Mick Walker's MZ book isn't a deep, comprehensive tome it might be, but covers the important developments and models of the brand in a fairly dense little book, that's packed with photos and informative captions. There are many books published in German about MZ and its successful racing history both on- and off-road, but Walker's is the first in English to cover the whole history (there's a small 'MZ: the Birth of the Modern Two Stroke Racer' pamphlet'). Mick Walker was an institution, writing dozens of books on motorcycles history, many of brands that were neglected by other writers; that includes MZ, which was best known in the UK for utilitarian East German two-strokes available cheaply between the 1960s-late '80s, when the Wall fell, and MZ lost its government sponsorship. MZs were generally not imported to the US, but a few TS250 GS ISDT Replicas were imported by Edison Dye (who brought Husqvarna fame in the US). I gained familiarity with the brand while living in the UK, and rode a '74 ES250 to the Soviet border in 1987; while hard-used by a previous owners, it made the round trip with no problems. The entire machine could be dismantled using the toolkit provided, and its simplicity and ruggedness were refreshing.Read full review
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This title is well worth a look at if you have a general interest in the history of early grand prix machinery etc. Written by Mick Walker who has a wealth of interest and sound knowledge of the subject in hand. The story of the East German two stroke MZ motor cycle is both interesting in its form as road bike or racing motorcycle and worth its place on any pure road racing fans book shelf. My only complaint is that this book title comes only in paperback format.
MZ the marmite bike; you either love 'em or hate 'em. Mick Walker provides an informative book with information on racing on and off road with some excellent photo illustrations covering the different models. Definitely one for the ring dingers of this world addicted to two stroke.
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