MZ Motorcycles and the Future.

[mzsrus]

Dear Sir, madam, open letter to MZ Motorcycles Geramny.

Hi New Sales Manager.

Can you pass comment please on the questions below.

Please can you tell me why there is hardly any dealers
in UK.
Please can you tell me if you are stopping production
of MZ 1000s/sf/st.

It looks like to many keen motorcyclists in Wales, that MZ is not bothered in selling MZ in the Uk atall.

Mz has a great chance to sell bikes in the UK, but you
do not have a dealership, or many professional dealers
selling or promoting MZ and it's great range of
motorcycles.

Until recently I had a MZ 1000s and wherever I went
people were astounded by the bike and liked greatly.

I am currently saving up for new MZ 1000st.

Can you explain why MZ germany really dont seem to be
bothered in selling bikes in the UK.

I did persuad 3 people over one weekend to buy MZ
1000s/sf over one weekend when I exhibited my own bike
at a major Welsh motorcycle show where there were
20,000 people.

So please can you tell me the strategy of MZ for the
future.

I think MZ would sell 20-30 MZ1000s/sf/st per annum
easily in Wales per annum so please come on and take
this email seriously.

Look forward to your reply,
Andrew Powell

Mz nutter and total fan

[perryboy23]

I can understand what you are saying.
my recent episode of needing work doing to my MZ 1000SF did prove to be a pain in the ass because of the lack of MZ dealers, and all non MZ garages wont go near it witha barge pole!!
But you have a rare bike in this country, what do you want, a garage in every town.......how do people react everytime ther see a CBR or an R6....they dont cos they see them everyday. You made a choice when you purchased your MZ. Maybee some background work should have been done 1st. In two years time people will still be stood round your bike when you come out of tescos.....Not many bike owners can say that.
And as far as saving ya pennys for the Next street fighter MZ, just wait untill its released and buy the new headlight set up /belly pan radiator cover.......theres not much more to the bike than the one you already have.
Cheers
Rock on MZ's in th U.K!!!!

my bike has come back from the garge and I realise how much I love it.

[cat]

It's no use talking to the MZ factory people. They haven't got money. They just hope to keep on having jobs. Marketing and the money for it, it has to come from the corporate owners in Malaysia. (Search for the other thread on this.)

[Nobog]

Ditto on the post from mzsrus - just subsitute USA for UK. I see the Motoradusa web site is no more. Now in the popular bike mags I see full page ads for Vento, Ural, Enfield - somehow these things sell and their engineering is certainly not up to par of MZ - go figure. Jim - Minnesota USA

[mzsrus]

I would point out i love MZ motorcycles!

Its just so frustrating they cant be bothered.

http://www.borderbikes.co.uk are fab MZ dealers, is there anyone else??

MZ germany I have emailed now 5 times, no response new sales mgr please reply

Bye folks just about to buy my 2nd 1000s

Then owner of Rt 125 1956, rt 125 1961, Es 250 1960, Es 250 1962 with sidecar, ES 250/2 DDR ARMY BIKE, ISDt 1969, ISDT 1975, BK 350 1957, TS 150 1980 my first MZ workhouse, little MZ 50 1990 for my youn gone when hes 16 in 6 yrs
Night folk MZ still rock and Roll.

[LWS66]

With what's being said, would it be safe to say that the factory does'nt want to be bothered with anyone outside of Germany? Looking at the German MZ 1000 website you see alot of enthusiasm and activity, and obviously MZ means more there...lots of heritage.....absolutely nothing here in the USA, most of the following here is for the singles. What we have here amounts to "Abandonment"........

"IMO" we can all forget MZ ever importing a new model to the US, the UK or anywhere else for that matter. Never again.... a new Norton being sold has a better chance than that happening (and that aint looking good either, from the latest news)
And as far as an official statement to these markets, or getting an answer directly from an MZ official stating their intentions...or answering our questions, or even giving us a line of bullshit aint gonna happen either. They've had plenty of time to do that and they have completely blown that off! These markets are MZ's "Albatross".....

Love my bike, and I'd buy another one.....especially the 1000SF in orange. Saw one at Vintage Motorcycle Days up at Mid-Ohio last year.
Killer looking bike....shame it never happened here.

