Question about US history with MZ (and other cold war bikes)

[jam23a30]

Can't add too much to what has been said but I do believe there is a political aspect to MZ exports, that is DDR and the Eastern Bloc were largely self sufficient but they did need hard currency for essential non Bloc spend.

I think in the UK MZ's did fit a gap in the market as cheap and reliable transport and their quality was recognised over time. I suspect the USA was a very different market to the 70's UK and a lot further from the factory!

Andy

[Eomund]

Can't add too much to what has been said but I do believe there is a political aspect to MZ exports, that is DDR and the Eastern Bloc were largely self sufficient but they did need hard currency for essential non Bloc spend.

I think in the UK MZ's did fit a gap in the market as cheap and reliable transport and their quality was recognised over time. I suspect the USA was a very different market to the 70's UK and a lot further from the factory!

Andy

Ya. People in the states call it ugly and its all style over here.so odd balls get no love. And she aint ugly either haha.

[dave47]

I believe an important export market for the MZ250 was always the armies and police forces of various foreign countries, as well the DDR itself. This might partly explain why tank range was prioritised at the expense of styling. But most western consumers were not traffic cops or despatch riders, and were rarely far from a petrol station. Styling and image have always been very important factors in motorbike sales in the West, not just in the USA.

[Puffs]

Yes, in a commercial setting, styling and image have always been very important factors in motorbike sales. People choose to buy something based on many aspects. I suppose there's a balance between many things, like styling, function, costs, longevity, availability, ... But always the consumer's perception thereof, which is influenced by advertising & framing.

The balance depends on the application. For instance in race bikes, like MotoGP bikes, the full focus is on function: anything to win. There will always be some style etc, but the focus is on being competitive. Commercially sold MX race bikes have a similar focus on function, but there cost too is important - you have to sell them. In bikes like the Triumph Rocket, or to stay closer to home: the Ducati Diavel (an obvious direct descendent of the DKW Reichsfahrtmodell), the balance shifts strongly to style, thus trying to serve another part of the market.

Obviously I never lived in the DDR, but I understand things were different. The State decided what was available, and when. There was less choosing to be done, at least not by the mere mortals. And certainly not on style.

For the record, the 1928 Diavel from Zschopau: