Babes In Toyland
Babes in Toyland
CW COMPARISON
MZ's new 125cc fourstrokes prove what we've known all along: Girls just wanna have fun!
BRIAN CATTERSON
LEAVE IT TO A GIRL WHO CALLS HERSELF “SUPER SARAH” TO take the piss out of male motorcyclists.“I had fun, too,” she replied to an e-mail I’d sent her after we’d spent a day testing together. “I was thinking it must have been a fun change from all the testosterone flowing freely on the usual test rides!”
The sad part is, she was right. Not only was having four girls test the four different versions of German manufacturer MZ’s new 125cc four-stroke a pleasant diversion, they were easy on equipment. The sum total of the damage was one each bent brake and shift lever, two tom handgrips and one cracked exhaust heat shield. If we’d enlisted our usual knuckle-dragging crew to test these bikes, we probably could have just stacked the smoldering remains into the box van like cordwood at the end of the day!
While developing its own in-house liquid-cooled, dohc, four-valve Single is a noteworthy accomplishment for a company known for producing smoking, square-barreled two-strokes, the most impressive aspect here might be the clever manner in which the four 125 s share parts. All employ the same carbureted engine, and three of the four use the same chassis and bodywork; the RT streetbike differs in
that it uses a slightly different frame with shorter-travel suspension, street-style bodywork, cast wheels and a low pipe.
At any rate, it was during an editorial meeting when one of the guys muttered something about not wanting to test “chick’s bikes” that I piped up and suggested we get four females to test them.
“Good idea,” was the consensus, which suited me fine, because thanks to a broken arm sustained in a motocross accident, I wasn’t going to be doing any testing myself any time soon. And besides, I like girls. I’ve seen Don Canet strip out of his leathers enough to last a lifetime.
All right, so four women.. .but who?
The first one was a no-brainer-the idea, that is, not the girl. Heather Lewis, 27, is married to some guy named Jimmy who professes to be our Off-Road Editor. Last year the two got married, and celebrated by riding a trail in Utah called “Five Miles of Hell.” Some honeymoon. Though Heather spends more time trailriding than racing, she finished third in the Women’s class at last fall’s Tecate Hare Scrambles. She was charged with testing the 125 SX dual-purpose bike.
The second girl I met purely by accident. Mine, that is, because Michele Johnson was standing trackside when I mistimed a rhythm section at the new Saddleback MX Park, endoed and suffered a compound fracture of the humerus, which wasn’t the least bit funny. She thoughtfully steered me away from the track so I wouldn’t walk dazed into oncoming bikes. Anyway, Michele, 26, is
MZ 125 RT
Price..........$3495
Weight....... 273 lbs.
Fuel capacity ... 3.3 gal.
Seat height.....30.8 in.
Footpeg height.. 12.2 in. Ground clearance . 8.0 in. Wheelbase.....53.3 in.
Alps
▲ Cutest bike of the bunch
A Along with Kawasaki Eliminator, only available 125cc streetbikes
Downs
▼ Funny-shaped fuel tank and yellow paint provoke endless banana jokes
▼ $1000 more expensive than the Kawasaki Eliminator 125
▼ Unlike SM and SX, not emis-
sions-legal in California
the number 15 Amateur in the Women’s Motocross League, ancfpfobably would have graduated to the Pro ranks last year if she hadn’t broken her ankle. Her most recent accomplishment was topping the Women’s class at “A Day in the Dirt,” the annual movie-industry grand prix featured in last month’s Racewatch. As our MX girl (which just happens to jive with the name of her website, www.mxgirls.com), she’d put the FunX off-road bike through its paces.
The third girl I met two years ago at a press introduction for the Triumph Sprint RS. To be honest, I was pretty bummed-out that morning, because a couple of other magazine guys had called to say they weren’t going to be able to make it. Which left me, Triumph North America head honcho Mike Vaughan and this girl.
Well, it turned out that Jodie York could ride! As we waited for Mike to catch up after dragging knees down Highway 78 out of Julian, I asked Jodie just who the hell she was. Turned out she was a Willow Springs regular; a couple of months later, she beat the guys to win a 650cc Modified Production roadrace, the first female to do so.
You can learn more about Jodie, 32, and her racing exploits on her website (www. jodieyork.com). She’d be testing the 125 SM supermotard bike.
Last, but not least, came Sarah Schilke. Though I didn’t really know Sarah, 31,1 knew of her from her website {www. supersarah.net, what is it with chicks and websites?), and because we’re sort of in the same business; she works as an advertising manager for American Motorcyclist. As we got talking,
though, I realized that Sarah was the girl with the grisly elbow wound I’d seen working at sign-up for the Viewfinders Grand Prix a couple of years ago; and we’d also rubbed elbows at the media day for Rick Johnson’s new motocross school circa 1998. Though off-road racing is Sarah’s first love (she was the only “Ironwoman” in the 2001 “Day in the Dirt”), she’s also an accomplished street rider, and a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation instructor. She’d be our street girl on the 125 RT.
Venue for our rendezvous was Amago Raceway in northern San Diego County. With motocross and go-kart tracks on the premises and the twisty road to the top of Palomar Mountain just outside the front gate, Amago was the only place we could think of where we could test each of the four MZs in its element.
Worried that the kart track would soon be overrun with buzzing four-wheelers, photographer Jeff Allen headed over there with Jodie and the 125 SM first.
Jodie had never ridden a supermotard bike before, but her roadracing skills soon became apparent as she set out to learn the tight and twisty road course. Having eyeballed the Germanmade Heidenau Wing 17-inch street tires prior to her ride, Jodie took it easy at first, not wanting to test the limits of the unfamiliar rubber. But as she gained confidence, her cornering speeds and lean angles visibly increased, and
before long she was dragging knee and banging the engine off the rev-limiter on the short straights. When we finally got her to stop, she was stoked.
