OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Maico => Topic started by: Kenneth S (222) on January 08, 2013, 07:36:06 pm
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In the recent ADB, the 400th Edition, they rave about this model saying it was one of Maico's finest. Was it really that good and how did it stack up with the competition that year?
Post Edit: It was the 81 not the 82 the article was written about. Typo :-\
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82 model was an absolute shit box ::) if you got a good one it snapped the shock ;) bad ones snapped the frame :o
The 81 model was everything people say it was and turned average wobblers into good riders :)
78 -79 great bike
80 ugly and not a patch on the 79
81 A bigger capacity and refined 79
82 should have came in lemon yellow ;)
Would love a 79 250 now
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I have been lucky enough to ride one around the block once 81 model ,it wasnt mine :-[
but gezz it liked to power stand through the gears 8) scarry stuff.
It would take me a while to handle that sort of power on the dirt I rekon.
I think the maico would like big open tracks with long straights to scretch its legs ;)
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82 model was an absolute shit box ::) if you got a good one it snapped the shock ;) bad ones snapped the frame :o
The 81 model was everything people say it was and turned average wobblers into good riders :)
78 -79 great bike
80 ugly and not a patch on the 79
81 A bigger capacity and refined 79
82 should have came in lemon yellow ;)
Would love a 79 250 now
There you go I learn something new every day I throught all maicos were good....
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82 model was an absolute shit box ::) if you got a good one it snapped the shock ;) bad ones snapped the frame :o
The 81 model was everything people say it was and turned average wobblers into good riders :)
78 -79 great bike
80 ugly and not a patch on the 79
81 A bigger capacity and refined 79
82 should have came in lemon yellow ;)
Would love a 79 250 now
There you go I learn something new every day I throught all maicos were good....
My opinions are based on experiences back in the day in the UK :) Where i lived in the south east Maicos were very popular upto 1981 . I remember the excitement and anticipation of the boys awaiting the arrival of the 82 single shock models in our local dealer A & S performance products . For a while there was an element of denial about how bad they were :-[ many upto that point dyed in the wool Maico buyers either bought back their 81 models or changed brands .
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82 model was an absolute shit box ::) if you got a good one it snapped the shock ;) bad ones snapped the frame :o
The 81 model was everything people say it was and turned average wobblers into good riders :)
78 -79 great bike
80 ugly and not a patch on the 79
81 A bigger capacity and refined 79
82 should have came in lemon yellow ;)
Would love a 79 250 now
Ah yes, I just re-looked at the article. It was the 81 model, the Mega 2 they were talking about. That is where I got the 2 from.
So how did it stack up against the big 4?
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The 81 or the 82 ? As i remember ( and i only really remember Maicos from 78 on they were a great bike for the clubman rider but unless you were sponsored on one ( ie got one for free) top riders generally rode jap bikes .
Geoff Mayes won the British open championship on one of those ugly 1980 440s but defended and lost his title ( Graham Noyce was fit again )in 81 on an RM 465 .
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In the recent ADB, the 400th Edition, they rave about this model saying it was one of Maico's finest. Was it really that good and how did it stack up with the competition that year?
If that's the case then ADB don't know shit about motocross..
The '82 model was the beginning of the end for Maico after the highly successfull '81 model. That's why Ballard rides a disc braked '81 in pre '85.
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The 81 or the 82 ?
The 81. Quote from ADB about the 81 490 "the company created one of the greatest machines in motocross history" "the secret was the machines sublime balance" "simply blew the competition to pieces"
That is a big call!
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Yep.. they are that good. I have possession of dads 81 490 maico and have my 2012 model ktm 350 and its a hard decision on what to ride. They turn like nothing else i have ridden. Power is smooth and plenty of it. :)
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Ken in the US Maico sold more 1981 Mega2 490's than all the 'Big 4" open class MXers put together :o If a rider lost their 'big 4' sponsored ride they would turn up on a private Maico 490.
How they then produced the 1982 490 is one of lifes mysteries.
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Ken in the US Maico sold more 1981 Mega2 490's than all the 'Big 4" open class MXers put together :o If a rider lost their 'big 4' sponsored ride they would turn up on a private Maico 490.
How they then produced the 1982 490 is one of lifes mysteries.
Actually, the article mentions something similar. Quote "In 1981, Maico sold more 490s than Honda did it's entire motocross range." That is unbelievable! Where was I, living under a rock?! No, I was thrashing around on an RM. Doh ???
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the 82 model 490 had a good barrel take it of and put it on a 81 ;D
throw the rest away ;D ;D
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Ken in the US Maico sold more 1981 Mega2 490's than all the 'Big 4" open class MXers put together :o If a rider lost their 'big 4' sponsored ride they would turn up on a private Maico 490.
How they then produced the 1982 490 is one of lifes mysteries.
