Two Stroke Motocross
Two Stroke Motocross Forum => Vintage Two Strokes => Topic started by: opfermanmotors on August 16, 2010, 07:28:59 PM
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Very rare to see a Maico in the 1984 to present range.
Blue Maico
Maico gm 500 test run (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdOkCkFdChw#)
Maico gm 500 test run (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JraoCU_-a5cp#)
1986 Maico
1986 Maico 500 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZivxObATXo#)
1990s Maico with black plastics
Maico 500 Ktm 250 T3 Syncro (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjQF7Mb9_Y#)
~2000's Maico
2008 Maico 500 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDfLlzvRyIg#)
2009 Maico 700
Maico 700 - Liwa Desert UAE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTXBoM7GqkI#)
Maico 700 first ride- Tachyon xc cam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucknxyRcRAw#)
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I can't say I've ever seen a Maico of those years "in the wild," so to speak. I've only ever seen two in total, and those are the '86 that my dad owns, and the '90-something that my uncle bought (and never rode once before selling at a fraction of its worth, nice job Johnson). Next time the '86 gets brought out, I'll definitely have some good footage to present to the world. In fact, we're eagerly looking forward to presenting what that thing can do, because it is simply the fastest bike in the garage in almost all applications. In acceleration, it is unmatched. In braking, it's up with the best on a dry day, and is number one in the wet. In handling, it's got second place, and in top speed, it will only lose to the Huskies and the Big Horn (which is geared to work on the freeway). When this is all added up, although it's not the absolute best in every single category, the overall package makes it simply the best-performing bike of the collection. The fact that it starts like a 250 just further adds to the greatness.
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For sale, there was a 1991 250 Maico two years ago on Portland craigslist for like 500 dollars. I almost got it but decided not to since I was already rebuilding several bikes. There was also a 1994 500 for sale I talked to the guy about, I forget what state.
I've also seen 1997-1998 Maicos for sale in Pennsylvania and another state. Some were still in the crate. There were several 2000's Maicos for sale in Pennsylvania also, some still in crate.
Last year I also talked to a guy in Seattle who had a 2004 Maico 500 I was considering, He wanted 4 or 5 grand for it. I ended up deciding against it and never went to see it.
So they are around, but rare to see any videos at all of them.
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My 1986 should be ready for next year. It handles great but the Suspension and Brakes aren't stock, they're all aftermarket and setup real nice.
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Oh yeah, forgot the suspension. That's another category where the '86 pretty much lands a second place, behind the 390 Husky. We suspect that someone did some modification to the forks on that thing, because they are so perfect, so smooth, and so flawless, that the rider simply has absolute confidence on that bike. You always think they're too soft because the ride is so smooth, but when you get back you always find there was another inch that could be used. The '86 doesn't quite come up to that supernatural standard, but it does measure up to anything else we have to compare it by.
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but when you get back you always find there was another inch that could be used.
Your not up to that again, are you ? :P
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What can I say, I've never found a hole that I can hit that will use all 12 inches.
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What can I say, I've never found a hole that I can hit that will use all 12 inches.
I've got that same problem Jetz... we're not talking bikes anymore are we?
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I'll leave that up to History to decide. Knowing how good historians are at figuring out what conversations meant in the past, they'll probably interpret this as a discussion about Obama or something. :P
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Perhaps you guys never met Lisa Lampanelli.
Speaking of internet Archaeologists...
Internet Archaeologists Find Ruins Of 'Friendster' Civilization (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mFJdOsjJ0k#)
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After seeing those video's of the 2009 Maico 700 Opferman they got me pretty psyched up! I'm going to give that man in PA. a call and see if he still has any of the 500's left in the crates.I really doubt that he does but I don't think it would hurt to give him a call tomorrow just to see.I'm kind of afraid that he still may have 1 or 2 left and if they're the 500's I may have to take a trip up there and make him a offer! I think he told me a few years back that they had the older Bing carbs on them but to get one for the right price it would'nt be a big deal to go find a Keihin carb to put on the ol' Maico! I'll call up there tomorrow & let you know if he has any of the crated Maico's left just in case you might want to know what he has I'll let you know on this site.... ;)
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I tried to look for the contact information I had a while back but couldnt' find it. Will be interested to know if he still got stuff there available.
