ETZ 250 OR 301

[Andy_C]

I owned an ETZ 301 for a time a while back - it was a rough as the proverbial bears backside but seemdd to go well enough / do what was expected of it.

I replaced it with a Skorpion Sport cup but after spending a fair bt of time and money on the Skorp have made it to nice to use as a winter hack bike so will probably sell it as what I am after is a winter hack.

So the question, I would be looking for another ETZ to fill the gap, so what's best a 250 or a 301 or is there virtually no difference ?

I much prefer the ETZs to earlier models.

Any thoughts ?

[arry_b]

They're very different bikes to ride.

I've had lots of ETZ 250s, and they don't seem to stay with me for long. The best one of those had a 301 top end fitted. They've all been reliable enough, I just didn't gel with them. Good solid bikes though, and the 18" rear wheel is easier to get good tyres for.

Saxon 251 and 301s look nicer, but they're a lot more fragile than the ETZs when it comes to the running gear. The loom is pathetically weak, and the electronic ignition sender will break down at some point.

My favourite to ride is the steel tanked ETZ301 with points ignition and the twin DDR clocks. The shorter (than an ETZ250) frame gives it the manoeuvrability of a trials bike and is a lot of fun to ride. It is awfully ugly though...

[DAVID THOMPSON]

my personal choice for a winter hack is a bmw r60/5 or 6 the 7 is nice but the disc brake can freeze locked up
and the disk is a problem on the rotax powered 500 and MZ 250
its usually wet and sloppy where i live then it freezes

dave

[vicar]

A BMW R60/5 will cost you about £3500 plus, its a bit expensive for a winter hack, they are sought after classic bikes in the UK.


Buy what you can get, the price of MZs is going up like mad. You cant get one for a couple of hundred pounds anymore . I have been looking for something cheap to make into a mad Fantic Chopper look alike,( Google it if your not from the UK.)
But I am happy with the way my 251 goes and it keeps working.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

there not cheap over here either
but once you get past the buy in price
there the best daily driver you will ever own

i took off on one and forgot the tool kit remembered it 50 miles down the road
and said oh crap and went on to colorado with out it 3000 miles round trip
with the tool bag on the work bench at home

if i could only have one bike i would fix the r75/5 thats setting in the basement
and move the rest out
i do love the rt125 and the rest of the mz's i have but nothing beats a /5 or /6
there tuff from 1969 to 2000 i rode tested them
dave

[Blurredman]

They are certainly getting more expensive indeed.

I have a 300cc piston in an overbored 250 barrel and to be quite honest, I initially felt a little bit of an increase in torque but in honesty, I would have done just fine on my 250. It just so happened that my 250 barrel and piston were fairly worn and therefore there was less power but if the spec sheet is right that the 250 model has 15hp and the 300 has 17hp, it's a fair little bit but you soon get used to it... What I'm saying is, it doesn't really matter except on the 300 you get a tiny bit more low end torque..

[DAVID THOMPSON]

if the spec sheet is right that the 250 model has 15hp and the 300 has 17hp,

this is the reason i always say there just big MOPEDS

my rt125 is 15hp to really run with traffic in the USA it needs twice that

an r90/6 does a good job pulling a hack but you need a really tuff sub frame
or you will turn it into junk
its a hard life over here trying to keep from getting ran over by the CREWCAB DUALLY TRUCKS
dave