MZ

The East Germans strip off in the name of freedom and liberate a thumping good naked bike from beneath the wraps of their less exciting 1000S

From the Eastern Block to the East End, MZ has come a long way. But can the firm's new MZ1000S sports tourer really take on the likes of VFR, Sprint and ST3?

IT WAS FAIR to say this was not the most glamorous of launches. There was no hot and cold running champagne, no business class flight to a far-flung land, and nor was there anyone offering me gifts and trinketry at every available opportunity.

The last time I rode anything with an MZ badge on the tank, it was a ratty old two-stroke commuter that smoked like a chimney and had the disturbing habit of leaving various parts littered behind it on the road.