I've always admired MZ for the build quality, alloy wheel rims, enclosed chaincase, rubber mounted engine and a simple clean design

I've got three 1000cc Moto Guzzis and I love them very much. But also I have a TS 250/0 in originally yellow colour, upgradet with 12V and electronic ignitition, a TS 250/1 as a combo and a TS 150 as a lightweight scrambler. And they are heartwarming. Those tough little bikes, which do thousends of miles with much load in winter and summer allways full throttle nearly without breakdowns. The /0 gets 50 years old next year and nowadays people realize ehich good reliable bikes they are. When I started riding MZ, people laughed about me. In those days you rode an MZ when you couldn't afford another bike ore you were a freak. I live in the northern Black Forrest in Germany and on the small winding roads I prefere the lightweight MZ more than.my LM 4 for example. Thanks for cheering those marvellous little bikes!

This takes me back! All the way back to 1977 and my first 250. On the very rare occasions I see one these days I know what it is well before I see it just, from the unique 'ring-ding-ding' of the MZ exhaust. Oddly, while watching the video, I could smell it! I was 17 again!

Nostalgia! My first bike and sole means of transport for my first four years of work. 120 miles journey every weekend through the ice & snow. Never let me down!

Brilliant machines (as were the ES 250 and ETZ 250 and 251)! I bought two second-hand 1977 TS250s for 110 pounds and covered over 50,000 miles on them over the course of 4 years.

This took me back to being 18 when I had a red one of these in 1980 and I agree with all of your observations of it. I went all over Yorkshire including dales, moors and coast regularly as well as to work and never failed me. It was economical and easy to work on and could get by with a kit of screwdriver, pliers, adjustable spanner, plug socket and hammer to fix most things. It was quicker than you'd think and front brake was not good but it was cheap and quality made so overall a good practical choice. It had more character than my Suzuki GT185 but not an electric starter like it sadly. I'd passed my full motorcycle licence in 1980 and it expires in 2032 which seemed like forever away at the time but is now only 9 years and less than 1 month away.

Enjoyed the video; a fan of MZ from way back The quality of paint and general finish was excellent and my TS150 was a reliable and easy to ride commuter bike. It has always made me think that if smallish British 2 strokes had developed along these lines they would have prospered for more years

I have a Supa 5 that I restored last year. It’s a great bike. Mine has electronic ignition and a Mikuni carb conversion which makes it run very nicely and easy to start. It has 61000 miles on the original bore. Great Video chaps.

My uncle which was 10 years senior and his friends in our village rode mz 250 and jawa 350 2 stroke bikes back in the days in Poland :P MZ was a proper offroad bike if you would ask them :P

Just found this channel, I am a 69 year old Yamaha Super Tenere owner and I've been riding since I was 12. I wouldn't have looked twice at an MZ but now I want one!

Oh you can go touring on them! In the 80s I rode from Ireland to Italy on my ETZ 250. I think it was truly a super touring motorcycle. I also owned two TS 250s. I loved these bikes. They are very simple to maintain because they were simple, but also, very importantly as you mention, they were beautifully designed. They weren't as fast as the Japanese bikes but they did handle very nicely indeed. Riding it I always felt like it would just keep going and going, it was so reliable and kind of determined. They were very well built as well, the factory did a great job. They were about half the price of the Japanese bikes but there was nothing cheap about them!

Another great video. Re that running on 'dun dun dun dun' sound on the overrun, they all do that Sir. Simple, practical, well made, reliable and cheap - great bikes. AND ---I wish someone would GIVE me motorbikes !!!

Bought a Supa 5 back in the 70's when I was a 17 year old spring chicken on L plates. I used it to commute to work and travel all over the British Isles to motorcycle rallies, covering up to 800 miles some weekends fully loaded with camping gear. It was an absolute joy and probably the best fun I've had on a motorcycle in the 50 years I've been riding them. Like you say, the only problems I had was the spark plugs fouling. Carrying spares was a must. Only a couple of minutes to change it and you were mobile again. I remember a bloke who had on telling me to ditch the original Pneumant tyres and get Michelin M38s. It totally transformed the bike and made the twisties great fun. Thanks for the memories lads.

