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MZ RD 125-250 1960
For a long time four-stroke engines of medium and large
displacement dominated motorcycle technology. Subsequently smaller vehicles
followed what seemed an axiomatic principle in adopting the two-stroke cycle
system that had been invented by the German Otto. The disappointing results
obtained by Garelli and then by DKW were considered irrelevant exceptions.
When DKW abandoned its last version, only the East German MZ persisted in using
two-stroke engines. That company went directly into racing to show that the
two-stroke engine still had a great deal to say for itself.
There was a certain logic in the proceedings. The MZ company
had been founded after World War II on the ruins of the DKW factory in Zschopau.
Aside from any political questions, MZ wanted to maintain "homegrown" technical
traditions. The original idea came from a local mechanic, Daniel Zimmerman, who
had transformed an old DKW 125. He eliminated the old-fashioned cross-port
distribution and installed a rotating distributor connected directly to the
crankcase pump.
Zimmerman's distribution system was adopted and improved by
MZ. Walter Kaaden, the head of MZ's racing department, did some interesting
tests on the design of the exhaust tubes and their positioning in relation to
the cylinder port. In the end he came up with two engines, a 125 and a 250, and
both of them turned in exciting performances.
After factory testing, the MZ company decided to put the vehicles onto the
track. The two-stroke motorcycle had been entered in world championship events
from time to time since the 1955 West German Grand Prix, but Kaaden and his
colleagues did not decide to go into racing on a regular basis until 1958. That
year the official MZ racer Fiigner won the Swedish Grand Prix with a 250-cc.
two-cylinder MZ.
In 1959 Gary Hocking won two Grand Prix in the 250 class and
Ernst Degner—the best racer on the team— beat Ubbiali with an MV in the 125
class at Monza. Degner barely missed winning in the 250-class competition
as well.
As the Japanese began to show up on European tracks and circuits, the Italians
and the East Germans fought it out in the Va- and 1A-liter classes in 1960. The
Italians prevailed, but Degner won in the 125 class at Fran-corchamps and Imola.
He lost some races mainly through bad luck.
Motorcycle: MZ RD 125 Manufacturer: Motorraderwerke Zschopau,
Zschopau Type: Racing Year: 1960
Engine: MZ single-cylinder, two-stroke, with rotating-disk distribution.
Displacement 123.6 cc. (54 mm. x54 mm.)
Cooling: Air
Transmission: Six-speed block
Power: About 24 h.p. at 11,000 r.p.m.
Maximum speed: About 110 m.p.h.
Chassis: Continuous, tubular, double cradle. Front wheel, swing lever and shock
absorbers; rear wheel, telescopic shock absorbers
Brakes: Front and rear, central drum
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