Trick as poop AW440 Maico on vft.org

[firko]

This bike would fail scrutineering here in Oz for the KX500 style reeds alone. I was also thinking that the flatslide Lectron might be illegal for pre 78 as well but I may be mistaken on that, I know they're not kosher for pre 75. I've got a drawer full of Lectrons and I'm pretty sure they were around in 1975. Although the seller doesn't tell us, I'd reckon this bike might have more than our class legal 9" of travel, possibly Magnum forks . Rulebook stuff aside, it's a beautifully detailed racer that's had a lot of serious development....not unlike something this forums 'FlyingDG' would build. I wish him luck trying for 6k in post GFC USA.
                                                          
                                                                                                     http://vft.org/vftforsale3-StreetMXers.html
1976 Maico 440 - Engine std. bore, custom sleeve (Northwest sleeve). Cyl. base studs enlarged - 10mm. Rear studs moved out 25mm to accomodate case induction ports. Reed block to house Mototassinari 16 petal KX500 reeds. Cyl. head reshaped by RKtech-Idaho. PVL ignition w/flywheel weight 7 oz.. Lectron 38mm. Absolutely spot-on jetting. Fast By Gast blue-printed gear set. Shifts like a modern bike. Sun rims-Buchanan's spokes. Brake drums perfect. Forks replated, Race-tech emulators-springs 185lb. rider expert. Fox airshox-resealed. Excellent condition. Thor re-pop Maico-only. 1979 air box to accomodate YZ 490 up pipe. Power is strong and linear. No crazy hit. Easy to ride. Starts easy. I can kick start it w/my left foot when warm! Everything on the outside as you see it.Good attention to detail. Santa Rosa, CA.

$6000 O.B.O. possible trade for later model small pick-up.

707-570-7621 Mark

[Tahitian_Red]

Sharp looking Maico, but it is the Poster Child for the "slippery slope" arguments.

KX500 reed and a YZ490 pipe? 

[JohnnyO]

What the reed petals fit is irrelevant, if a bolt on reed block is a period correct mod then it should be ok just like a bolt on GEM reed block is ok on a 74 Elsinore in pre 75.
I can't see a problem with the pipe, it's no different to running an aftermarket Maico Only pipe on the LH side.

[firko]

John, if he's had to move the rear studs out 25mm to fit the reed block I suspect it'd fail scrutineering. although I agree that if the reed block was pre 75 I can't recall too many 16 petal reeds that would fit into an available reed block back then. While I don't like the Yamaha pipe on the bike, our rules don't prevent it as far as I can see. I've fitted both a welded on MX250 Yamaha reed block and a GEM block meant for a CZ (the biggest pre 75 legal one I could find) to Maicos and I didn't have to move the barrel studs.
I remember the foo foo raw that Kevin Hortons 73 Elsinore 250 caused back in the 90's with its CR500 reed block (or YZ465, I can't remember ). The bike kept on getting knocked back in scrutineering and he kept on arguing the point. The bike was eventually banned and Kevin walked from the sport. The stupid thing about the whole mess was that Kevin Horton could have won the 250 class on a Hodaka Ace 90, he was a great rider who didn't need to go to those lengths to win.

[JohnnyO]

Firko the 16 petal reed block may just be Boyesen dual stage reeds, 8 small petals on top of 8 large petals. As for moving the studs I'm not sure whether that's illegal or not.
I actually beat Kevin Horton to win 2 '94 Oz vintage titles with a Gem reed on my 74 Elsinore and no one ever said a thing..

[motomaniac]

A GEM reed is period correct aftermarket item . A kx500 reed is not pre 78.

[JohnnyO]

It's not a kx500 reed block it's an aftermarket one, have a look. So what if kx500 reed petals fit.

[Brian Watson]

A question I have is ...and Mark will love this .....a 1976 AW 440 Maico has the exhaust going where..?? does it come out of the cylinder and go down and under  ..or over the top like the bike in the Pic....??.. I know the bike is not in Australia and won't have to comply with our rules.. but the 2013 MoMS does say this ..
18.5.6.6 Exhaust may be modified but must follow the original lines and be fitted with an effective muffler.

[firko]

A GEM reed is period correct aftermarket item . A kx500 reed is not pre 78.

It's not a kx500 reed block it's an aftermarket one, have a look. So what if kx500 reed petals fit.

