l had never seen a machine quite like it. My first glimpse of the gleaming BMW convinced me that it had all the style and poise I'd always wanted. Trouble was a little voice inside me kept saying that if I wanted one I would have to pass my test first. At this point I somehow brought myself back to reality. l quickly moved to the MZ stand in a small corner of the showroom. Ah, now this is more like it. Even the salesman didn't want to sell me an MZ, I had to convince him that this was the machine for me. In a few days I took delivery of my MZ ETZ125. This was the machine on which I would serve my motorcycling apprenticeship.
Well, that all took place in '86. I've now owned the bike for four years and, as a result, mostly of commuting to and from work. have covered approximately 10000 miles on the machine. In that time the problems encountered have certainly been few and far between. No doubt many readers will be sighing at this point because here we have yet another MZ owner boring the pants off everyone with stories of the delights of motoring on this East German workhorse. Well, in my own case I’m not particularly interested in motorcycling. I only wanted a cheap bike to get me to work on time every morning for the next decade. or so. It only took a little time to realise that for a complete novice the best bet was a simple single cylinder two stroke with a reputation for remarkable durability. Hence my choice of an MZ.
The bike is easy to maintain. The most frequent breakdown is the failure of the spark plug! This is why I always keep a spare in my coat pocket. This bike does, I'm afraid, eat NGKs quite rapidly. Some last little more than 1000 miles. Others have doubled that. The chain, as we know, looks after itself. I am still using the original chain, We adjusted it once and lubricated it once. lt still looks fine, which I'm sure can be attributed to the excellent chain enclosure.
I suppose many potential owners are put off by the well known faults of these bikes. The MZ is said to have terrible tyres, bad brakes and a gearbox as smooth as a farm tractor. I think, to be fair, that MZ have tried to attend to these problems. For example, the tyres are now far better than in previous models. Pneumant have improved the tyre compound considerably. Despite the 10000 miles covered I'm still waiting for my rear tyre to wear out, but the grip is fine. I can confidently lean the bike over into corners without worries.
The brakes have come in for criticism, too. I chose to purchase the cheaper ETZ fitted with a drum brake at the front. l agree with the critics here. The front brake, sadly, is rather inadequate. At first, it was fine, the stopping power of a new machine is excellent but after a few years the brakes have to be applied a little earlier. Strangely, the rear drum seems far better than the front. I'm sure the disc fitted to the Luxus version and the rear drum would make an excellent combination.
Another improvement over the previous TS125 range was the adoption of a new five speed box to replace the old four speed model. I wonder if MZ have done the right thing? The main trouble with this gearbox is that 5th gear can only be used on the flat or going downhill. Use it on a slight incline or on the flat into a headwind and you rapidly lose revs, necessitating the use of fourth gear to pep things up a bit. The often mentioned problem of false neutrals with this box is still present, I guess you get used to it.
The other day I was trying to think about running costs of this bike. It occurred to me that my expenditure over a four year period has been remarkably low. One area in need of attention is the exhaust pipe down tube. I noticed how thin and rusty this was becoming about a year ago, so l popped into the local dealer to buy a new pipe. I'm still waiting for a hole to appear in the old one before fitting the new. This seems to be the story with MZs, no matter how bad things are it will keep on running somehow.
I remember one fateful day in the first year after I bought it, the green control lamp fitted inside the speedo remained lit during my journey into work. By the way, it’s not supposed to do that. The control light is normally extinguished as soon as the engine is started. The bike decided to stall at a very busy junction near my destination and needed to be taken to one side, John Cleese style, for a damn good thrashing.
Later that day, when l was on my way home, the problem got worse. Lights started to fail, indicators wouldn't work and the engine coughed and spluttered its way back home with persistent ignition problems. The problem? Simply a blown fuse causing all the fuss. Taking a look at the fusebox, it’s self evident that any owner could easily bodge a repair in an emergency.
Running costs also raises the thorny issue of fuel consumption. Most students of M2Zfolklore will be aware that when the ETZ250 replaced the TS250 there was a very considerable increase in petrol consumption with the new machine in order to give the owners better acceleration and a slightly improved top speed. l was interested to see if the same parallel applied to the 125.
During the running in period, that is to say the first 1200 miles, the petrol to oil ratio is 33:1. This means that oil costs are quite high. Afterwards, the ratio can be reduced to only 50:1. Petrol consumption is not good by 125cc four stroke standards, many of which can achieve 100mpg. The MZ is capable of around 70—80mpg, depending on your own riding technique.
Performance can only be described as adequate. What do you expect from a ratty old piston port design that is well and truly out of the ark? MZ have kept the weight of the bike down to a minimum and this gives the ETZ a nippy edge in most town traffic. Take it on to the open road, though, and everyone will go past you. The only victims l seem to take are Honda 50 owners and little old ladies taking the Metro out at 30mph on a Sunday evening. Compared to the old TS, the ETZ is smoother at speed. Plenty of rubber around the engine seems to be the reason for this.
lf you really want me to quote figures we are looking at a top speed of around 60mph. Some journals insult the bike by stating that it will only do 57mph. I’ve had mine up to sixty and lived to tell the tale. I'm sure it will go a little faster, maybe 65mph, but I'm not going to try it. l value my life too much.
On the whole. I would say running costs are quite low. Fuel consumption is not brilliant, and two stroke oil is quite expensive. Remember, with this machine the oil and petrol are mixed in the tank, the higher spec model is fitted with an oil pump. One of the real benefits is the cost of spare parts, compared to Japanese hardware the parts are extremely cheap. Rust is less of a problem, too. I think the paint must be slapped on MZs in thick layers as Jap machines always seem to get rusty very quickly.
The ETZ is also a fairly comfortable bike to ride. Suspension is well suited to uneven road surfaces and copes well with pot-holes and other such nasties. The seat could be better. If you intend to use the bike for long journeys you will suffer greatly. Apart from a numb backside I get slight aches around the hips and back. Incidentally, I am 5'11" tall; I believe a shorter rider would suffer less.
If you ride the bike quite slowly, vibration should not cause too many problems. I can ride the bike at 40mph for long periods. Take it up to 50mph or above and it becomes difficult to cope. The main problem was vibration from the engine. Another difficulty is the noise level, you really start to hear how hard this little engine is working once you increase your speed to over 50mph.
All of this sounds very critical but it's easy to ask the question, what do you expect for such a low outlay? MZ125s sell very well because they are good value for money.
D Anderson