Wrench'n Ride'n

This evening I was playing around with some of the photos of my MuZ with Paint Shop Pro. I was seeing if you can turn the Scorpion into a work of art. To me the look of this bike already is a work of art. So I ran some photos through a graphic filter. Here are the results. Hope you like them? Airbrush styles Pencil styles

Here is part 2 of the catoons that Michael Barnes has sent in relating to MZs. {Note that as this in Finnish the translation below relates to the red number for each catoon cell. You will work it out.} Part one can be seen here http://rossmz.blogspot.com/2007/09/mz-cartoon-time-from-finland.html IT ONLY HAPPENS LIKE THIS IN CARTOONS , RIGHT ? 7. Just you wait, I’ll show yoos … 8. Everyone has got away to a good start, only 99 seems to have needed a running start … Why did I agree … this coffin’s not going anywhere. Only one solution . Peg the throttle and don’t touch the brakes until the finish line !!!! 9. A few laps later. Beloved motorcycle racing fans ! This is sensational , no. 99 has fought on an ancient MZ , risking life and limb to come from the back of the grid to position 5 !!! 10. And in the last chicane before the finish no. 99 goes into the lead !! Doing it with what seems an impossible line ! Just like Toni Mittenmann when at his best ! This rider is either very tal

The article I posted to this blog on the MZ 125 The petite MZ... recieved a comment yesterday. I thought it deserved a posting of it's own. Pam F from Powroll was searching the net for MZ Scropion info and came across my blog. Here is was left as a comment on the MZ 125.... Hi! I was reading your blog after searching MZ Scorpion, and noticed this entry about the MZ125. Our company did a project with MZ back when these bikes were first being introduced to the US market. We did tons of testing and created some kits for them - however, MZ was sold before the project was completed. Here's some of what we found out about the little bikes. 1. We're not sure what dyno they used to get that 15 crank hp number, but the real numbers at the rear wheel were way less than 10 hp. 2. A standard Honda SL125 will outrun an MZ125 by at least 5 bike lengths in 1/2 mile. 3. The engine is hugely overbuilt, leaving so much space that we were able to create a 220cc bore kit without sacrificing

Michael Barnes has sent in some cartoons relating to MZs. Here is the first one. {Note that as this in Finnish the translation below relates to the red number for each catoon cell. You will work it out.} FOREVER FAITHFUL 1. Hey Bro, you’re not riding that in the 250’s are you ? Of course, I’ve always ridden the MZ and I’m staying faithful to the marque. 2. The others are on fast Hondas and Yammies – no gaps left for you man ! Yeah but this is a question of honour for me . Er just a mo … there’s … 3. Your Toni Mittenmann , ex world champion . 4. Toni ! my hero ! you’re the man, who never turns down a challenge. How would you like to ride my MZ in the race . I wouldn’t have a chance, But if you rode ? …. I don’t know. 5. But what’s at stake here is more than just a race. This touches on the future of a bike with an honoured name ! The Japanese are wrecking our economy !! MZ is about to go broke !! The workers will lose their jobs and their kids will go hungry ! You could save them

Postcard No.4 from Michael. "Waiting for another inter-island ferry in the Aland Group. Detlef checks the route on his Garmin. "

CYCLE TORQUE have allowed me to post the road test they did on the MuZ Tour. Thank you to Chris Pickett, the editor, for giving permission. This test was first published in 1999. The Gentle Skorpion Do you need a motorcycle which is practical for everyday use but will cope with a bit of weekend thrashing just for fun? Do you fancy something mechanically simple but robust and easy to maintain? You should check out the Skorpion range from German manufacturer MuZ. FOR many years, trail bikes have been press-ganged into doing commuter duties, a task they carry out competently because they are tall (good visibility), have quick steering (great for agility), possess simple, reliable motors (easy and cheap to maintain) and they don’t cost the earth to run. The drawbacks of the traillie are few but vital: they have brakes which are designed for off-road use (which means they often aren’t as effective on the road as they might be) and they handle like a gumboot full of spaghetti when pushed h

