Yes the PVL Ignition, must have, on all good Maico 490's, Junk the Motoplat!! I fell for the rubbish and bought a PVL for My Maico 490 and I found what a lot of 490 owners now know, PVL's don't rotate fast enough to get a good spark when kick starting your bike. While the Motoplat gives a better spark and more voltage out when kick starting. I am told the PVL does work well on other makes of bikes that don't have the rotation limitations of the Maico 490. I will give my PVL one more go after I put in the 18mm decomp valve i got from the UK, it is supposed to let you crank the Maico 490 faster thus more voltage and spark.
Noel Harker has fitted the 18mm decomp on his Maico, I am not sure if Noel runs a PVL or Motorplat. For what it is worth the PVL would offer you a very light rotor compared to the Motoplat. I am a little bemused and a bit pissed off that no one has been 100% truthful in regards to the Maico 490 and the PVL combination. I just wished someone told me don't bother with a PVL on a Maico 490.