77 AW 400 Tank Colour question

[firko]

I was in the US when the AW was released  and I recall seeing a couple of bikes in the alloy tank/white 'guard setup. I'm probably wrong but I thought the white AW's were late '76 upgrades on the '76 model ....sort of a 76.5 model. All of the AW's I recall seeing at Wheelsmith's shop were red.

[2 shocks]

Here's my 2 bobs worth, funny how I cant remember what happened yesterday but can remember what happened 30 odd years ago. OK, walked into Keith Stackers to pickup my brand new 1976 AW 250, yellow plastics all round and yellow plastic tank, had visions of a polished alloy tank and I was very disappointed, cost me $130.00 for a new alloy tank, that was a weeks wages back then and also the f##n melbourne wharfies had gone on strike ! and  Keith's shipment of Maicos were stuck on the docks for what seemed like months. Keith told me the story how he got them off the docks, very very scary, God Bless Keith Stacker  1977 AW Australian delivery were Red frame, White Plastics, Aluminium Tank which to me looked awesome, I wanted to update, but didnt have the cash, American delivery according to Keith Stacker, who I believe is the most knowledgable Maico man, was Red Plastics, Red Frame, Red Tank. When we were in the states in 2006 I showed some of my photo's to some Maico guys and they said that they had never seen a 77 Maico with White plastics and Alloy Tank, they were all Red for the States, but PS; Keith said not long ago, when he ordered his shipment of Maico's, you never knew what you were going to get, Australia was just a blimp on the radar compared to the US market and never heard of a 76.5 Maico update, only colour configurations.

Ken Baker

[paul]

these are outa stackers books

[firko]

My AW Maico was an Australian delivery bike bought from Blair Harley new and it was all red. I wasn't here when it was sold new but I'm pretty sure all the bikes Blair imported were red.
                                                                                                         

[Stan S]

I was at Stacker Motorcycles in January 77 when the new shipment arrived and helped uncrate and assemble my new plain alloy tanked, red framed, white plastics MC400. I still have it and would like any of you guys to let me know what was different to the red ones that we also got down here a bit later as I can't see any.

Stan. 

[firko]

I was at Stacker Motorcycles in January 77 when the new shipment arrived and helped uncrate and assemble my new plain alloy tanked, red framed, white plastics MC400. I still have it and would like any of you guys to let me know what was different to the red ones that we also got down here a bit later as I can't see any.

Which backs my theory that the white ones were a 76.5 model......but not called that of course .

[Stan S]

Which backs my theory that the white ones were a 76.5 model......but not called that of course .

My frame number starts with 330 and engine starts with 323. Maico ID chart says 77 model with no mention of a 76.5 because there was no such model

Stan.

http://www.maicoland.com/partslists/code.html

[JohnnyO]

Ken there were definitely red AW Maicos sold in Oz in 77, a mate of mine bought a brand new red one. I have a pic of it somewhere. The only maico I remember that came with a yellow plastic tank was the 75 model.

[firko]

Maico ID chart says 77 model with no mention of a 76.5 because there was no such model

Of course . What I meant was that I think that the very first batch of the 77 AW's produced in the second half of 1976 had the white plastic. Another discrepancy I've noticed on some AW's were the rear shocks. I believe that Koni was the original supplier but mine had Bilsteins from new and a mate in the USA reckons his had Corte Cosso's. What did yours have Greg?

[Stan S]

Mark, you are probably right about early 77 shipments but that still does not mean that mine is not a true 77 model.
I honestly can't remember what shocks it came with standard but I thought either Bilstein (but weren't yellow) or Gas Girlings. I'm pretty sure they weren't Koni's though. I didn't change the shocks for the whole year but Stackers did service them at least once.

[JohnnyO]

Here's my mates 77 at Toowoomba that year. Even though it's a black & white pic you can tell its an all red bike.

[firko]

Mark, you are probably right about early 77 shipments but that still does not mean that mine is not a true 77 model.

I wasn't implying that your AW was anything but a '77. What I was implying was that would have been made in late 76 for you to be assembling in it Stackers shop in  January '77 . I've had an oops moment, I said Koni but as soon as you wrote Girling I knew that's what I meant to say. Mine definitely had Bilsteins though, as did the spare frame I bought off the same bloke I'd bought my AW from. They were painted red instead of the traditional yellow.

[2 shocks]

Going to ring Paul Stacker at the shop to tell his old man I want my money back for selling me a 75 Maico instead of a 76 and with interest 

Ken Baker

[JohnnyO]

If yours was a 76 Ken i could only assume a 75 tank was fitted somewhere between the Maico factory assembly line and Stackers shop to use up old stock?

[silverfox]

Geez, now you guy's are just confusing be!! But that's easy to to!! I'm going red frame, white plastics, and alloy tank if I can get the dents out, or red tank if I cannot.
Cheers