It’s funny how destiny, chance or whatever we want to call it, knows what to put in your path to make you happy on any given morning. In the case of yours truly, a confirmed petrolhead, encountering a MüZ Mastiff 660 It is the almost perfect argument to accept a route of more than 140 kilometers on the back of a limited TZR80RR. If it is also the first time you see a specimen live, at 42 years old, the experience can become orgasmic almost instantly.
It happened to me just a few days ago when I decided to go for a quiet walk with the little one at home. My VFR800 turned its nose up when it saw me place my quarters on the attractive mature 2T. “Don’t worry, next time it’s your turn.”I said internally to my faithful traveling companion. Things about being a little grilled and assuming that a simple piece of iron, plastic and other materials has a soul that only a few of us can glimpse.
Philosophical experiences aside, my eyes widened when, making a brief stop, I heard the burble emitted by the Mastiff 660 and its travel companion, a beautiful Bimota DB10. Both developed under the same concept, but with totally different philosophies. We don’t even talk about the age difference, with what this entails in mechanical and technological aspects.
The fact is that they both parked next to my little nineties sports car, and the first thing the German who was riding the DB10 did was ask me, in somewhat convoluted English, if the TZR was “Two Strokes” (2T), to which I answered yes. An answer that made his face light up as he circled around him and, looking at me with his thumb up, he offered me his biker approval for riding such a beauty.
Shortly after that strange presentation they started talking about their things, while I took a photo of the group of three jewels arranged there. However, my attention was diverted uncontrollably towards the silhouette of the Mastiff 660. Not only because it is a truly exclusive thing in terms of units manufactured. Also for that unique image halfway between a trail bike and a supermotard, with a clear influence of “Baja style” that revolutionizes even the most serene.
MüZ Mastiff 660 in detail
Once the required battle has been told, essential to put in context the reason for these lines and to have the MüZ Mastiff 660 as the protagonist of them, let’s talk about it in depth. Although not before recommending that you take a look at the special article we prepared on the 30th anniversary of the MüZ Skorpion 660, from which it inherits precisely the single-cylinder mechanics that drives it.
Regarding the latter, we are talking about the engine that was mounted on the everlasting favorable terrain for the Mastiff 660. This is a mousetrap road where the German became a sharp weapon, capable of giving a scare to motorcycles that far surpassed it in performance.
We are talking about a single-cylinder four-stroke engine and 659 cm³liquid cooled, inclined 16° forward and equipped with a balance shaft to reduce vibrations emitted throughout the rpm range. Let us remember that this mechanism was equipped with an overhead camshaft driven by a chain, with three intake valves and two exhaust valves operated by rocker arms and with an adjustment screw.
Fed by a double 2-stage Teikei 4NN00 26 mm diameter carburetor, the Mastiff 660 declared a final power of 50.3 HP at 6,500 rpm, with up to 57 Nm at 5,250 turns of maximum torque. MüZ approved a maximum speed of 165 km/h, sufficient considering the purpose for which this German Supermotard had been developed.
For its part, the section dedicated to the dynamics of the Mastiff 660, chassis, braking or suspensions also maintained the general line of design and philosophy shown by the engine. This translates into a tubular steel frame and swingarm with a simple unfolded cradle, sitting on a 45 mm Marzocchi front fork and without the possibility of adjustment, with 190 mm of travel. Behind a WP adjustable monoshock, with the same useful distance between stops towards the rest.
Braking was carried out by a team signed by Grimeca, with two discs, one per axle, measuring 298 mm and 245 mm at the front and rear respectively, driven by a double-piston caliper and a single-piston caliper. Although the set was not a benchmark in terms of efficiency in conditions of extreme demand, in conventional piloting it managed to succeed in its task of stopping the barely 164 kilos dry that the brand declared.
But beyond the technique, this Mastiff 660 brought together, and continues to do so, a series of conceptual conditions that make it one of those motorcycles destined to become a classic by right. Starting with an appearance inspired by the frames that participate in the tests called Baja, with a double front optics covered by a front protection grille, along with the stylization of its fibers, signed by Acerbis.
On the other hand, we find a technical architecture focused on the Supermotard, as its 17” wheels clearly show. However, the latter are radial type, as would be expected from a trail model. To finish off we have details such as its instrument panel, made up of two dials, speedometer and tachometer, with chrome finishes, more typical of models classified in other categories.
With the Mastiff 660, MüZ wanted to offer its fans a different and very personal motorcycle, but without neglecting efficiency and a high level of versatility. Furthermore, using the same platform on which it shaped the model, it went on to market two other Enduro and Supermoto variants: The MüZ Bagheera 660 and the BagheeraMoto, the latter halfway between the Mastiff and the hard version.
There were different versions such as the Baghira Streetmoto, Baghira Black Panther, painted completely black, or the Baghira Forest, with military colors and intended for the armed forces.
Although they present minor changes in both versions, MüZ managed to bring together up to three different options on the same platform. These variations were related, in addition to the use of an additional front mask, new front optics, instrument panel and a high fender, to different suspension settings and a 282 mm front disc in the case of the standard Bagheera. The latter also declared a lower maximum speed, 160 km/h, a lesser evil considering the use for which it was oriented; Offroad driving.
Regarding the Bagheera 660, it should be noted that in 1998, the brand competed in the Paris Dakar Rally with the support of the brand’s importer in France. According to the chronicles of the time, two of the four motorcycles that started the famous test managed to finish it in positions 36 and 53 respectively. Quite a merit considering that all of them participated with hardly any modifications, beyond equipping a crankcase protector and side protections, as well as a fuel tank with a greater capacity.
Muz Mastiff 660 today
It is not clear how many units were manufactured, and subsequently marketed, of both the MüZ Mastiff 660 and the aforementioned Bagheera 660 and BagheeraMoto. After an exhaustive check on sales portals in different European countries, we have only been able to find a single copy of the different variants offered by the German brand.
With prices, in general, that move in a ratio around 3,000 euros, we have the opportunity to get a truly unusual frame, but one that also has a level of versatility and reliability beyond any doubt.
