MZ TS125 - The German Classic you didn’t know about

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  • Опубліковано 24 гру 2024

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  • @jorgwalther5722
    @jorgwalther5722 Рік тому +13

    Had a TS150 myself, went all the way from Berlin to the Black Sea cost in Bulgaria and back in 1974. Lots of memories. Thanks for bringing them back with your review!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      That is bloody impressive
      Bet it was an amazing ride

    • @rolandzoske448
      @rolandzoske448 7 місяців тому

      Just like a good friend of mine who, at the end of the 70s, rode with his girlfriend on the small MZ (TS 150) from Berlin to Bulgaria.
      Just yesterday he unexpectedly visited me here in his old home (he has lived in Hanover since 1989).

  • @andrewpeacock4695
    @andrewpeacock4695 Рік тому +17

    Thanks for the trip down memory lane. My first bike, in 1976, was an MZ TS150. I rode it for three years then sold it to my brother before buying it back from him for use to get to and from university. After the 125 cc learner law came into effect in the early 1980s the price of the MZ 150 fell through the floor. I traded mine in for 10 pounds against an almost new one that cost 75 pounds. I rode this until I finished uni, at which time I sold it for 25 pounds. All told, I got my money's worth from these two bikes. I would love to ride one again to compare it to my modern Bonneville. Incidentally, I averaged about 90m mpg, which fit my budget.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +3

      And now the150 would cost a Lot more

    • @Nooziterp1
      @Nooziterp1 Рік тому +1

      @@bikerdood1100 And would be unsellable used. Who would want a 150 when the learner limit is 125?

    • @Nooziterp1
      @Nooziterp1 Рік тому +3

      My first 'real' bike, after a moped, was also a TS150. Bought new in 1977. I learned to ride on it before trading up to a TS250.

  • @garymartin557
    @garymartin557 Рік тому +13

    MZ are a pleasure to myself. I had a saxon tour 251 based on the ETZ.loved it. Walter Kadden was one of the finest engineers ever in my opinion. The road bikes had a very heavy crank , clutch and piston . You used the inertia of the engine to drive out of corners. You didn't drop down the gears like a Japanese 2 stroke. Great bikes, slagged off by those who never road them or even sat on one.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      They are an unusual mix of stroker and big single

    • @garymartin557
      @garymartin557 Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 unusual, but i love them.

    • @nightjaronthegate
      @nightjaronthegate Рік тому +1

      Inertia is resistance to acceleration so it doesn't drive the bike out of corners. The engine was tuned to give its power at lower revs than the Japanese bikes.
      MZs were indeed slagged off by people who never road, rowed or rode them.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      @@nightjaronthegate indeed so sir

  • @declanlee5440
    @declanlee5440 Рік тому +8

    I have an MZ etz 250 1984 . A wonderful machine really - all of the brake / Gearbox anomalies had been ironed out at that stage and with autolube it was finally a modern bike.Its well up to modern traffic demands and is totally reliable.Also it's a joy to work on- easily repaired and parts are easily got .Only hassle now is that they are sought after and prices are rising big time- ironic really as they were the object of much derision originally.A great bike!! Greetings from Ireland

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      Iran an ETZ from the same period
      Very sturdy

    • @Rick-ve5lx
      @Rick-ve5lx 7 місяців тому

      I wonder if it’s the one I sold for £150 - oh dear.

    • @declanlee5440
      @declanlee5440 7 місяців тому

      @@Rick-ve5lx No unfortunately it isn't! You could add a nought to that and you'd be nearer the mark! God be with the days when you could get mobile for 150 of anything....

    • @Rick-ve5lx
      @Rick-ve5lx 7 місяців тому

      @@declanlee5440 You’re right. My first car was £80. First MZ was a Supa 5 which cost me £120. Russell in Belfast sold ETZs for £875 new I think. I’ve picked up a TS125 this year but it was £600!

  • @carlarthur4442
    @carlarthur4442 Рік тому +4

    Seems great going faster on a slow bike , great fun got too put a smile on your face 😊
    Great little video, thanks 😊 👍

  • @olethorhermansen5696
    @olethorhermansen5696 Рік тому +3

    Those enclosed MZ chaincases were absolutely brilliant. I copied them for a Kawasaki Z750 twin I owned back in the 1980's and used for commuting. A pair of rubber tubes from an MZ and a rear sprocket cover I made in aluminium plate. I rode with it for years, and it worked perfectly. I never needed to clean the chain and hardly ever adjusted it, just gave it a squirt of oil now and then, and it wasn't even an O-ring chain. It's too bad that only MZ ever really used them.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      I have no idea why other companies just let the chains rust
      Back in the day a lot of Brit bikes ran full chain enclosures

  • @jezztech
    @jezztech Рік тому +3

    Brilliant nostalgic post, ! I probably alluded to this time in my life B4? , but as an apprentice technician @ 16 Y O, with my Garelli Tiger cross , was mentored by an older teammate with an MZ 125, his MZ could always out accelerate my little Garelli , more torque etc, but , total NON bullshit , i could always catch and level out on top end with my Garelli screaming and the MZ chugging. BUT ( thanks for your patience) that measured filler cap was so simple and ingenious, you got perfect oil mix ratios every time . with the Garelli , being a young kid and wanting to protect the engine i always kind of put too much oil in " just in case " on account of no real way to get it spot on. times changed and even MZ changed to autolube but at the time, that simple concept of filler cap doubling as measure was brilliantly simple, and must have contributed to the bikes ability to start consistently ( us Garelli & Fantic youths being well practiced at taking the plugs and raging them dry or heating it up with your cliiper fag lighter) Lol

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      The bike has a lot of neat practical touches

  • @runningtorchlight
    @runningtorchlight Рік тому +3

    Nice video! Also nice to read all this comments full of fond memories. All I can say is, get up and find yourselfes one. MZ is worth it ! 😊

  • @cmdrcetusmv
    @cmdrcetusmv Рік тому +2

    Fantastic to see the mighty MZ on UA-cam this morning, great video. 25 years ago, in my poverty spec student days, I bopped about on a Smoothrite black ETZ250. I thought it was quite fast once I removed the barn-door fairing, and that superb thing carried me 100 miles door-to-door in all weathers to see my girlfriend (now wife). I once fixed a blown fuse with a bit of foil off the roadside when the HT lead melted itself on the cylinder head. Eventually sold it for 50 quid when the gearbox started misbehaving... I see the prices are on the up now, sadly!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      Ahh
      Poverty transport
      Had an ETZ 250 for the same reason
      £125 of joy 😂

  • @geoff9614
    @geoff9614 Рік тому +3

    One of the best bikes I’ve owned in 40 years of motorcycling never went wrong never failed to start and could go anywhere look at how many times mz won the isdt would make a great adventure bike along with another legend the Honda cg 125

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      True

    • @harrylor66
      @harrylor66 Рік тому +2

      Yes, the MZ can also be an adventure bike,
      that's right!🙂
      Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a tour of 48000 miles!😊
      His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine.
      I write it very often in my comments on MZ, because this story has been forgotten.

  • @empireforge8409
    @empireforge8409 Рік тому +4

    Nice review chaps. I owned and rode a 1972 ETS 250 Sport, forerunner to the TS 250. Soundly engineered it cost £90 if I recall seconhand. 1976 saw me do the old RAC/ACU National Rally on it. 600 miles in 24 hours, finishing at York Race Course. So with start and finish points plus the ride home to Wolverhampton, over 800 miles were covered that weekend. I got my Gold Award, and It never missed a beat. I suspect if I owned HWB 36 J now, it would still perform the same feat. However 47 years later the rider is more than a bit worn out!

  • @ducatobeing
    @ducatobeing Рік тому +1

    I never owned one of these, but I have ridden a few. Solid, unpretentious, comfortable and well engineered. Not fast, but that isn't what these are about.

