud but not terminal. Gearboxes can be noisy in 3rd as well. Front brake is marginal, but at least you are not going as fast as the 250 which has the same brake 😂
Ahh that slightly elusive 3 gear
Fortunately when I did have a 250 it was an ETZ and that front disc was ok
As far as I can remember at least
Bought a CZ 125 back in the day, much the same as this. Nice video.
Cool 😎
Hmm, CZs neever matched the build quality and reliability of MZs
MZ TS 150. The biggest selling motorcycle in Denmark in the early 70’s. Cheaper than many mopeds and certainly cheaper and faster than public traffic.
Practical transport rather than the play things of today
Some Bultaco street bikes also had the enclosed chain.
So did many British bikes and the Honda Cub
Not the same design at all however
A very nice video !🥰
The MZ can also be ridden as an adventure bike, like a scrambler.🙂😉
Here is another forgotten story, which I often mention in my comments:
Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a remarkable tour of 48000 miles! 😀😎
His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine.
Amazing little bikes those MZs
I had this abt 50 years ago. I was very happy with it. It was not fast but driving it in terrain was a great joy. it has long-stroke springs and shocks and big wheels. In city it was a pure pleasure to drive.
Nice 👍🏻
Great review and really impressive that you have at least 3 sheds! 😊
I have a very understanding wife 😂
My tech drawing teacher had one, a TS250, because of the way it looked but mostly because it was his we never missed an opportunity to take the piss but now, in fact for the last 20 years, I would love one. If you actually look at the numbers they were as good as any Japanese 250 in 1979, maybe a little slower but ultra reliable and a lot more economical. I would buy one in a heart beat now.
Very true
A smart but not trendy choice
@@bikerdood1100 yeah, my cycle ride home from school was around 3 miles and he used to pass me most days, on days when it was pissing down or bloody freezing I would've sold my soul for that bike.
@@Norfolkbiker50 😂😂
For me a true rock stars bike! Whilst despatching in London in the eighties my Z550 broke down, a very nice bloke called Paul Gray lent me his MZ 250 whilst my bike was being fixed, Paul played bass for the Damned and Eddie and the hotrods!
Cool 😎
Fantastic to see the mighty MZ on TH-cam this morning, great video. 25 years ago, in my poverty spec student days, I bopped about on a Smoothrite black ETZ250. I thought it was quite fast once I removed the barn-door fairing, and that superb thing carried me 100 miles door-to-door in all weathers to see my girlfriend (now wife). I once fixed a blown fuse with a bit of foil off the roadside when the HT lead melted itself on the cylinder head. Eventually sold it for 50 quid when the gearbox started misbehaving... I see the prices are on the up now, sadly!
Ahh
Poverty transport
Had an ETZ 250 for the same reason
£125 of joy 😂
I had one to go to work on, whilst my wife used our car for running the kids about. I easily used to get 60 mph out of it. I am not a bike guy, never even past my test, but it was lovely riding that little bike during summers. Thanks for a great video, from a fellow that is a professor of bikes and biking.
Not a bike guy 🙀
I owned a TS150. It was my last bike before i stopped riding. Just as much fun as the big japanese 4 bangers i had before. Parts are good available. Actually it is a big moped. The ignition key is also used for the DDR Zetor tractor. And i remember if you turn the key anticlockwise you can start the bike when you have a flat battery, pratical isnt it? Greetings from the Netherlands.
You can use emergency start
It works
Reasonably well I’d say
Back in my mis-spent youth, a mate loaned me a 150 while my CB 250 was in the shop. Not being used to a two stroke, the first time I took the girlfriend out, I gave it some beans, popped a wheely and she shot straight off the back.
Whoops 😂
Best way I found to mix the two stroke oil was to put it in first then fill the tank.
Ok if you know how much is going in
Great review, nice to see a youngster who likes classics, even the less glamorous ones. How true the comment about free neutrals on a Guzzi gearbox.
Well he over states
He’s young 😂
He does own a Guzzi and the box on his is really good
He does have a Guzzi T shirt with
What you mean you only got one neutral however
@@bikerdood1100 We can forgive him for being young. I love my Guzzi, but perhaps acknowledging that the gear box is not its best feature, my beloved describes it as a tractor which I feel is a little harsh.
