Chris Hobson
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
In the jokes and entertainment section there is a nostalgic thread entitled Back In The Day. I mentioned that I once had an MZ motorbike and other commenters have mentioned them. During the Cold War, it was generally accepted that products from the Soviet Bloc were cheap and of inferior quality, a fairly accurate assessment in general but the MZ motorbike was quite an exception which had a fascinating story.
Before WW2 the little 125cc DKW motorbike had the most advanced two stroke engine in the world. After the war, the design of this little bike was stolen by the allies and was widely copied. Cheap personal transport was in demand everywhere, so versions of the little bike were produced by BSA, Harley Davidson, Minsk, MZ, and Yamaha. MZ, their factory, now located in East Germany, were still producing the original.
The factory went on to develop several very practical bikes, very useful for personal transport but, to western eyes, they had rather bizarre styling. Despite this, the bikes gradually gained popularity and a kind of cult following among riders who appreciated value for money and rugged usability. During the 1960s these bikes dominated the International Six Days Trial, a reliability contest rather than a race.
The most remarkable part of this story involves a man called Walter Kaaden. During ww2, Kaaden was involved in developing the pulse jet engine that powered Germany's devastating flying bombs. In peacetime Kaaden applied his knowledge to the design of two stroke exhaust pipes. He combined rotary valve induction with exhaust resonance that effectively supercharged his engines. The result was 125 and 250 racing bikes that were pretty much unbeatable, providing that they finished the race without seizing up. In the end, MZs star rider, Earnst Degner, defected to the West and passed their technology on to the Japanese. In no time at all, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha were fielding two stroke racers that ended the run of victories that MV Agusta had enjoyed.
Meanwhile Chris was riding to and from work on his cheap, easy to maintain, reliable bike.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Eastern block eventually killed off the MZ brand. There were attempts to produce more modern machines with some success but the company eventually died.
Before WW2 the little 125cc DKW motorbike had the most advanced two stroke engine in the world. After the war, the design of this little bike was stolen by the allies and was widely copied. Cheap personal transport was in demand everywhere, so versions of the little bike were produced by BSA, Harley Davidson, Minsk, MZ, and Yamaha. MZ, their factory, now located in East Germany, were still producing the original.
The factory went on to develop several very practical bikes, very useful for personal transport but, to western eyes, they had rather bizarre styling. Despite this, the bikes gradually gained popularity and a kind of cult following among riders who appreciated value for money and rugged usability. During the 1960s these bikes dominated the International Six Days Trial, a reliability contest rather than a race.
The most remarkable part of this story involves a man called Walter Kaaden. During ww2, Kaaden was involved in developing the pulse jet engine that powered Germany's devastating flying bombs. In peacetime Kaaden applied his knowledge to the design of two stroke exhaust pipes. He combined rotary valve induction with exhaust resonance that effectively supercharged his engines. The result was 125 and 250 racing bikes that were pretty much unbeatable, providing that they finished the race without seizing up. In the end, MZs star rider, Earnst Degner, defected to the West and passed their technology on to the Japanese. In no time at all, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha were fielding two stroke racers that ended the run of victories that MV Agusta had enjoyed.
Meanwhile Chris was riding to and from work on his cheap, easy to maintain, reliable bike.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Eastern block eventually killed off the MZ brand. There were attempts to produce more modern machines with some success but the company eventually died.
Last edited:
