MZ britanniques

In 1970 (or thereabouts, correct us please) Sheffield motorcycle dealer, Wilf Green took on a concession to sell MZ motorcycles. That concession was to last for almost twenty years. Other than Walter Kaaden, Wilf Green is probably the most famous name in British MZ circles (although a few may actually think it’s Fred Rogers!). As far as we are aware there is only one history ever been written about Wilf Green which we confess to not having read. Certainly, Google comes up with little of the Wilf Green’s MZ relationship. The following may not be completely accurate therefore and we would welcome re-writes of any parts which are incorrect. Please contact the Webmaster with re-writes of any paragraphs which you think would benefit from change.

MZ ES250 (courtesy of wikimedia)
MZ ES250
(courtesy of wikimedia)

The first models imported into Britain by Wilf Green in the early 70’s were the ES150/1 (143cc) and ES250/2 Trophy (243cc) models. The ES150 had taken over from the RT125 when the RT125 ceased production in about 1962. I have an RT125 which the name plate says was manufactured in 1967 and this anomaly is hard to explain because, by 1967 they had long since stopped making the RT125. The name plate says it was manufactured in 1967 and it was registered in 1967 (obviously not an official import) but the mystery remains.

Wilf Green did make a few "special edition" MZs. There was a 250 Trophy Trail that looked a bit like an ISDT, a Special Series of the TS250/1 and TS 150/1 which had non standard paint and leg shields and the Pathfinder, an off-roady TS150 with a different tank, mudguards, sidepanels and and a bigger front wheel. Possibly others too, he was a great salesman!

Wilf Green subsequently created the ETZ300 (as distinct from the later, factory produced ETZ301), which was essentially a standard ETZ250 with a re-bored (and slightly restyled) engine, cockpit fairing and revised decals.

olieric a écrit:Après l'etrillage en règle que subit la bécane dans cet essai (qui se termine par "shame on the pathfinder") on comprend que peu de clients aient été intéressés.
Je ne connais pas le modèle Alpine auquel il fait référence, mais visiblement il n'a pas aimé cette version.
Esthétiquement, je ne la trouve pas si horrible...

Of course, it's just the thing for smuggling bags of crisps through the minefields of the Polish border, which is why MZ wouldn't dream of selling it on their home market".

Bien sûr, c'est la solution idéale pour faire passer des sacs de chips à travers les champs de mines de la frontière polonaise, c'est pourquoi MZ n'envisagerait pas de les vendre sur son marché national.

Nobru a écrit:
Difficile à prouver mais près d'Edinburgh, sur la route entre Loanhead et Penicuik, J'AI VU (entendu et senti) une MZ 150 ETZ !!
Entre le camion et une bagnole, il y avait bien une MZzzzzz..

Nobru a écrit:
Difficile à prouver mais près d'Edinburgh, sur la route entre Loanhead et Penicuik, J'AI VU (entendu et senti) une MZ 150 ETZ !!
Entre le camion et une bagnole, il y avait bien une MZzzzzz..