OzVMX Forum

Marque Remarks => Maico => Topic started by: silverfox on September 27, 2013, 08:42:16 pm

Title: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: silverfox on September 27, 2013, 08:42:16 pm
Can anybody tell me what the original colour of a 1977 AW400 tank was? or was it polished alloy?? I have seen both but not sure which is correct. Also, how does it get held at the back??
Thanks
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on September 27, 2013, 09:43:48 pm
The 77 AW was red, the 76 was polished alloy..
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: motomaniac on September 27, 2013, 09:44:26 pm
I think we got the polished tanks here and in the US  they got the red painted ones in 77.So take your pick.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: motomaniac on September 27, 2013, 09:45:36 pm
The 77 AW was red, the 76 was polished alloy..

That's right but didn't we get polished in 77 as well ? Someone told me.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on September 27, 2013, 09:55:42 pm
silverfox, this was my 400 that I bought new in January 77. I still have it but it's in the resto que.

Stan.

(http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/gf079/Gregs%20pictures/New77Maicoin76.jpg) (http://s991.photobucket.com/user/gf079/media/Gregs%20pictures/New77Maicoin76.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: silverfox on September 27, 2013, 10:25:32 pm
Cheers fellas, Looks like I can go either way. Will see how straight I can get it then decide. Lot more questions to come
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on September 27, 2013, 10:51:43 pm
This is how it was set up for most of 77 with the up pipe. The standard pipe made better power than the Wheelsmith up pipe but I used to flatten the low pipe all the time.

Stan.

(http://i991.photobucket.com/albums/af39/gf079/Gregs%20pictures/My77Maico.jpg) (http://s991.photobucket.com/user/gf079/media/Gregs%20pictures/My77Maico.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on September 27, 2013, 11:18:15 pm
Nice bike Stan, you should be using it!
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: VMX247 on September 27, 2013, 11:26:55 pm
true Stan,you could get a young victorian works rider on that for the SA 2014 pre78 Nats  :)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: davidmc on September 28, 2013, 06:42:56 am
Colours are always same as Volkswagen code of that year!
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: davidmc on September 28, 2013, 07:00:21 am
Colours are always same as Volkswagen code of that year!
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: KTM47 on October 05, 2013, 08:47:51 pm
I had a Maico 400 in 1977. I bought it from Brisk Sales the Qld Kawasaki & Maico distributer. The bike had been set up for Matt Daley but he decided to retire. The tank was red. The bike also had a wheelsmith pipe. Phil Thew Moto also had a Maico 400, the tank was red, Noel Harker got to race it for Phil. It is the same bike Noel has got now. Brisk Sales also had a 250 for Matt and a 125. I got to race the 125 in the Qld 125 MX Champs that year, I think I finished 5th. 77 Maicos should have red tanks. Brisk Sales also brought in two 125 Road Racers. I loved to know where they are.

Kevin
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on October 05, 2013, 09:48:51 pm
77 Maicos should have red tanks. Brisk Sales also brought in two 125 Road Racers. I loved to know where they are.

Kevin, not all 77 400's had red tanks. Mine was purchased from Keith Stacker and it had a plain alloy tank with white plastics. There were several more the same racing in Victoria throughout 77.