More Postcards from Michael. He took these two photos while in Finland. "Altar to the pagan god of speed found in remote forest in Finland. " "Translation of signs ; Speed ! Thrills ! Noise ! (specifically banging! racket! ) Teraspallo = steel ball ! Surmanajo = death drive ! Rider : Esa Paltila "

As you may have read in my posting To the halfwit that reversed into my MuZ… some fool tried to turn the MuZ into a wheel stop. Not any more. She has been restored back to her former glory. I went to Metropolitan Motorcycle Spares NSW Pty Ltd at 90 Silverwater Road Silverwater 2128 and bought a brake lever from a XLV 750. Fits but needs a little bit of profiling on the knob bit that pushes on the master cylinder plunger. Also bought a set of indicators from a old GS500. Nearly the same shape as the MuZs. They will do for the time being. I rode to the wreckers with the broken brake lever. Fairing was off and I had fitted a set of Virago indicators just to get me there. They also fitted the brake lever for me. Got home and repaired the fairing. Some surgical bandage soaked in Super Glue has helped to give some strength to the crack. I did this on the inside of the fairing. Sprayed over the repair with a bit of model aircraft red paint just to take the whiteness away from the bandage. No

It is always a pleasure when Michael sends me something to add to this blog. It will almost always have something to do with his MuZ and it will be from part of his trip to Finland. So here is his second postcard. A midday rest break off highway 26 in central Sweden. Note the distinctive Scandinavian fences.

I had to go to the doctors today. Park in the main street of Granville. Rear to kerb. Bike is on side stand. I come out of the doctors and go up to the bike. There waiting to greet me is an indicator lenses sitting on the seat. Then I see what other damage has been done. To the halfwit that reversed into my MuZ. Thank you for leaving it lying on the road. Thank you that you broke the following. Right front indicator. Broke the fairing where the right front indicator is. Nice big crack. Front Brake Lever. Removed paint from the fairing. Scratched the muffler. Glad I took the panniers off before I rode today. Or the right one would have been mashed. Moved the right handle bar around. Numerus scratches around the bike. I bet you where the idiot sitting in your car on your mobile. I gave you ½ a cars length grace. You had more than ½ a cars length in front of you. And yet you reversed into my bike and then drove off. I bet you had that stupid phone to your fat head when you did this too!!

It’s amazing what you find you follow a link from a website and then follow another link and then another. Don’t ask where I started. But I did end up at this site. http://www.vd-classic.com/EN/index.html VD Classics is a company in France that makes custom Café parts. They can kit out your SR500 or XT500 with some very trick stuff. How about changing the way your Kawasaki W650 looks? The one that sucked me in was the photo of their MuZ Rocket 660. My Traveller is now living in fear that I might strip all her touring bits off and make her into one slick hot rod. Not likely. But the Rocket 660 sure is one sexy single. Here is a photo of the MuZ Rocket 660s as done by VD Classic.

Bruce Campbell, MuZ Tour owner, invited me along on the BMW Touring Club NSW ride today. It was arranged that we meet at Mac’ers at Rouse Hill. I was expecting a whole heap of BMs. From 650s through to 1200s. When I arrived there was one BMW GS1200 and Kwaka 1500 Vulcan. Bruce rolled in on his MuZ. Then a Yammie TDM arrived and a Suzuki DR650. And as we left we picked up a Honda TransAlp. Now hang on this is a BMW ride. Not anymore. It’s a MuZ ride as we outnumbered the other bikes. Hehehehe. The meeting time was 8:30am and by 8:45 we were on our way. The 1200 and Vulcan where 2 up. The TDM was 2 up too. As you will see below. Chillie loved the ride. Bruce set a good pace that seemed to suit all of us. Making our way to Wisemans Ferry, using same route when 3 of us MuZ riders went up that way in July, Bruce took us down along River Rd that follows the Hawkesbury River. This is such a beautiful route. Also it is off the beaten track. So the traffic is very light. At times its very narr