MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk
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| MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk GmbH | |
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| Type | Subsidiary |
| Founded | 1906 |
| Founder | Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen |
| Headquarters |  Zschopau, Germany |
| Industry | Motorcycle |
| Parent | Hong Leong Group |
| Website | muz.de |
MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk GmbH is a motorcycle manufacturer located in Zschopau,Germany. MZ an acronym, stands for Motorradwerk Zschopau (German for motorcycle factory at Zschopau) in the Erzgebirge region of Saxony. From 1992 to 1999 the company was called MuZ an acronym for Motorrad und Zweiradwerk (German for motorcycle and two-wheeler factory), today again MZ stands for MZ Motorrad- und Zweiradwerk GmbH .
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[edit] History
- 1906 Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen (Denmark) bought an empty cloth factory in Zschopau
- 1917 invented the Dampfkraftwagen (German for steam-powered car) also known by its trademark DKW
- 1920 motor-assisted bicycle
- 1923 renamed in DKW
- 1927 started racing activities
- 1928 DKW takes over the Audi factory at Zwickau
- 1929 60000 motorcycles leave the Zschopau factory, and DKW is the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world
- 1931 introduced DKW small cars
- 1932 The Auto Union was founded, created from Audi, Horch, Wanderer and DKW.
- 1939 developed the RT 125
- 1948 renamed in IFA (a state-owned enterprise in GDR)
- 1950 The Zschopau works begins production of the RT 125 model, developed before the war, under the trademark IFA (Industrieverwaltung Fahrzeugbau). This model became patent free after the war and was further developed in Britain, USA, Japan, Italian and West Germany.
- 1952 the BK350 appears, the first two stroke shaft drive.
- 1956 The works is now called VEB Motorradwerk Zschopau, or MZ for short.
- 1962 The ES 125 / ES 150 starts manufacturing. Up to the present day (2004) it is the most-built German motorcycle. It was also the first motorcycle with an asymmetric low beam headlight pattern.
- 1970 the millionth motorcycle rolls off the conveyor belt, an MZ ETS 250 Trophy Sport
- 1972 MZ takes over manufacturing of sidecars from Stoye.
- 1983 the 2-millionth motorcycle rolls off the conveyor belt, this time an MZ ETZ 250. With disk brakes and 12 volt electrics the MZ had reached the modern standard in motorcycle design.
- 1989 MZ ceases manufacture of sidecars.
- 1990 MZ is privatised, on 1991, 18 December.
- 1993 MZ goes under receivership, and the ETZ patent sold to the Turkish firm Kanuni which continued producing models 251 and 301. The MuZ company is formed from the rest.
- 1996 MuZ was bought by the Malaysian Corporation Hong Leong
- 1999 the u is finally dropped from the name MuZ.
The Zschopau works are one of the oldest motorcycle factories in the world, producing motorcycles since 1922. Most well known models were the 125/150 and 250 series, with the variants ES, ETS, TS und ETZ. And MZ was one of the few producers that made motorcycles with sidecars, though prior to 1972 sidecars were manufactured by Stoye.
[edit] Sports
activities started in 1927
[edit] Motocross
Winner of International Six Day Trial (a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics): 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1987.
[edit] Road Racing
- 1958 first wins in 125/250 cc and an over all second championship 250 cc
- The MZ two strokes, developed by engineer Walter Kaaden have influenced motorcycle racing for decades. His revolutionary two stroke system was copied widely in the sixties by Japanese manufacturers. Yamaha and Suzuki two-stroke engines became competitive in motor sport only after they gained possession of MZ design secrets.
Sadly, the East-German government did not exactly support the international racing aspirations of MZ. The defection to the West of grand prix rider Ernst Degner, complete with a set of secrets, started the end of the glory years of Kaadens bikes.
- The Skorpion Sport 660 cc single got its own MuZ-cup racing series in several countries at the end of the nineties. It is famous for its precise handling. It's still a popular mount for clubracing and Supermono racing. Its withdrawal from the official factory program is much mourned by fans.
The Yamaha-based engine can be reliably tuned to 150% of its original performance. At that stage, it can become competitive in Supermono racing classes and in single and twin cylinder racing classes.