  • @peterdoe2617
    @peterdoe2617 Рік тому +8

    A friend of mine owned a TS 250. And he was a technical engineer for vehicles. So I know a thing or 2 about the TS series. Interresting: they had experimented with the ball bearings for the crankshaft. And using 15 or 16 balls in the bearing 8I don't know which way around )made a huge difference in durability. The 150 was the bike of choice for many riders. They would praise how smooth the motor was running. The 250 came with 17hp for the solo bike, but 22hp with the sidecar outfit. And there is a guy, stringing together 2 of the 250ties. Means a 500ccm motor with 44hp. (Just like the 500 Ossa Yankee was invented.) Sadly, I never found more information about these. In the late 8ties, I built a transistor ignition for my BMW and a 6V version for my friends MZ. (Still using the points, but the main current goes through the transitor, so your points don't burn.) He was over the moon about how much smoother his 250 would run with this little gadget. The wiring scheme was published in ELEKTOR Magazine in 1972. #34: Auto-Transistor-Zündung in the summer edition of the magazine, always entitled: "Halbleiterheft".

    • @stephenshipley1066
      @stephenshipley1066 Рік тому +2

      How does a sidecar add 5hp? 🤔

    • @peterdoe2617
      @peterdoe2617 Рік тому +2

      @@stephenshipley1066 The sidecar didn't. The company was allowed to implement the stronger motor. (For whatever reasons.)

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      Have seen the 500 twin on line
      Great work

    • @horsthorstikus
      @horsthorstikus Рік тому +1

      @@stephenshipley1066 the exhaust manifold was longer in the export version this killed 4-5 HP

  • @henrikstenlund5385
    @henrikstenlund5385 8 місяців тому +1

    I had this abt 50 years ago. I was very happy with it. It was not fast but driving it in terrain was a great joy. it has long-stroke springs and shocks and big wheels. In city it was a pure pleasure to drive.

  • @martinwarner1178
    @martinwarner1178 Рік тому +3

    I had one to go to work on, whilst my wife used our car for running the kids about. I easily used to get 60 mph out of it. I am not a bike guy, never even past my test, but it was lovely riding that little bike during summers. Thanks for a great video, from a fellow that is a professor of bikes and biking.

  • @panjang4709
    @panjang4709 Рік тому +3

    Great review and really impressive that you have at least 3 sheds! 😊

  • @duck1946
    @duck1946 Рік тому +2

    I had a Trohy 125 ,it had the"banana" shaped tank and headlamp one piece assembly,
    It had blue side panels ,the tank headlamp assy was cream,the front frame and top tube was a steel welded assy stoved black,the rear frame was a aluminium casting as was the rear mudguard, all stoved in a silver grey enamel, at the front end it was an Earles Fork which was realy nice, the front mudguard was ridged and also a casting in silver grey,
    it had a air of class and quality even if its appearance was a bit odd ,
    I bought it new in 1975? for a daily 20 mile commute,lovely comfortable bike lt was kept mint condition,then i moved home changed job and had a company car so it was polishedand put in store for a couple of years and eventualy sold, wish i had it still ,as a 77yr oldie it would be ideal for an evening or 4am run in the Yorkshire Dales.

  • @jonnaylor3154
    @jonnaylor3154 Рік тому +8

    One of my teacher's at college had an MZ, chrome tank and orange painted cycle parts, I think it was a 250 , it was kind of retro looking back in the day and I'm talking the early 1990s, to me they seem to look better with age.😎

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      They have aged surprisingly well

    • @carlarthur4442
      @carlarthur4442 Рік тому +1

      I think as you get older you appreciate things much more 😊

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      @@carlarthur4442 a sobering thought

  • @babsstevetillett600
    @babsstevetillett600 Рік тому +1

    Some Bultaco street bikes also had the enclosed chain.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      So did many British bikes and the Honda Cub
      Not the same design at all however

  • @markbrennan4693
    @markbrennan4693 Рік тому +2

    Bought a CZ 125 back in the day, much the same as this. Nice video.

  • @kasperkjrsgaard1447
    @kasperkjrsgaard1447 Рік тому +3

    MZ TS 150. The biggest selling motorcycle in Denmark in the early 70’s. Cheaper than many mopeds and certainly cheaper and faster than public traffic.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      Practical transport rather than the play things of today

  • @gunnyhartman2
    @gunnyhartman2 Рік тому +5

    Most bikers at the time took the piss out of MZ in general, when in reality they were solid well engineered bikes.