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I did leave a contact number & address somewhere on this site but I was'nt sure if the phone # was still good or not? I will go ahead and find the info I had and call this evening to see if the phone # is still valid but I probably won't get ahold of anybody tonight so I'll definetly call back tomorrow for sure & let you know..... ;)
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I tried to look for the contact information I had a while back but couldnt' find it. Will be interested to know if he still got stuff there available.
Hey Opferman sorry I did'nt get back to you last night but I called my contact # for that shop in Erie,PA @ about 8:05pm & the guy actually answered the phone so I told him my first name & asked him if he was still selling crated Maicos' & he said yes I am a Maico dealership so then I asked him what years & what sizes does he have and he started to tell me & then all of a sudden he told me his other line was beeping & could I hold on a couple of minutes? I said sure no problem.So I held on the line until 8:30pm & then I got back on my computer to let you know that @ least the #'s still valid but by 9:00pm the guy called me back & he said what is it your looking for & I told him the newest year Maico 500 that you have still in the crate so he preceded to tell me that he had 1982's,83's a 95 two 98's and a 03 plus acouple of older models together in the shop & then he started to tell me that I would have a hard time finding a Maico as new as a 2003 for less than about 9 to 10k so I immediately told him that Maico International was asking just a little more for 2010's & 2011's & he had never heard of MI so I explained them to him the best I could & asked him how much for the 03 in the crate & he said that he would have to get $6000.00 so after hearing that I was relieved & I asked him his first name & he said just call the shop I'm the only person here. So I told him I would be in touch & that I'm very interested in the 2003!Anyway I'll give you the contact info- Nagares Enterprises
1616 Sassafras Ln.
Erie, PA 16502
Phone# (814)456-1292 ;)
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Ya, that's what I remember, $6k for the crated one. The 98's I think he wanted $4 for the uncrated and $5 for the crated.
So you going to pick up that 03?
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Wow, that's cool! That sounds like quite a reasonable price for what sounds like a pretty potent bike. I've heard the motor on that 500 is a real snorting beast. I'm very surprised that this guy calls himself a "Maico dealer" but hasn't heard of Maico International. I know guys who have never even seen a Maico product, but know of Maico International.
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One thing to keep in mind is that the newer Maicos, 2003, the MX bikes are geared very high. 1st gear will do almost 50 mph, not very ideal for trail riding.
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I own both blue (Lorenz Merkle) and red (Koestler) Maicos. When I got back into the sport I went through a slew of Japanese bikes but wasn't really happy with them. The opportunity arose to purchase a 1992 GS500 off a guy in California ad I've ridden Maicos ever since and couldn't be happier.
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No doubt, they're great. I found the same issue with Jap bikes.
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Ya, that's what I remember, $6k for the crated one. The 98's I think he wanted $4 for the uncrated and $5 for the crated.
So you going to pick up that 03?
More than likely if it's still there by the end of October.I have a friend that's going to buy my ol' 97 Ford ranger pickup truck off of me @ that time & when he gives me the money I'm going to drive up to Erie,PA and look @ all the Maicos' that this guy has & make a decision on what one to take home.The only thing that worries me about the 1998's is that's when they were being built in the Netherlands & I read somewhere that the quality control of the Maicos' that were built in the Netherlands was non-existent...?
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An easy way to regear the newer Maico mx's is to fit the 83 250 primary drive. This change makes the bikes much better in the tight stuff.
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The only thing that worries me about the 1998's is that's when they were being built in the Netherlands & I read somewhere that the quality control of the Maicos' that were built in the Netherlands was non-existent...?
From what I have heard it was the 1999 models that were bad, see the below.
From the start and before Maico Brothers purchased their 99, 500 Maico, e-mail from early owners gave a grim view of the 99 models. Stories of major defects were collected and a search for answers was on. We found a laundry list of production errors; port timing off, low compression, bad shifting, and even missing swing arm pivot bearings. The ghosts of the past were coming back but there were fixes. Maico brothers already had in place a great European network in the manufactures home base so answers were available. Milling the bottom of the cylinder corrected the port timing. Machining the shift drum and careful assembly of other portions of the bike made things better. One of our viewers had extensive work done to correct his 99 500.
