Issue 140 : April - May 2005
Tribute to Simon
Milward in Africa
MZ 1000SF
Ducati 620 Multistrada
Fred's Run
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Tribute to Simon
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Day of the Alien
MZ 1000SF German manufacturer MZ, once the biggest producer of motorcycles in the world, is now back with their second new model in a year. The 1000SF (Super Fighter) is a stripped down version of the fully faired sport bike, the 1000S. However, the 998cc motor now has a new camshaft, exhaust and engine map to ensure that it delivers its power further down the rev range and is more rideable in real world traffic situations. The slight drop of 4 hp to 113bhp is well worth it, as the world launch near Malaga, Spain showed. This is the second bike from designer Peter Naumann and it is hoped that this bike, designed and built in house will finally shake off the cheap utilitarian two-stroke image that they are famous for. In appearance it is aggressive, but a close look shows that a lot of attention has been paid to details. The liquid-cooled engine looks far neater than similar units that have had the bodywork removed.
All the trick parts from the sports bike remain, like 43mm inverted fully adjustable forks, along with an equally adjustable rear mono-shock, which controls the conventional swinging arm. Four-pot callipers grip the twin 320mm semi-floating discs at the front, backed up by a single disc at the rear and are more than adequate for the 209kgs kerbside weight. The seat height has been lowered and riding position has been altered to give a more upright riding stance. This comes primarily from the fitting of the tubular handlebars. These are mounted in anti-vibration mountings which help lift them up even more. The whole plot rolls along on some unique wheels that are 10% lighter than conventional 17-inch cast wheels. These are shod with Metzler 120/70 (front) and 180/55 (rear) section tyres for maximum grip. Sit astride the bike, turn on the ignition and let the dials do their self- calibration, then thumb the button and let the twin rumble into life and you know it is going to be a fun ride. Like any Ducati or similar, the fact that it is not an across-the-frame four-cylinder gives the bike instant character and appeal. Snick into first gear and move off and you can immediately feel the changes. There is no snatch and the bike moves along at walking pace beautifully balanced. Start threading through traffic and things fall into place and you can see what has been achieved. Leaving the town behind and heading off into the mountains on some sinuous and twisty roads, the SF was a delight. No need to play tunes on the gearlever, or constantly use the brakes unless you want to, just ride the bike on the engine and make use of the prodigious torque. You quickly realise the handling is superbly neutral and inspires total confidence. The bike is relatively easy to change direction on and will acquit itself very well on hairpin roads, even up against a quick steering 600! The suspension works well on standard settings, but there is plenty of adjustment at both ends for those who want a sportier set-up. Quicken the pace generally and you find that there are no problems with either the brakes or tyres, which just lapped up the point and squirt riding on the snow capped hillsides. You notice some vibration, but never enough to annoy or affect rider comfort levels. It is certainly a very good everyday sort of bike and will carve its own niche in the marketplace. The MZ 1000SF is though in a very competitive market sector. It is up against the Aprilia Tuono, Benelli TNT, BMW Rockster, Ducati Monster, Kawasaki Z1000, KTM Superduke and the Triumph Speed Triple. However, it has one big ace card up it sleeve, it will be priced at £6,495 beating them all on price! Ian Kerr |
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MZ's futuristic Superfighter is re-writing the company's utilitarian identity with a vengeance...
The really clever part of the redesign though is the nose fairing, which also houses the instrument console. In general terms it looks like many of its competitors, but MZ spent many hours in a wind tunnel developing it to provide the same weather protection as a screen double its actual size.