Yeah I agree with both of you but my point is that it's hard to tell from one picture but from my experience with Gem reed blocks, I didn't have to widen the barrel spacing to fit a reed block to both square and radial pre 75 Maicos using the biggest available in 1974. That 16 petal reed is a lot of reed area to fit into a GEM block made for a CZ or Husky, I suspect he's machined a billet block to look like a period GEM block. I use late 80's KX80 reeds in my DT2/RT2 Yamahas and late 80's KX125 or YZ125 reeds in my later Yamaha MX/YZ cylinders with little or no modification so I have no problem with the fitting of later model two stage reeds. It's the Size of the reed block that concerns me. The key to this whole thing is his having to widen the barrel stud pitch 25mm to fit the reed block in.

[firko]

Firko the 16 petal reed block may just be Boyesen dual stage reeds, 8 small petals on top of 8 large petals. As for moving the studs I'm not sure whether that's illegal or not.
I actually beat Kevin Horton to win 2 '94 Oz vintage titles with a Gem reed on my 74 Elsinore and no one ever said a thing.. 

Nobody said a thing John because you were quite legal with a GEM reed block. I think Horton used the big reed motor on his dirt tracker but I may be wrong, it's a long time ago. Moving the studs isn't in itself illegal but to do it to fit reeds from a post 1975 bike, well that's as illegal as shite . I can remember you beating Horton, Roy Gay and some other guns of the period John....you old superstar, you were pretty damn quick on an old Honda

question I have is ...and Mark will love this .....a 1976 AW 440 Maico has the exhaust going where..?? does it come out of the cylinder and go down and under  ..or over the top like the bike in the Pic....??.. I know the bike is not in Australia and won't have to comply with our rules.. but the 2013 MoMS does say this ..
18.5.6.6 Exhaust may be modified but must follow the original lines and be fitted with an effective muffler.

I'll let this one through to the keeper, only commenting that it's a rule that needs a bit of rewording. I've got to get my dirt tracker finished off for HBBB so I'll let others discuss that doozy.

[09.0]

They made a period up pipe for the Maico didn't they? Same as the 77 cr125.

[motomaniac]

It's not a kx500 reed block it's an aftermarket one, have a look. So what if kx500 reed petals fit.

OK. What do you think it is ? I dont think GEM.

[JohnnyO]

It's not a kx500 reed block it's an aftermarket one, have a look. So what if kx500 reed petals fit.

OK. What do you think it is ? I dont think GEM.

I don't think it's a GEM either, maybe there was other companies making bolt on reed assemblies like Mossbarger who made Husky ones.

[Brian Watson]

Come on Brad ...you know better than that..!! 1976... down pipe..original... I know Mark and I have been blatting on about the wording for some time now.....it is the same wording in the pre 75 stuff... Maybe it is about time that those who think the wording is incorrect , or , rather, needs correcting , should submit a change to MA .. after all , it is about re-creating and era... not about adding on later parts..

[firko]

don't think it's a GEM either, maybe there was other companies making bolt on reed assemblies like Mossbarger who made Husky ones.  

Having to re-engineer the cylinder by relocating the barrel studs doesn't constitute a "bolt on". There's been some serious engineering put into this and it's pretty obviously a billet reed block made to take advantage of the late reed cage. For all I know it might be legal for AHRMA but it's pretty doubtful it'd pass here. I'd be very surprised if there were KX500 sized reed blocks available in 1977 .Even the biggest  Mossbarger reeds from the pre 78 period are nothing like that setup. I'd have no objection if the Mototassinari 16 petal V Force KX500 reeds could be fitted to a period sized and manufactured reed block but this is something else....a lot of machining and welding have gone into it which sends it off to No-No land in my opinion. Let's be fair dinkum here, I'm pretty liberal with my thoughts on some things that should and shouldn't be allowed but we have to draw a line somewhere. I've seen reed blocks as big as a 50 cigarette pack on pre 78 and Evo bikes in Europe....is this what we want for our sport, which as Watto says is " about re-creating and era"?  

                                                                                  
The VForce3 reed valve system by Moto Tassinari incorporates features you won't find with other system on the market. With such features as twice the reed tip surface, radius cage surface and more. By doubling the reed tip surface (over a stock standard valve design) the petals now only need to open half as far to provide the same flow as a stock style cage. This is a significant advantage when you factor in that a reed petal opens and closes 133 times per second at 8,000 rpm. The petals are only traveling half the distance of a stock style cage, so now fatigue to the petal has been greatly reduced, increasing petal life.

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