Hacking: MZ ETZ250

Both my wife and I own Honda Benlys, each pushing 20000 miles and each disintegrating fast. After my rear mudguard snapped off due to rust - and was replaced with a MZ item that looked much too sporty - we decided to combine the good parts of both bikes into one machine for my wife, having a large array of free parts to keep it running on the minimum of money.

The bank manager was persuaded to part with two hundred notes and after three weeks of fruitless searching my brother informed me that a friend had a high mileage, gently ridden MZ250 for sale at £150. I was not overjoyed at this prospect but, as it happens, my local dealer told me later that he’d done £100 worth of repairs on the bike and despite the mileage it was definitely worth the money.

A phone call to my brother and the machine was sitting outside the house awaiting my inspection. 23186 miles, a holed seat, paintless tank. On the test ride the petrol cap flew off and the back brake lever fell off the first time I applied it. I was not over the moon, but decided that at this price I couldn’t lose, particularly as it came with two manuals, a full tool kit (have you ever seen one, some garages are not as well equipped) and a carrier that didn’t fit the MZ but fitted the Benly a treat.

My early misgivings proved to be entirely unfounded. Alright, it’s an MZ so it looks funny, sounds funny and causes all and one to go into hysterical fits whenever they see it, but since when have the looks of a motorcycle ever been any guide to its true worth?

I think it’s a great bike and a distinct improvement on the old TS250, if only in the braking. The old rear drum is still there, actuated by a long lever that allows you to lock the wheel with absurd ease. The dodgy front drum has been dumped in favour of a very powerful single Brembo disc a pretty fearsome tool that’s literally a two finger job, if you will pardon the expression. If you're silly enough to pull in the clutch and give the brake a real handful, then you'll probably break your jaw on the speedo.

The other great improvement is the 12V electrics. My bike had a very bright Cibie unit glued (yes folks, glued) into the headlamp shell. The winkers are also bright but erratic - in daylight they flash too slowly, in the dark with the lights on and the engine revving fast, they blink like things possessed.

The gearbox - still clunks alarmingly and is rather stiff, whilst locating neutral is as likely as my buying a new bike. Unless you have size 14 boots, the gear lever is of a ridiculous length and I’ve had to shorten mine by two inches to obviate the need to move my heel onto the footrest. The crankshaft mounted clutch is light but takes a while to take effect. The lack of engine braking was highlighted by a ride on the wife’s GS450. All criticisms but nothing that you can’t learn to live with given time and experience.

The bike does have all the traditional qualities. While all of the paint seems to be leaving the tank, all the black bits are painted to a very high standard and the chrome is of a standard I’m yet to experience on Jap bikes. Even the mudguards do their job wonderfully well, especially in comparison to the skimpy items fitted to the GS.

My biggest disappointment has been the fuel consumption. I'd expected an average of 60mpg but it has gone down to 45mpg; lowering the carb needle back into its correct position improved economy to 50mpg. Given the low purchase cost I can’t really complain too loudly (but I do).

The cost of spares is truly amazing. Piston rings at 35p, a complete gasket set for a couple of quid, gears about £3 each, although a new piston does cost £20. Fitted with a decent set of tyres, the handling is superb. There is so much ground clearance and the rear suspension is so solid that it can be banked over as far as you dare with nary a twitch.

Perhaps the single feature that creates envy in old Nippon is the totally enclosed rear chain. All such systems on Jap bikes seemed designed to end up as totally enclosed water baths, but this one really works. The chain requires minimal maintenance and can last up to 20000 miles and the sprockets are still original.

If it doesn’t start, clean the plug and check the petrol and it should go. It’s that simple. My happiness has recently evaporated, however, when bound for Peterborough, as I changed down, there came a series of noises like pistol shots from my engine and a great deal of graunching and grinding. I rode the eight miles to home with a large daughter on the back at a slow 35mph.

The problem was perplexing as most of the noises came from the gearbox; it was still running OK even if it was missing gears. I decided to have my local dealer rebuild the box, knowing that he’d do the job as cheaply as possible and recalling that my last rebuild took absolutely ages as I had to do everything three times because I kept forgetting which way around things went.

The bearing on the right hand side of the layshaft had broken up and deprived the layshaft of any support. It had waved around inside the gearbox, leaving the bearing housing, er, oval. The gears, surprisingly, were still usable, However, the big-end showed signs of wear, both halves of the crankcase needed replacing and all the bearings had ingested bits of layshaft bearing. The final bill would come to £200.

While I was pondering this, the dealer came up with a complete, brand new bottom end for £175 plus VAT. The total bill came out to slightly less than £250 and I’m very pleased with the result. I’m at present still running the beast in, a most unpleasant task I find, but am well pleased with what is, as near as dammit, a new bike for about £400 total outlay and which should be good for several more years at least.

There is nothing wrong with the cycle parts, apart from a few cosmetics and a slight bump in the front wheel, and so I am prepared to soldier on with the ETZ250 now until it self destructs again.

Paul Johnson