How the Sly Siblings Learned to Share

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Finally, gone too were the tin covered handle bar switches in favour of large chunky (aluminium!) more European looking items. Switch gear was transferred to the left hand handle bar with indicators, flasher and light switch all in one unit. In those days the Japanese insisted on using cross headed Phillips screws which were made from some soft cheese like material. As the average motorcyclist had never even seen a Phillips screw driver (as opposed to a Pozi-Drive screw driver) there was certainly no chance that they would possess the impact screw driver required to remove the Phillips screws without butchering them beyond recognition. The result was usually that the head had to be drilled off and the whole screw replaced. The MZ screws had good old fashioned slots. Every motorcyclist had a flat bladed screw driver and so motorcycle tinkering could continue.

After the end of hostilities in 1945, the occupying Soviet forces nationalised the Zschopau factory, erasing the DKW name from the Chemnitz register of companies. Under the threat of prosecution, the former DKW directors fled westward to set up protection once more in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Despite being on the very cusp of securing the 1961 125cc GP World Championship, MZ factory rider Ernst Degner defected to the West during the Swedish GP. A trained engineer, Degner took the technological secrets of Kaaden’s designs with him to Japan and the following year Suzuki secured their first world championship using this technology in the 50cc class. Relying heavily on its exports, MZ responded to the market pressure. They introduced the TS250 four speed model. Although ultra modern (by MZ’s standards at the time) a cursory glance revealed an engine that was lifted virtually straight from the 250 Trophy but with a different generator cover to “modernise” it. The TS250 had virtually the same gearbox ratios as the Trophy and still with only four gears (at this stage the Japanese had five gears normally and some already had six). The MZ gearbox was really something that you didn’t want to desire. It really wanted to be five speed gearbox but they hadn’t got enough gears to fill the case.

Who can ride a 125 motorbike in the UK?

It is a testament to the popularity and longevity of MZs that virtually every spare that anybody is ever likely to need is still available new. Spares which are no longer factory made are more often not being re-manufactured although sometimes not to the quality standard of the original MZ parts. During the 1960s the MZ factory constantly developed their ES range of lightweight machines from 125cc through top 300cc. In 1970 the 1 millionth motorcycle road off the production line in the form of an ETS250 Trophy Sport which can still be seen on display in the Schloss Augustusburg museum in Saxony. Although Japanese 2 strokes used oil metering for lubrication, MZ relied on premix (oil in the petrol) in all their bikes until 1983. The bikes still relied on 6v electrics but although Japanese bikes were mainly 12v, the Brits had only just gone over to 12v and 6v bulbs were still on every shelf. MZs had another feature, last seen on Sunbeam motorcycles in the 1950s and always use on cars: A rubber mounted engine. With rubber mounts in shear underneath and retained round bushes at the rear, the MZ was virtually vibration free.

This is not meant to be a lesson in how to redesign brakes but there appear to be four fundamental flaws with MZ front drum brakes; With the ETZ250, MZ had finally come into the twentieth century. They finally started using 2t oil metering, courtesy of a pump sourced from Mikuni. Heaven only knows how the Communist East Germans managed to negotiate with the Japanese Mikuni but obviously they did and the relationship was to endure with MZ (and latterly Kanuni) fitting Mikuni oil pumps up until the very demise of the MZ 2 Strokes. Before: “This is the holy grail for me – really cool, but ridiculously priced. The performance shouldn’t be different to the others, so it’ll be interesting to see if it’s worth it for the styling and all the extra bits” These additional castings probably provided a dubious (if any) additional amount of cooling but they do make the Wilf Green 300s look very distinct. Wilf Green 300s are few a far between. Following on from Wilf Greens inspiration, MZ started making 300ccs themselves (actually they were 296cc and were badged as 301 models). The 301 provides a negligible amount of power over the 250 but they are very sought after simply because of what they are, with just a bit more power when loaded, two up or going up hill or in a head wind. The general consensus of opinion is that the marginal amount of extra power is hardly noticeable and probably not worth the extra cost. Yamaha saved cash by employing a steel frame and basic non-adjustable suspension, but its digital dash, underslung exhaust and Brembo brakes made up for that. For 2017, it got a new fuel injection system, revised engine internals, updated styling and new instruments, and for 2019 it’s had yet another makeover that’s sure to keep it at the top of the tree in this sector. Yamaha have a rich history of building great 125s, like the YBR 125 from 2005, which was on sale until 2016.

