What If Mz Became A Thai Company

[Richard-BKK]

Hello People,

It seems that some people are interested to buy, or join a investment group, to save MZ Motorrad from finishing from our history. But would you buy a big bike build in Thailand?

Original from East Germany and inventor of many modern engine systems, and holder of cross technology agreements with Yamaha and Suzuki (basically MZ can use any technology or system from both Japanese companies)

One of the possible products a Yamaha Tenere 660cc enduro style bike, but 10 more horses to push... Or a 1000cc that keeps basics simple and performance high...

But would you buy it?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

I really don’t know, maybe, not sure, i have a DRZ 400 if they can do it as good, yes, but how to find out??

Forgot to ask about the name? MZ was never the best selling bike in Europe, i had one back in 82 but just as a winter bike, too expensive to have insurance on my big bike in the winter time (did not ride it anyway) mine was the 150 trophy(i think) when you went around a bend the light did not follow you, weird thing

Edited March 4, 2009 by HDRIDER

[apetley]

If the product was good then yes I would consider one.

I would not consider one just because it had a MZ badge on the tank though, has to be worth my hard earned dosh!

[Richard-BKK]

MZ had much problems in Europe, they where lose of the market, basically the where hit by European laws. The MZ 125 four-stroke was able to go out of reach of the learner curve for motorcycles set by European road regulations. MZ had something what is 33 Horses, as in 2-stroke they where the first to break the 100 horses... (if we compare the only competitors at the time Yamaha and Suzuki with only 10 horses) with bikes not bigger then 125cc. (In the end Yamaha and Suzuki resorted to steal all technology from MZ, which forced them, after the fall of the wall, to sign a complete cross-license agreement with both manufacturers needed to pay a undisclosed amount of royalties.

MZ was making performance, motorcycles. The company learned one thing, if they do this we do it better, and they did, they hold basically up to date, most records of cylinder displacement and produced power. But producing powerful bikes, doesn't pay the bill in modern Europe. Still believing in East vs West what BMW, or other competitors does we do twice better. Was not compatible with European law. Then came a Malaysian investment company, which did not talked sense to the company... No they wanted more, so the final production models aka MZ 125 four-stroke (125cc four-stroke) went into history as most powerful four-strokes with a performance set going up to 40 horses in the rear wheel.

The problem is, that people wanted to pay that amount of money, will not go for a 125cc, doing 17,000 rpm, people want a engine to perform at lower rpm. Yes, the MZ 125 with performance set would give most bikers a feeling somebody just past them on a GP125 bike.

But other then that MZ was not harvesting on its technology, no it was working on what Malaysian teenagers wanted. And to cute cost, the high value materials needed to have a 4-stroke running at incredible rpm's as the 125cc MZ did was cute back. So in Malaysia the MZ 125 quickly got a name for being Fast very Short.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

If they would make an engine like the one in the ETZ 250 (large two-stroke single) i'd buy one.

Four-stroke? Sorry, no thanks.

Kind regards.....

Thanh

[BSJ]

At some stage in the future (not to distant) many new motorcyclists will see motos in the same way they see other consumer goods and the old Mz won't matter. The markets will package the Mz as something wonderful for the chosen market and they will sell well.

Pretty much in the same way scooters have become popular in inner Melbourne, Australia. Not many traditional bikers there!

[H2oDunc]

I personally wouldn't buy a bike that was newly built in Thailand. I would wait for a couple of years for them to iron out the problems then no problem. Take the Honda Phantom. The early ones were not the best of machines. Now they are a first class bike, bullet proof for here in Thailand.

[Richard-BKK]

Hi H2oDunc,

Thanks for you comment, but, okay it is known that the Triumph Rocket III is not build in Thailand, it still is composed of 80% Thai parts and remarkable more Chinese parts then all other Triumph bikes.

Triumph makes more then 70% of world demand in Thai factories, currently, how many British workers are employed at the Thai factory? Still we lick our fingers to buy a Triumph, as they are British.

So are BMW's I sold in Asia, German, I have a G650 and the engine is not even designed or manufactured by BMW, it is made in China, not even under scrutiny of BMW as the engine is made by Rotax. Then the frame is build by some car manufacturer who shit I have no idea how to pronounce the name...

Then this all is assembled by a factory, which was hired by BMW in China.... Then a one German men show checks all equipment of bing okydoky....

For MZ, all design, development, and quality checks will be done by German MZ employers...

[mickba]

I wouldn't say 'no' based on the name MZ or it being built in Thailand.

I would need to see the bike and, of course, the price. If it's really a Yamaha Tenere 660 with 10 more horses I'd like to see it tomorrow please.

Presumably it wouldn't suffer the same import duty burden that other big bikes suffer from?

[mickba]

Could this be it?

[mickba]

C'mon Richard.

More info' please.

Is this likely to happen?

Is this bike in Thailand now?

Where?

Edited March 7, 2009 by mickba

[Kf6vci]

Well, I've had a EML-ETZ 300 sidecar and lots of electrical problems. The workers are very dedicated though and took huge pay cuts and made sacrifices after the fall of the Wall. Still, I would not dream of buying a $ 150,000 W-12 Phaeton car nor a MZ 1000. An Aprilia, a VTR-1000, a BMW and ducati etc. Yes.

A few years later, think depreciation.

Sorry to be like a wet blanket. but the brand does not excite me at all. To be fair, I never rode a big MZ.

But at 175,000 for the 1000 cc, I would buy it based on price.

[mickba]

...............A few years later, think depreciation.

Sorry to be like a wet blanket. but the brand does not excite me at all. To be fair, I never rode a big MZ.

But at 175,000 for the 1000 cc, I would buy it based on price.

I know what you mean of course - Trabant, Skoda, Lada, Moscovitch and, in the motorcyle world MZ/MuZ, were all brand names to avoid if you wanted any street cred' or as investments.

MZ have quite a list of achievements in engineering terms, but have always suffered from the reputation of their cheap charlie small bikes I believe.

My personal interest would only be in the 660 enduro pictured above, mainly because I think I know the Yamaha Tenere well enough to want one - IF the price was right! That would presumably depend a lot on whether it could be a Thailand produced bike (rather than in bonded workshops) and thereby avoid the import duty.

If the deal could be done, I imagine it would still take a while.