[cat]

With what's being said, would it be safe to say that the factory does'nt want to be bothered with anyone outside of Germany? Looking at the German MZ 1000 website you see alot of enthusiasm and activity, and obviously MZ means more there...lots of heritage

There've been enough reports of service from the lady doing the technical support there ... my impression is that they do what they can.

The Germans can go there, to the factory ...for a dealer to get parts, it's shipping in the same country - easy, simple.

.....absolutely nothing here in the USA, most of the following here is for the singles. What we have here amounts to "Abandonment"........

I'm trying to make a distinction between the MZ people and the Malaysian corporate that bought MZ. What you're all talking about takes money. The MZ factory does not have money. They have to deal with the bills, the day-to-day running expenses, and they have to account for even that expenditure to the corporate accountants. They would have apply for funds to do anything else. Their job is to make bikes according to the order requirements that they're given. They cannot do anything about marketing. Even if they had the money, they're not allowed to. The decision-making, the strategies, etc., are in the hands of the corporate bosses in Malaysia.

I have said this before... the corporate in Malaysia buys the ailing company that had no cash and was not doing well. Then (I'm speculating, but it has happened before with other bike manufacturers, and I'm familiar with what corporates are like) they start in-fighting corporate politics, they "bite off more than they can chew", some other big guy takes over and he has some other pet project - something other than MZ - and the attention and focus and money go into that.

So don't blame the MZ factory people.

So no, it is not right to say the factory does not want to be bothered with anyone outside of Germany. Where's the logic in that? I bet if you went there, they would show you around, take you for a beer, and do their best to speak English to you.

The people at the factory just work there. They are employees, even the managers.

[whysub01]

The company develop a new bike, using their own engine rather than using someone else's. This costs BIG, BIG Bucks.

Turns out the engine is a stormer, the bikes (S, ST & SF) are well built, handle, look good and look like they will outlast some other big twins.

So why are the public not buying them? I put it down to the incorrectly perceived view of MZ building cheap commuter bikes. Look at Skoda-been building (assembling?) great cars, which only recently have been accepted as mainstream. As for Enfield, how the hell they keep selling the most shoddily built bikes (apart from CCM) in the UK amazes me

Hopefully, BIKE magazine here are doing a piece on the 1000 in the next month or so-hopefully, it will raise some awareness that not every great big twin has sticky out cylinders!

Similarly, the Baggi/Mastiff is always overlooked when, for instance, RIDE magazine looks at alternative bikes to commute on, then choose a Husaberg , aKTM Duke (one of the vibiest singles I have ever ridden) and a Honda FMX (all 37 weedy horsepower and an 18 year old aircooled engine to boot)-no mention of the MZ, which has to be THE commuter Supermoto.

Rant over.

[cat]

One word - marketing. Perceptions depend mainly on marketing.

The company develop a new bike, using their own engine rather than using someone else's. This costs BIG, BIG Bucks.

Turns out the engine is a stormer, the bikes (S, ST & SF) are well built, handle, look good and look like they will outlast some other big twins.

So why are the public not buying them? I put it down to the incorrectly perceived view of MZ building cheap commuter bikes.

Or they've never heard of them.

But that raises a question: are they buying Chinese bikes and scooters, names they've never heard of? Scooters? Maybe a different market segment to whom name brand is not as important as price, and bike image is not the same as scooter image.

Look at Skoda-been building (assembling?) great cars, which only recently have been accepted as mainstream. As for Enfield, how the hell they keep selling the most shoddily built bikes (apart from CCM) in the UK amazes me

The stories about Royal Enfield build quality and so on vary. ...... The paintwork (on the new ones I've seen in India) is excellent, and excellent hand pin-striping.

This morning I was talking to a friend about the ..suitability and reliability of small Japanese offroad/trail bikes like the TTR230 and CRF230, XT225 ... and I said (and not the first time) that I would still take a 180-200cc Japanese bike over the traditional Enfield for touring in India - because it would be reliable, they can take a beating, the gears or the clutch or whatever wouldn't break.

