Scoots

[firko]

I was in downtown Sydney last night just after knock off time and I was blown away by the number of motor scooters buzzing around. 20 minutes later I was driving past the University of NSW and it was the same story.Vespa Piaggios and little Honda whatsits everywhere. As an old Lambretta pilot from the early 70's, I appreciate what great, fun transport they are. Wouldn't it be cool to restore a classic Maico Mobil or even better a Maicoletta to cruise the cafes for a capuchino or two on a Sunday morning? I reckon a 490 powered Maicoletta would be a hoot.

[Freakshow]

Now there is a funny thing firko,not sure where you found that picture but that blue maicoletta was mine, i restored it about 1990 and only sold it off later in about 2003 i think, after i lived in my lounge room for a very long time ( i would leave the rear cover off cause i was too afraid i was going to scratch it.

IT was a 1953 model with the ocilatting starter, so what it would do is flick the motor back and forth to tdc rather than over ina spin, bloody great idea as you could start it on a very weak battery.

I lost all the picture of that bike off my PC the last 5 times its crashed, but what it had then it was finsihed was the best rear cowel in AU, the rear was hand fineline and sign written by the very well noted old guy from think it was regal signs in edwardstown, the old man worked out the back and would hand pick the jobs he would do, he get requests from all over the world to repaint and reimage tanks and emblems.  NEver seen anyone who could take a white paint on a brush and do a mm perfect continuous paint pin stripe for over a meter and around corners absolute craft man.  On the rear of the cowl he hand panted the "maicoletta" on and it was size , shape and letter perfect to the original but in paint, the guy was a master.

MIne actually also had a 40/50's wodden box sidecar that went on the side ( although i never put it back on after i finished the bike, too worried about scratching the paint.  Actually really miss that bike, still have my vespa Grass tracker, buyt the maico was a the king off the road.   I once parked it next to one of the first Fatboy harely in the country and its was prity much the same length, there were a big bike long and wide.  MIne was a 250cc, i think they all were.  I always wanted the bigger maico mobile but they are rare as, and now much wiser the Maicoletta is th epic of the 2 cause they re easy to ride, better looking and spare you can now get out of germanuy, they have a club that repo lots of the maico stuff.  Im planning to go over a few of my old drive over xmas, if im lucky there might be a picture of it finished there and will post it.  i sold the bike and outfit to an engineer in the end, never seen or heard of it since, someone did say it ended up in Birdwood museum but i have never been up there. its on my list of things to do as well.

thanks for the post firko those pics brought back some memories, i live 2 doors up from that house the photos where taking in still, and i reckon i took those picture when i was moving house, and the guy buying it wanted more pictures of it before he paid.

cheers freaky

[firko]

Gus Priem sent me the photos Freaky. He obviously found them somewhere on the 'net. Here's a shot of the oval 250 motor.
You did a nice job on that scooter Freaky. I've wanted a Maicoletta since the very first time I ever saw one.
Laurie Alderton has a nice unrestored 200cc Maico Mobil that I've tried for years to get from him but so far, no success. Back in the seventies I saw a beautiful beige coloured Maicoletta that had been fitted with a 250 radial fin motocross engine. The original oval barrel 250 motor is based on the scrambler engine from the fifties/sixties so I reckon it'd be a pretty straight forward swap. Maicolettas are regarded as the Rolls Royce of scooters and I rdeckon they'd be just as sweet on the road today.
Below: Laurie Aldertons Maico-Mobil
 

[paul]

theres been a couple off those scooters on ebay au of late

[Freakshow]

YEah i know paul, i have been resisting. as last time i remeber how long i had the last one and never got to ride it much.  was a really well made bike.  I still kept the best part of that bike firko, its the rare and very very cool 28 day clock.  IT was a timipeice in a guage same size as the speedo, you popped it out and wound bezel at the back an dit would run for 28 days.  also other cool things was it had a gear shift indicator.  it was a red number dial that ran off the cable to the motor as you changed gears it would trip over and display the gear number you where in.  IT was a True machine and showed the art, enginerring and craftmanship of a recovering post war germany.

That new shot is funny, cause i remember the silver tape on the leads to the black box, i left them there as everytime i took the motor out or somthing like that i had to disconnect the loom at the box and could never remebr what wire went were cause of that electric starter and things.  The Frame was soo solid but really clever design so you could fit anythign in real easy.  At one point we were goinmg to put an RZ 250R in it, we had the motor and swing arm and were real close to doing it , but then swapped project to use it on a LAmbretta, not sure where that progect went, still have the RZ motor if anyone is interested - cheap

[Freakshow]

Jeeze i am going to have to look for the picks of this bike.  See when its back together it looked trick.  as i said i reckon it was apart to show the motor etc when it was for sale, cause there is another cowl that clips on that side and over th etop of the motor, it was also blue in my case.  The fan on the flywheel would then blow up the cowl and into a head cover that surprising keep the motor cool as. that black bit on top was the tank and was access from under the bread bin seat cover.

Any more pics post em and im putting them into my album but this time ill be backing up.  thank god for the internet, and old guys who love cool bikes :O)

[Curly3]

A VESPA GRASSTRACKER   WTF
That would make it a ride on lawnmower wouldn't it

[firko]

                    
                  

[firko]

A VESPA GRASSTRACKER    WTF
That would make it a ride on lawnmower wouldn't it

[Freakshow]

I jumped mine over a fire at the Scooter nationals in1992, they reckon  it couldnt me done.  MArk one up for freaky cleared it but 3 yards.

[Freakshow]

cant find my pics yet, but here is a few on the first drive i pulle dout

more maicolettas





and they were quick too

[Freakshow]

IF i was going to do another one, this time i would do a custom paint job.

This one was may all time favourite paint job

[number 87]

Shouldn't these things have a gun of some sort mounted on the front . . . .


#87

[Freakshow]

Yeah,  now a machine gun on the front would have been fine.  great idea #87 !