The problems we found were "Production" and not "Design" problems. We found that in the 1999 production season, Rodem was "Slapping" together Maico's from their stock of parts to collect as much money as they faced bankruptcy. Another viewer told us that he literally waited for Rodem to build him a 500 Enduro model one day while stationed in Italy, on leave from the US Navy. He felt it was now or never. Three months later, the multi million-dollar parent company was gone. Brouwer Motors B.V. picked up the baton and fixed most of the production problems for the 2000 models but not all of them. To get a trouble free 2000 Maico, you must get it from Kostler in Germany, because Kostler will go through each bike and painstakingly correct all of the production problems built into the 2000 Maico's.
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An easy way to regear the newer Maico mx's is to fit the 83 250 primary drive. This change makes the bikes much better in the tight stuff.
I'm doing this on my 86, I'm putting in an 83 490 Primary drive.
83-84 = 65/31
85+ 66/33
The 250's have an even lower primary drive ratio, however not so sure that the cases are the same after 82 and if a 250 primary would work in a 500, it might though never checked.
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One of the main reasons I would like to go get that 2003 Maico 500mx is because I like the $6000.00 price tag as opposed to going to my local KTM dealer & slapping down roughly $8000.00 plus on a 2011 KTM-300xc! I'm sure the 300xc would suit my riding style much better but if I could save a few bucks buying the Maico and maybe installing a 12oz. flywheel weight and then dumping the crappy Mikuni TMX carb for a Keihin carb without that costing me a fortune then I think I could get used to riding the 500cc beast.Back when I owned my "81" 490 mega 2 I was too young & way too skinny to hang on to that powerful yet gorgeous MX bike.All yeah I think I may have posted in an earlier site that the 2003 Maico had a Bing carb but that was wrong it actually has a Mikuni carb on it. I think I could deal with a Bing carb much better than a Mikuni anyday!
I guess I'll have to just wait and see in October who I can get the best deal off of,I personally think it will be the PA. dealer but I'll still have to wait and see...... ::)
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What prices did he quote for the 1998 and what sizes? I think they were like $4k and I think at least 1 was a 250.
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This is my 86, I amd gearing down the primary drive and 1st and 2nd gear.
1986 MStar (Maico) 500 Rebuild Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0ONUWD-QRs#ws)
I've already got most of the parts, still need to get the connecting rod and a few misc. parts and have the resleeve and crank done before putting it back together. Been going slow with it since I have bikes to ride, this one I am just going to get ready for next year. All the bikes I ride I've built myself. I don't trust any one to build bikes, seems like most people are all thumbs even if they own their own shop and don't know what they're doing.
Truthfully, even if the 2003 or 1998's are just sitting in their crates I'd still be a little worried about any rust or mildew that got into the engine from sitting. I'm going to find out if in general the 1998's had any issues and what's the difference from the 2003.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Articles/1997%20Maicos/mp01.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Articles/1997%20Maicos/mp02.jpg)
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It's funny but we always think of the Bing as being a primitive carb, yet all of my Maicos run better then my friend's Gassers, TMs and Huskys. They always seem to be chasing some elusive setting that my bikes already enjoy. As for a flywheel weight, I don't think that the Maico would need it, the bikes are already very smooth and you'll find yourself going alot faster then you thought - the speed kind of sneaks up on you and you have to be careful.
The Koestler Maicos are very exotic looking motorcycles and will atract attention, unlike the KTM which are d*mn fine motorcycles but are a "Dime a dozen".
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What prices did he quote for the 1998 and what sizes? I think they were like $4k and I think at least 1 was a 250.
The "98"s in the crates were $5k and they were $4k out of the crates assembled.He told me that he had a 320 enduro that he was going to put a sleeve in the cylinder & make it a 250?
When I called him I told him I was mostly interested in a big bore Maico like a 500 so that's when he started to tell me about the "98's" & the one "03" that he had in the crate.He also told me that he kind of hated to get rid of the 2003 in the crate but I told him that would be the one I would mostly be interested in and I asked him what his bottom dollar would be on the "03",which was $6k. The guy was a little hard to talk to because I had a hard time getting a word in edgewise!He really likes to do most of the talking. :D
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It's funny but we always think of the Bing as being a primitive carb, yet all of my Maicos run better then my friend's Gassers, TMs and Huskys. They always seem to be chasing some elusive setting that my bikes already enjoy. As for a flywheel weight, I don't think that the Maico would need it, the bikes are already very smooth and you'll find yourself going alot faster then you thought - the speed kind of sneaks up on you and you have to be careful.