Dieses Motorrad mit 5 Gang Getriebe war zu DDR Zeiten ein Traum auf Rädern...ich habe geliebt, damit auf Tour zu gehen und heute ein Oldtimer Traum geworden ! ! !

True story: Many years back (decades) I watched one of those bikes win a motorcycle race. The circuit back then was called Langbaurgh - today it's Teesside Autodrome. The race was on a shorter circuit more suited to gokarts. The competition was mostly Yamaha 250lc's and plonked in the middle was this black MZ 250. The crowd roared with laughter when the MZ appeared for a warm-up lap. Heck, it didn't even have a sports exhaust on it. The race began and sure those lc's were faster but the MZ won using something else - torque. Those lc's struggled to get to the power exiting each corner but the MZ ploughed on. I smiled as I chomped a burger as that weird MZ destroyed the competition in the race. At the end, a few people clapped and the rest stood there open mouthed. I've no idea who was racing that black MZ but if they're here - well done! Would I have an MZ? Possibly. What appeals is the basic nature of them and how easily repairs can be done. Their appeal continues because that basic 'get you from A to B' nature of them is liked. Parts availability might be a struggle but given how basic they are, I reckon parts could be fabricated by either myself or a mate with some tooling.

Hi guys, greetings from Denmark, and nice to have you back. I am about your age, and find your channel very amusing, and can relate to many things. Back in the day, in the ´70es, MZ was about the lowest one could get, and beeing seen on one, could ruin ones reputation for ages.. We did use some spare engines to put into moped-frames, it was a lot of fun, but the large jump from 2. to 3. gear took some of the fun out. Later in life money got scares, and I got a ES 150, with the headlight always shining strait ahead, no matter where the handlebars went. But I rearly grew to like the litle thing, it served me faithfully for some years. Later in life, I got an Yamaha TR 1 XV 1000, with a similar inclosed chaincase, and I drove almost 70.000 km on one chain, and I couldn´t see the sprockets had been used at all. Ah, these memories...

Bought one new in 1978. In red. I even remember the number XEA 308S. For around half the price of a Japanese 250 I thought OK it's old technology but what the hell Had some good times on it. The thing I remember most about it was the way it smoked when I opened it up after a spell in town. That smoke must have been smelt half a mile away! Oh yes, and the slippery tyres!

Back in the seventies, I had a 250 Ducati, my first street legal bike, and I rode it everywhere for a couple years. This MZ reminds me of that bike, the way it appears to ride and move out. I barely remember them from back in those days, not commonly seen in my own neck of the woods. Thanks for showcasing a very nice old bike!

Learnt on an Mz ETZ 125, Then went up to an ETZ 300 - huh ! Now your impressed ! Rock n roll !

Lovely little bikes. Popular with London despatch riders back in the '80s. I had its little bruvver for a while...

MZ's brilliant bikes ask any retired ex-despatch rider or anyone else that's owned one and you will always get positive feedback. My brother had an MZ S 50 B Simpson and all his mates took the rise but then changed their minds. When he got it brand new it came with a puncher repair kit a small pump for the tyres and an ace light bulb pack with a brilliant tool kit. An ace little bike mega reliable and kept up with other Japanese peds.

My Bonney needed surgery back in the day and I needed a cheap bike. Guy I knew at work told me about an MZ250 at a dealers nearby . The bike had been taken in as part of a Honda sale deal and was spray painted very roughly in black everywhere , seemingly without parts being removed first even ! Dealer wanted 50 quid and gave me a brand new mot ! The bike did its purpose and I kept it maybe 18 months before a mate needed a cheap bike too . 50 quid deal done . I had a driver insurance so the bike cost me the fuel I had used . I found the thing handled like a plank , someone might have fitted a rear tyre on the front lol , and had a virtual front brake ; but I would not completely put someone skint and vehicleless off from buying one . If you want a decent two stroke buy a Yam or Suzzy ! Ringdindding to you

