My brother told me about it. The bike had no tax but would come with a new MOT - all for £30. The engine ran, leaping in the rubber mounts, the speedo didn’t work and it was painted yellow.I parted with my cash, followed my brother home. The bike had a heavy, slow gear change, really soft suspension and a riding position that if it was strange at first soon became quite comfortable.
The next morning I checked my new steed over. It had Avon Speedmasters on both 16" wheels, a rusty exhaust that I painted black, and a top box. I wanted a cheap hack and that’s what I got.
A new rear speedo drive allowed the speedo to work. Top speed was an indicated 80mph, flat (or humped to be more precise). on the three and a half gallon petrol tank.
MZs have an enclosed chain, rubber fork gaiters and QD wheels as standard. The 6V indicators stopped working and it was impossible to remove the lens covers - so the indicators were hacksawed off and it was back to good old hand signals.
These bikes run on pre-mix fuel, there’s a measuring cup on the petrol cap, but you still need to carry a bottle of oil. Mine always gave between 65 and 70mpg. I had a load of plugs from my KH, so I used these with no ill effects.
I painted the tank and side panels in blue Hammerite but the finish wasn’t very impressive and the bike reacted by becoming reluctant to start. The battery became flat, and even in the emergency ignition position the bike stayed dead. I soon found the cause, one of the leads from the generator had come adrift, once replaced reliability returned.
When the front Avon became a bit worn on top, the only one I could find as a replacement was a Pneumant which cost £3, but wasn’t worth it as it had no grip whatsoever. I would not recommend one of these tyres to my worst enemy.
As I didn’t want to spend any more money on the bike, I continued to put my life at risk in the hands of what must be the worst tyre in the whole world. Even the appalling front brake can cause it to break away.
One day, in the middle of winter, the bike refused to turn over. Removal of the barrel revealed that one of the rings had seized and the big-end had gone. As it would have cost money to repair, that was the end of my affair with the MZ. I’m older now, were I to fine a nice one with decent tyres, I might be persuaded to buy it.
Paul Gould