Maicos - The Rare Years

[maicoman009]

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?

[opfermanmotors]

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.

[opfermanmotors]

I even question Canadian's CanAm, they just put rotax motors in also  

[JETZcorp]

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.

[opfermanmotors]

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

[JETZcorp]

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!)

[opfermanmotors]

Ya, I don't like them solely based on looks, nothing to do with how they ride.

[opfermanmotors]

Back on topic, I scanned in Koestler's Brochure.

[SachsGS]

I am certain I read somewhere that the Koestler family helped the Maisch family when Maico encountered financial difficulties in 1983.

[maicoman009]

Back on topic, I scanned in Koestler's Brochure.

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!...

[opfermanmotors]

Did it look like this?

[JETZcorp]

I would assume that SachsGS is aware that part of the Maisch family was responsible for deliberately creating those financial difficulties, yes?

[SachsGS]

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.

[maicoman009]

Did it look like this?

That would be it Opferman....