I had 3 of these when I was a lot younger, had 2 ts, 125s a ts150 and a etr z 125 with front disc brake , have fond memory’s of cleaning carbs changing plugs , and once one fell over on the stand when I was working on it sideways and I went backwards through the wall on my aspestos garage , I’d love a go on one , fond memory’s , passed my bike test worked through the ranks of blackbirds , hyabusa , fireblades , zx10r etc etc , then 6 yrs ago heart attack , so have limited myself to a 125 now , cheers for the memory’s shane uk 🇬🇧

The first bike I ever had in 82.More good memory’s than the time and tens of thousands of pounds spent since☹️

I spent 20 years riding MZ's {1980-2000} ....I had a TS150,TS125, 250 Supafive & an ES 250Trophy...but alas... I had to sell them on, because as I accumulated more bikes, my garage just was'nt big enough to house them all.....I did a few Rallies with the MZRC, and I found them a great bunch of guys .....happy days.

Having owned one many years ago I'd agree with all your comments - and the enclosed chain was a piece of genius. Loved the pre-mix as well - less to go wrong! One I didn't like (apart from the front brake - there was a mod for that using I think a Honda drum) was the left-hand kickstart - I never got on with that being right-handed. As for touring there was an article in one of the mags in the 80s about a guy who took one from the Arctic Circle to South Africa - and I know several people who toured the continent with one. Oddly enough I've been scanning the ads for 6 months for a decent condition Supa5!

Being from the US I have only seen MZs in books and the net. Never had the chance to see one in person. I am 61yrs.old and remember when two strikers were quite common on American roads . I enjoy your Channel very much ! Good luck from Tennessee.

I used to repair motorcycles in the 1970s and 80s and I formed the opinion that this was one of the best motorcycles ever made. Apart from the rubber bellows on the chain that gave it several times the life of most motorcycle chains it had bellows on the front forks and also it had the brake cam bearings entirely inside the drums so that water didn't get into them and make the brakes stick on. This bike and also the smaller MZs had an excellent electrical system with everything running from DC generated by a dynamo with electro-mechanical voltage regulator. MZs had 45 watt headlights (you could also fit a 60 watt halogen bulb made by Narva) that stayed bright down to low engine revs, at a time when most 125 to 250cc Japanese and West European bikes had a 25 or 35 watt bulb that would go very dim at low revs.

I had two MZ ETZ251s between 1989-1994. I fondly remember having "Zedcred" and I loved the inverted snobbery of MZ enthusiasts - at meetings the "grotbike" award, usually a cause of shame in normal bike meetings, was the most coveted prize among MZ riders.

Great video guys. I had an ETZ which was the successor to the Supa 5 and it never let me down. You said at 19:57 that the ES 250 Trophy was strange looking. For me this is the best -looking motorcycle I have ever seen (and would love to own), which just shows that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Keep us the great work with these videos....

1978 and a 4 week road trip across the Alps. My friend Tony on his MZ TS250 and me on a Yamaha RD200. Tony had a puncture a few days before we set off and patched the inner tube (tight arse). We spent half the trip taking the rear wheel off and re-patching the tube as it kept going flat. Eventually unknown to me, Tony's tyre walls which had been run on several times blew out while we were filtering either side of some roadworks in Lyon and we didn't see each other again until we were both back home. Despite our plans to meet at the nearest railway station if we got split up, Lyon has several stations and we went to different ones at different times. It was at that point that I realised that sharing a tent and sharing a map wasn't a great idea. I had half a tent and no map of France and had no idea what happened to Tony. Great trip though and great memories.

I rode one of these in the Czech Republic in 2018. Looked like it didn't have anything done to it since it left the factory in the 80's. It looked like a load of nearly broken parts in close formation. But it started first kick and it was reliable and not bad to ride!

The sound is the thing that brings back memories for me. I can remember the buzz of the engine at sixty and the smell when you First start the thing. Happy days.

Another excellent blog on a bike I didn't think would ever be covered so thanks for a nice surprise.I had the 301cc MZ version and it was built like a tank,totally different from the Japanese two stroke fare available at the time.(I Had a gt380 with Allspeeds which sounded awesome !)but not to my neighbours!!The MZ is the mechanical engineers dream!Welll made ,simple and fixable!People cherished them back in the day and they were toured around the UK and Europe.One ideosyncracy with my 301 was it would kick you back if the timing was slightly out and boy it would smart and that was unusual for a 2stroke to do this but these bikes had a large flywheel mass and you knew about it from time to time very much like a single pot 4 stroke would do!!