So very true. Infact it's been documented in many articles from the time that the big Jap 4 bought 81 Maico 490's and pulled them down to find out why they were so good. The fact that a simple piston port engine was making that much power just blew them away.
One of GB's bikes has a rare reed valve barrel fitted. Now that would be something worth riding. Despite the bad points of the 82 model I still think it's a very attractive looking bike.
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In defence of the 82 - the one I had handled as well as the 81 and made better power. I think there must have been some slight mods to the barrel and porting and the motor pulled better. The US ones seemed to be the ones with problems. I really liked mine and am a bit sorry I sold it. My 81 went well but the sweetest handling maico I had was a 74.5. small, low and turned like a ballerina
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One of GB's bikes has a rare reed valve barrel fitted.
My 82 490 twinshock enduro had a reed barrel. I know they didn't all have reeds but mine certainly did, I didn't realise it was so rare at ther time. The '82 GS enduros were twin shock, basically the same as '81's and a magnificent bike. I even rode it to work a couple of days a week and it had great road manners, despite the shitty brakes. Nobody beat me in a drag race, that's for sure ;D I really wish I'd have kept that bike and the ex Laurie Alderton ISDE '79 GS400 Magnum I had before the 490. It was almost as good a bike in the bush. The poor old '82 single shock bike certainly had its share of problems but the factory sorted them pretty quickly and the bike was pretty good in the end. Unfortunately the press had blackened its reputation and Maico fully never recovered. It's a shame really as the next model the 84 SC500 was arguably one of the best open class bikes ever made, even better than the '81 in my opinion.
(http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k495/firko2/maico__gs_t_490_compl__restored_1982_2_lgw_zps7abbc6da.jpg)
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The fact that a simple piston port engine was making that much power just blew them away.
GB would say "just put a Bing on it" :D
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GB would say "just put a Bing on it"
Nothing works better on a piston port Maico than a Bing, Mikunis and Del Ortos work well on reed Maicos (but so do Bings too). I'm seriously considering putting a 38mm Bing on my piston port RT1 Yamaha powered Cheney.
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. It's a shame really as the next model the 84 SC500 was arguably one of the best open class bikes ever made, even better than the '81 in my opinion.
In my opinion too Firko.......so it's official then ?
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I'm lucky enough to have 2 79 400's one had a bing one had a brand new mikuni the one with the mikuni would never start hot or cold as soon as I put a bing on it starts 2nd or third kick hot or cold. Had a ride of Dave Hammonds SC250 and it is better than the 79 in every way!
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Firko do you still have your 84 SC500? I thought I saw it for sale sometime back. Having never ridden an 81 490 I can't really compare but my 84 was such an easy bike to ride. The ride is superb. I like to think of it as a big arm chair. The power comes on so smoothly and effortlessly.
Mine was fitted with a Keihin when I got it. The owner seized it up and blamed the Bing. Later he told me he would run it at 50:1. No surprises why it seized up then. I have the original Bing for it to go back on if it ever leaves "the shed of despair" again.
Noice photo also of the 490.
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Mine was fitted with a Keihin when I got it. The owner seized it up and blamed the Bing. Later he told me he would run it at 50:1. No surprises why it seized up then.
You might be suprised to kow the manual spec's 100:1 fuel mix for an '84.
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Firko do you still have your 84 SC500?
Sadly no, and it's the bike I rergret selling more than any other. I threw a chain at speed while riding it at the farm and cracked the cases (minor damage). While I was considering pulling it all apart to repair the damage Eddie Phipps made me an offer and, being a bit pissed off with the situation sold it to him. He was barely out of site when I started regretting selling it. He had it at CD9.
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There was something about those maicos .. & i use to sell KTM -SWM & did a couple of the 79 -80 big reds , they were quite special you came into a corner out in the bush 4 a breast laid it down and it just tracked if you put it on line that's were it stayed.. if you were passed by Laurie, chris or Geoff how it tracked was a pleasure to see yep i know good riders it was just the pinnacle of a lot of hard work nothing is perfect forever !!
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Mine was fitted with a Keihin when I got it. The owner seized it up and blamed the Bing. Later he told me he would run it at 50:1. No surprises why it seized up then.
You might be suprised to kow the manual spec's 100:1 fuel mix for an '84.
Thanks for the insight Evo I wasn't aware of this. Without starting another fuel mixture debate this just screams warning to me. I like to keep things down on the rich oil side when it comes to big bores, but each to their own.
Unfortunately Firko I wasn't at CD9. I to would have liked to have a Maico ready for the event, maybe one day. Perhaps you'll find another one. Although mine has not run since 1998 I just can't bare to part with it or any of my Maico's. I picked up most of my bikes back when they were worthless and paid as little as a case of bear for some. That'll never happen again I'm certain of that and hopefully one day they'll all be restored.
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For a different perspective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaB4EfrXN-8