MZ is an odd company in many ways. Its street bikes aren’t too exciting, but it developed one hell of a 500 GP bike — taking two poles this year. Next years’ 500 GP MZ should be even better with a new chassis.
MZ does things a little differently — focusing on single cylinder bikes, and, like Bimota, using other manufacturer’s engines. Now, in conjunction with a German company named Weber, MZ is developing a new two cylinder motor from the ground up — a supercharged 750.
Actually, MZ’s 750cc parallel twin will ultimately be available in both normally aspirated and supercharged form. The normally aspirated version should make a competitive 84 horsepower, but it is the supercharged version that is most impressive.
Putting out a claimed 128 horsepower at the crank with (get this!) 90 foot pounds of torque (with a very flat curve).
To put this claimed torque figure into perspective, this 750cc parallel twin would be approaching Honda Valkyrie territory with 90 foot pounds (actually, the Valkyrie makes about 98 foot pounds). With the small, lightweight motor MZ is proposing, this could be a phenomenally potent sports bike engine. Imagine a 750 parallel twin with enough oomph to smoke a four cylinder 750 (which puts out torque in the mid-50s at its peak — and it is very peaky indeed).
Expect to see the normally aspirated MZ750 sometime next year, with the supercharged version arriving in 2001. Oh, and by the way, MZ does like to design simple, lightweight chassis. This combination could be quite impressive indeed.