I had a new one in 1980 used it for touring my mates had Honda super dreams they couldn’t keep up with the super five. The Hondas cost £870 and the MZ was £508 what a bargain at the time . I’m 66 years of Age now and just rebuilt another one just as l remembered it’s brilliant . I enjoyed your video thank you ❤😊

I've had TS125, ETZ250 and disc brake version was very good. Loved the way rear shock preload adjustment was a lever rather than messing with a C spanner. The 250 was £420 new i remember in the mid 80s working out ideal as getting to work & saving on running my Japanese sports bike during winter. How i best described the MZ power was a little bottom end loads of mid range & falling off at the top end. Silencer from a Jawa 350 twin slips straight on & peps it up a little.

Yes, brings back memories. I had a mz ts125 luxus brand new in 1983. Great bike 😊

Glad you're back ! Great video.

Great stuff. I bought a new ETZ 251 in 1996, it was my sole transport for the next nine years. The MZ never let me down and was a comfortable and economical ride. Later I bought a secondhand one a few years older, but the best MZ I owned was a Mastiff. Yamaha 660cc single, five valves, twin carbs and very good quality.

Gotta love that ring-a-ding-ding. Had a Supa 5 and ETZ back in the (London dispatch) day. Still have a massive soft spot for them.

The first MZ I owned was a TS 250 and I went everywhere on it. I was also a member of the MZ Owners Club and went to their rallies all over the country so you absolutely can tour on a TS250. I remember doing Nottingham to Cornwall on just one tank of petrol and at motorway speeds as well. Mind you, you get some funny looks at petrol stations when you fill up, add the 2 stroke oil and then stand there shaking the bike about to mix the petrol and oil together!!!

I used to sell these new at Baldwins in Rochester, Kent. We had many customers that commuted 70 miles each way to London. Incredibly reliable...

One of my sons had one and I used to borrow it too as it was such fun to ride if you screwed its neck! One one ride my son went to Wellington (495km), stopped for an hour and rode back home again. He did say to me that it was smelling a bit funny!

Great video and very interesting history of the company which I knew almost nothing about. Well done

I brought an MZ TS150 back in 1978 for £278 New I rode this everywhere covering just over 10,000miles in 1 year it never went wrong. My mates all took the mick at first but after a few goes on it themselves they appreciated how good it was especial the handling. A couple of features I liked was you could remove the back wheel without having to release the chain (don't know about the 250's) there was a bump start position on the ignition switch so even if your battery was totally dead you could still start it. The side stand being on the rear wheel meant if you accidentally left it down the suspension would absorb most the shock of it hitting the ground and flipping back up so you didn't crash, unlike the conventional position and why they are now fitted with a cut off switch. I won't go into detail but it's sad end involved a car and a high speed impact writing it and the car off but thankfully not me my injuries were relatively minor and I got a lesson in how important wear a crash helmet is as I most certainly wouldn't be still here if I hadn't been.

a honda cb250 / 350 drum conversion was the order of the day back then

Commuted in and out of london on of these for 2 years, 75 mpg and very well built. The rear wheel removal leaves the chain and sprocket in situ, the castings are high quality and I never adjusted the chain.

I have a Black 1978 Supa 5, excellent bikes. I also despatched for years in London on one - they are built to be easily repairable and survive the apocolypse.

One of the earlier commenter mentioned the smell, and that was what put me off these MZ two-strokes when I was in the market for a bike back in 1978. I ended up with a Kwaka Z200 instead.

