|
1999 MZ Sport Cup and Black Panther |
|
|
|
|
Posted by Peter Jones
|
|
Saturday, 18 September 1999 |
|
Page 2 of 5
 |
The Sport Cup version of the Skorpion is the full-out racing model for use in any regional or national class that allows its size and, most importantly, in one of the Skorpion Cup racing series. The Skorpion line of bikes is a somewhat conventional sportbike configuration based on a twin-spar frame. The frame is steel but painted silver and it is unique yet simple and effective in its design of round-section tubing terminating into stamped steel swingarm plates. A nice touch for a bike in this class is that the Skorpion has adjustable rear sets to help racers get the pegs up for more ground clearance. |
| The rear shock only has tabbed adjustments for preload but the 41mm forks don't have any adjustments for anything at all. If you're serious about tuning the forks, though, this isn't any problem because the springs and oil weight can easily be changed. Since the Skorpion is such a light bike, once the desired setup is attained, it will most likely be fine at every track - it's generally only big bikes that require delicate, track-specific tuning. |
The rear sets have two mounting points allowing riders to adjust the position to suit their riding needs. |
If loud pipes do create an illusion of speed, this bike is one of the world's fastest. The rear cowl cover is removed with a key and the seat comes free by pulling a cord hidden in the tailsection. |
Since the Skorpion Sport Cup is the full-race version of the Skorpion, the bike comes with a full-race exhaust canister which is in no way legal in any state at anytime of the day. In other words, the pipe is very, very loud. "What?" Get this bike if you're going to race, but don't get this Cup version of the Skorpion for the street. And there's no need to, they have a Sport version too, and it is street legal. I appreciate a loud pipe just as much as anyone but there is a limit. The fact that we rode this Cup bike on the streets rather than in the racing series is our fault. I'm hoping to fix that. |
|
The Sport Cup comes with a cowl cover for the tail section rather than a passenger pad because most racers don't carry passengers. The front pad is just a thin little thing but it is shockingly comfortable for long trips, which is exactly what we used both of these bikes for. The fairing also offers real wind protection and the brakes are more than adequate for the light weight of the machine. Not only is the bodywork plastic, but so is the tank.
Overall, the fit and finish are maybe not as polished as a Honda's, but it's a long, long way from ragged. These are real bikes that are well within the standards of the marketplace, and they don't have to make excuses for coming from a small company.
|
 |
|
