You could say that I like the MZ Skorpion. I own three of them, one each of Traveller, Sport and Tour. All I need is a Sport Cup for the full set, or possibly one of the early Rotax-engined ones just to be a bit different. 
   I bought my first one a good few years ago now. It was a 1998 Traveller and was bought from another MZRC member. It was a ‘cosmetically-challenged’ ex-training school machine in white with about 21k miles on the clock. It was a bit rough, although everything actually worked, and it was to get even worse as I pressed it into service as my daily hack. Used in all weathers and living outdoors for the next four years or so. In this trim I covered another 25k miles or so, using it for everything from my commute to work to attending MZRC rallies, as well as a couple of trips abroad - to the MZ factory organised Emmenrausch in 2002 and elsewhere. 

   The crash wasn't all bad, it broke the red screen!

   After all this abuse, on which the bike seemed to thrive, it got moved indoors into my new shed-cum-workshop. After it got thrown down the road one sunny afternoon it got treated to some new bodywork and a new paint-job, it got a load of new bits and pieces fitted and was generally tidied up. It looked great. As a consequence of all this coddling its engine then decided to self-destruct on about 47k miles due to an oil starvation problem (and not because I forgot to put any in, as some would have it). 

      Now that's a lot better

   An engine rebuild was on the cards until I managed to pick up a Sport cheaply on eBay, cheaper in fact than actually doing the rebuild. The old bike now seemed destined to be broken for parts. When a low-mileage Tour was acquired its days were finally numbered. 


   So, now I have two running bikes and enough parts to, hopefully, keep them both on the road for a good few years to come. 
   I did write a little something about my early ownership of the bike, its attraction and what I saw as some of the unwarranted criticism it received in some circles. If interested, this can be found at http://www.mz.scotland.btinternet.co.uk/skorpion.htm My opinions haven’t changed in the time since. I still see it as one of the best value machines on the market. 
   So, what is the big attraction? Well, the build quality when new was excellent. It is relatively light, nimble and quite nippy, and if you can live with the bane of all big singles, the vibration, it’s a very pleasant and easy bike to ride. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no great problem with the vibration, and it’s certainly not as intrusive as on my Rotax or a number of other bikes I could name, but it does get mentioned a lot. However, it’s a big single. If you can’t live with the vibration then I’d recommend that you look elsewhere for your wheels. There is a fair degree of adjustment available on both the footrests and handlebars (at least until the final variants with a single tubular handlebar), enough to accommodate most riders, I’d say. 
   What are they like to ride? Well, they all behave in much the same way as it is, after all the same engine/frame combination. They accelerate fast enough, although the handling and suspension is a little more modest than to be found on modern Japanese machines as adjustment here is rather limited, with the standard brakes (single disc front and rear) being more than adequate for the job asked of them. Top speed is equally modest, topping out at just over 110mph. Where it works best is on twisty A-roads where you can really throw it, rather than trying to set new records for losing your license for speeding on flat, straight motorways. It will sit quite happily at 70-80 mph seemingly all day should you wish to use it for touring and return very favourable fuel consumption figures of around 50 mpg at those speeds. 
   Having ridden all three variants I personally feel that the Traveller is the best all-round package, with its fairing offering reasonable protection from both wind and weather and the standard Hepco & Becker 30 litre hard panniers offering a good carrying capacity, which can be increased with the larger 40 litre panniers and the addition of a top-box and/or tankbag. 
   The Tour, by comparison, offers no such comfort, lacking both fairing and hard luggage. Without the fairing it does seem to be a much smaller bike, and riding it above 60 mph becomes a bit troublesome, as with most other ‘naked’ bikes on the market. It all depends on whether an un-faired machine is what you’re after. Most Tour owners, myself included, seem to find that fitting some sort of screen improved the bike’s usability, and some sort of luggage allows it to pressed into service for actually touring. 
   For a variety of luggage options for your Skorpion, take a look at http://www.mzskorpion.net/page13.htm

  
      Like the red chain? Thought not!

 The Sport is the biggest enigma. It is without doubt, well to these old eyes at least, the best looking of the three. In fact, its looks compare favourably with anything put out by any other manufacturer and when parked up it does seem to attract attention. Well, until folks see the badge on the tank and start mumbling about two-strokes, oily rubbish etc. All quite sad really. The Sport is stylish and sporty in appearance, yet it’s just not that fast. This is a bit of a drawback in a sports bike, I’m sure you will admit. Oh, it’s fast enough to break the national speed limit, but any comparison with a run-of-the-mill Japanese middle-weight will show up the inadequacies in its performance. This is probably why Sports come up for sale quite regularly with relatively low mileages on them. People buy them on price and looks, and sell them when their expectations aren’t met with actual performance. Shame really, as the more aggressive riding position and stiffer suspension mean that it is actually a very capable machine to ride on fast A-roads. I find myself throwing it around a lot and riding like a hooligan when the occasion arises. It makes a pleasant change from a commuter bike and I begin to see the attraction in sports bikes in general. In conclusion, I would recommend that you find yourself a nicely run-in Skorpion, buy it and then look after it. It is a rewarding machine to own and is capable of doing most things well. There is also a certain attraction on having something so unusual. Should you take the tank badges off I guarantee that virtually no one will know what it is you are on.