The MZ Skorpion was the result of an international partnership between a British design firm, an East German manufacturer (MZ), and Yamaha. Weighing just 380 pounds and packing 48 horsepower, this is a rare sportbike that has become quite the cult classic.
The Skorpion utilizes the engine and electrical systems from a Yamaha XT660, and the brakes/suspension from Italian firm Grimeca. They were well equipped from the factory, including adjustable clip-ons and rear sets. There were five main versions of the Skorpion, but the fanciest and rarest was the Replica, which came with USD forks, upgraded brakes, a revised frame, full fairing, and a little extra pop in the engine (up to 50 hp). Per this Motorcycle.com article, just 16 Replicas were imported to the US. No idea how many came in 1995, but Motorcycle.com would go on to say that the Replica “was one of the best handling bikes we have ever tested.” I loved the 660 engine I had in my MZ Mastiff (especially when fed by Keihin FCR flatslides), but 50 hp can be a tough sell in a sportbike chassis. Still dry weight was just 363 pounds – this would be a lot of fun on your local twisty road.
This example has 11,525 miles and it’s offered by Johann Keyser of Moto Motivo – a name you’ve seen on Bike-urious many times. The listing is a bit light on details so you’ll have to contact him for the full story, but that’ll be worth your time because a.) Johann’s a great guy and b.) it’s not like it’s going to be easy to find another one. I have to admit, there’s a small part of me that wanted to snap this up for myself in lieu of writing this post but right now I’m trying to make my collection smaller, not larger.
Find this Skorpion for sale in Raleigh, North Carolina for $3,500 here on Facebook.