My new toy - anyone else owned a MZ?

[cynna]

just brought a MZ Baghira - has anyone else got one. I dont kow much about them so any info appreciated

[rudolph]

I think they use a YAMAHA TT660 motor

[cynna]

its the engine from the yamaha raptor quad bike. not sure what the difference is from the bike engine. just googling now....

[rudolph]

It looks much nicer than the Yamaha TT / XT, might have to fix that muffler tho

[pritch]

Alan Shepherd?


There is a photo of the man and the machine here:
http://www.mzridersclub.co.uk/bikes/racing/racing.html

A recent BIKE story detailed the soul destroying trials and tribulations overcome by Shepherd to get to Daytona to race the MZ. When, by several minor miracles, he finally got to Daytona the fuel was no good. The bike wouldn't pull top gear, so he phoned the factory (a miracle in itself in at the height of the Cold war). He was told to strip the engine and put several extra gaskets in to lower the compression.

A fellow Pom, a spectator in the crowd, offered to do pit signals for him, apart from that he was completely on his own.

Despite it all, he made the start line and he gave MZ the US victory they craved.

[xwhatsit]

Heheh, blimey that Baghira's a bit different from the ancient two-strokes I was envisaging when I opened the thread. This was an interesting review I read recently. Sounds like a right laugh -- but big singles usually are

[Conquiztador]

Heheh, blimey that Baghira's a bit different from the ancient two-strokes I was envisaging when I opened the thread. This was an interesting review I read recently. Sounds like a right laugh -- but big singles usually are

Same! I was thinking "poor bastard" and was gonna inform the owner of a two smoke temperamental shitty bike with WW2 solutions. But then I did see the pics and went: "Wow!!"

[James Deuce]

Didn't Ernst Degner have a couple of those too?

[OregonKiwi]

Good looking bike, saw a yellow one over on the Apalation trail a few years back.
See them advertised in my monthly mags here, yamaha motor-can't go wrong, want one, enjoy.

[cynna]

might have to fix that muffler tho

yeah - that was the first thing i was thinking of doing. not only is it ugly it looks like it weighs a ton as well

[davereid]

Nice Bike. Good to see MZ back in business in this country.

[pritch]

Didn't Ernst Degner have a couple of those too?

The factory at one stage couldn't pay Shepherd (due to the exigencies of a command economy) so they gave him his factory bikes in lieu.

When he turned up at Customs in the UK they noted the country of manufacture and refused the bikes entry... Having now read of his incredible resilience I'm sure he managed something.

The circumstances in which Degner departed MZ probably precluded his taking much luggage?