@@simonbirt6121 oh we have a Breva 1100 and a V7 11
Both have excellent gear boxes
Toms is a V35 imola which is fairly good I’d say and better than on my old V50
I've ridden a few Mz bikes in the past, and I found the ETZ125 version quite a good town bike. It would pop the front up if you dumped the clutch at traffic lights, and the model I rode had the Brembo front disc brake. You could stand it on the front wheel as the bike was so light.
At least the 125 was equipped with metal levers, my Simpson 50 had plastic ones. On a hot day, the brake lever would come back to the bar!
Plastic levers ?
Who thought that was a good idea I wonder
Decent, effective mudguards were commonplace on central/eastern European bikes back in the day, so as to be able to cope with the often less-than-perfect road conditions, The same goes for the full enclosure of the rear chain which, on my new '62/3 Jawa 250 was self-lubricating with a misting pipe coming off the back of the gearbox. My '70 Jawa 350 was exactly the same.
True
They built their bikes as sensible transport
Not toys for Middle Ages men
Stalwart of emergency services working on shift work in central London, every police station, ambulance station and fire station had one or more with different engine sizes, no matter what the weather these bikes would get through. The best commuting bike I’ve ever had. Never fast, quite comfortable but ultra reliable.
Well summed up
I had an MZ150 for a while and that was virtually identical to this. The ignition key is the same as BMW used until the early 70's
Have see them on 1960s BMWs
Love it. Pure & simple.
It’s like my wife isn’t in so many ways
@@bikerdood1100 Ha! Same.
I once had the "fortune" to ride behind an MZ ETZ350 & the smoke coming out if the exhaust! It was almost like a long, very fuzzy rope.
I do love the smoke screen and the magical smell it leaves behind
One of my first bikes was the TS150 at about 13years old for running around fields etc,always started and kept going ,I remember the exhaust as large leafs if chrome plating would fall off😂👍
Chrome is definitely not immortal 😂
What a great little bike. Simple as it gets. First time ever seeing one of these. Thanks guys for sharing. Ride safe. Cheers from the States
It’s a relative of the DKW
Even Harley and Yamaha built versions
@@bikerdood1100 Thanks for the info. Cheers
Remember seeing these a lot in the eightys look a sturdy bike good video like how youve filmed it 👍
Thank you
I've always found MZ attractive bikes (maybe the 250 more so) but I could never stop worrying about that vertical slab of tank in front of my pelvis. I had the misfortune to go flying over the handlebars when someone pulled out of an urban car park in front of me. I wasn't even doing 30. I broke nothing - no skin, no bones - but I was off work for 2 months with soft tissue damage to my left leg. I wasn't milking it for compensation either (!) But I'm so glad that, on my BMW RT, it was my lower left leg that took the impact and not my pelvis or other bits. PS the BMW was a write off.
Oh the tank is safe enough
Now a 60s Triumph tank top luggage rack
That’s a dangerous thing indeed
It was Walter Kaaden (MZ's engine designer) who said "You know when you have achieved the perfect two stroke exhaust system because it will no longer fit on the bike".
Bit of a genius was Walter
Never owned the 125 but had three 250s. I always thought they looked cool, especially the Trophy. The TS/Supa 5 bikes are unmistakeable from the front, tall, narrow with a big headlight and fork gaiters, they give off an insect vibe. Massively underestimated bikes by normies.
Very underrated in their time
You've got to love a MZ, try and get hold of an es250 to test - now there's a "different" bike!
Well I had an ETZ 250 for a couple of years so I’m familiar with their Quirky 250 engine
@@bikerdood1100 And a very good engine it is too. Had an es and ts 250 in the day. It's just that the es is so different - the leading link forks and very "interesting" styling... I'd love another one if the shed was bigger!
Great old reliable uncomplicated bikes.
Simple and functional.
I bet they go for years in all weather conditions.
They do indeed
Very nice review😊 Maybe Jawa 350 ts in future?