Stan.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: silverfox on October 05, 2013, 11:50:39 pm
Well I take it white plastics are correct??
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on October 06, 2013, 12:32:22 am
The 77's I saw in Qld back in the day had red tanks and plastics. Looks like there was a variety of colour combinations..
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: firko on October 06, 2013, 01:20:46 pm
I was in the US when the AW was released  and I recall seeing a couple of bikes in the alloy tank/white 'guard setup. I'm probably wrong but I thought the white AW's were late '76 upgrades on the '76 model ....sort of a 76.5 model. All of the AW's I recall seeing at Wheelsmith's shop were red.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: 2 shocks on October 06, 2013, 06:17:16 pm
Here's my 2 bobs worth, funny how I cant remember what happened yesterday but can remember what happened 30 odd years ago. OK, walked into Keith Stackers to pickup my brand new 1976 AW 250, yellow plastics all round and yellow plastic tank, had visions of a polished alloy tank and I was very disappointed, cost me $130.00 for a new alloy tank, that was a weeks wages back then and also the f##n melbourne wharfies had gone on strike ! and  Keith's shipment of Maicos were stuck on the docks for what seemed like months. Keith told me the story how he got them off the docks, very very scary, God Bless Keith Stacker  :D 1977 AW Australian delivery were Red frame, White Plastics, Aluminium Tank which to me looked awesome, I wanted to update, but didnt have the cash, American delivery according to Keith Stacker, who I believe is the most knowledgable Maico man, was Red Plastics, Red Frame, Red Tank. When we were in the states in 2006 I showed some of my photo's to some Maico guys and they said that they had never seen a 77 Maico with White plastics and Alloy Tank, they were all Red for the States, but PS; Keith said not long ago, when he ordered his shipment of Maico's, you never knew what you were going to get, Australia was just a blimp on the radar compared to the US market and never heard of a 76.5 Maico update, only colour configurations.

Ken Baker
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: paul on October 06, 2013, 06:36:49 pm
these are outa stackers books
(http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo263/ozmaico/IMGP4744_zps5fa4b7a3.jpg) (http://s382.photobucket.com/user/ozmaico/media/IMGP4744_zps5fa4b7a3.jpg.html)
(http://i382.photobucket.com/albums/oo263/ozmaico/IMGP4745_zpsef8133d1.jpg) (http://s382.photobucket.com/user/ozmaico/media/IMGP4745_zpsef8133d1.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: firko on October 06, 2013, 09:35:38 pm
My AW Maico was an Australian delivery bike bought from Blair Harley new and it was all red. I wasn't here when it was sold new but I'm pretty sure all the bikes Blair imported were red.
                                                                                                          (http://i1112.photobucket.com/albums/k495/firko2/2013-02-17_80_zps47f0848d.jpg) (http://s1112.photobucket.com/user/firko2/media/2013-02-17_80_zps47f0848d.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on October 06, 2013, 09:45:00 pm
I was at Stacker Motorcycles in January 77 when the new shipment arrived and helped uncrate and assemble my new plain alloy tanked, red framed, white plastics MC400. I still have it and would like any of you guys to let me know what was different to the red ones that we also got down here a bit later as I can't see any.

Stan. 
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: firko on October 06, 2013, 09:52:20 pm
Quote
I was at Stacker Motorcycles in January 77 when the new shipment arrived and helped uncrate and assemble my new plain alloy tanked, red framed, white plastics MC400. I still have it and would like any of you guys to let me know what was different to the red ones that we also got down here a bit later as I can't see any.
Which backs my theory that the white ones were a 76.5 model......but not called that of course ;).
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on October 06, 2013, 10:11:17 pm
Which backs my theory that the white ones were a 76.5 model......but not called that of course ;).

My frame number starts with 330 and engine starts with 323. Maico ID chart says 77 model with no mention of a 76.5 because there was no such model ;)

Stan.

