MZ Baghira Enduro
The Mastiff is basically the same bike as the Baghira off-road machine, with road wheels, tyres and brakes. The styling is more radical, with twin headlights enclosed in a tough wire cage, and a neat, short front mudguard. The 43cm (17in) wheels allow sticky sportsbike rubber to be fitted, and are better suited to road use. The Grimeca brakes are uprated too - the front brake has a larger 298mm (11.7in) floating disc, which gives much better stopping power. The suspension is the same spec as the Baghira - 45mm (1.7in) conventional front forks and a WP rear monoshock unit. As a budget introduction to the pleasures of supermotard riding, the Mastiff can be a good option. It is also available in a 24kW (33bhp) version for restricted license holders. NO QUESTION, THE BUG-EYED MASTIFF IS VERY cool, but with its wide, 17-inch wheels and sticky low-profile rubber, it's best suited to terrorizing repli-racers in the canyons. Fun, in other words, but not terribly versatile. Except for more relaxed steering geometry and an inch-longer swingarm, the Baghira's steel frame mirrors the Mastiffs. Ditto the twin-piston front brake caliper, single-piston rear, one-piece seat, plastic tailpiece and goliath muffler. Tweaks include a smaller-diameter front brake rotor, motocross-style handlebar, an additional 3.5 inches of suspension travel both front and rear and narrower, larger-diameter wheels shod with dirt-capable Pirelli MT60s. There are no surprises in the engine department. The Baghira (though spelled differently, the name comes from the black panther in Rudyard Kipling's classic, The Jungle Book) is powered by the same liquid-cooled, twin-carb, five-valve 660cc Yamaha Single that propels most MZs. The overall gear ratio is different, though, to compensate for the larger circumference of the 18-inch rear tire. In all fairness, though, the view from the saddle is spectacular. Only drivers of jacked-up 4x4s have a better take on traffic. |