The good ol days

JThompson · 11-13-2008, 07:06 AM

Found these pictures through one of my email lists i belong to. Check them out.
Vintage Photos of Old Motorcycles

Hardtail · 11-13-2008, 08:42 AM

I could spend the whole day looking at those, way cool!!

tigmaster · 11-13-2008, 12:16 PM

Those pictures are super awesome. Also, where are they taken at because those riding areas are amazing.

turtlemann14 · 11-13-2008, 04:20 PM

don't worry i am sure they are all gone now... :'(

side car on a off road bike O.o

JThompson · 11-13-2008, 09:36 PM

The club is in the midwest :O

BansheeRider · 11-13-2008, 09:37 PM

it actually looks pretty fun on those old bikes

JThompson · 11-13-2008, 09:38 PM

We are to young. I want the old timers to tell us about macos

BansheeRider · 11-13-2008, 09:47 PM

i miss the xr75, lol
for some reason, ive been longing for an xr400 lately, im not really sure why
i also have a fetish for white, drz400 supermotos

medic201 · 11-14-2008, 10:04 PM

The Maico story is like a bad german made for TV movie. I have always wanted a Maico 490. Back in the early eighties everybody made a open class race bike. Maico was the bike everybody wanted. They are really expensive now due to collectors running the prices up. They were brutally fast when they tuned properly but they were fairly unreliable. This post sums up the maico story. I didnt write this.

Perhaps no other motorcycle in the history of motocross has been the object of so much praise or scorn as the Maico. In the jaundiced minds or most dirt bikers, you either hated ‘em, or thought they were the best things since sliced bread. And in the hands of the right rider, or behind the wrench of a good tuner, the Maico was a major force in the early years of motocross. But unfortunately, Maico’s also earned a reputation for poor reliability, as in “Maico Breako” or “Maico, Maico, made of tin, ride em out and push em in”.

Most of the legendary unreliability issues were caused by the Maico owner, not understanding or heeding the ungodly amount of maintenance and set-up a Maico needed before being ridden on a regular basis. These were not bikes you put away wet, and rode the next weekend. If you did that, the Maico would shake itself to dust in no time at all. In fact, right out of the box things had to be changed, and altered before even attempting a successful sortie on the big M.

The paper air filter had to be ****-canned, the motor mount bolts holes had to be enlarged, and replaced with hardened fasteners, the wheels replaced with stronger spokes and rims. Careful attention had to be paid to the clutch and primary chain. And the Bing Vergasser had to have its inlet flow enlarged, and be jetted perfectly. Fork seals got replaced, and the wimpy rear Girling shocks were tossed in favor of Konis, or something else that wouldn’t fade on a busy barroom door.

But, for the fortunate few who understood the Maico, and had the money and resources to exploit the good points of the motorcycle, there was no finer mount in motocross.

The Maisch brothers, William and Otto, started Maico in 1926, as a light motorcycle manufacturer that used ILO motors for propulsion. After WWII, business boomed, with many new models of street bikes, and scooters being offered. These were all built using Maico’s new motor, which featured unit construction, with a gearbox similar in design to that of the DKW. In the late 1950’s, Maico began experimenting with off-road motorcycles, and by the middle 1960’s, Maicos were being purchased, and raced in the United States in motocross and timed trails events. Even the go-kart crowd got a super fast 175cc Maico motor that was the benchmark of performance in the kart scene.

Between the late sixties and middle seventies, Maico flourished, and produced some of the best MX machines of the period. But in the early 80’s, from competition by the relentless Japanese factories, Maico needed an infusion of new technology to keep itself on par with the Japanese machines. With the suspension revolution then in full swing, Maico realized that they had to come up with a modern single-shock design. To accomplish this, Maico was forced to borrow money to design a completely new system.