Hallo MZ Tester In Ostdeutschland gab es an den Tankstellen Zapfsäulen für 1: 25 und 1: 50 Zweitackt Gemisch. Die wurden auch von den Trabant und Wartburg Autos benutzt. Ich selber habe auch eine MZ 250 ETS von 1972. Bie uns in Westdeutschland gab es keine Gemisch Zapfsäulen, deshalb bin ich immer mit einer Shampoo Flasche mit Zweitacktöl herumgefahren und habe beim tanken beigemischt. Die 5 Gang Motoren waren besser zu schalten, aber die älteren Motoren waren genauso schell und hatten ein besseres Design. Habe auch noch eine RD 250 von 1974. Gleiche Größe aber eine ganz andere Filosophie. Tolles gemütliches Video. Viel Spaß beim Übersetzen.......

I remember these. They were around during most of my rallying years. ( 1980 to well into the early 2,000s ) I used my CX all year round. Some of the chaps rode fancy bikes but the MZ would come out in the winter. When I would sometimes pass them while heading to or from a rally. I would see them loaded to the gills as they ching chinged along at about 55/60 mph.

I had two back in the day, a Supa5 whilst I was a university student. That got me from Peterborough to Leeds and back and even to Dundee from Leeds. I remember repairing an oil leak with blue-tack on that journey! Later I had an ETZ250 with the disc brake and also separate oil tank. Both were good bikes.

Hi all I remember the mz 250 and the oil master . We used to take the piss out of then in the day .Never own a mz in the day but would love to own one today ! Brings back memories.

This was the bike I always wanted and never got round to owning....mainly due to Bantam mania... Thank you for revisiting this!

Ah memories! My first bike after the moped phase. Brand new in '79 and same colour. Loved it but yes - the brakes were terrible! It hunted badly on the overrun, I seem to recall there was a modification to the carb available, but I just kept the idle down to the bare minimum which improved it a little. Had the crank rebuilt at around 15,000 miles, but it was so easy to get it out and back again. Always started it on the stand with my right foot. It was a quirky but brilliant little bike. Thank you for jogging my memory guys!

Loved that video. New sub here. I had a TS125 Sport. Me and my mate went all over the country on it doing weekend rallies. Best bike I ever owned.

Greetings from sunny Malaysia🇲🇾 Brilliant video; I had an ES250 in the early 70' followed by a Supa 5 in 77 after leaving Uni. Eventually got an ETZ 251 and was appreciative of the front disc brake👍. Also has an TS150 as a runaround in the 80'. Loved em all; reliable, go anywhere bikes and ok with a passenger on the back and for touring. Moved out to this part of the world in the early noughties but haven't seen any out here. Back on 2 wheels again now with a Benelli Leoncino 500 but will always have a soft spot for my MZs. Great channel btw and have subscribed. ATVB and ride safe

Bought a Supa 5 back in 1979, 2 years old with 9000 miles on the clock , put 85,000 miles on it over about 7 years . Also had a 250 Trophy 1975 , wish I had kept them , prices are now through the roof. My brother bought his new in 1978 for £440 , after a quick test ride on his I had to have one. Nice to see you chaps enjoying yourselves.

INTERESTING HISTORY UPDATE. MY FIRST COURIER BIKE . A very reliable work horse ...

4:48 What a nice example. I used to appreciate my the enclosed chain on my ETZ301. More to come when I've watched the rest of the video. Got to pop out. Back again. I rode my 1991 301 from early 1993 for almost precisely three years. A superb ride. And you are right. Torquey. Nice setting for a beer.

I had an ETZ250 for a while when i was a despatch rider in the early 90's and if there was a fault with it (ap[art from its awful looks!) it was the gearbox which gave out regularly at 45,000 miles due to worn selecter forks . I replaced the entire engine as it was cheaper than the parts to repair the gearbox and ran that until it too suffered the same gearbox failure at 45,000 miles! It could do 85 MPH (indicated) two-up, loaded with luggage and pulling uphill!... It had so much torque for a small capacity machine!.. it was also very rudimantary in the suspension department which meant it was a bit of a bone shaker when it passenger mode ( just two settings at the rear, hard or harder!) but that stiffness gave it supprisingly good handling and an excellent turning circle which was superb for commuting through London Traffic. One advancement it had over the TS250 was the seperate oil tank which had a sight glass to keep an eye on the level, and pump system for cylinder and main bearing lubrication which meant the petroil mix was no longer needed and increased the tank range slightly. Another advancment was a disc brake on the front wheel which worked well and was a vast improvement over the drum on the TS's

I had a TS 250 , bought off a workmate for my then wife , but she preferred her CZ 175 , the TS was a revolution , guide smooth and full of quality apart from the 16 inch wheels ! Wish I still had it

Watched this when it first aired and chanced apon it again, was just as much a hoot as before. Well done to you all and for making our generation feel relevant 👌👏👍

Sporadic is ok with me. It’s all about quality not quantity and you guys always deliver the former. Keep up the good work.

