Salvaged from the Scrapheap.

[sunbeem]

My neighbour at the old mill where I have my workshop, was having a clear - out. The old Honda 4 was an ugly sight, but leaning against it was a little C reg MZ.TS 150. He'd had it for 6 years, but never got round to sorting it out. The scrap man had offered £35.Was I interested? Looking it over, and remembering the MZ 250 engine I used to run in a Husky frame, I recognised the same standard of design, and attention to detail - and decided to rescue it.
So now I have a load of questions, if anyone would like to enlighten me.
First off, there's no battery, but the headlight is marked 12volts. The only Haynes I have expires at 1979, and says they are all 6volt. Have I been converted?
Another thing I'd like to know is what fuel consumption is likely to be?
And anything else you see fit. I haven't a clue.

Sunbeem.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

post the vin maybe some one can give it a year from that
fuel mileage will be poor but from the looks of it it will clean up
and make a nice local putter or spair when the main bike desides to lay down on the job
may be a sticker on it with year some where the turn signal's look mid to early 80's
dave

[Norman Wade]

Hi Sunbeem,
It was first registered in late '85 - early '86 in Preston, Lancashire. (Note for non UK residents: here a vehicle keeps the same number all of its life, irrespective of how many owner it has. As the first letter is 'C', that designates that the first registration was late '85 - early '86; and the final two letter are 'FV', which means it was registered in Preston. See http://www.motorcycle.co.uk/Reference-material/UK-Registration-Letters.aspx )
The TS 150 (and mechanically similar 125) were very common in the UK, and tens of thousands of them were sold. That means spares are readily available, and there's plenty of people out there who have owned one.
If the engine turns over on the kickstarter and you fancy a project, offer the owner 50 pounds. TS150s are fairly easy to work on and it probably wouldn't take much to put it back on the road. The bike will be six volt - it probably has a headlight from a 12 volt bike, but the bulb will have been changed to 6.
I would advise joining the MZ Riders Club http://www.mzridersclub.co.uk/ It's a big and very active club, and a good source of spares and information. It is organised into regional sections and if you've there's a meeting fairly locally, you are bound to meet someone who's owned one. (Where about in the UK are you?) The club also sells manuals and parts books - invaluable when rebuilding a bike.
A good forum on the Web is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mz_riders/ This is geared towards MZ 2 stroke owners, so lots of knowledgeable people there. Also, if you're interested in what a TS 150 can do, take a look at: http://www.siltec.co.uk/french_tour_82.html
Good luck, and I hope this is of some help,

Norman
http://www.mzskorpion.net

[sunbeem]

Thanks for the information folks, I've been enjoying myself with the new acquisition, tidying this and that.The engine turns freely,but I don't have a six volt battery yet, so I don't know if the spark is still there.
The shocks are obviously too short, and one of the aluminium adjuster sleeves is cracked.The thing is, they seem good quality, and can be dismantled. Currently I'm wondering if it is worth making a new mild steel adjuster sleeve, and making two fittings to lower the top mountings. Then I could use any s/h shocks in future. Make and mend is the philosophy here, as the spare money (and the rest), gets hoovered up by my other machine a '78 BMW R100 RS.
I've no idea what mpg to expect, so any figures would be welcome.
I plan to lose the tinwork, the coil now lives beneath the tank, and the battery and regulator can go under the redesigned seat.
Indicators have gone, as have the rear footrest hangers. I'll use the frame hole for a paddock stand, so the centrestand can be dispensed with. If I really like the bike, I'll replace the present ally rear with a frame loop and conventional guard.
Hope this doesn't horrify you as some kind of evil butchery, I think there's a chance that stripped to the essentials, it might be a nice little character.
In the immortal words of Seasick Steve, "Started out with nothing, - still got most of it left".

My workshop is next to Bentham railway station, 15 miles north east of Lancaster. Anyone needing a pit stop is very welcome, Ring 015242 61034, or take pot luck.

Thanks again,
Sunbeem.

[Norman Wade]

Hi Sunbeem,
The rear shocks aren't original MZ units (they have cast on adjusters). Second hand MZ shocks should be fairly easy to get hold of cheaply, just a case of asking around until a pair come up.
As for mpg, I would estimate about 80 would be reasonable for a TS 150. Anyone out there got one?
I've never understood the 'keep it original' brigade. It's your bike so do what you want with it. Why is it people think you should modify new bikes but return old ones to original? Chop it about to suit the way you ride it and want it to look, that's what I say.
Even if you don't join the MZRC, it's worth popping along to the local section meetings. Lancashire is a very active area MZ wise, and it could be useful for meeting people for technical knowledge and finding possible sources of spares. Don't be surprised if you meet someone who lives 3 miles away from you and has a shed full of MZs.
Your local meetings are held on the 1st Sunday of the month at noon, at the Eagle & Child pub, Church Road, Leyland.

Norman
http://www.mzskorpion.net

[sunbeem]

Hi Norman,
I've made some risers for the shocks until the right ones come along, and shrunk a collar round the broken adjuster, so I can forget about that for now.
80mpg sounds ok, nearly twice what the RS does, so no complaints there.
All I need to find, is a battery (and I've a 12 volt for swaps), fuses, and a petrol tap, then a little work, and hopefully, there will be that magic moment when something comes back to life. Or not.
Thanks for the information concerning the club, Bentham -Slaidburn- Leyland would be a nice Sunday morning ride.

Sunbeem.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

check out http://www.mz-b.de
they make a 12volt system for it if its 6v
dave

http://www.powerdynamo.biz/eng/systems/ ... 21main.htm
http://www.powerdynamo.biz/eng/systems/ ... 46main.htm