Maico 700cc.

[Bruno1969]

The newer Maicos seem to exist only as internet memes - lots of talk, but actual buyers/owners are impossible to find.
 I wonder if you could actually get one, even if you didn't have a better way to spend the cash.

I have one, a 2013 500. Built by a KTM dealer in Dortmund, Germany. Based on the 83/84 Maico engines which are used as Zabels in sidecar MX. A massive bike, and as strong as all hell. Pulls like a freight train at anything above idle and if I am honest, not a huge amount of fun to ride. Cool as all hell though!

No real differance, other than bore, between the 500, 620 and 680.

Here in SA, there must be four or five that I know of.

Cheers

     

[80-85 husky]

Folan 1000

https://youtu.be/LumVeSdhYyw

there is a vid of a mx bike with one of these engines in it but it isn't coming up.

cool sound.

[Nathan S]

The newer Maicos seem to exist only as internet memes - lots of talk, but actual buyers/owners are impossible to find.
 I wonder if you could actually get one, even if you didn't have a better way to spend the cash.

I have one, a 2013 500. Built by a KTM dealer in Dortmund, Germany. Based on the 83/84 Maico engines which are used as Zabels in sidecar MX. A massive bike, and as strong as all hell. Pulls like a freight train at anything above idle and if I am honest, not a huge amount of fun to ride. Cool as all hell though!

No real differance, other than bore, between the 500, 620 and 680.

Here in SA, there must be four or five that I know of.

Cheers

     

Interesting, thanks!
I've got an 86 250 in the shed, and can clearly see the "new" versions are the same basic bike.
Without wanting to upset anyone, it does seem pretty clear that trying to make a 30+ year old design work in 2016 is pushing poop uphill. When the bikes are more expensive than more current designs, then you're trying to push it uphill with a pointy stick.

How does the motor compare to a KX500 or CR500?

[Mick D]

Just wundering out of interest,
What are the capacity limits of two stroke motocrossers and enduros(dirt/dune bikes) offered by other manufactures at present?
Does anyone else produce 500cc 2T motocrossers or enduros anymore? etc?

[80-85 husky]

with the advent of hard enduro, 300 looks like the best capacity. I heard kato were going to do another 380 but that could b a rumourhasit affair

[Mick D]

I rode on Stockton sand dunes a bit when I was much younger.
On a YZ465.
Had to carry a small piece of conveyor mat, so I could put it under the stand if I stalled it.
Simply killed two fiddy's off in the first couple of hours.
Big 500 2Ts with paddle tyres became very popular there. Huge buzz.
Not sure but I think it may be the case that you need full rego as well as an exy permit from the Worimi tribe now.

[shelpi]

The newer Maicos seem to exist only as internet memes - lots of talk, but actual buyers/owners are impossible to find.
 I wonder if you could actually get one, even if you didn't have a better way to spend the cash.

I have one, a 2013 500. Built by a KTM dealer in Dortmund, Germany. Based on the 83/84 Maico engines which are used as Zabels in sidecar MX. A massive bike, and as strong as all hell. Pulls like a freight train at anything above idle and if I am honest, not a huge amount of fun to ride. Cool as all hell though!

No real differance, other than bore, between the 500, 620 and 680.

Here in SA, there must be four or five that I know of.

Cheers

     

Interesting, thanks!
I've got an 86 250 in the shed, and can clearly see the "new" versions are the same basic bike.
Without wanting to upset anyone, it does seem pretty clear that trying to make a 30+ year old design work in 2016 is pushing poop uphill. When the bikes are more expensive than more current designs, then you're trying to push it uphill with a pointy stick.

How does the motor compare to a KX500 or CR500?

you are so right Nathan about pushing poop, the top guys (GP) replace the gear box between each race meeting if not the engine
you really only need the 440 they will tend to have a better power spread and can eat most other 500's all in stock trim of coarse

[Nathan S]

Biggest capacity current model mainstream 2T I know of are the 300s from Beta, Husqvarna/KTM, Sherco and TM.