I really appreciate you guys for introducing this beautiful machine to your audience, since I was born and raised in the GDR... Anyway, keep going riding all these very different bikes. 👍🏻

Oh, wow - really great vid. I had one of these bulletproof MZs back in the day, brings back so many memories. Consider me subscribed.

Friend I went to school with had a CZ125. Of course I got to try it several times before I got my license in 74 and also my first bike, which was a 100cc Kawa and of course, a two-stroke. So that engine sound was lovely to hear, would like to have a go with something like that again just to see if all those golden memories had any tech substance to them. Propably not, but it was still a very fun time and I´m happy to have those memories. We sure put some miles on those bikes, all weathers were fine for riding in those days and jeans, leather jacket and helmet was all the riding gear needed. Those were the days...

After watching your video, I fondly remember my youth (from 1979) when me and my friends could each ride a new MZ TS250/1 - what else? We didn't appreciate them back then, but instead looked at the much more interesting Japanese motorcycles that we couldn't get our hands on. We were stupid and inexperienced... Today I still have my red TS in the garage and would be happy if the developers of this beautiful motorcycle could see and hear the respect for their work - despite all the weaknesses that of course there were. Because we enjoy driving, we have long since forgiven the weaknesses. I've had a Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 for a long time - a classic beauty, but with chassis problems (shutter, kickback, high-speed swing) that we simply didn't experience on the MZ.

Nice video! Everyone needs at least one two-stroke bike in their garage! 😂 I don't have an MZ, but I do have a little 1984 Suzuki GP100 and it's an absolute hoot to ride. It sits alongside my Royal Enfield Interceptor and gets taken out for a ride at least once a month (only covers a few hundred miles a year) but I'll never sell it. Every time I ride it, it makes me feel like I'm 17 again. Myself and a couple of friends of mine did a day trip to the coast last summer on our little two-strokes (a Suzuki GP125, Yamaha RS200 and my GP100) and we raised quite a few smiles from other people along the way. 81 mile round trip. It was hard work on a little 100cc, but soooo much fun 🙂

Gre at touring bikes toured in Australia on ETZ 250 even all over Tasmania two up with panniers and gear easy to cruise 100 110 km a hour up hill down dale , great memories

Great bikes. I had an older 4 speed TS 250/1 bought for £30! Far nicer bike than the CB250 G5 that I bought almost new. The Supa 5 had a smaller front wheel than the older model which I remember handling brilliantly once I replaced the Pneumat tyres with Continentals.

I had many wet dreams about MZ and others same style bikes back then. I got Kawasaki which was same scrambler type and even better. Very reliable.

A great group to stumble into! I was on Bikes 40 odd years ago- started on a 50 cc RM6 ( the horror cross of a Raleigh cycle and a Mobylette) - it was crushingly embarrassing to be seen on it but it was all I could afford. Moved on to Honda 50s , then 90s. In Ireland at the time ( mid 70s) the holy grail as far as I was concerned was the Honda 175 twin 4 stroke.Sadly I never got there but graduated (!?) to a 1965 Austin Mini with slidey windows and a Flintstone floor. Then 'responsibilities ' put paid to any motorcycle plans- that is until now. I've recently acquired a 1984 MZ etz250 and have rediscovered the thrill of repair and restoration .Working on Machines from this time - whether they be motorcycles, Cars or Outboard motors( British Seagull especially) is therapy for me .There isn't a silicon chip in this Bike, no MAF sensor, no EGR, no CPU or dwell angle sensor etc etc there's nothing with initials to frustrate you or ( God forbid) send you to a Main dealer. It IS therapy for the soul! The MZ is a magnificent machine in its own right, exceptionally well made, no plastic to speak of with parts readily available online. Only problem is that the secret is out- after years of being sniggered at they are becoming quite sought after.Life is full of irony!