  • @TriumphBeezaman
    @TriumphBeezaman Рік тому +5

    Remember my TS 125 i had as a runabout & remember how bright the headlamp was being only 6 volt & working off the dynamo.
    Another good feature on MZs were the rear suspension preload levers that's much handier than a C spanner.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      It is surprisingly good considering 6v

    • @cedriclynch
      @cedriclynch 10 місяців тому +1

      MZs had a 45 watt headlamp in the 1970s when other makes had 25 or 35 watts. You could get an after-market 6V 60/55W halogen bulb (made by East German firm Narva) that made the light even brighter. Also MZs had a DC dynamo with vibrating-contact voltage regulator and quite a large battery, giving a stable voltage and able to support the 45W or 60W headlamp with no difficulty. Many other bikes of that time had the headlamp running on AC from the flywheel magneto/alternator and it would go very dim at low revs.
      At least some MZs have an emergency position of the ignition key, in which the dynamo is disconnected from the battery and feeds only the ignition coil until the voltage reaches a certain level. This makes it easy to push-start the engine if the battery is flat, something that is difficult or impossible on some other bikes with ignition fed from the battery.

    • @cedriclynch
      @cedriclynch 7 місяців тому

      @@bikerdood1100 There is a big advantage that 6v lamp bulbs have over 12v bulbs for use in motorcycles: they are more resistant to vibration because the filaments are thicker and shorter. The main disadvantage is that for a given wattage they need twice as many amps, which means the wiring needs more copper in it for the lamps to work at full brightness.

  • @rickh8380
    @rickh8380 Рік тому +6

    What a great little bike. Simple as it gets. First time ever seeing one of these. Thanks guys for sharing. Ride safe. Cheers from the States

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      It’s a relative of the DKW
      Even Harley and Yamaha built versions

    • @rickh8380
      @rickh8380 Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 Thanks for the info. Cheers

  • @thevoxofreason8468
    @thevoxofreason8468 Рік тому +5

    Love it. Pure & simple.

  • @robertmaitland09
    @robertmaitland09 Рік тому +2

    For me a true rock stars bike! Whilst despatching in London in the eighties my Z550 broke down, a very nice bloke called Paul Gray lent me his MZ 250 whilst my bike was being fixed, Paul played bass for the Damned and Eddie and the hotrods!

  • @shingerz
    @shingerz Рік тому +2

    Remember seeing these a lot in the eightys look a sturdy bike good video like how youve filmed it 👍

  • @Norfolkbiker50
    @Norfolkbiker50 Рік тому +4

    My tech drawing teacher had one, a TS250, because of the way it looked but mostly because it was his we never missed an opportunity to take the piss but now, in fact for the last 20 years, I would love one. If you actually look at the numbers they were as good as any Japanese 250 in 1979, maybe a little slower but ultra reliable and a lot more economical. I would buy one in a heart beat now.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      Very true
      A smart but not trendy choice

    • @Norfolkbiker50
      @Norfolkbiker50 Рік тому +1

      @@bikerdood1100 yeah, my cycle ride home from school was around 3 miles and he used to pass me most days, on days when it was pissing down or bloody freezing I would've sold my soul for that bike.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      @@Norfolkbiker50 😂😂

  • @georgepitchley3946
    @georgepitchley3946 9 місяців тому +1

    Stalwart of emergency services working on shift work in central London, every police station, ambulance station and fire station had one or more with different engine sizes, no matter what the weather these bikes would get through. The best commuting bike I’ve ever had. Never fast, quite comfortable but ultra reliable.

  • @davidrochow9382
    @davidrochow9382 Рік тому +16

    Best way I found to mix the two stroke oil was to put it in first then fill the tank.

