h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Don't know who's reading this, but as a proud MZ owner and fan I felt inclined to point out the inaccuracies in this article.
The article states that MZ 250's make hardly more than 12hp and will struggle to exceed 65mph 'downhill' - that's a bit of a joke really, as the MZ 125 of half the capacity will happily do 62 mph and makes as little as 10hp! The 250 ETZ produces 21hp and is capable of closer to 80mph, while a 300cc MZ should get between 85-90 mph.
MZs are certainly utilitarian but I think the article misrepresents the plus sides of the bikes, the weight is not in reality any greater than equivalent 4-stroke Japanese bikes of the same capacity yet the MZ has a build quality and finish better than several Japanese bikes in the same category.
Yes MZs are 'cheap' and in certain respects quite basic but as everyday motorcycles they do all things equivalent Japanese bikes do albeit with greater economy given the lower price and ease of home maintenance.

Chris Baker

It really is not good Zed Cred to discuss the maximum velocities of the MZ motorcycle. Such conversations should be left to the lesser mortals who worry about 'how fist will it go mister' in conjunction with the size of bodily appendages.

The correct answer is to paraphrase Henry Royce who, when asked about the power of his cars always replied "sufficient".

The intro is full of the usual, ill researched, hyperbolic claptrap about MZ strokers. This is the sort of tosh you will read in the weekly and monthly comics. The author really needs to be more objective if s/he wishes to be taken seriously. However, it does benefit those who know otherwise.