The Koestler Maicos are very exotic looking motorcycles and will atract attention, unlike the KTM which are d*mn fine motorcycles but are a "Dime a dozen".
I agree with you about the Bing carbs & the fact that the Koestler Maicos are very exotic & will atract attention & I know from owning a KTM that they are great bikes and they are starting to be a dime a dozen so I'm definetly leaning towards the Maico but I A=am a little worried about the Maico being crated for so long plus I do enjoy riding in tight woods at times but I don't know how much fun that will be on a big bore Maico?
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I had a hard time getting a word in edgewise!He really likes to do most of the talking
LOL, same guy, the guy just goes on and on! I was going to say how did you talk to him because he never stops talking! I asked if he had a certain part on his 83 Maico and he basically told me an entire story about everything on the bike, which in the end, didn't have that part! :)
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I do enjoy riding in tight woods at times but I don't know how much fun that will be on a big bore Maico?
That's my worry as well, esp. b/c it's an MX transmission. So, my 1982 isn't geared too shabby, it's a GS model and it's the older motor.
However, now going into the 83, the 83 I originally had the Spider gearing, which is a 4 Speed where first gear is 2.07 ratio. When I was riding this I was originally riding wider open trails, so wasn't so bad, but now I ride almost exclusively single track.
I switched to the sand spider gearing, 5 speed, 1st gear is 2.36. This was STILL quite high, had to do too much clutch and this I still had a 14 Front and 56 Rear. So now I have a 12 front and a 58 rear. It's much better, however the thing is extremely torquey on the high RPM.
Now, my 1986 as you see in the video, forget about it. In 1985 and onwards they changed the gearing to be super high. Primary drive is higher and first gear by stock is 1.96. So, on my 1986, I am putting a 1983 primary drive and I got a new 1st and 2nd gear from Koestler. They don't make the sand spider ratio (2.36), their enduro 1st gear ratio is 2.28. So, I think that with this and a 12 tooth on the front and maybe even keeping the 52 on the rear may be good.
Flywheel wieght may help tone down the torquey ness of the motor, but the motor DOES pull from low RPM. The problem is that "LOW RPM == 20-30 MPH!" So, at idle you're going fast! Also, most of these have internal rotors and not actual fly wheels. HOwever, you can get wieghts for PVL rotors.
BTW, the ratios on my 86 match the new bikes. They probably match the 98's also. The 500, 620 and 685 have the same transmission ratios and primary ratios. The 250, 320 have the same transmission ratios even as the 500's, however their primary drive ratios are lower.
In the end, for gas milage if one plans to do some events and for gearing, the 98 320 enduro might be a good option. A 1.96 1st gear ratio for MX is quite high for tight trails.
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I had a hard time getting a word in edgewise!He really likes to do most of the talking
LOL, same guy, the guy just goes on and on! I was going to say how did you talk to him because he never stops talking! I asked if he had a certain part on his 83 Maico and he basically told me an entire story about everything on the bike, which in the end, didn't have that part! :)
We're definetly talking about the same guy Opferman.... ??? He kind of drives you a little nuts! When he returned my call after he put me on hold for a half hour the first thing he said was "what do you want.Lets not beat around the bush!Tell me what you need!?So I went on about the 2003 Maico in the crate & somehow the conversation turned into how much he hated 4-wheelers & that they should be banned and he's having some problems with a land owner about riding his snowmobile on the owners land etc.etc. Trust me it took me quite a long time just to get the info off of him that I did get... ::)
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This is a 1997 Maico 320, but the 1998's look the same.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1997/1997320.jpg)
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This is a 1999 maico 500 but the 2003 is going to look simmilar.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1999/99test500maico.jpg)
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This is a 1999 maico 500 but the 2003 is going to look simmilar.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1999/99test500maico.jpg)
I love the look of the 1999 Maico and the 2005's look almost exactly the same as the "99's",at least the "05's" on Koestlers web site look very similar to the "99's".
Also Opferman,would going up 2 teeth on the rear sprocket help that "03" Maico-500 be just a tad bit more trail freindly?