  • @simonbirt6121
    @simonbirt6121 Рік тому +4

    Great review, nice to see a youngster who likes classics, even the less glamorous ones. How true the comment about free neutrals on a Guzzi gearbox.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      Well he over states
      He’s young 😂
      He does own a Guzzi and the box on his is really good
      He does have a Guzzi T shirt with
      What you mean you only got one neutral however

    • @simonbirt6121
      @simonbirt6121 Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 We can forgive him for being young. I love my Guzzi, but perhaps acknowledging that the gear box is not its best feature, my beloved describes it as a tractor which I feel is a little harsh.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      @@simonbirt6121 oh we have a Breva 1100 and a V7 11
      Both have excellent gear boxes
      Toms is a V35 imola which is fairly good I’d say and better than on my old V50

  • @duncanmacpherson2013
    @duncanmacpherson2013 9 місяців тому +1

    I had an MZ150 for a while and that was virtually identical to this. The ignition key is the same as BMW used until the early 70's

  • @chrisweeks6973
    @chrisweeks6973 Рік тому +3

    Decent, effective mudguards were commonplace on central/eastern European bikes back in the day, so as to be able to cope with the often less-than-perfect road conditions, The same goes for the full enclosure of the rear chain which, on my new '62/3 Jawa 250 was self-lubricating with a misting pipe coming off the back of the gearbox. My '70 Jawa 350 was exactly the same.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +3

      True
      They built their bikes as sensible transport
      Not toys for Middle Ages men

  • @orwellboy1958
    @orwellboy1958 Рік тому +3

    Back in my mis-spent youth, a mate loaned me a 150 while my CB 250 was in the shop. Not being used to a two stroke, the first time I took the girlfriend out, I gave it some beans, popped a wheely and she shot straight off the back.

  • @mainlander6299
    @mainlander6299 Рік тому +2

    I've ridden a few Mz bikes in the past, and I found the ETZ125 version quite a good town bike. It would pop the front up if you dumped the clutch at traffic lights, and the model I rode had the Brembo front disc brake. You could stand it on the front wheel as the bike was so light.
    At least the 125 was equipped with metal levers, my Simpson 50 had plastic ones. On a hot day, the brake lever would come back to the bar!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      Plastic levers ?
      Who thought that was a good idea I wonder

  • @jameslynch-h8q
    @jameslynch-h8q Місяць тому

    Great old reliable uncomplicated bikes.
    Simple and functional.
    I bet they go for years in all weather conditions.

  • @adhub3971
    @adhub3971 Рік тому +4

    I owned a TS150. It was my last bike before i stopped riding. Just as much fun as the big japanese 4 bangers i had before. Parts are good available. Actually it is a big moped. The ignition key is also used for the DDR Zetor tractor. And i remember if you turn the key anticlockwise you can start the bike when you have a flat battery, pratical isnt it? Greetings from the Netherlands.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      You can use emergency start
      It works
      Reasonably well I’d say

  • @harrylor66
    @harrylor66 Рік тому +3

    A very nice video !🥰
    The MZ can also be ridden as an adventure bike, like a scrambler.🙂😉
    Here is another forgotten story, which I often mention in my comments:
    Mr David Baynam from London rode an MZ Supa 5 from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego in 1978, a remarkable tour of 48000 miles! 😀😎
    His travelogue can be read in the September 1979 issue of Motorcycle Sport Magazine.

  • @robedmunds7163
    @robedmunds7163 Рік тому +2

    Have the 150 Eagle, 125 is the Alpine. 150 engine is a lot more pleasant to ride with the extra bit if power. Piston slap can be loud but not terminal. Gearboxes can be noisy in 3rd as well. Front brake is marginal, but at least you are not going as fast as the 250 which has the same brake 😂

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      Ahh that slightly elusive 3 gear
      Fortunately when I did have a 250 it was an ETZ and that front disc was ok
      As far as I can remember at least

  • @turboslag
    @turboslag 10 місяців тому +1

    MZs were the commuter, winter hack hero in the 70s and early 80s and were unfairly stigmatised as cheap cr4p. They sold on price and when they broke down with a serious problem people just skipped them and bought another!! I always had a thing for them though, because when you examine them in detail they are very interesting. Consequently, about 15 years ago, a TS125 popped up on eBay and I bid successfully for it. The reason I went for that particular example is because it was NOS, never used or registered!! A dealer had retired and was disposing of all his surplus unsold stock. Interest in MZs was still low at that time so I got it for £350!!! It's an Alpine version, which is the designation for the base model with speedo only and no chrome, in a really nice blue!! I've been in a dilemma about using it since, because it's only new and unused once but I'm not getting any younger and I really would like to experience riding it. So I think I'll exhume it from it's long time garage slot and bring life to it this summer. And I think it deserves a UA-cam vid to mark the occasion!!!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  9 місяців тому

      Got my first MZ for £126 in the early 90s
      Dead useful it was too

    • @turboslag
      @turboslag 9 місяців тому +1

      @@bikerdood1100
      Yeah, they were as cheap as chips at one time, those days are long gone!

