1974 Die cast 400 top end?

[flyingdg]

Can someone tell me about this top end? This is a die cast 400 top end that was made in 12/74 and the motor I pulled it from had a small three row clutch and a small magnesium clutch cover.

https://www.facebook.com/doug.gardner.3956/media_set?set=a.3819742428128.1073741833.1714699771&type=1

[Mick D]

Hi Doug, years ago I saw a GP Maico that had apparently been left here in Aus after it has been raced at one of the international events.
It had a different Cylinder, from memory the lower fins were straight as opposed to radial.
Do you have a Pic?
I clicked on that link, but got no Joy? (I don't know what its called in the US, Homer keeps referring to "Tang" ? Same thing? unsure) I am not a facebook user Doug.

We were wondering at the time whether WheelSmith had ever cast a cylinder?

[firko]

That's an odd one Doug. Where do you find this stuff ?  It may be a works or R&D engine that somehow escaped. The 12/74 date and head stay bolt holes in the head might indicate that the cylinder and head started life on a 5 speed 75 model so perhaps it might be a preproduction R&D top end. The inlet port appears untouched which sways me away from it being a race shop setup but who knows?? How is the crank? Has it been balanced or lightened? The mag clutch cover is a works item that often came with a matching mag ignition cover. I had a close look at the ex Willy Bauer bike that Per Klitland rode here in '73 and it had the mag covers but the cylinder was (or appeared to be) a production based sand cast aluminium one. Some works Maicos of the era reputedly had mag cylinders as well. I've never, ever seen a die cast Maico cylinder or seen any reference to one in the press...(that I can remember ). Another Maico mystery arises . We got to the bottom of the 3 speed 501 pretty quickly so maybe we can solve this odd one too .

I've got a pic of the Klitland/Bauer bike which I'll try and scan and post when I get back to my scanner later today..............

[firko]

[firko]

As promised here's the Willy Bauer works 400 Maico that Per Klitland rode in Australia in 1973. It really has nothing to do with Dougs die cast cylinder but it did feature mag clutch and ignition covers and possibly a mag cylinder. I rang Per for details on the bike but he can't remember much about it. Revs magazine didn't exactly dazzle us with an inside scoop of the bikes finer technological points...250 gearbox to reduce engine width??? I think Brian Martin rode it after Per moved onto a new LTR framed bikes. I wonder what happened to it?
                                                                     

[flyingdg]

Man the Klitland bike looks like a stocker with a aluminum tank and a tall seat, shocks look to be stock girling's, drilled steel chain guide. Yes I bet it did have a 250 gearbox.....which is a 400 or 440 oh and 501. (I've had 3 501's two SB type S transmission's and one Radial type U) I would say they were talking about a small clutch and cover from a 250. Back to the 501 for a second, I had my 1973-74 501 with a U trans at a race years ago. I was racing my 440 at the time which I crashed and bent up.....so I raced the 501. That was the worst bike maico ever made! Fun to look at sucked to ride. OK back to the 400 top end. I can't remember where I got it. I think I pulled the crank out of it and ran it in Brad's bike (090) I think it had some crank stuffers in it. I have one more of the die cast heads that was on a 400GP, it doesn't have the small fin's like this head has.   

[Maico-Mac]

Man the Klitland bike looks like a stocker with a aluminum tank and a tall seat, shocks look to be stock girling's, drilled steel chain guide. Yes I bet it did have a 250 gearbox.....which is a 400 or 440 oh and 501. (I've had 3 501's two SB type S transmission's and one Radial type U) I would say they were talking about a small clutch and cover from a 250. Back to the 501 for a second, I had my 1973-74 501 with a U trans at a race years ago. I was racing my 440 at the time which I crashed and bent up.....so I raced the 501. That was the worst bike maico ever made! Fun to look at sucked to ride. OK back to the 400 top end. I can't remember where I got it. I think I pulled the crank out of it and ran it in Brad's bike (090) I think it had some crank stuffers in it. I have one more of the die cast heads that was on a 400GP, it doesn't have the small fin's like this head has.   

Sorry, but i don't think it's die-cast!
Maico was a small manufacturer with no money to loose and if they had a form for die-cast they would have made all heads in the same way !  I think i have one too, just have to look..... It was on my 75'er  GS400 Modell.
In my opinion they look like a modification of the first 400'er radial heads from 1972:



Perhaps Maico has tried an other supplier  ??

[Maico-Mac]

Maybe I'm wrong and the heads for the model 75 are still die-cast 
Because I have two of them, both black coated and the casting is much smoother and without fringes or else ...
But what makes me wonder is, that the design of these heads is a fallback to the design of 1972.

In 1973 and 1974 the heads have much more material around the combustion chamber

 and the heads from 1976 to 1980 are looking the same way !


One of the Maico mysterys