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I once rode a 2000 320 Enduro that was flat out incredible. I haven't been able to wheelie through the gears in ages but that 320 was so smooth and powerful it was effortless to loft the frontend.
That guy in PA almost sounds like he's hesitant to sell those Maicos, don't blame him.
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After reading what Opferman said about the 320 Maico I think I'm going to call the PA. Maico guy back and see how much he'd sell that bike for? I'm not really sure if he said that the 320 was a 1998 or what?Actually I just looked at my notes I was writing down when I was speaking to the guy the other night and I see that the Maico-320 is a 1995.
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What can I say, I've never found a hole that I can hit that will use all 12 inches.
I take it you've never been to West Virginia Jetz? LOL.... ;D
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I put a speedometer on my 1983 Maico 490 now. I geared that bike down, it has the 83 primary, a 2.36 1st gear and a 58 / 12 rear sprocket setup.
Based on my calculations, the bike should do approximately the following, depending on how high RPM it gets to:
1st = 20mph
2nd = 30mph
3rd = 40mph
4th = 50mph
5th = ~60mph
So, with my speedometer installed I wanted to see how accurate my website is then. Well, I went down a road and I was able to do wide open at 5th gear for a few seconds. When I stopped I checked the maximum recoreded speed. It was 60.xx mph (the website said about 63mph for 7000rpm and 70 for 8000rpm, hard to get to 8k rpm on a big bore). I found the other gears are all quite in line with my estimates also for 7000 rpm.
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That gearing would work good for me @ least on the 500 Maico because I could still occasionally ride the MX track that I ride about once every other month and the gearing would still be good on the very rocky mountain trails I ride.I wonder if the gear box off of a 320 enduro would work on a 2003 Maico-500?
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Just note that your cruising RPM is very low on a 500, with this gear ratio even tho 1st can max out near 20mph, that's redline speed. I can put into 5th gear and cruise at 30-40mph easily with this range. Also, with a 58/12 the 2003 gearbox unchanged would be slightly faster in 1st and 2nd gear. 1st would do 30 mph, 2nd would do 40mph, 3rd would do 45mph, 4th would do 50mph, 5th would do 60mph.
I wonder if the gear box off of a 320 enduro would work on a 2003 Maico-500?
It may (there's a full 380 gear set on ebay right now), however note that the smaller bikes sometimes will either gear exactly the same or even higher than the 500. In the case of Maico, this is true (I have a 86 250 gear set and 1st gear is geared even higher, I think it was 1.86 for first) that the gear sets are either the same or higher. They use the primary drive to change the output ratios and not the gears. So they have a very low geared primary drive. I don't know if the primary drive from a 250/320 would fit into a 500.
It saves on costs to keep the transmission the same since they just mass produce it for all ranges.
You know that the 490, 500, 685, 620 all use the same connecting rod since 1983? They just change the location of the rod on the crankshaft aor size of crankshaft pretty much.
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Just note that your cruising RPM is very low on a 500, with this gear ratio even tho 1st can max out near 20mph, that's redline speed. I can put into 5th gear and cruise at 30-40mph easily with this range. Also, with a 58/12 the 2003 gearbox unchanged would be slightly faster in 1st and 2nd gear. 1st would do 30 mph, 2nd would do 40mph, 3rd would do 45mph, 4th would do 50mph, 5th would do 60mph.
I wonder if the gear box off of a 320 enduro would work on a 2003 Maico-500?
It may (there's a full 380 gear set on ebay right now), however note that the smaller bikes sometimes will either gear exactly the same or even higher than the 500. In the case of Maico, this is true (I have a 86 250 gear set and 1st gear is geared even higher, I think it was 1.86 for first) that the gear sets are either the same or higher. They use the primary drive to change the output ratios and not the gears. So they have a very low geared primary drive. I don't know if the primary drive from a 250/320 would fit into a 500.
It saves on costs to keep the transmission the same since they just mass produce it for all ranges.
You know that the 490, 500, 685, 620 all use the same connecting rod since 1983? They just change the location of the rod on the crankshaft aor size of crankshaft pretty much.