  • @bruceparr1678
    @bruceparr1678 Рік тому +1

    It was Walter Kaaden (MZ's engine designer) who said "You know when you have achieved the perfect two stroke exhaust system because it will no longer fit on the bike".

  • @terryblack2219
    @terryblack2219 Рік тому +1

    Nice memory’s I do recall an event in the early 80s bring Skint on a 250 when it slid away from me going down a frosty hill early one morning .. when I caught up with it laying down on its side but still dinging over.. I kicked the foot pegs back straight straighten in the mirror and rode to work simple days 😂 thank you made an old man reminisce..

  • @dumptrump3788
    @dumptrump3788 Рік тому +3

    I once had the "fortune" to ride behind an MZ ETZ350 & the smoke coming out if the exhaust! It was almost like a long, very fuzzy rope.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      I do love the smoke screen and the magical smell it leaves behind

  • @Zybernide
    @Zybernide Рік тому +1

    Hi. I own the same bike. I immediately noticed the ratteling noise when throttle is released while driving or when the engine is reved without load. If this noise only occurs when there is no load on the engine it is almost certainly the carburetor. Not the engine. The throttle slide of the carburetor is worn an thus rattles at revs without load. It was a common problem with the BVF 22n1 carburetors.

  • @PeterTurr
    @PeterTurr 2 місяці тому

    So einen Hobel habe ich auch eine Zeit lange gefahren. War eine 150 ccm Maschine mit Knieblechen / und Rohrrahmen rings rum. Seitengepäckträger und Seitenständer. Sehr robust und Zuverlässig. Blechprägerahmen mit super langem Steuerkopf. Fast keine Verwindungen beim Sprung, wenn das Vorderrad mal nicht in Fahrtrichtung gezeigt hat und somit immer eine Verwindung provoziert. War sehr zufrieden damit. Peter

  • @stephenshipley1066
    @stephenshipley1066 Рік тому +2

    I've always found MZ attractive bikes (maybe the 250 more so) but I could never stop worrying about that vertical slab of tank in front of my pelvis. I had the misfortune to go flying over the handlebars when someone pulled out of an urban car park in front of me. I wasn't even doing 30. I broke nothing - no skin, no bones - but I was off work for 2 months with soft tissue damage to my left leg. I wasn't milking it for compensation either (!) But I'm so glad that, on my BMW RT, it was my lower left leg that took the impact and not my pelvis or other bits. PS the BMW was a write off.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      Oh the tank is safe enough
      Now a 60s Triumph tank top luggage rack
      That’s a dangerous thing indeed

  • @pravyk1
    @pravyk1 10 місяців тому +2

    Very nice review😊 Maybe Jawa 350 ts in future?

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  10 місяців тому +1

      If I can hold of one definitely a good idea 👍🏻

  • @WOLFIE-96B-UK
    @WOLFIE-96B-UK Рік тому +2

    I had a couple of TS250's back in the '70s for riding to work on in the winter. Cheap, reliable bikes that were fun to ride! Or am I looking back through rose tinted glasses?

  • @borderlands6606
    @borderlands6606 Рік тому +2

    Never owned the 125 but had three 250s. I always thought they looked cool, especially the Trophy. The TS/Supa 5 bikes are unmistakeable from the front, tall, narrow with a big headlight and fork gaiters, they give off an insect vibe. Massively underestimated bikes by normies.

