Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128137
MZRT125 red zone at just over 10,000 rpm, and it'll just nudge 74 mph before you hit the soft-action revlimiter, with a bit of help from a downhill slope, a van to draft or a following wind - or any combination thereof. However, on a bike happiest at winding around twisting coastal highways or puttering through city streets, that's only worth pointing out to emphasize the reserves of relative performance embodied in the MZ engine, which at 60 x 44mm is quite heavily oversquare for such a utility design, pointing the way ahead to more punchy, bored-out and/or stroked versions, as for example to produce a 180cc mini-cruiser or four-stroke enduro (and MZ has a proud history in off-road competition), or a 150cc workhorse for the S.E. Asian market. Coupled with the high 11.2: 1 compression (still runs on regular unleaded, though) and chain-driven DOHC valve gear, this allows the four-valve, water-cooled MZ motor to run happily at five-figure revs, and to deliver its maximum permitted llkW/15 PS output at 9000 rpm, with max torque of 8.6 Ibs/ft. at 8500 rpm. However, there's little doubt the engine could happily produce close to double that output in unrestricted form, leaving MZ the opportunity later on to develop a more sporty son-ofSkorpion version, with the sports single's trademark twin-tube frame. But that's way in the future, and first off MZ has to produce a commuter bike aimed at the German 125cc home market's 50,000 annual sales, which after production begins in February will initially only be sold in Britain and France, alongside German-speaking countries. However, Leong plans a worldwide export drive in 2002, ramping up Hohndorf production from the 16,000 produced this year to more than 25,000 units in 2002, with manufacture of an Asianmarket version beginning in Malaysia soon. Hence the reason for the rather naff-Iooking tubular-steel frame used on the RT125: designed by MZ inhouse, this is capable of ready adaptation to many different formats (enduro, cruiser, delivery wagon, etc.) says Urn. Still, it's a pity that the undistinguished neo-DDR styling doesn't disguise the humble nature of the cycle parts better on the RT125, especially as MZ's Japanese in-house stylist Masanori Hiraide, whose work it is, has already displayed his imaginative talents with the wild and wacky but well-regarded Mastiff/Baghira twin dual sporters. There wasn't any need to rein Masa-san back so hard on the RT125, and some details like the thin, unshrouded, cheap-looking radiator tacked on to the front frame tubes, or the spindly forks kicked out at a 27.5-degree head angle to help deliv- 20 JANUARY 16, 2002' er a reasonably spacious 1355mm wheelbase, or the plain-looking rear end, all would have benefited from a little finer aesthetic attention, to try to instill some of the vital pride of ownership which will mark the cause by which MZ stands or falls even with this budget-market bike. However, the quality of the mechanical package is quite unexpected, with the first surprise coming when you sit on the MZ. This is no cramped minibike with delusions of grandeur (literally!), but a full-size motorcycle with ample space for a six-foot rider, thanks to low footrests that the skinny but adequately grippy 17 -inch Pirelli tires never run the .risk of grounding out, and relatively highset, straight handlebars, coupled with a 'normal' 30.8-inch seat height. Together, these result in a comfortable, straight-backed stance which, allied with the well-cushioned seatpad, produced no trace of tiredness in a four-hour riding stint, before we stopped for lunch. Coupled with the comparatively torquey, free-revving engine, the whole package gives the impression more of a lightweight 250 single than a 125-on-steroids - but unlike the one-time nation's Olympic swimmers, this former jewel in the DDR crown has gone straight and got clean: the RT125 is as far removed from the smoky old carcinogenous strokers of the Communist era as a YW Polo is from a Trabant - and covering even just a proportion of the 250 miles available from a full 3.5-gallon tankful before the fuel light on the economical four-stroke's speedometer starts to flash more purposefully, will have you convinced of its merits. n e _ os cue • e (Left! Hong Leong boss Ron Lim, the man who is now In charge of MZ. (Right) Our tester found the front fort< to be a bit spindly and in need of a bit more rebound. Unfortunately, the fort< is not adjustable. Thumb the electric starter and the MZ spins eagerly to Ufe every time, settling to a 1200 rpm idle from which it'll pull easily away with no more than a whiff of the 24mm Mikuni carb's responsive throttle, with minimal assistance from the lightaction clutch - this is a great town bike for city work, especially as the high seat (by minibike or scooter standards) allows you to see easily over traffic. But the lower ratios of the six-speed gearbox fitted as standard aren't overly close together, meaning that you can trundle around town in a single gear, relying on the fourstroke's wide spread of power to trickle through traffic, while appreciating the perfectly set-up carburetion - there's no throttle slack, so instant response, and never a trace of hesitation or spitback. But then hit the open road, and the MZ accelerates briskly up to speed, with an extra dose of grunt above 6000 rpm that helps you keep up the pace if you hit a headwind or lose your tow-truck by pulling out to pass it - the well-spaced top two gears are overdrives, so you only use these to maintain momentum. Even at speed, around fast turns on uneven tarmac, the light bike - at 293 pounds dry, however, quite a heavyweight by 125-c1ass standards feels composed and stable, though the spindly forks apparently designed and built by MZ themselves are rather bouncy and underdamped - more rebound control would have been nice, but they're completely nonadjustable, as you'd expect. The direct-action Pajoli rear shock is however much better-damped, as well as giving good ride quality, in spite of the lack of any linkage - why MZ didn't negotiate a total suspension package deal with their more expert Italian suppliers is a bit of a mystery, and surely can't have been down to cost - could it? Still, over bumpy roads in the Mallorca mountains, the forks ate up the bumps OK, with not a rattle from the MZ as they did so: build quality on these pre-production bikes was excellent. Same story as the suspension on the round bits, where Grimeca actually supply the good-looking wheels, but the 280mm front/220mm rear brake discs come from Taiwan and the calipers from Malaysia. They work okay, but you have to use them both hard together to stop from any speed. But it's a sign of how effective the RT125 package is that we should be judging it by big-bike parameters, not as a mini-motorcycle built as a glorified toy. It's taken MZ more than a decade to learn to come to terms with lhe death of Communism, and grapple successfully with real-world market forces - but the arrival of the Malaysians has imparted not only precious capital resources, but also proven commercial experience of the highest order. So thanks to a combInation of Asian money and business acumen, the former DDR's bestknown export earner has found a new lease of life in the shape of the RT125, and shown itself capable of developing a bike that stands out in the marketplace for all the right reasons. Like it says on the sweatshirts Ron Lim and all his staff were wearing at the Mallorca press launch, MZ is back. Believe it. I:N