If I can hold of one definitely a good idea 👍🏻
MZs were the commuter, winter hack hero in the 70s and early 80s and were unfairly stigmatised as cheap cr4p. They sold on price and when they broke down with a serious problem people just skipped them and bought another!! I always had a thing for them though, because when you examine them in detail they are very interesting. Consequently, about 15 years ago, a TS125 popped up on eBay and I bid successfully for it. The reason I went for that particular example is because it was NOS, never used or registered!! A dealer had retired and was disposing of all his surplus unsold stock. Interest in MZs was still low at that time so I got it for £350!!! It's an Alpine version, which is the designation for the base model with speedo only and no chrome, in a really nice blue!! I've been in a dilemma about using it since, because it's only new and unused once but I'm not getting any younger and I really would like to experience riding it. So I think I'll exhume it from it's long time garage slot and bring life to it this summer. And I think it deserves a TH-cam vid to mark the occasion!!!
Got my first MZ for £126 in the early 90s
Dead useful it was too
@@bikerdood1100
Yeah, they were as cheap as chips at one time, those days are long gone!
Loved my ETZ251 after having owned a 125 RD Yamaha as a learner bike. But because I was ,and still am, a big heavy, bloke I traded the MZ for a Jawa 35O. Regretted it, because the MZ was more reliable and handled way better. also more economical to ride.After the Jawa, Beemers for ever after.
The MZ seemed the best of the eastern bloc motorcycles
Best of the worst. LOL@@bikerdood1100
I remember in the early 90s my friend was told about a TS125 for sale, he went to look at it and we was waiting for him to come back on the Suzuki TS125, but he came back on one of these, it was the best laugh we had for a long time lol, not the coolest bike for over the fields very sluggish they feel more like a 50cc as far as power 🤭
Oh a fair bit quicker than a 50 on road
Hi. I own the same bike. I immediately noticed the ratteling noise when throttle is released while driving or when the engine is reved without load. If this noise only occurs when there is no load on the engine it is almost certainly the carburetor. Not the engine. The throttle slide of the carburetor is worn an thus rattles at revs without load. It was a common problem with the BVF 22n1 carburetors.
Interesting 🤔
I had one for years as a daily run about. It was really useful, and I could be half way to town in the time it took to drag the 750 out of the shed. I bought it off a young idiot whose father had bought it for hi,m to learn on he didn`t want it, so the little tit set out to wreck it, but wrecked his leg instead. When I went to see it he raved on about what a load of rubbish it was, I replied that case it was only worth a couple of quid and gave him £2 for it.
The MZ Riders Club in the UK is very active, and a great time is had by all.
Nice 👍🏻
Nice memory’s I do recall an event in the early 80s bring Skint on a 250 when it slid away from me going down a frosty hill early one morning .. when I caught up with it laying down on its side but still dinging over.. I kicked the foot pegs back straight straighten in the mirror and rode to work simple days 😂 thank you made an old man reminisce..
Glad you enjoyed it
So einen Hobel habe ich auch eine Zeit lange gefahren. War eine 150 ccm Maschine mit Knieblechen / und Rohrrahmen rings rum. Seitengepäckträger und Seitenständer. Sehr robust und Zuverlässig. Blechprägerahmen mit super langem Steuerkopf. Fast keine Verwindungen beim Sprung, wenn das Vorderrad mal nicht in Fahrtrichtung gezeigt hat und somit immer eine Verwindung provoziert. War sehr zufrieden damit. Peter
Nice 👍🏻
Very robust indeed
My courier firm ran a few MZs in the late 80s. We could rent them when our machines were off the road (or an R65 for almost twice the weekly rate). The MZs were OK, but didn't inspire. However, once the bakelite OE tyres were swapped for decent Metzelers or Pirellis (I forget which) they were transformed. It became a different bike. From memory, they were disc-brake models with a separate oil tank. ETZ250? I forget.
Anyway... On reasonably sticky rubber (or rather not on bakelite) they became pretty nifty.
I recall the amusing (comedy) rattling, shaking and juddering at tickover... But on the move they did a good job. One might even say they were swift and happy in a fast sweeper.
I have bad memories of Eastern European tyres
I had a couple of TS250's back in the '70s for riding to work on in the winter. Cheap, reliable bikes that were fun to ride! Or am I looking back through rose tinted glasses?
