MZ Motorcycles

MZ's roots go back to the Zschopau factory in Saxony, Germany, which built one of the first two-stroke motorcycle engines in the early 1920s under the DKW name. After the Second World War the nationalized East German factory was renamed VEB Motorradwerk Zschopau in 1956, becoming one of the region's major exporters - at its peak producing more than 80,000 motorcycles a year for over 100 countries, and taking multiple International Six Days Trial team titles through the 1960s. Following German reunification the old export markets collapsed, and the company was restructured in 1992 as MuZ with a much smaller workforce and new four-stroke Rotax-powered models. Production continued in reduced form until the factory finally closed in 2008, with the brand ceasing operation by 2012. MZ and its sibling brand Simson now hold cult status among a dedicated community of collectors and enthusiasts of classic East German motorcycles.