New MZ owner, wondering what he's got!

[parkandride]

Last month I bought a black MZ ETZ 251 NE (Saxon Tour) after a decades’ long absence from motorbike ownership.
Although I’d never owned an MZ, I remember guys from our Bike Club who had bought TS250’s as “winter” bikes and then seemed to use them quite a lot in the summer too, even on longer trips away.

My son has just bought himself a bike and I wanted to share the action!

I fancied the idea of repairing and riding a cheap, rugged, tried & trusted design and seeing if I would grow to love it - like many others seem to have.
Mine's a runner, but it has a bit of work needed for its MOT. And then I read the log book and the article on wikipedia about MZ/MUZ…..

Could anyone tell me when the last of the 2-stroke singles were built please?

I ask, because according to the V5 and the bikes data badge, mine was built in Germany and registered in 1996 and if it is one of the later/last models I wonder if I should be trying to get it as close to “as built” spec as possible, rather than customizing it according to personal taste.

I also wonder about the re-sale value in a year or two’s time if I did?
Am I deluding myself – or might I have stumbled upon a potential classic or collectable?

Either way, I plan on enjoying riding this for myself first!

Any help or observations would be welcome.

[DAVID THOMPSON]

in the long run probably easier to find parts to keep it running than most 2 smokers

automatic oiling may cost more but i find it makes the bikes easier to live with...had a yamaha ym1 1966 with a pump it worked great...

dave

[arry_b]

Fellow Saxon Tour owner here (although mine's a 301). I suspect you'll be waiting a long time for our bikes to become valuable classics....

They make great all-rounders, mine's as happy popping down the shops as it is touring through France and Spain, but there are some parts that aren't easily obtinable any more (if at all). Plastics and seat covers are mostly unobtainium, the electronic ignition unit ain't brilliantly reliable, the clock glasses crack and the alloy wheels corrode easily for example.

Pardoxically, the earlier bikes (TS250, ETZ250) are easier to get parts for and are alreadystarting to be seen as classics.

I'd ride it and enjoy it, you'll not lose money on it if you look after it. Restoring it is a sure way of losing money!

Steve

[parkandride]

Thanks for the tips.
I'm far happier riding bikes than I am polishing and preening them, so it'll be no hardship to use it like a workhorse!

(Love the site BTW. I've already had a lot of my maintenance and repairs questions answered! Many thanks!)