MZ660 Baghira, street style MOCA, Los Angeles


I was upset that MOCA was closed but I happened upon this MZ 660 supermotard parked outside and felt a little better about my misadventure. The bike is an interesting mix of parts: a Yamaha XT660x engine housed in a east German frame with WP Suspension. The 660 cubic centimeter engine utilizes Yamaha's ill-fated five valve heads (three intake and two exhaust valves).


The state of California requires one mirror and current DMV tags on all street legal vehicles. I had those CRG mirrors and I always worried they would get stolen but they never did. The bumper bars around the headlight look survivalist futuristic and you can never go wrong with dirt bike handlebars.


This is the worst place to hang two helmets. If the bike falls to either side it's assured that one of the helmets will be destroyed. The bike had a massive exhaust canister that resembled a three gallon jerry can and the tank pads/cut-outs/shrouds aren't my cup of chamomile either.


A header for each exhaust valve that Siamese into a single exhaust pipe improves cylinder scavenging, allowing a larger volume of air-fuel mixture to be drawn in the combustion chamber. When a cylinder contains less spent exhaust gas, cylinder flame propagation occurs faster allowing for advanced ignition timing and more torque.


The pseudo-air-cooled cast fins on the cylinder jug make the bike look cheap and the emissions canister looks suspiciously like a pipe bomb. Even if the MZ supply network is non-existent at least owners will be able to order engine parts from Yamaha and suspension parts from WP.

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