September 2000
We all have to resign to the advances in technology, and sooner or later I would have succumbed to the lure of a (more?) modern motorcycle. Still having to work to a budget, there wasn't really much choice, taking into account that I'm not a sports bike fan, mostly older Japanese customs or a cheap Guzzi. I've always fancied an MuZ Skorpion, but their position in the market (ex-communist state owned company needing to make real money to survive) meant they were too expensive. Until recently.
The basis for the Skorpion range comprises of a Yamaha XTZ660 four-stroke motor held in a Seymour-Powell-designed chassis, rolling on Grimeca wheels, and brought to a standstill with Brembo brakes. The Traveller is a development of the unfaired Tour, for which the full fairing and Hepco and Becker pannier system were options which tegether made the Traveller as it is sold now. I can only assume that the options were so popular that the bikes were simply made that way in the first place. The Tours seem firmly in competition with the Suzuki GS500 (ever seen one with a full fairing? I believe the fairings have come from the same manufacturer) and the Sport has smaller Italians to play around with. With a 659cc lump it's not the fastest of motorcycles, but ecomony, comfort, superb handling and a healthy throb from the exhaust give it a personality that most Japanese bikes can only dream of.
Due to dubious circumstances, CSM Rider Training was closed down in 1999. This left a large number of motorcycles in the hands of the recievers, moslty Yamaha SR125's and Diversions. However, CSM also owned 80 or so Skorpion Travellers. My local dealer (as in 5 minutes walk away) bought a considerable number of these bikes, and as I was on my way home from work they caught my eye. And my bank balance. Several days later I was the proud owner of a 1998 Traveller in white. Those of you who have had a look through my other pages will have noticed that almost all my bikes have been black, and as such this quite a change from the norm. All the CSM bikes where white, so no option on the colour. However, I think that white suits the bike particularly well, and after seeing one of the new all black (including frame) machines I'm not at all tempted to chuck the bodywork to someone to get it changed.
The Good News...
First of all the cost. If I had bought the Traveller new, I would have been looking at the best part of £4000. Not the cheapest of buys new, but that's life with a European motorcycle. At 18 months old, I picked up mine for an exceedingly reasonable £1500. Okay, it had 13,500 miles on the clock, but you tell me where else you could get a comparable bike for the same money.
The Bad News...
I'm not sure whether poor maintenance or build quality is to blame, but there have been an awful lot of parts that have needed replacing. All 4 wheel bearings have had to be replaced, along with a several hoses (plain rubber, not the best material for an every day bike), the clutch cable (poor fitting and routing), and several bulbs (vibration). The paint on the bodywork has taken a knock or three, but the bike has spent most of it's life on the road so you can't expect the body work to stay pristine. The shock lower mounting seems to seize up on a large number of Skorpions, and is not cheap to replace. The silencer mounting bracketry is a poor fit and will cause the mount on the silencer itself to crack.The rev counter needle waves around like one of the old 2-stroke clocks, the headlight is poor, especially the dip beam, the horn produces a laughable squeak, and the electrics are a bit of a nightmare after the simplicity of the communist bikes.
What to do?
I'm sure most of the bad points would put off the average jap sportsbike owner, but at least the majority of these can be repaired or replaced by the enterprising MZ enthusiast, who is much more forgiving, perhaps because the bikes bought purposefully cheap and home servicing and repair are a part of MZ ownership. As ever there is a list of things to update, such as relays to run the lights and a more powerful horn, fitting a water temperature gauge (there is only a warming light on pre-2000 models.) The exhaust has been repaired be fitting a long bar inside the mount to allow 3 bolts to hold it in place rather than the one that is fitted from the factory.
Chains, sprockets, tyres, oil changes, valves, all things that have to be checked regularly to keep it going. The Pirelli MTR02 fitted in May lasted a measly 3500 miles and proved pretty wasted on motorway work, but it even on minimal tread it survived a 750 mile trip to Scotland, mostly due to this sports compound tyre getting used how it should on all the A and B roads. The chain has developed a nasty tight spot, but appears to have lasted well with little wear on the sprockets, so the expected £80 or so I reckon it'll cost to replace them will not go amiss. The clutch cable was rerouted when it was replaced, and the actions appears to be much easier and seems less likely to fail.
The Verdict...
After 6 months, I can only give the Skorp a big thumbs up. It has proved more than capable of getting me from A to B with a minimum of fuss, it'll carry a modest amount of luggage (the panniers don't actually hold as much as Hepco and Becker would like you to believe due to their shape) with little effect on the handling (although I've always ridden solos with panniers so I'm used to that). The suspension copes susprisingly well, after all it does have to carry 18 stone around before adding luggage and the occassional pillion. The fairing is suprisingly effective, keeping off most of the weather. At the same time there are several obvious cheap shortcuts (e.g. laughable electrical loom) alongside the techy bits (e.g. adjustable bars and footrests) , and the finish on certain parts leaves a lot to be desired. In the end though, all I can say is I love this bike, and it's a shame in the 7 years that it has been in production that people haven't taken MZ a little more seriously and given it the benefit of the doubt.