Is it a bird? - No

Is it a plane? - No

It's a Superfighter, MZ's new 1000cc streetfighter-styled naked bike, derived from the 1000S sports tourer.

We liked the 1000S a lot when it was launched in the UK last year, so apart from the fact that the weather in Malaga was going to be a lot better than England in February (or so I thought!), I was really looking forward to a first ride on the 1000SF. I'm glad to say that I wasn't disappointed, but more of that later.

2004 wasn't a very good year for the motorcycle market or the German economy, and MZ have felt the pinch as much as anyone else. However that hasn't stopped them developing the 1000SF from the 1000S. Put the two bikes side-by-side and the similarities are immediately obvious, as are the differences. Not surprising then that Peter Naumann designed both of these bikes. The chassis and suspension are identical in both, with Marzocchi USD forks and a Sachs unit at the rear, both with easy adjustment for compression and rebound damping, and preload. In place of a fairing, the 1000SF has a neat black minimalist aluminium engine cover, that is only spoilt by the use of pop rivets to hold some of the parts together.

Now many water-cooled engines that were originally designed to hide behind fairings are not the prettiest of things to behold when the clothes are ripped away - the CBR600 engine in the Hornet being a case in point. However MZ's 1000cc in-line twin is a neat package that won't make you turn your eyes away in horror, and even the small amount of external plumbing is well executed.

The engine itself is a slightly modified version of the 117PS unit from the 1000S. Changing the camshafts and re-mapping the ignition has only lost 4PS from the top end, but increased both the power and the torque at the bottom end, and made the unit much more flexible and usable below 3000 rpm. The exhaust system has been altered slightly as well to improve the low-end engine response.

Talking to MZ's CEO Ramasamy Vasuthewan, they're still in the early days developing the potential of this 2-cylinder engine. Different states of tune are being experimented with, and the block has the ability to be bored out to 1100cc, all of which could mean power outputs of 125+ bhp are on the cards. Now that would be interesting!

Up front, the headlamp unit has a family resemblance to its faired cousin and gives the bike an aggressive look that goes well with its streetfighter image. MZ told us that they spent a lot of time talking to universities and engineering companies to try and come up with something that would give good wind protection to the rider, but the response they got was that you could only get this with a full fairing. Obviously not an option on a naked bike! However, after delving into airflow theory and some sessions in a wind tunnel, they told us that they came up with a design that controls the airflow around and behind the screen to reduce turbulence. But would it work? More of that too later.

For the rider, the seat has been lowered by 15mm and the tapered aluminium handlebar gives a more upright and comfortable riding position without altering the height of the footpegs. And if your inside leg measurement is still too short to reach the ground, there's a different seat pad that lowers it another 15mm, and even a replacement suspension unit link to bring the seat height down to 780mm. The analogue instrument cluster and the hand controls are lifted almost without change from the 1000S, and there are span adjusters on both the clutch and brake levers.

From the seat backwards, the bike is pretty much unchanged from the 1000S. The bike comes as standard with a pillion pad, but a solo seat hump is available as an optional extra. There's plenty of underseat storage by modern standards, but here are no bungee hooks. However the exhaust hangers and the substantial number plate bracket are more than adequate for this job.

Although I didn't do any two-up riding, I can't say that the pillion passenger is that well catered for. The pillion seat is large enough and the pegs are low enough to avoid the "knees under armpits" posture, but there's only a strap at the font of the seat to hold on to, which is only really good enough for very short trips.

Which brings us nicely to riding the 1000SF.

Strange to say, the rain in Spain doesn't always stay on the plain, and when I arrived on the Costa del Sol it was quite obvious that some serious rainfall had taken place that morning. Still, we weren't due to ride the 1000SF until the following morning and that would give the roads plenty of time to dry out - wouldn't it?. But there was heavy rainfall overnight, and when the bikes were wheeled out the next day, the roads were still pretty damp and there was more moisture in the air. Best take things easy then - Hmm!