Nope that’s about right
Haha….I had a blue one back in 1979
Nice
DID THE 125 HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE TS250 ( PINKING AT SPEEDS OVER 90 KPH ) IF YOU KEPT ON IT WOULD SEIZE ..WHICH I COULD NEVER SOLVE ,, AND I TRIED TIMING RICH MIXTURE PREMIUM FUEL ETC ETC.. ed in usa
Interesting
They run quite high compression for a stroker
Haven’t noticed it and my ETZ didn’t suffer the problem that I can remember
As a youngster in the 70s you had to be very cool to ride a MZ. Because the bike was cheap, reliable, economical and easy to maintain. BUT it was quite slow and the cool factor was minus 100. So only very self conscious people would ride one or people who just don’t care about cool.
That would be not self conscious
Or sensible
Or smart perhaps
@@bikerdood1100 Right. But we were young and at least had the same interest in impressing girls and other young fellows than in riding a motorcycle. So most would prefer a 250 Honda or a 125 Kawasaki because they were considered more “cool” or the exotic 150 Gilera. But two guys didn’t bother and rode the MZs. I couldn’t afford anything before leaving school. From my first self earned money I bought a 3 year old Yamaha XS 650 in 1981. I’d loved a Triumph or Norton but they were quite rare and I was afraid of having to buy a lot of non metric tools for those. Anyway, I remember the lack of idle on the MZ. So at traffic lights you always knew there’s a MZ by listening to the RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng (green) Määäääääääh, Määääääääääää 🤔Anyway, thanks for the video, I enjoyed it.
@@theatheobhv honestly
I love riding bikes
If girls are impressed or not
I never gave a dam in all honesty
@@bikerdood1100 we all did. But impressing the girls was important too in those days. Actually most girls didn’t care about bikes. They preferred horses. At least in the area I grew up.
I had a 150 when i was a youth, a friends brother said that he could make a better looking bike out of orange boxes, i didn't believe him ! The exhaust blocked up on mine and the baffles couldn't be removed so i just loosened the downpipe clamp and ran it with the silencer half hanging off for a while.
Well that’s two strokes for you
Exhaust just feel with crud after a while
Ive got an mz ts 125. Comfort, handling and suspension are ten times better than contemporaries like the YB100. Don't faff around with a 12v conversion, just fit an LED bicycle lamp to the handlebars. Modern ones are actually better than a conventional 12v 55w bulb!
Good tip
Thanks 👍
Put some decent tyres on it.
Metzelers or Pirelli that level of good.
It will utterly transform the little bike.
Doesn’t need em
@@bikerdood1100 No,you can ride them with 40-year old block-tread Pneumants and they will see you out.
Or you could have some fun.
I've done both and know which I prefer.
Cool bike! What is the thing about parking lights, why do German machines still have them, and what is the etiquette of using them? I like oddball bikes like this one but it is my nature and job to take it to the next level!
Parking light
Who knows 🤷🏻
I think the parking light was to comply with the then laws. Certainly, back in the day (50's/60's), my Czech-built Jawa had that facility, as did the Ariel Leader and from memory the two lights on the Royal Enfield casquette served the same purpose.
I believe that it’s a demand in all european countries and as far as I know, the british isles too. I could be wrong about the latter, but it’s absolutely a demand within the EU that any vehicle to be used on public roads must have a parking light in case of a possible parking on an unlit road. A pure safety feature.
While I am thinking about it. Something that doesn't have much coverage on YT is the Quasar foot forward bike. Perhaps a topic for a future video for you?
Hmm.
Perhaps so 🤔
@@bikerdood1100 Well done that man!
Mz etz 125 is a lot better option in my opinion. Front disc brake, looks better, has rev counter and has a higher top speed (because it has 5 speed transmission).
Well it’s a bit better
They didn’t change that much now did they
Bore and stroke are probably 52 x 58 (123cc), not 58 x 52 (137cc).
Possibly 😂
" A quick shake to mix the oil" Nope!!
Put the oil in first and the petrol going in will mix in nicely.
Put the oil in after and it could settle to the bottom.
You have to know how much is going in
Ok at a track, not at a gas station 🙄
You have to know how much is going in
Ok at a track, not at a gas station 🙄
Roberts Stream
🤷🏼
Never owned one an old neighbor back in the 80s had a 150 ts always started simple construction so not much to go wrong.
That’s the point I suppose