No Opferman I did'nt know that Maico used the same connecting rod on all of their big bore bikes.Especially the 685! The main thing I'm a bit worried about is if I decide to buy the "03" Maico-500 in PA.is for instance when I had my 97 RM-250 I almost always rode on the same mountain trails that I ride my KTM-300xc on & that RM-250 would always stall on this certain sharp corner hill climb because when I approached the climb I had the RPM's way too low because the tightness of that climb! I don't have the same problem with my KTM-300xc because it can idle down really low in 1st 2nd & even fairly low in 3rd gear so I'm really hoping that the Maico won't stall on the same climb in 1st gear! That would really SUCK! Although I really would love to have another Maico because they are well built bikes & I never got to enjoy my "81" as much as I would have liked because of my light weight & age when I owned the bike!The only absolute solution that I know of is to load the Maico-500 up on the pick-up truck & go to some riding area's I know of in PA.,OH.& IN.where I can get the ol' Maico-500 to somewhat spread it's wings!And then again I may not have those problems with the Maico if it can idle down kind of low in 1st & maybe a little in 2nd gear?........ :-\
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so I'm really hoping that the Maico won't stall on the same climb in 1st gear! That would really SUCK!
I know what you mean. The answer is it won't stall in low rpm provided you realize that low rpm means 20mph on that bike :)
It's not that you want to do low rpm there, it's that you want to hit that trail at a certain speed which is not too fast and so where ever that speed is in the RPM range is how you would hit it. The RM didn't have enough power in that RPM range to pull it, the KTM does. However, if the Maico makes that speed at 10 RPM, of course it will stall!
I've ridden a KTM 300, several of them, I know they have great pull down low. The Maico is the same. The KTM however is very slow in those gears. Put it to you this way, after riding my 83 Maico when it was the 4 speed (and this is geared lower than the 2003 Maico 500 is), I was like holy crap. How many gears does this adamn thing have, 50? I kept shifting the thing just to get to 1st gear speed! Which at the time was about 30 mph.
Those KTMs do good but like I said they're geared low. The Maico is geared for salt flats pretty much. This is the exact same reason I didn't buy the 2004 that was for sale here for $4k. I called him up and talked to him about it. First thing I asked was is first gear high and he said yes it's very tall and he put a 54 T rear and 12 T front sprocket on it. It was for $4500, I probably should have just gotten it anyway since its hard to find a newer Maico used for sale.
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A friend of mine has ridden and sold Maicos for 30+ years and could probaly answer a lot of questions as well. Rick can be reached at 1-509-453-2121. Come to think of it, he probaly has used gearboxes/primary drives as well.
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You talking about Rick Largo, at one time he told me he had a sand spider gear set somewhere, but I don't think he ever went to look for it.
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Rick Lago at Motocentre in Yaklma, WA. You never what he has in stock and he knows a lot of Maico enthusiests as well.
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This is what a 1994 320 Looks like.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1996/1994320maico.jpg)
The 1995 should look the same, it's one of the Blue Maicos Merkle built.
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Better yet, this is a full Enduro 320
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1994/1994320cc.jpg)
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Better yet, this is a full Enduro 320
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/BikePicturesByYear/1994/1994320cc.jpg)
I've always liked those blue Maicos.Do you know if they had a cromoly frame @ that time?
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I would be curious to know what Maicos don't have chrome moly/high tensile steel frames?
I sure like those 320's. :D
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Yes, they had chromoly frames. I have the 1995 Brochure here.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/1995brotechinfo.jpg)
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I would be curious to know what Maicos don't have chrome moly/high tensile steel frames?
I sure like those 320's. :D
I recall in a Maico Int. ad,I think on this site that the new 2010's & 2011's are now made out of chromoly steel???? ??? ???
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I know ever since I've liked ;D the German marque ever since 12yrs. old that they have always advertised chromoly frames......
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Merkle actually produced 4 stroke Maicos, but he used a Rotax motor, so technically not really a Maico.
Back in 1965 Maico advertised this Maico:
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/65gsbrochure.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/65gsbrochuredata.jpg)
For frame it just says "Double Tube".
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Merkle actually produced 4 stroke Maicos, but he used a Rotax motor, so technically not really a Maico.
Back in 1965 Maico advertised this Maico:
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/65gsbrochure.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/65gsbrochuredata.jpg)
For frame it just says "Double Tube".
At least it's a 2-stroke.. :)
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Woo
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/934stroke.jpg)
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That's scary & a bit ugly Opferman........ :o ??? :-X >:(
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I saw one of those Maico/Rotaxs for sale on the German Ebay site. Notice the steel swingarm - the two strokes had aluminum.