Me and a load of mates had MZ250s. Used them as ride-to-works and essential as winter bikes, given that we all rode all year round - no cars. Great bikes. That rubber mounted engine was incredibly smooth at road speeds. The handling was excellent. Only thing was the front brake was poor. We used to fit Honda CB250K front twin leading shoe brakes, that cheered them up no end. Michelin M38 tyres worked well. The original carb was difficult to set up for tickover. I was given a Bing from a (I think) Maico 125 which fitted straight on and just transformed the bike. It ticked over like a clock and pickup was like a different engine entirely. I was briefly King amongst the MZ mates. Sadly the carb didn’t have a choke and as winter came in, I just couldn’t start it so back to the original. If I remember correctly my last MZ cost me all of £65.

Great machine and awesome ride🎉 2023's your year, man!

My dad had one. I loved being a pillion on it, until it broke down and we ended up pushing it for miles and miles to get home! That aside, I have many fond memories.

I always found the front brake fierce on mine (original P plate). A better carb would have been a good thing though. I'd buy another one now - loved it. Love 2 strokes and the MZ was brilliant.

had an ETZ 250 that I went from big bikes to. I did 20000 miles touring . then turned it into a racer in the very popular racing series started in late 80.s. Best result was 2nd at Snetterton 50 mile race with 40 on grid. As you say Brembo front disc stopped it on a sixpence and we could leave larger bikes on corners at the twisty tracks. Mine and others in 89 would do over 100mph at Snetterton but they are faster now. Life was good back then. Despite owning everything from full spec Harris Magnum, Suzuki Katana 1100, Ducati 900 Superlight, the one bike I would want to 'own' again is my MZ 250. Very well built, totally reliable, cheap and a total pleasure to ride and own. Motorbikes are a total turn off for me now, over commercialised , image driven hi tec rubbish. Great review, thanks.

In one of the side views of the bike, it looks as if one of the engine mount bolts at the rear of the engine has come loose. I had a TS 250 as my first real bike, when a teenager living in Germany, ca 1976. The bike was distributed in Germany by Neckermann, the mail order company. Mine was similar your one, but yellow, 19hp, no rev counter, and four gears. After a few years, both wheels needed replacing, as the steel inner lining of the drum was not a circular piece, but a strip bent into a ring to fit the hub: corrosion made it lose it's shape and the joint in the steel used to eat brake pads. There were a few other niggles, but once sorted, it was a great reliable bike, with what I thought was superb road holding at the time. With the torquey engine, acceleration was crazy and it used to go through the tiny 16" rear tire every 3000km, at a time when only Metzelers fitted and which I thought were dear, but worth it for their good roadholding (and I had no other options). I once raced my neighbour, a lad with an RD250. I was ahead up to about 50kmh/30mph, the reason being the great torque and that I only had to change once into second, whereas my mate was frantically going through the gears. But after that, I was left behind in a trail of blue smoke: unlike my MZ, the Yammie was terribly smokey.

I had an MZ 125 many moons ago... Yes, the brakes were naff and as slow as a C90, but it was a sweet ride, with a nice clutch and g-box. I also liked the fact it had points ! :D

How nostalgic! I had a TS125 as a kid and lusted after the 250 🤩 I have dreams where I still own/ride it 🤣 I think it also set my tone for fugly bikes… cx500, Buell , currently riding RE Himalayan . Great video thanks 👍

Had an MZ TS150, huge fun in a small package.

You really are a great group! Thanks!

