Pre-75 250 feeling (There are so many good ones to choose from!)
Yeah, just kidding about the Maico....in fact it kills me to admit that the pre '75 4 speed 250 Maicos are a little bit down the pre '75 pecking order, mostly due to being limited by a 4 speed trans and conservative state of tune. 1974 arguably offered the public the best selection of 250 motocrossers in history. The big three Spaniards were peaking with the best they were to ever produce, Honda had the Elsinore, Yamaha the groundbreaking YZ250B and Husqvarna presented us with the killer 250 MAG while Maico, Kawasaki and CZ weren't so far behind the gun bikes to be considered uncompetitive, all three being easily brought up to competitive level with a little extra work.
In the final washup Jay I reckon you're sitting on top of the pile with your OSSA Phantom and Bultaco Pursang. If I was twenty years younger and looking for a pre '75 250 ride they'd be my top two choices, along with the Yamaha YZ250B.