http://www.maicoland.com/partslists/code.html
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on October 06, 2013, 10:16:06 pm
Ken there were definitely red AW Maicos sold in Oz in 77, a mate of mine bought a brand new red one. I have a pic of it somewhere. The only maico I remember that came with a yellow plastic tank was the 75 model.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: firko on October 06, 2013, 10:27:37 pm
Quote
Maico ID chart says 77 model with no mention of a 76.5 because there was no such model ;)
Of course ::). What I meant was that I think that the very first batch of the 77 AW's produced in the second half of 1976 had the white plastic. Another discrepancy I've noticed on some AW's were the rear shocks. I believe that Koni was the original supplier but mine had Bilsteins from new and a mate in the USA reckons his had Corte Cosso's. What did yours have Greg?
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: Stan S on October 06, 2013, 10:42:44 pm
Mark, you are probably right about early 77 shipments but that still does not mean that mine is not a true 77 model.
I honestly can't remember what shocks it came with standard but I thought either Bilstein (but weren't yellow) or Gas Girlings. I'm pretty sure they weren't Koni's though. I didn't change the shocks for the whole year but Stackers did service them at least once.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on October 06, 2013, 10:47:25 pm
Here's my mates 77 at Toowoomba that year. Even though it's a black & white pic you can tell its an all red bike.
(http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc374/JohnnyO31/photo25_zpsbd03d94b.jpg) (http://s1208.photobucket.com/user/JohnnyO31/media/photo25_zpsbd03d94b.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: firko on October 06, 2013, 11:02:31 pm
Quote
Mark, you are probably right about early 77 shipments but that still does not mean that mine is not a true 77 model.
I wasn't implying that your AW was anything but a '77. What I was implying was that would have been made in late 76 for you to be assembling in it Stackers shop in  January '77 . I've had an oops moment, I said Koni but as soon as you wrote Girling I knew that's what I meant to say. Mine definitely had Bilsteins though, as did the spare frame I bought off the same bloke I'd bought my AW from. They were painted red instead of the traditional yellow.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: 2 shocks on October 07, 2013, 09:21:39 am
Going to ring Paul Stacker at the shop to tell his old man I want my money back for selling me a 75 Maico instead of a 76 and with interest  ;D ;D ;D

Ken Baker
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: JohnnyO on October 07, 2013, 11:41:34 am
If yours was a 76 Ken i could only assume a 75 tank was fitted somewhere between the Maico factory assembly line and Stackers shop to use up old stock?
(http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc374/JohnnyO31/photo26_zps4120f886.jpg) (http://s1208.photobucket.com/user/JohnnyO31/media/photo26_zps4120f886.jpg.html)
(http://i1208.photobucket.com/albums/cc374/JohnnyO31/photo27_zpsf9c793ad.jpg) (http://s1208.photobucket.com/user/JohnnyO31/media/photo27_zpsf9c793ad.jpg.html)
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: silverfox on October 07, 2013, 06:04:14 pm
Geez, now you guy's are just confusing be!! But that's easy to to!! I'm going red frame, white plastics, and alloy tank if I can get the dents out, or red tank if I cannot.
Cheers
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: KTM47 on October 08, 2013, 04:27:48 pm
Just to confuse everyone. Steve New had (still has it) a 1976 400 it was yellow with Alloy tank. Also the 400 I got was part way through the year (I started the year on a KTM 400). Like I said it was all red. However the 125 if I remember correct had a red frame with white guards. I can't remember if the tank was painted.

I ended up keeping the Maico 400 for two years. I raced it at the Australian MX Champs at Broadford in 1978. If you look closely at the DVD Roger Harvey did of that meeting I'm in it running about tenth. Also for some reason I had painted the tank navy blue. I traded the bike in at Stacker's at the end of that year for a 1979 250. I remember Keith asked why I painted the tank blue. There is also a DVD of the 1977 Mountain Man MX floating around, I am in it on my RED Maico 400.

Kevin
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: 09.0 on October 09, 2013, 06:26:02 am
Just to confuse everyone. Steve New had (still has it) a 1976 400 it was yellow with Alloy tank. Also the 400 I got was part way through the year (I started the year on a KTM 400). Like I said it was all red. However the 125 if I remember correct had a red frame with white guards. I can't remember if the tank was painted.



Kevin

Red tank. That's the one I bought that was a local, low hour bike and probably the same one you rode.
Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: KTM47 on October 09, 2013, 10:38:10 am
Thanks Brad. I have a black and white photo of me on the bike (125) somewhere. I do remember one other Maico 125 in 1977 a C Grader had it. It was a great bike really quick if you could keep in it's rev range. Unfortunately I only got to race it once. Where is the one you had?

Also I know Des Leitch had one of the 125 Maico road racers Brisk's brought in, does anyone know where they are. They were a really great little bike Tommy Gibson raced one for Brisk Sales.

Kevin

Title: Re: 77 AW 400 Tank Colour question
Post by: albrid-3 on October 09, 2013, 12:11:03 pm
The last time I spoke to Don Newell about a Maico 77 125 which I was thinking of buying and didn't, he may still have it.