Any info on Marzocchi bomber Z2's ?

Hi all

just won some Z2's in a fetching flouro green colour on the bay for not much cash & would like some info & reviews on these forks if possible.

I have heard they used to be the bees knees back in the day but has anyone got any real life experience with them?

How hard to service & get parts for?

I'm thinking of going "new skool" with the headset & getting a FSA pig dh pro because of the price of just £20 from merlin bikes. I know I'll probably get slated for putting new on a retro but needs must


Oh they are going on my 1996 hahanna btw. Along with my magura rim brakes which were another billy bargain.


Cheers for any replies & info


Adam

get an m-part headset from chain reaction, much nicer to look at and lighter than a pig, and has sealed bearings

I have a set of 1998 Z2 bams

Smooth, strong, bombproof really

Spares good, best forks ever...

Pre 2000 bombers are ace.

Very nice forks. Quite light, even today! Simple, very easy to service, and very plush. A bit flexy , but nowhere near as bad as some...
Servicing? Giv'em a wipe with an oily rag every couple of years!

BITD they cost £399. And a Hahanna cost £350.

Depending on where you ride if they have fork boots on them it can be a good idea to take them off as they trap more crap than the protection offered.

The seals are designed to work without the boot anyway, so don't think that you'll be compromising the performance of the seals.

Serviced my long travel 98 Z1 Bombers last year for the first time as they started leaking, very easy to strip, internals were mint, spares were easy to get from CRC, whole job took an hour (being fussy cleaning bits), no problems with them at all since, will easily last another ten years.

My 98/99 Z1's have been a joy. Only problem I have with them currently is letting a friend service them and I'm not quite sure what he has done, maybe not put enough oil in or something but they are a little bit too soft currently. However a local bike shop has advised that can still service old Marzocchi forks as the parts and manuals are readily available. However he did mention a figure of 'maybe around £100' :? As I have not looked into the cost of spares etc i'm not sure if that is a good price. He did say the seals etc would be replaced for that price.

If I remember right, Z2's are much like Z1's but with less travel. It was Z3's that were a lesser quality fork (I had these first time round and actually quite liked them, my uncle is still using them on a Zaskar he built up about 6 years ago).

Z2's were top quality XC forks. Z1's were downhill etc.
The original '97 seals were rubbish, but in '98 they brought out a new improved version could be, and was, retrofitted. My seals were fitted in '99, and were still working perfectly a month ago, when I sold the forks (no disc mounts).
Perhaps the greatest fork of all time!

I have some '98 Z2s on my GT Backwoods. Working as good today as they were back then. Just to keep them this way I got the LBS to check them over lasy year and they charged 30 to fully service them with new seals etc. I think as everyone on here says, it's not too difficult. Wouldn't be paying £100 to service them that's for sure!