calibellus
Joined: 28 Jul 2004
Posts: 35
Location: Berkeley, CA
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 Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2004 12:14 am Post subject: MZ 1000S First Ride test in Sept 2004 'Bike' Magazine |
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Bike Magazine (from the UK) has a 2 page spread on the 1000S as well as a one page 'First Ride' report in their September 2004 issue. General impression: for the money, they didn't like it. If it were 2,000 pounds less  they'd have a much better opinion of things.
I'll quote some key bits here.
On their market share:
| Quote: | | MZ set about developing a range of four-stroke 125s. Vasuthewan claims that in the German 125 sector, MZ have gone from zero to having 11 per cent in just three years. Only Honda sell more 125 bikes. |
One the choice of the parallel twin engine:
| Quote: | | The heart of this unique looking machine is a 998cc parallel twin, chosen because no other manufacturer 'owns' the configuration. Ducati and Aprilia have V-twins, Triumph have triples and the Japanese have in-line and V-four configurations. Somewhat strange reasoning, but Vasuthewan is confident it's the right decision: 'We will be completely different from every other engine in this class. The engine layout also lets us build a streamline motorcycle, a sleeker, narrower bike than its competitors and one with its own character.' |
The good news is that Bike thinks the platform has potential, but they think that MZ has a ways to go to get the bits sorted, particularly the switchgear. They also think there's a lot of vibe between 3,000-4,000 rpm. |
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