Mz Skorpion Sport Cup

MZ SKORPION SPORT CUP

Quick Ride

Singular sensation?

WITH AN AGGRESSIVE moniker, knock-out paint and its own roadrace series, MZ’s Skorpion Sport Cup is oozing with potential. Or so it would appear.

Confused? Consider the bike’s MSRP: At $6695, the Sport Cup is MZ’s least expensive sportbike (the dual-purpose Mastiff and Baghira retail for $6595 and $6195, respectively). To achieve that attention-grabbing price point, the Sport Cup doesn’t have the exotic brakes, inverted fork, high-rise dual exhaust and lightweight wheels found on the spendy Skorpion Replica, or the upright ergonomics, plush seat and detachable saddlebags of the sport-touring Skorpion Traveller.

Fortunately, it is endowed with the same 660cc, sohc, five-valve, liquid-cooled Yamaha Single that powers other MZs. Besides packing a potent 47-horse punch, the electric-start, twin-

carb five-speeder is a smooth runner, a by-product of the engine’s vibration-quelling balance shaft. In fact, even at high rpm, the Yammie powerplant is so smooth that it’s easy to neglect redline and bump-.s wacA/-into the rev-limiter. Our flame-orange (a classic green-and-white treatment is also offered) testbike was equipped with an optional CarbonTech slip-on muffler and Holeshot Performance jet kit, giving the bike a racier appear-

ance, improved cornering clearance, snappier throttle response and increased noise emissions.

The burly mild-steel frame is also identical to those of other fully faired MZs. With a relatively conservative 26.5 de-

grees of rake and 4.2 inches of trail, though, steering geometry could be more aggressive. As is, the 56.8-inch bike depends on its weight-or lack thereofto react quickly to handlebar input. Combine that fact with less-than-stellar suspension components, and you have a machine that’s not quite ready for all-out canyon strafing. The non-adjustable 41mm Paioli fork, for example, could benefit from increased damping control; and a ride-height adjuster on the preload-only Bilstein rear shock would work wonders for the truckish steering. Stock, there’s way too much weight on the rear.

Testers also criticized the handlebars, complaining that they are too wide and angled too far forward. Moreover, the throttle requires a prodigious twist; a quarter-turn unit would do the trick. Brakewise, the solo Grimeca four-piston front caliper works well, but the non-adjustable lever hinders one’s confidence when trailbraking into corners. At least the single-piston rear brake is nicely balanced for both modulation and power.

If you’re the tinkering type, then the Sport Cup deserves consideration. After all, the bike is based on chassis specialist Tigcraft’s successful British Sound of Singles racer. As is, though, the Sport Cup’s moniker promises more than the bike delivers.

Nick Ienatsch