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Looks like a Husqvarna swingarm from 1981
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Truthfully speaking, I get annoyed when companies BUY a motor from another company, put it in their bike and call that bike their label. What did they do then? Nothing. That bike is just a Rotax, it's not a Maico.
EDIT: Note I am only referring to companies that just buy a stock motor from another company, some companies do work with other companies on design and that's a different story. But to go to buy a pretty much off the shelf motor, like a rotax, is what I am talking about. Like if I bought a Zabel or Maico engine from Koestler and put it on a frame and called it an OpfermanMotors bike.
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Truthfully speaking, I get annoyed when companies BUY a motor from another company, put it in their bike and call that bike their label. What did they do then? Nothing. That bike is just a Rotax, it's not a Maico.
EDIT: Note I am only referring to companies that just buy a stock motor from another company, some companies do work with other companies on design and that's a different story. But to go to buy a pretty much off the shelf motor, like a rotax, is what I am talking about. Like if I bought a Zabel or Maico engine from Koestler and put it on a frame and called it an OpfermanMotors bike.
Kind of like ATK did?.....NOT the Cannondale deal but the Maico wide ratio engines in the ATK Intimadator?
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Well, ATK in general, since when has ATK made a motor? Don't they just buy Rotax and Maico and Walmart motors? If someone's got a motor for sale, they'll put it in something.
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I even question Canadian's CanAm, they just put rotax motors in also :)
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CanAm is part of BRP, of which Rotax is also a part. So their buying Rotax engines is in the same category as SkiDoo, SeaDoo, Evinrude, etc. It's kind-of like when Cadillac puts a Corvette engine in one of their cars.
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Actually, I think I just don't like Rotax period because the engines are so big and ugly looking really. I really hate those huge side cases and those 4 stroke XR looking cooling fins :)
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I agree that they don't exactly make pretty engines, but the fact that they stuck with the rotary valve, and therefore reigned as the undisputed kings of horsepower, really earns them points in my book. I'm a very big fan of rotary valve induction, especially after hearing reports of a 250 Green Streak (which is so heavy you can barely get it in the truck) riding a 10-years-newer, comparatively feather-weight 250 Husky. The big, heavy rotary-valve bike positively walked all over the reed-valve bike, regardless the big differences in weight, suspension, and frame. That particular Husky did have some problems with it, so now we estimate it's either as fast or maybe slightly faster than the 'Streak in a straight line. Like Gordon Jennings said in his fabled handbook, "in the world of karting, where there is much more experience with both reeds and rotary-valves than motorcyclists have accumulated, the two types of engines have been separated into different classes. Why? Because while the reed-valve engines are inexpensive, they cannot match the performance of those with rotary-valves."
That book was written in '73, so I don't know how relevant it is in today's world of case-reed engines. I imagine the simple factor of cost and ergonomics (rotary valves generally lead to wider cases) have been the deciding factors in axing rotaries lately. But if I were determined to get a maximum of power from a minimum of displacement, width be damned, I'd use a rotary valve (and a supercharger!)
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Ya, I don't like them solely based on looks, nothing to do with how they ride.
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Back on topic, I scanned in Koestler's Brochure.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/koestler_2010_2.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/koestler_2010_3.jpg)
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I am certain I read somewhere that the Koestler family helped the Maisch family when Maico encountered financial difficulties in 1983.
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Back on topic, I scanned in Koestler's Brochure.
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/koestler_2010_2.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/koestler_2010_3.jpg)
I had a Kostler Maico brochure from 2001 & lost the darn thing! Or else I hid it so well so the then wife would'nt toss it in the trash!... ::)
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Did it look like this?
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2000maico.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2001brochure.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg1.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg2.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg3.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg4.jpg)
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I would assume that SachsGS is aware that part of the Maisch family was responsible for deliberately creating those financial difficulties, yes?
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In German it is called "Sturm und drang", violins playing, various family members planning to disembowel one another. Italions wave their hands and yell while the Germans coldly, silently set about their task.
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Did it look like this?
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2000maico.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2001brochure.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg1.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg2.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg3.jpg)
(http://www.maicowerk.com/Images/Maico/Brochures/2002bropg4.jpg)
That would be it Opferman.... :)