Hopefully, BIKE magazine here are doing a piece on the 1000 in the next month or so-hopefully, it will raise some awareness that not every great big twin has sticky out cylinders!

They get a fair amount of attention, given the lack of marketing and so on.

Similarly, the Baggi/Mastiff is always overlooked when, for instance, RIDE magazine looks at alternative bikes to commute on, then choose a Husaberg , aKTM Duke (one of the vibiest singles I have ever ridden) and a Honda FMX (all 37 weedy horsepower and an 18 year old aircooled engine to boot)-no mention of the MZ, which has to be THE commuter Supermoto.

Do they still make them? afaik, all the new ones are 2003/ 2004 models. We have a dealer in SA now - Classic Cars (I think) in Johannesburg. I saw them listed on the MZ factory website and I asked them about the 125 and they said they were waiting for a shipment which would arrive in Frebruary. Now I see they ran an ad in the main bike magazine. (Including the Baghira.)

...They chose a Husaberg as a commuter bike? pf! Typical bike magazine arseholes. ok, it would be a great bike for commuting - except for the maintenance - LOL! - but it's a racing bike, it's pretty much a racing bike.
ok, I'd commute on one, sure. I'd have bought one if I'd had the money, but they cost more than the Husqvarna and I didn't have enough for that. But, I didn't know that the maintenance / oil change schedule was even more than the KTM RFS, and I wouldn't be using it every day, and I'm only 15 minutes away from work - in a car.

[LWS66]

My obsevations have nothing to do with the "people" at the factory. I should have been more clear.....When I refer to MZ I'm assuming we all understand that to mean
"the powers that be"......and those "closely" associated with them, where-ever they are based.... at the factory/HQ in any decision making position, or in Malaysia holding the strings. How many owners, dealers, or distributers deal with someone dierectly in Malaysia? Of couse no one does...It will always be someone in Germany at the factory/HQ. So there's my logic in regards to the statement "not wanting to be bothered" Who, what, where, and why........no idea, you have any clues?
We can defend the workers....(the ones who skillfully "create" the motorcycles) all night and day....they're not the issue. Bottom line is MZ's PR/marketing sucks big time, it's non-existant...That's the truth.

Where I'm located I've had plenty of people ask about the bike. The most repeated questions I get is "Who makes it?"......(That it has MZ plastered on the sides clear as day makes me wonder about their IQ!!!!) Many others say they've "Never heard of MZ".....Another one I get as a follow-up is "Where's it made?" I've lost count of the times this has happened....it's quite a bit. There are some who know about MZ, and some who know the current situation..but not many so far.

But the one that takes the cake and about sums up the MZ brand and specifically the 1000 is:

"MZ gave an answer to a question that was never asked"







[quote="cat"]

There've been enough reports of service from the lady doing the technical support there ... my impression is that they do what they can.

The Germans can [i]go[/i] there, to the factory ...for a dealer to get parts, it's shipping in the same country - easy, simple.

I'm trying to make a distinction between the MZ people and the Malaysian corporate that [i]bought[/i] MZ. What you're all talking about takes [i]money[/i]. The MZ factory does not [i]have[/i] money. They have to deal with the bills, the day-to-day running expenses, and they have to account for even that expenditure to the corporate accountants. They would have apply for funds to do anything else. Their job is to make bikes according to the order requirements that they're given. They cannot do anything about marketing. Even if they had the money, they're not [i]allowed[/i] to. The decision-making, the strategies, etc., are in the hands of the corporate bosses in Malaysia.

I have said this before... the corporate in Malaysia buys the ailing company that had no cash and was not doing well. Then (I'm speculating, but it has happened before with other bike manufacturers, and I'm familiar with what corporates are like) they start in-fighting corporate politics, they "bite off more than they can chew", some other big guy takes over and he has some other pet project - something other than MZ - and the attention and focus and money go into that.

So [i]don't[/i] blame the MZ factory people.

So no, it is [i]not[/i] right to say the factory does not want to be bothered with anyone outside of Germany. Where's the logic in that? I bet if you went there, they would show you around, take you for a beer, and do their best to speak English to you.

