Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1345276
March 2021 358 Interna onal Six Day Trials Although, MZ's success on the Grand Prix road racing circuit were second fiddle, the same cannot be said of the MZ factory's performance in the ISDT compe on. Factory MZ dominated Six Days compe on for nearly a decade. Look on the fuel caps on any of the ES and ETS models from the early 1970s and you will see that the MZ factory was rightly proud to be crowned world trophy win- ners — every year from 1963 to 1967 and again in 1969. From the fast dry sec ons of the Erzgebirge Mountains in Saxony, to the rain-soaked, muddy 1965 compe on at the Isle of Man, the MZ factory team and their robust machines proved their worth in the way of many medals earned. In response to demand, the MZ factory manufac- tured limited numbers of ISDT replica machines within their race shops, and this bike featured is one of them. Having owned a handful of MZ 250 ISDT replicas over the years, I find them to be inter- es ng machines on many levels. The look is agri- cultural and quite European. The 1974 model was more than dated with metal fenders and non-fold- ing foot pegs. Although I'm certain "bling" wasn't even on the radar during me of development, the MZ ISDT is a uniquely handsome motorcycle. Typical of German vehicles to this day, the finish is im- pressive, with a red painted tank that s ll shines brightly to this very day. Mounted atop the tank is a tool box constructed of heavy leather. Within this leather box is a selec on of tools that should allow for any and all basic maintenance on the trail. Among these tools, there's an impressive selec on of spare parts such as cables, sprockets and spark plugs. Even first aid was in mind, with bandages and smelling salts in case the rider got knocked out! With func on being of main focus, the MZ ISDT bikes were fi ed with unique features. An air pump was mounted below the gas tank and the seat was a quick release design with one knob re- quireing no tools. Also interes ng is that all ISDT models were fi ed with a compressed air tank equipped with an air hose that could reach the front or rear wheels. Those East Germans were well aware of the trac on advantages while run- ning lower re pressures when terrain got gnarly.