In my biking life i've had three MZs, first one was a 70s Supa 5, I gave £100 for it as a get to work hack, I used it for about 5 years but I also had some good runs out on it, the only problem was it kept puncturing the front tyre, I changed tyre, tube, and rim tape, and even checked the front wheel for and pointy bits! it punctured about three times on me, after the last event at Weaverham, just leaving from Oulton Park it had to go, I bought a MZ 251 for my daily trip to work on the outskirts of Manchester, The bike was a bit on the rough side but ran very well, their seemed to be a problem with bike theft at the time, so I thought no one will want to pinch this! I ran it for over two years with never a problem with it, then I had to retire due to health problems, I now have a fully restored ETS 250 Trophy Sport! I saw one at a bike show and admired it, saw this one on Ebay and bought it! yes nothing much wrong with MZs for & cheap reliable motorcycling.

Thankyou for your honest appraisal of the omz I never owned one but I used to know plenty of BMW owners that used to put their BMWS away for winter and use an mz as it was cheap and cheerful I enjoyed your comments well done I ride a Bonville now can't fault it would you test one of these bikes one day see what you think !

Great review and episode !! I had an ETZ 125 and loved it ...On Christmas Day I Fell off on a roundabout and broke 2 arms... Wanted a 250 but didn't find one Good bikes rugged and reliable..

Thank You for the reminder 😊

I had one of those at the same time as I had a Kawasaki GTR. Very different machines. The MZ was a great handling bike, cheap to run, crazy looking and surprisingly comfortable. They had a weakness, the gear lever return spring had a high failure rate. Burwins in London serviced them and replaced the spring with a Laverda spring which was more robust. 2T oil bottle in between clocks. Adequate brakes, useless electrics. A classic.

I have a lot of time for the MZ, having passed my test on an ETZ 125 and then having an extended loan on an ETZ 251 for 6 months of commuting 70 miles a day, 5 days a week. Never missed a beat.

I brought a TS250/1 in 1980 and toured France and Spain, 2 up with loaded panniers and a tank bag. It didn't miss a beat and due to miss judging the distance I had to do the last 75 miles with throttle on the stops and were the last vehicle on the ferry. Did a decoc when got home and found no scoring or wear to the barrels. Great bike (if you remember the front brake was poor).

I had an MZ 301 from new, in 1992, until I gave up riding twelve years ago. Reliability on wheels. Unlike the Supa 5, the 301 had an oil pump and a front disc brake. being only 5' 9" in thick socks, I found the low saddle height very comfortable. I felt I was sitting in the bike rather than on it.

That was a great video, thank you. The tool-case in a zip compartment at the rear of the seat was something done by the BSA and Triumph ISDT bike’s from the 1950s onwards (as soon as dual-seats came in) so probably pre-dating the MZs, but they never put it on production bikes. And the Bantam! If only BSA management could have seen what they had there!! Blinkered to the nth degree.. Thanks again. I’ll look out for you guys in my locality (close to Bill Smith’s place!) Les

Fine machine sir.. Every rider would be happy with this one.. Everything else is just bling bling

When I was at high school my tech drawing teacher had a TS250, V reg I think? We ripped the piss out of him mercilessly. Now 40 years later I want one, never mind your RD250s and your X7s, the MZ TS250 was possibly the best 250 2 stroke on the market at that time, definitely the most reliable. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I would ride to Scotland on it, although I'm sure it would be more than capable, I have a thunderace for those sort of trips, but I would love one for just riding to the local bike meet and watching everyone looking at probably thinking how crap they thought they were back in the day but actually now.............

I had the ETZ 250, loved it. It withstood massive amounts of abuse and neglect but just kept going. Brother had the 300 version which nipped up after being run in too carefully. It cooled down and carried on, as they say!

YT? recommends a channel I want...will wonders ever cease..keep it up guys..🇬🇧

The MZ-B generator is regulated 12v and electronic ignition in one unit. The later disc brake is very good but needs a smaller master cylinder for best results. Hagon rear shocks help the ride & handling no-end.

I loved my Supa 5; the only bike I ever bought new. I used it for touring commuting and despatching. When I moved on to a BMW R 60/7 the guy I bought it from had several MZ’s. He reckoned the only difference between these two German marques was the parts quality on the MZ was better.

The "blue smoke": There is no need for marihuana when you have a 2-stroke! 😉

Very interesting Mike, nice simple bike! Continue to be VERY CAREFUL around ALL BMW’s….they usually don’t like to be overtaken!!