TSP in Victoria is making 330 conversions for KTM/Katoberg/Katovarnas, and ESR makes 325 kits for YZ250s.

It's easy to romanticise big bores, but they stopped making them for a reason. The 500s are bulk fun, but  even in 1988/89 (when the KX & CR500 were still up to date with the 125s & 250s), too few buyers chose a 500...

[KTM47]

I owed a RWJ Honda that had been a GP MX bike. Alloy frame Ohlin suspension etc.  A guy I know brought it in from the UK.  Anyway it was raced by Jocki Karlsson at Broadford in 2000.

Really the bike was fun to ride but was too much.  You could'nt even ride slow it the pits.  The power was similar to my Maico 490 but where it ran out of revs the Honda kept going.

The 500cc MX bike is dead as far as modern MX goes, but I'm sure a newer design with a capacity of 360/400cc and a broad power spread, maybe even just 4 gears could be competitive.  However I'm sure the Japanese manufacturers won't make one (especially Honda).  They're make too much money out of the parts needed for maintenance on the current 4 strokes.

[Bruno1969]

The newer Maicos seem to exist only as internet memes - lots of talk, but actual buyers/owners are impossible to find.
 I wonder if you could actually get one, even if you didn't have a better way to spend the cash.

I have one, a 2013 500. Built by a KTM dealer in Dortmund, Germany. Based on the 83/84 Maico engines which are used as Zabels in sidecar MX. A massive bike, and as strong as all hell. Pulls like a freight train at anything above idle and if I am honest, not a huge amount of fun to ride. Cool as all hell though!

No real differance, other than bore, between the 500, 620 and 680.

Here in SA, there must be four or five that I know of.

Cheers

     

Interesting, thanks!
I've got an 86 250 in the shed, and can clearly see the "new" versions are the same basic bike.
Without wanting to upset anyone, it does seem pretty clear that trying to make a 30+ year old design work in 2016 is pushing poop uphill. When the bikes are more expensive than more current designs, then you're trying to push it uphill with a pointy stick.

How does the motor compare to a KX500 or CR500?

Correct, the Mod Maico is based on the mid 80.s jobbie - albeit with Up Side Down forks, discs, power valve and modernish plastics. It is still a dated design though and feels it. Interestingly the modern Zabel engine slots into any post 84/85 Maico frame

They are pricey, but come with nice parts - 50 mm Marzochi forks, Reiger shock, Talon hubs, Magura and Brembo controls, Nickel plated HGS pipe etc. Strangely runs a Bing Carb though and YZ 250 fenders and number boards. Koestler says that make about 50 a year - probably bought by folk who like the nostalgia aspect.

Performance wise I think slightly stronger than a CR or KX 500 but I can't ride any where near the bike's capacity. Slot it into third and ride the torque wave is what I do but even THAT is exhausting.

[Mick D]

Biggest capacity current model mainstream 2T I know of are the 300s from Beta, Husqvarna/KTM, Sherco and TM.

TSP in Victoria is making 330 conversions for KTM/Katoberg/Katovarnas, and ESR makes 325 kits for YZ250s.

It's easy to romanticise big bores, but they stopped making them for a reason. The 500s are bulk fun, but  even in 1988/89 (when the KX & CR500 were still up to date with the 125s & 250s), too few buyers chose a 500...

Basically the answer I was expecting, plus a bit more. Thanks.
And we all know mass production of any product is geared solely by demand.
Saying that, the YZ465 that I lived on the edge of the dunes with never had near enough grunt in the dunes.
Though I was very fit at the time and it truly was an absolute hoot through the loamy trail to gain access to the dunes

I have LC 490 Maico project hoarded away.
I also have a bit of engine NOS for these pre power valve liquid cooled reed valve models.
Although I have a few NOS 490 sleeves, I have always thought about de-boring it to a 77mm 400cc. (386cc actually)
By fitting an aluminium sleeve and then applying the Mahle Nikasil inivation

The 500cc MX bike is dead as far as modern MX goes, but I'm sure a newer design with a capacity of 360/400cc and a broad power spread, maybe even just 4 gears could be competitive.  However I'm sure the Japanese manufacturers won't make one (especially Honda).  They're make too much money out of the parts needed for maintenance on the current 4 strokes.