“Right on!” exclaimed the woman who races a Yamaha YZF-R6 and FZR400, and rides an old BMW on the street. “It’s kind of slow, and it’s between gears a lot on this track, but it’s got good suspension for light riders and no problems with handling. It’s nice and light, which is good for confidence, and not intimidating at all. You really need to pay attention to your shifting to maximize power, though, like a two-stroke.”
Next, we had Heather and Michele put the 125 SX and FunX through their paces on the motocross track-or rather the mini-motocross track, because they had a bitch of a time climbing the steep uphill on the main track.
Like Jodie, Heather was initially leery of the Heidenau K60 Enduro tires on the 125 SX, but was pleased to find that
MZ 125 SM
Price..........$3695
Weight....... 264 lbs.
Fuel capacity ... 3.3 gal.
Seat height.....33.4 in.
Footpeg height.. 13.5 in. Ground clearance .10.0 in. Wheelbase.....56.8 in.
Alps
Absolute laugh-riot on a gokart track!
Forget what dirtbikers say, fuel tank doesn’t feel fat while seated
Downs
Who the heck rides on a go-kart track?
Must learn to pronounce “Heidenau” before thanking sponsors from winner’s podium
MZ 125 SX
Price . $3595
Weight . 264 lbs.
Fuel capacity ... 3.3 gal.
Seat height.....35.0 in.
Footpeg height.. 15.3 in. Ground clearance .11.6 in. Wheelbase.....56.8 in.
purpose bike on the market
A Imagine all the dual-sport rides you can go on before the two-year warranty expires!
Downs
▼ Euro speedo marked in kilometers makes following roll charts difficult
▼ Paper air-filter fine for the street, not for the dirt
▼ Needs the FunX’s skidplate
they hooked up pretty well on the hard-packed dirt. Michele, on the other hand, promptly discovered that the also German-made Mefo MX Master knobbies on the FunX didn’t live up to their name.
As would be the case with any two motorcyclists regardless of gender, Heather and Michele soon got racing, the difference here being that where guys might hoot and
holler, the girls were giggling loud enough to be heard over the MZs’ quiet engines! Also unfortunately audible were the Paioli shocks and CZ forks (yes, that CZ; the Czechoslovakian firm is just 60 miles from the MZ factory) bottoming over the small jumps.
When they finally took a breather, the girls had mixed reviews. “The dirtbike handles easily, turns on a dime and the suspension works well in the whoops,” proclaimed Michele, who normally races a Yamaha YZ125 punched out to 154cc. “It needs quicker throttle response, though, and more power on the high end-you can’t lug it, you need to spin it. The gas tank and sidepanels also
flare out too much, so you can’t really stand, just crouch. And it’s a little too heavy.”
Because the FunX and SX are identical save for the latter’s street equipment, Heather repeated most of Michele’s observations, then added a few of her own. “I think if this motor were in a smaller and lighter frame, it would feel more powerful,” said the girl who cites Suzuki’s DR-Z400E as her current favorite dirtbike. “As it is, it doesn’t have enough power to get you out of trouble. The brakes, even though they’re discs, feel like drums, and the smooth rear brake pedal needs to be grippy like a regular dirtbike’s.”
After patiently watching the other three girls ride back and forth for photos, it was finally Sarah’s turn on the 125 RT. She made a dozen or so photo passes on a private drive, then set off for the top of Palomar, trading bikes with Jodie on the 125 SM en route. An hour or so later they returned, smiling.
“That was kind of fun as long as I kept it pinned right at redline,” chuckled Sarah, whose garage holds a Ducati 750 Sport, Honda VFR750, KTM 250 SX and Yamaha WR400F. “Both of these bikes are a little slow on take-off, and ride best when they’re really wound-out. I preferred the streetbike because I found the seating position more comfortable. It felt lower, too. And the suspension seemed just about right for a rider my size.”
As for the 125 RT’s unusual looks, Sarah waged an internal war with her personal fashion police. “The styling took a little getting used to,” she said. “Although I never did like the gray seat, the odd shape of the tank grew on me, and by the end of the day I decided that bike looks pretty nice.”
Okay, so MZ’s new 125s look nice and work halfway decent. The question remains: Are they good for what they are? Depends on who you ask. Because while each of our guest testers dismissed the model in her field of expertise as “maybe good for a beginner,” a funny thing happened when
MZ 125 FunX
Price $3295
Weight . 249 lbs.
Fuel capacity .. . 3.3 gal.
Seat height . 35.0 in.
Footpeg height . 15.3 in.
Ground clearance. 11.6 in.
Wheelbase ..... 56.8 in.
Alps
A An electric-start 125cc dirtbike...
A With liquid-cooling and dohc...
A With full-size wheels and twin disc brakes...
A And a six-month warranty
Downs
▼ An electric-start 125cc dirtbike...
▼ That weighs 50 pounds more than a Yamaha TTR125L...
T And is $700 more expensive
they tried the other girls’ bikes: They became beginners themselves!
Sarah had a blast riding the supermotard SM on the kart track. Michele thought the dual-purpose SX was “awesome” for trailriding. Jodie couldn’t get enough of the FunX dirtbike. And Heather got all excited about seeing 80 mph on the RT’s speedometer while going downhill.
So, yes, MZ’s new 125s are good for beginners, which after all is their intended audience. And no, you don’t have to be a girl to own one.
Sarah summed it up best: “Overall, I was impressed. Admittedly, my expectations were low, but I was pleasantly surprised with the styling and the power. Any of these bikes would be great for a novice rider because they are so easy to ride.”
Heather’s final comment, however, was the most telling: “I would definitely teach my mom how to ride on one of these.”