Turn the key, all the instrument lights come on and the dials sweep full scale while the electronics do their self check thing. A quick jab on the starter button and the twin immediately fires into life, with a lively bark from the exhausts and a purposeful rumble down below that lets you know there's something interesting underneath the tank. The clutch has a light and smooth action but the gear shift is a bit clunky at rest, although once on the move the action is short and positive, and clutchless upchanges are no problem. Then we're away and immediately there's no doubt that there's a big twin throbbing away down there. The torque and power come in almost from tickover, making this a very easy bike to ride at low speed and in traffic. This is helped by the relaxed and upright riding position and the wide bars that make it very manoeuvrable. In fact this is one of those bikes where everything seems to be just about right - almost "VFResque" in fact.

The suspension is just about perfect straight out of the box, giving a smooth comfortable ride and soaking up the bumps and road irregularities so well that they might not even be there. Quick check - Oh yes they are! The next surprise was the brakes, smooth and progressive they pulled the bike up sharply with very little of the dive that I expected from the smooth supension. Add to this mirrors that gave a clear view of the road behind without having to tuck the elbows in and things were looking decidedly promising. Time to head for the hills and try out the twisties.

And this was the real surprise. The 1000SF is a bike that can really be hussled through the bendy bits. Up the pace and the suspension seems to up the action at the same time, firming up the ride but never to the point that the odd bump is going to fire you out of the seat. The bike always seems composed, no matter what you do, and while you're not talking razor-sharp 600 Supersport handling, the 1000SF turns in well and holds a good line through the corner, no doubt helped by those wide bars which make it easy to chuck the bike from side to side. And the twin-cylinder engine has all the smooth power and torque you need to fire that composed chassis out of the corner and up the road to the next bend without either the front or back getting seriously out of shape. I'm beginning to like this.

Time to try some faster roads, so it was off down the Autovia to what the map promised to be some fast open sweepers. Cruising along at the 130kph speed limit was so effortless that it took me a few minutes to realise that I wasn't riding a fully-faired bike. So maybe this small screen that MZ designed does work then - but how well? There's only one way to find out - isn't there? Purely in the cause of research, your Honour, it was time to open the throttle a little wider. For my 6ft height and without crouching down on the tank, I saw 220kph (137mph) on the clock before my neck started to complain. And for a naked bike that ain't bad! However, the higher speeds showed up a high-frequency buzz on the mirrors which made rear vision a little more difficult, but not impossible. And at these speeds what was behind you as not too important - unless of course it had a flashing blue light on the roof!!

Off on to the back roads again, and this time a series of wide open sweepers showed that the 1000SF could really be ridden with verve - although I'm not too sure about the style! The bike really came into its own here, holding a good line and really generating a good grin factor. The standard fit Metzler Sportec M-1 tyres certainly add to the plot, and inspire confidence in the bike with plenty of grip and feel.

There's no getting away from the fact that MZ have produced a very good bike in the 1000SF. It's not often these days that you can find a bike that's equally at home commuting through the traffic, going for a blast at the weekends, or touring across a continent. I bet it would also give a good account of itself at the occasional trackday. The engineering and build quality is right up there in the BMW/Honda league, although I wouldn't expect it to do too well in the rigors of a British winter (but I'd be willing to be proved wrong!)

As far as the competition is concerned, the MZ 1000SF is pitched against the likes of the Aprilia Tuono, the Benelli TnT, the BMW Rockster, the Ducati M1000S Monster, the Kwak Z1000, the KTM Superduke and the Triumph Speed Triple. A formidable market segment, but in terms of on the road prices it's £750 less than the cheapest of these and £2,500 less than the most expensive, which in hard cash numbers makes it an extremely attractive proposition. But then add to this the low cost-of-ownwership (2 years unlimited mileage warranty / first inspection at 600 miles / service intervals every 6,000 miles / valve check every 12,000 miles), and with a full service only taking 2-3 hours, then it's got to mean even better value for money.

However, the MZ brand, like the Skoda car company, has a previous incarnation that's difficult to shift from the collective memory of previous generations. But believe me you should, because the bikes that MZ are turning out now bear no resemblance to those of its past heritage. So if you're in the market for an all-round-capable naked bike, then forget those smelly, dirty, but utterly reliable 250cc 2-strokes of old, and get yourself a test ride on a 1000SF when it comes onto the UK market in the second quarter of 2005.

You won't be sorry that you did, and that's a fact!

DH