A lot of relevance in that post.

[shelpi]

Biggest capacity current model mainstream 2T I know of are the 300s from Beta, Husqvarna/KTM, Sherco and TM.

TSP in Victoria is making 330 conversions for KTM/Katoberg/Katovarnas, and ESR makes 325 kits for YZ250s.

It's easy to romanticise big bores, but they stopped making them for a reason. The 500s are bulk fun, but  even in 1988/89 (when the KX & CR500 were still up to date with the 125s & 250s), too few buyers chose a 500...

Basically the answer I was expecting, plus a bit more. Thanks.
And we all know mass production of any product is geared solely by demand.
Saying that, the YZ465 that I lived on the edge of the dunes with never had near enough grunt in the dunes.
Though I was very fit at the time and it truly was an absolute hoot through the loamy trail to gain access to the dunes

I have LC 490 Maico project hoarded away.
I also have a bit of engine NOS for these pre power valve liquid cooled reed valve models.
Although I have a few NOS 490 sleeves, I have always thought about de-boring it to a 77mm 400cc. (386cc actually)
By fitting an aluminium sleeve and then applying the Mahle Nikasil inivation

The 500cc MX bike is dead as far as modern MX goes, but I'm sure a newer design with a capacity of 360/400cc and a broad power spread, maybe even just 4 gears could be competitive.  However I'm sure the Japanese manufacturers won't make one (especially Honda).  They're make too much money out of the parts needed for maintenance on the current 4 strokes.

A lot of relevance in that post.

you can put a LC 440 top end straight on

[80-85 husky]

Had to carry a small piece of conveyor mat, so I could put it under the stand if I stalled it.

all I ever did in the sand was bury the back wheel till it held the bike up

[Mick D]

We had occa straps around the front number plate and simply carried a half inch thick piece conveyor mat there.
No need to take helmet gloves of or anything. Start her up, grab the 8 x  8" mat and push it back under the occa bungy.
Away you go in a couple of seconds. Cant clutch start a beast in sand. 

Had to carry a small piece of conveyor mat, so I could put it under the stand if I stalled it.

all I ever did in the sand was bury the back wheel till it held the bike up

So how did you bury the back wheel?
Obviously not with the throttle if the engine was stalled.

So you dug a hole deep enough to grip the rear wheel in loose sand? deep enough so it wouldn't fall over? Amazing
So you got on your hands and knees and dug a hole with your hands?
Or did you carry a broad mouth shovel to shift the loose sand and then use it to fill back in around the wheel when you rolled the bike into it?
Surely you didn't lay the bike down in the sand for all the fuel to leak out whilst you were allegedly digging.
So what did you use to place under the side stand to stop it from sinking straight into the loose stand, whilst you dug this hole?
Let me guess.
You spewed your usual giant lump of bullshit out of your mouth to place under the foot of the stand. Is that more like the truth?
I don't even know why I bother reading your endless shit.

[b490]

Biggest capacity current model mainstream 2T I know of are the 300s from Beta, Husqvarna/KTM, Sherco and TM.

 The perfect size  enduro/ trail mount for most of us average  riders .
 Was  sold   on  the idea of a 300 2 stroke  on  my  first ride on one   ( over 20yrs ago now)  & had one in the shed ever since.

   

It's easy to romanticise big bores, but they stopped making them for a reason. The 500s are bulk fun, but  even in 1988/89 (when the KX & CR500 were still up to date with the 125s & 250s), too few buyers chose a 500...

 

 Very true  ....   great  fun  , but far more  tiring ,   for me  to  ride  my (detuned) '83 Husky      500    through  most trails than  my   '83   Husky 250    .   
  Can  go  faster in more places  ( well  my kind of fast  .... for me    )  on  the smaller bikes   (250 -300 ) than on a big bore .
 
 Regards ,
                  Steve