That’s when it all started going down hill. The Maisch family split, one side refusing to honor the others financial obligations, and as a result from not being able to secure a loan to finance the new technology, Otto Maisch was forced to sink every deutsche mark he had into the new suspension technology. By 1982, Maico was a disaster. In short, to cut costs Maico designed a single shock rear suspension that was poorly thought out, and used an Italian Conte & Cosso shock that bent and broke because of an alignment problem with the linkage.

Otto’s only recourse was to recall every bike with the linkage problem, and replace the Conte & Cosso with an Ohlins unit, that cost 3 times as much. This required another bank loan, which was of course, denied.

1983 saw the release of the 490 Spyder, and off-road version called the Sand Spyder. While this bike was to be Maico’s last gasp at producing a winning machine, production snafus further alienated Maico distributors and riders alike, as rear hubs exploded, and gearboxes shredded teeth like corn, from what was later found out to be improper heat treating.

In 1983, when an American racer, David Dion Scott was paralyzed when his rear hub exploded, and caused a horrific crash, his lawsuit put a virtual halt to further importation of the bikes, and it had US dealers scared to death of becoming involved in the litigation. Numerous bikes were returned to the distributor, and others were dumped at a fraction of their true value.

Otto Maisch made one last desperate appeal to the government banks to help the company through the problem, but on May 10, 1983, the District of Baden-Wurttemberg flatly refused to give the Maico GmbH credit. No one would lend Maico a spare Mark.
On May 10, 1983, Maico GmbH declared bankruptcy. The end had come.

JThompson · 11-15-2008, 06:56 AM

Wow thanks for the article. Very nice read

11-13-2008, 07:06 AM	#1 (permalink)
JThompson Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bellingham WA Posts: 5,163 iTrader: (6)	The good ol days Found these pictures through one of my email lists i belong to. Check them out. Vintage Photos of Old Motorcycles __________________ Tired of ads? Become a member for an almost ad free site! Also we give away monthly prizes just for posting! Register today! Looking for places to ride! Want to review a riding area? Check them out! PRE-ORDER MOTOTIPS Stickers now. Help keep mototips running! Get your order in today! Buy NOW! Special Discounts for members only! Check out our new discount forum for retailers offering to help you save money! Mototips Discounts

11-13-2008, 08:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
Hardtail Pro Mototips Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Southeast V.A. Posts: 2,227 iTrader: (1)	I could spend the whole day looking at those, way cool!! __________________ I love the smell of gasoline!! I woke up.....life is good!!!

11-13-2008, 12:16 PM	#3 (permalink)
tigmaster Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Missouri, United States Posts: 7,659 iTrader: (1)	Those pictures are super awesome. Also, where are they taken at because those riding areas are amazing. __________________ --'03 CRF450r-- --FMF Pipe, Pro-Tech Revavle-- --Vortex Basket With Tusk Disks And HP Springs-- --Pro Taper Triple Clamps And Bars-- --Devol Full SP With Moose HGs-- --Renthal 13/50 With R1 Chain-- --Now It Is The End, Probably...-- --'06 CBR F4I-- --Bone Stock-- Check Our Latest How-To Here

11-13-2008, 04:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
turtlemann14 Pro Mototips Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: West Virginia Posts: 4,363 iTrader: (0)	don't worry i am sure they are all gone now... :'( side car on a off road bike O.o __________________ If it does not move at first, get a bigger hammer!! Myspace Yamaha 1982 xj550 under bike lights Kawasaki klx250 1979 custom fiberglass silencer+ Honda xr200r 1985 stock = Dakaw Dk250 2008

11-13-2008, 09:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
JThompson Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bellingham WA Posts: 5,163 iTrader: (6)	The club is in the midwest :O __________________ Tired of ads? Become a member for an almost ad free site! Also we give away monthly prizes just for posting! Register today! Looking for places to ride! Want to review a riding area? Check them out! PRE-ORDER MOTOTIPS Stickers now. Help keep mototips running! Get your order in today! Buy NOW! Special Discounts for members only! Check out our new discount forum for retailers offering to help you save money! Mototips Discounts