The people at the factory just work there. They are employees, even the managers.[/quote]

[cat]

My obsevations have nothing to do with the "people" at the factory. I should have been more clear.....When I refer to MZ I'm assuming we all understand that to mean
"the powers that be"......and those "closely" associated with them, where-ever they are based.... at the factory/HQ in any decision making position, or in Malaysia holding the strings. How many owners, dealers, or distributers deal with someone dierectly in Malaysia? Of couse no one does...It will always be someone in Germany at the factory/HQ. So there's my logic in regards to the statement "not wanting to be bothered" Who, what, where, and why........no idea, you have any clues?
We can defend the workers....(the ones who skillfully "create" the motorcycles) all night and day....they're not the issue. Bottom line is MZ's PR/marketing sucks big time, it's non-existant...That's the truth. Tell me I'm wrong...

The decision-makers and the purse-strings are in Malaysia. Yes, there is no marketing. I've suggested possible reasons for that - like the particular individuals involved in buying MZ are no longer the ones calling the shots and the ones that are don't like the idea of MZ... or something else has been happening with the group and they have had to deal with that and so they never got to implement their plans for MZ. Maybe a search on [MZ Malaysia corporate] something like that would turn up something, but the details aren't that important to us.

It's not only the workers in the MZ factory - everyone there, including management, is employed by the Malaysian corporate group that bought the company.

So the basic point is that it is pointless to blame or criticise MZ for the lack of marketing and so on. (Please note: the distinction between MZ, the German company that designs and manufactures MZ motorcycles, and the Malaysian corporate group that bought MZ, who could own any number of diverse companies, from shipbuilders to semi-conductor manufacturers.) The MZ people do not have the financial resources to do anything like marketing and they probably do not have the skills either. For various reasons, they were in a position where the only way to save the company was to sell it to the Malaysian corporate.

Few motorcycle manufacturers other than the "big four" Japanese have been able to avoid financial problems - the most well-known examples being MV Agusta (who own Husqvarna) and Ducati - and one of them was or is owned by Proton, a big Malaysian corporate. Husqvarna, a Swedish company, was bought by MV Agusta. The Husqvarna people that did not want to work for that corporate group formed Husaberg and they are now owned by KTM.

If you want a non-Japanese bike from a company that is adequately marketed and is on a stable footing, get a KTM.

The MZ 1000 is quite obviously a case of ...you might find it hard to get parts a few years from now. There is not really a problem for the Baghira owners because the engine is Yamaha and most of the other parts are from other bikes, or off-the-shelf European OEM parts, or we can make them, improvise them.


Husqvarna is making an attempt at a comeback. Big money is involved

[whysub01]

Yep, that hit the nail sqaurely on the head.

Still will get an SF once my insurance claim is all settled (out of court offer accepted, but now I am tld I may have to wit SIX months for the money, as the legal costs have to be sorted first. But I will get what was offered and accepted).

I do 600 miles a week on my Baggi. Has anyone one 600 miles on a 'Berg without major surgery? The Baggi offers me the fantastic riding position of an SM, but with all the reliability of a "normal" road bike.

[cat]

600 miles on a Husaberg without rebuilding the top-end ... I'd think it's possible, but not without the good maintenance. It sounds like it's possible with the Husqvarna SMRs, but the maintenance schedule is still too much for that sort of commuting. The same applies to the KTM RFS - many people report good reliabliity, but it depends on the maintenance being done.

[whysub01]

Maintenance on the Baggi-let me see. Oil (semi synthetic) & filter change every 6,000kms (my oil always gets hot, so boils off all the contaminants that ruin oil, so no need to change any sooner).

And that's it. Even change the tyres more frequently than I adjust the chain (due to having a Scottoiler)!

The slight drop in power to weight compared to more "race orientated" bikes is a small price to pay-I'd rather be riding than spannering!

[cat]

Heat also damages oil. But there's nothing wrong with the specified 6,000 km.

Riding instead of "spannering" (which sounds better than the american "wrenching" ey) ...well, it helps if you have more bikes. How about having the Husaberg as well as the Baghira. But you're getting a 1000SF, so...there you go. Actually that means you could have a Husaberg instead of the Baghira - you could go to work on the SF when the Husaberg was being worked on.