Honda CB125R

You’ll have to wear L-plates, avoid motorways and won’t be allowed a pillion, but it’s a great gateway into bigger bikes and the joy of road riding. Next steps in learning to ride a motorcycle: And, by being such a popular category, there’s a constant stream of newcomers each year all designed to tempt us onto two wheels. There are some incredibly popular used 125cc motorbikes including the Yamaha DT 125 X supermoto and the Gilera Runner 125.

If you’re learning to ride and aged 17 or older, after passing your CBT certificate (Compulsory Basic Training) you can gain your provisional A1 bike licence, which allows you to ride up to 125cc motorcycle on the road, producing a maximum of 11kW (15bhp) power output with a power-to-weight ratio of not more than 0.1kW per kg. Whilst all this development had been going on with the 250 the 125 and 150 models sat on the sidelines looking at what was happening. In response to the Trophy Sport 250 hot on its heels came the ETS125 and the ETS150 Trophy Sports which, like their big brother dispensed with the Earles forks in favour of teles, had sportier looking tank and seat, straight handle bars and sleeker mud guards. Only about 4,800 ETS125 and 14,000 ETS150 models were made and it makes them very collectible. It always remains a mystery to me as to why MZ made a 125 and 150 version of the same model. Some say it’s to do with Learner legislation but as far as I am aware, the 125 Learner legislation was, in the early seventies, many years away. Explanations on a post card please.The latest update is Euro5-compliant and has Piaggio’s latest ‘stop-go’‘i-GET’ four-valve, single cylinder engine producing a reasonable 12.2bhp, reasonable handling for a small-wheeled scoot, decent practicality including a comfortable seat and under seat storage capable of taking two open face helmets along with a useful leg shield compartment plus bags of style and quality touches. These include lashings of chrome and neat badging, updated LCD dash and tons of options. The GTS may not be the cheapest but it’s a great all-rounder and nothing comes close for authentic Italian style

MZ’s reliance on export markets and recognition of the difference between the domestic market and the export market is probably best illustrated by the fact that they made models with different finishes dependent upon the intended market. For example, the home models had paint in many places and not chrome and engine cases were “as cast” rather than polished. The export models were blinged up with more chrome, brighter colours and polished aluminium, not rough cast.Ever since its original launch in 2008, Yamaha’s ‘junior R1’ has been the benchmark sports 125 thanks to its combination of grown-up proportions, brilliant, yet novice-friendly dynamics and styling any Valentino Rossi fan would die for – even if it has also been one of the priciest offerings in the class. The most recent major update in 2019 raised the bar again with a new, more flexible, variable valve-timing engine; revised chassis to give more confidence-inspiring handling and new R1-alike styling that makes it the poster bike for any sports mad 17-year-old. While for 2023 further tweaks include a flash new colour TFT dash. Not cheap, but if you want a sport 125 and can afford it, this is the one. Read our Yamaha YZF-R125 review here. The first models imported into Britain by Wilf Green in the early 70’s were the ES150 and ES250/2 Trophy models. The ES150 had taken over from the RT125 when the RT125 ceased production in about 1962. I have an RT125 which the name plate says was manufactured in 1967 and this anomaly is hard to explain because, by 1967 they had long since stopped making the RT125. The name plate says it was manufactured in 1967 and it was registered in 1967 (obviously not an official import) but the mystery remains. In the early eighties MZ also introduced the ETZ 125 and 150 to replace the TS models. Like their big brother, the smaller models now boasted Mikuni oil pumps. The Kawasaki Z125 naked roadster was launched alongside its also all-new faired Ninja 125 sportster in 2019 and marked a return to the 125cc A1 licence class for Japanese firm after a 25-year absence, apparently after an ‘extensive’ market research program by its R&D team revealed a hunger for bikes in this segment.