  • @derekdingwall
    @derekdingwall Рік тому +2

    One of my first bikes was the TS150 at about 13years old for running around fields etc,always started and kept going ,I remember the exhaust as large leafs if chrome plating would fall off😂👍

  • @BanjoLuke1
    @BanjoLuke1 Рік тому +1

    My courier firm ran a few MZs in the late 80s. We could rent them when our machines were off the road (or an R65 for almost twice the weekly rate). The MZs were OK, but didn't inspire. However, once the bakelite OE tyres were swapped for decent Metzelers or Pirellis (I forget which) they were transformed. It became a different bike. From memory, they were disc-brake models with a separate oil tank. ETZ250? I forget.
    Anyway... On reasonably sticky rubber (or rather not on bakelite) they became pretty nifty.
    I recall the amusing (comedy) rattling, shaking and juddering at tickover... But on the move they did a good job. One might even say they were swift and happy in a fast sweeper.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      I have bad memories of Eastern European tyres

  • @dunzjos9754
    @dunzjos9754 Рік тому +2

    Loved my ETZ251 after having owned a 125 RD Yamaha as a learner bike. But because I was ,and still am, a big heavy, bloke I traded the MZ for a Jawa 35O. Regretted it, because the MZ was more reliable and handled way better. also more economical to ride.After the Jawa, Beemers for ever after.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +2

      The MZ seemed the best of the eastern bloc motorcycles

    • @dunzjos9754
      @dunzjos9754 Рік тому

      Best of the worst. LOL@@bikerdood1100

  • @mrmoon1482
    @mrmoon1482 Рік тому +2

    I remember in the early 90s my friend was told about a TS125 for sale, he went to look at it and we was waiting for him to come back on the Suzuki TS125, but he came back on one of these, it was the best laugh we had for a long time lol, not the coolest bike for over the fields very sluggish they feel more like a 50cc as far as power 🤭

  • @steveball2307
    @steveball2307 Рік тому +4

    You've got to love a MZ, try and get hold of an es250 to test - now there's a "different" bike!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      Well I had an ETZ 250 for a couple of years so I’m familiar with their Quirky 250 engine

    • @steveball2307
      @steveball2307 Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 And a very good engine it is too. Had an es and ts 250 in the day. It's just that the es is so different - the leading link forks and very "interesting" styling... I'd love another one if the shed was bigger!

  • @alandavies55
    @alandavies55 Рік тому +2

    I had one for years as a daily run about. It was really useful, and I could be half way to town in the time it took to drag the 750 out of the shed. I bought it off a young idiot whose father had bought it for hi,m to learn on he didn`t want it, so the little tit set out to wreck it, but wrecked his leg instead. When I went to see it he raved on about what a load of rubbish it was, I replied that case it was only worth a couple of quid and gave him £2 for it.
    The MZ Riders Club in the UK is very active, and a great time is had by all.

  • @hectorshouse7348
    @hectorshouse7348 Рік тому +1

    Haha….I had a blue one back in 1979

  • @AIRMANBEAR
    @AIRMANBEAR Рік тому +1

    DID THE 125 HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE TS250 ( PINKING AT SPEEDS OVER 90 KPH ) IF YOU KEPT ON IT WOULD SEIZE ..WHICH I COULD NEVER SOLVE ,, AND I TRIED TIMING RICH MIXTURE PREMIUM FUEL ETC ETC.. ed in usa

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      Interesting
      They run quite high compression for a stroker
      Haven’t noticed it and my ETZ didn’t suffer the problem that I can remember

  • @TomBartram-b1c
    @TomBartram-b1c 8 місяців тому +1

    Ive got an mz ts 125. Comfort, handling and suspension are ten times better than contemporaries like the YB100. Don't faff around with a 12v conversion, just fit an LED bicycle lamp to the handlebars. Modern ones are actually better than a conventional 12v 55w bulb!

  • @theatheobhv
    @theatheobhv Рік тому

    As a youngster in the 70s you had to be very cool to ride a MZ. Because the bike was cheap, reliable, economical and easy to maintain. BUT it was quite slow and the cool factor was minus 100. So only very self conscious people would ride one or people who just don’t care about cool.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      That would be not self conscious
      Or sensible
      Or smart perhaps

    • @theatheobhv
      @theatheobhv Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 Right. But we were young and at least had the same interest in impressing girls and other young fellows than in riding a motorcycle. So most would prefer a 250 Honda or a 125 Kawasaki because they were considered more “cool” or the exotic 150 Gilera. But two guys didn’t bother and rode the MZs. I couldn’t afford anything before leaving school. From my first self earned money I bought a 3 year old Yamaha XS 650 in 1981. I’d loved a Triumph or Norton but they were quite rare and I was afraid of having to buy a lot of non metric tools for those. Anyway, I remember the lack of idle on the MZ. So at traffic lights you always knew there’s a MZ by listening to the RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng RengDengDeDeng (green) Määäääääääh, Määääääääääää 🤔Anyway, thanks for the video, I enjoyed it.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      @@theatheobhv honestly
      I love riding bikes
      If girls are impressed or not
      I never gave a dam in all honesty

    • @theatheobhv
      @theatheobhv Рік тому

      @@bikerdood1100 we all did. But impressing the girls was important too in those days. Actually most girls didn’t care about bikes. They preferred horses. At least in the area I grew up.

  • @jiltedjohn9294
    @jiltedjohn9294 8 місяців тому

    I had a 150 when i was a youth, a friends brother said that he could make a better looking bike out of orange boxes, i didn't believe him ! The exhaust blocked up on mine and the baffles couldn't be removed so i just loosened the downpipe clamp and ran it with the silencer half hanging off for a while.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  8 місяців тому

      Well that’s two strokes for you
      Exhaust just feel with crud after a while

  • @nickbarber2080
    @nickbarber2080 11 місяців тому +1

    Put some decent tyres on it.
    Metzelers or Pirelli that level of good.
    It will utterly transform the little bike.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  11 місяців тому

      Doesn’t need em

    • @nickbarber2080
      @nickbarber2080 11 місяців тому

      @@bikerdood1100 No,you can ride them with 40-year old block-tread Pneumants and they will see you out.
      Or you could have some fun.
      I've done both and know which I prefer.

  • @clangerbasher
    @clangerbasher Рік тому

    While I am thinking about it. Something that doesn't have much coverage on YT is the Quasar foot forward bike. Perhaps a topic for a future video for you?

  • @upsidedowndog1256
    @upsidedowndog1256 Рік тому

    Cool bike! What is the thing about parking lights, why do German machines still have them, and what is the etiquette of using them? I like oddball bikes like this one but it is my nature and job to take it to the next level!

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      Parking light
      Who knows 🤷🏻

    • @chrisweeks6973
      @chrisweeks6973 Рік тому +1

      I think the parking light was to comply with the then laws. Certainly, back in the day (50's/60's), my Czech-built Jawa had that facility, as did the Ariel Leader and from memory the two lights on the Royal Enfield casquette served the same purpose.

    • @kasperkjrsgaard1447
      @kasperkjrsgaard1447 Рік тому +3

      I believe that it’s a demand in all european countries and as far as I know, the british isles too. I could be wrong about the latter, but it’s absolutely a demand within the EU that any vehicle to be used on public roads must have a parking light in case of a possible parking on an unlit road. A pure safety feature.

  • @nightjaronthegate
    @nightjaronthegate Рік тому

    Bore and stroke are probably 52 x 58 (123cc), not 58 x 52 (137cc).

  • @balisong5386
    @balisong5386 10 місяців тому

    Mz etz 125 is a lot better option in my opinion. Front disc brake, looks better, has rev counter and has a higher top speed (because it has 5 speed transmission).

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  10 місяців тому

      Well it’s a bit better
      They didn’t change that much now did they

  • @petefletcher
    @petefletcher Рік тому +1

    " A quick shake to mix the oil" Nope!!
    Put the oil in first and the petrol going in will mix in nicely.
    Put the oil in after and it could settle to the bottom.

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому +1

      You have to know how much is going in
      Ok at a track, not at a gas station 🙄

    • @bikerdood1100
      @bikerdood1100  Рік тому

      You have to know how much is going in
      Ok at a track, not at a gas station 🙄

  • @NoahMarguerite-m7m
    @NoahMarguerite-m7m 2 місяці тому

    Roberts Stream

  • @garywinterbottom4930
    @garywinterbottom4930 Рік тому

    Never owned one an old neighbor back in the 80s had a 150 ts always started simple construction so not much to go wrong.