Unique Maico

[firko]

Here's one I'm willing to bet none of you have ever seen. It's my recently acquired Maico 250 trials bike. Trials Bike! I hear you say. Maico never made a trials bike. Yep you're right. This bike was built by a yet unknown but seriously brilliant engineer in the Tamworth area back in the mid to late 70s. It started life as a '73 250 motocrosser but now bares little resemblence. The entire rear section of the frame has been redesigned, a 75 /76 swingarm has been shortened about 6'', the steering rake has been bought in, the top end is a 77AW250 fitted with a beautiful home made reed valve, 28mm mikuni, homemade exhaust, relocated pegs, Elsinore 125 tank and so on. The welding is superb tig work and it features aircraft bolts throughout so the builder knew his stuff. The more you look, the tricker this bike is. I'm going to try and get it running next weekend to access wether the engine needs any work and then I'm going to start on a minor resto. If the motors OK, it'll only need paint, upholstery and some TLC.

[pokey]

Is that the bike i may have seen an obscure picture of in a tamworth bikeshop sometime last year Firko? if it is I do agree it looks like a factory  made  bike.

[firko]

Most probably the same bike Pokey. I doubt it if there are two! It definitely came from the Tamworth area and Les Richters has spoken to the mad scientist that built it. I'll talk to him soon and get the whole story. It might make a good VMX feature bike.
 You are so right, until you look very closely you'd think it's a factory job. The big giveaway to me was the welding. No Maico ever had welding that good!

[VMX Andrew]

im off to tamworth on the long weekend of this month for the first time.whats the name of the bike shop where there got this bike,i wouldnt mind checking it out.....

[TooFastTim]

While on the subject, in the late '70's played with trials and were fairly serious about it. The result can be seen here:

http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=5030

(thanks to Andy Greig of Trials Central..without whom blah blah... )

I think you'll agrees that looks fairly close to production. For some reason they dumped the project.

[pokey]

It looks like its one and the same beasty firko. I doubt there could be two  in the same area. When i seen a half side on shot of the bike  it looked like a maico but a trials maico? i was pretty sure maico were not into trials and finding one in Australia would be a long shot even if it was a prototype.
 It does look a proffessional  job on her alright  but Im not that keen on the pipe.
 Do we know of what if any engine mods were done apart from the reed?

[GMC]

Allthough the pipe looks ugly its typical of trials bikes of that era, cut the max revs & support bottom end power.
With such a serious effort I wonder if he managed to lower the primary drive ratio? If so it looks like it would make a great twinshock trials bike.

[firko]

Hi Geoff...Apparenly he has had a fiddle with the primary ratio. The ugly exhaust is going to be one of the things I'll modify to improve the factory appearance of the bike. I may also replace the Elsinore tank with a much narrower one from a TL125 which I think will improve the looks. Other than that I want to keep the builders original concept alive by not changing anything much.

[Wombat]

A trials Maico; Sensational!
The Germans (and some bloke in Tamworth) never cease to amaze with their engineering brilliance.
If only Volkswagen made dirt bikes...

You're changing the tank - have you considered a 'coffin' style tank?
Nothing screams Maico like a coffin tank.
Just a thought...

[paul]

another maico trials bike

[Rosco400]

This would be a nice match to go with the Maico Firko, could lend it to a mate whilst you play trials in the backyard

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NORTON-TRIALS-REPLICA_W0QQitemZ190196182249QQihZ009QQcategoryZ102690QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[bingil 6]

I don't know about you fellas but I like it how it is, something about bikes with the original modifications by the guy who hade the vision in the first place, they are a real time capsule & a link to the past

[firko]

I totally agee with you Bingil and in actual fact I'm not changing the bike except for a quick paint job, a new rear fender and replacing the out of place Honda tank with a narrow Maico fibreglass coffin tank. I know that detracts a little from the builders original vision but I think he would have used a Maico tank if he had one, going by the extremes he went to to keep the bike all Maico. I guess changing the tank is my interpretation of another mans vision but it sure looks a lot better (and more like a Maico) with the Maico tank.

[bingil 6]

No worries Firko it will be a good conversation piece & if you can get the history of the bike it will make good reading for the  boys into the old dirt bike scene, Hope to see & here more on it in the future Cheers

[paul]

what do you make of this one firko