MZ is to close at the end of 2008

[Bob]

The East German company – which has been building bikes in one guise or another since the early 1920s - has been making losses and their Malaysia backer Hong Leong Industries has decided to withdraw funding.

The Freie Presse newspaper from the nearby city of Chemnitz said the Zschopau plant (MZ stands for Motorcycle Works Zschopau) would close on December 31. The closure had been anticipated as the 31st is the date that subsidies from the state of Saxony end. Some 40 workers are set to lose their jobs.

[Taz]

It's a real shame they couldn't make a nice bike that sells.

[Bob]

Next year hoping to be in a position to look at new bikes - I really fancied seeing if I could source a 1000SF:

http://www.mz1000s.de/mz1000sf/en/

Never going to happen now.

Shame. Over here, too much association with those little 2-stroke ETZs etc they used to turn out.

Their modern range looks good, but these days backers want to see a return... and something like 10 years after taking over, they've had enough.

[98tls]

Shame.The SF seemed a great bike and way cheaper than a Tuono.Awhile back i read they had big plans for a super moto etc.

[Owl]

Maybe it's just me, but with the choice of awesome bikes that are out there, why would you buy an oddball parallel twin? V-twin yeah, triple yeah yeah (biased) or even a multi, but a large parallel twin with mismatched firing order in this day and age seems destined to fail.

[xwhatsit]

Maybe it's just me, but with the choice of awesome bikes that are out there, why would you buy an oddball parallel twin? V-twin yeah, triple yeah yeah (biased) or even a multi, but a large parallel twin with mismatched firing order in this day and age seems destined to fail.

I dunno, Bimmer and Yamahaha seem to have done all right. Never mind Kawasaki either.

What's the difference between a parallel twin and a V-twin anyway? Just packaging. Parallel better anyway -- less weight, better cooling, less components (one cylinder head, camshaft etc.).

[Owl]

I dunno, Bimmer and Yamahaha seem to have done all right. Never mind Kawasaki either.

What's the difference between a parallel twin and a V-twin anyway? Just packaging. Parallel better anyway -- less weight, better cooling, less components (one cylinder head, camshaft etc.).

Four stroke parallel twins with a 180 degree crank sound retarded IMO. They may save weight over a V, but that hasn't helped MZ with their sportsbike weighing in at 200+kg.

[Bob]

A parallel twin owner comments...

Over the years I've owned parallel twins, v-twins and fours. Of these, to be honest the v-twin configuration is the one I like best - there is just something about the lovely, 'lazy' delivery that just feels, well, 'right'. Not owned or ridden a triple, so cannot comment.

Of course, most people's memories of parallels comes from stuff designed back in the 1980s (GPZ500S etc). Parallels back then were a bit 'buzzy' and 'vibey'. Fun to ride, but it always felt that you needed to work the gearbox a lot harder to get the best out of the bike.

The parallel in the ER-6 is a brand new engine - and Kawasaki got the fuel injection just right. It feels a lot more like a Vee in character - but of course you can squeeze a parallel into a smaller space, allowing you to design a smaller chassis to cope.

Regarding the comment "Maybe it's just me, but with the choice of awesome bikes that are out there, why would you buy an oddball parallel twin?" - you answered your own question. With so many bikes out there with similar configurations/looks etc, why NOT ride something a little bit different?

[Owl]

Regarding the comment "Maybe it's just me, but with the choice of awesome bikes that are out there, why would you buy an oddball parallel twin?" - you answered your own question. With so many bikes out there with similar configurations/looks etc, why NOT ride something a little bit different?

Fair enough Bob! I can't really argue with that reasoning, considering I ride an S3. They're great fun and have that X factor, but I wouldn't call them practical.