[edit] Notable models
- RT 125: 1939-1962 and 2000-today
- ES250 : Utilized a pressed steel body with Earl's type front suspension.
- TS125/150 / 250 : Direct descendents of the RT125, and the last MZs to use "premix" fuel and a 6 volt electrical system.
- ETZ250 : the first road going MZ to include a disk front brake and automatic oil injection.
- 500R : MZ's first four stroke motorcycle, essentially an ETZ251 with a Rotax 500cc engine fitted.
- Skorpion :The 500cc Rotax engine used on the Seymour-Powell designed prototype was replaced with a 660cc Yamaha water cooled engine on the production vehicle.
- 1000S : MZ's biggest bike, and their first "in-house" four stroke engine.
[edit] Current models
MZ currently manufactures a line of 125cc 4-stroke motorcycles using a new and powerful engine designed in-house. The current MZ 125 produces 15 crank-horsepower (11 kW) and almost 10 lbf·ft (14 N·m) of torque. It is a liquid-cooled pressure-lubricated dual-overhead-cam design with 4 valves, high-voltage electronic ignition and an 11000 rpm ignition cut-off. This is officially the most powerful 125cc 4-stroke engine mass-manufactured and has also proved highly reliable. This engine is used in 4 models of motorcycle, all of which share a common frame. The frame is a tube-steel backbone with the engine as a stressed bottom member. Changes in the suspension, facia, gearing, and equipment make the four models relatively distinct, despite the shared platform. All four bikes feature a 6-speed transmission and dual disc brakes.
- The RT-125 is a mini naked sport bike with tasteful chrome accents and aggressive looks and handling.
- The 125-SM is a Super-motard style bike with taller street tuned suspension, tallish gearing, and reduced weight.
- The 125-SX features the same appearance as the SM but has a suspension tuned more for off-road use, enduro-style tires, and slightly lower gear ratios.
- The 125 FunX is a minimalist light-duty moto-cross bike.
All four 125s are capable of speeds over 65 mph (105 km/h), with the fastest being the RT and SM, both of which are capable of 75 mph (120 km/h) sustained speeds. This makes the MZ 125s amongst the fastest sub-250cc bikes available.
MZ also continues to use a time-proven, robust, Yamaha-built 660cc single in the successful and well-received Baghira line of mid-displacement Enduro/DualPurpose/Motard bikes. Featuring lots of torque and legendary reliability, the Yamaha 660 lends the Baghira line the ability to be equally at home crawling through mud, pulling wheelies at the stop-light, and cruising comfortably at highway speeds.
The Newest MZ model is the 1000S featuring a novel 1000cc, DOHC parallel twin designed and built by MZ. The 1000S is a sport-tourer by design, but has received very good marks for handling. The 1000S' unique engine is exceptionally compact for its displacement; and rumors exist of a planned super-charged version, perhaps possessing 50 percent more power than the standard 1000S' already potent 110 horsepower (82 kW). The range includes a naked (unfaired) version and a full tourer with luggage, higher handlebars, and lower footpegs for comfort. Both of these are retuned, with less outright horsepower than the 'S', but with more torque.
In addition for the 1000S, MZ also produced the naked version of the 1000S, known as the 1000SF, and the sports touring version known as MZ1000ST. MZ also produces its own lines of scooters known as MZ Moskito, powered by 2-stroke 50cc engine.
Besides scooters, MZ also produces its own line of underbone motorcycles, targeted for Southeast Asian market. Their debut underbone model is MZ Perintis 120, launched in 2002. The Perintis is later succeeded by MZ Mantizz series, launched in 2004 - which design is based on their flagship 1000S model. The Mantizz series have 2 displacement options - 125cc and 110cc. All MZ underbone models are powered by 4-stroke engines and are manufactured in MZ's Malaysian plant in Shah Alam.
MZ also competed in the European GP-500 class with race-only models, and builds several scooter and ATV models ranging in displacement from 50 to 185cc, as well as the famous Charlie electric scooter, the fastest stand-up electric scooter produced.
[edit] External links
- muz.de Official website
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