11-13-2008, 09:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
JThompson Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bellingham WA Posts: 5,163 iTrader: (6)	We are to young. I want the old timers to tell us about macos __________________ Tired of ads? Become a member for an almost ad free site! Also we give away monthly prizes just for posting! Register today! Looking for places to ride! Want to review a riding area? Check them out! PRE-ORDER MOTOTIPS Stickers now. Help keep mototips running! Get your order in today! Buy NOW! Special Discounts for members only! Check out our new discount forum for retailers offering to help you save money! Mototips Discounts

11-14-2008, 10:04 PM	#9 (permalink)
medic201 B Rider Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Livermore Cali Posts: 492 iTrader: (1)	The Maico story is like a bad german made for TV movie. I have always wanted a Maico 490. Back in the early eighties everybody made a open class race bike. Maico was the bike everybody wanted. They are really expensive now due to collectors running the prices up. They were brutally fast when they tuned properly but they were fairly unreliable. This post sums up the maico story. I didnt write this. Perhaps no other motorcycle in the history of motocross has been the object of so much praise or scorn as the Maico. In the jaundiced minds or most dirt bikers, you either hated ‘em, or thought they were the best things since sliced bread. And in the hands of the right rider, or behind the wrench of a good tuner, the Maico was a major force in the early years of motocross. But unfortunately, Maico’s also earned a reputation for poor reliability, as in “Maico Breako” or “Maico, Maico, made of tin, ride em out and push em in”. Most of the legendary unreliability issues were caused by the Maico owner, not understanding or heeding the ungodly amount of maintenance and set-up a Maico needed before being ridden on a regular basis. These were not bikes you put away wet, and rode the next weekend. If you did that, the Maico would shake itself to dust in no time at all. In fact, right out of the box things had to be changed, and altered before even attempting a successful sortie on the big M. The paper air filter had to be ***-canned, the motor mount bolts holes had to be enlarged, and replaced with hardened fasteners, the wheels replaced with stronger spokes and rims. Careful attention had to be paid to the clutch and primary chain. And the Bing Vergasser had to have its inlet flow enlarged, and be jetted perfectly. Fork seals got replaced, and the wimpy rear Girling shocks were tossed in favor of Konis, or something else that wouldn’t fade on a busy barroom door. But, for the fortunate few who understood the Maico, and had the money and resources to exploit the good points of the motorcycle, there was no finer mount in motocross. The Maisch brothers, William and Otto, started Maico in 1926, as a light motorcycle manufacturer that used ILO motors for propulsion. After WWII, business boomed, with many new models of street bikes, and scooters being offered. These were all built using Maico’s new motor, which featured unit construction, with a gearbox similar in design to that of the DKW. In the late 1950’s, Maico began experimenting with off-road motorcycles, and by the middle 1960’s, Maicos were being purchased, and raced in the United States in motocross and timed trails events. Even the go-kart crowd got a super fast 175cc Maico motor that was the benchmark of performance in the kart scene. Between the late sixties and middle seventies, Maico flourished, and produced some of the best MX machines of the period. But in the early 80’s, from competition by the relentless Japanese factories, Maico needed an infusion of new technology to keep itself on par with the Japanese machines. With the suspension revolution then in full swing, Maico realized that they had to come up with a modern single-shock design. To accomplish this, Maico was forced to borrow money to design a completely new system. That’s when it all started going down hill. The Maisch family split, one side refusing to honor the others financial obligations, and as a result from not being able to secure a loan to finance the new technology, Otto Maisch was forced to sink every deutsche mark he had into the new suspension technology. By 1982, Maico was a disaster. In short, to cut costs Maico designed a single shock rear suspension that was poorly thought out, and used an Italian Conte & Cosso shock that bent and broke because of an alignment problem with the linkage. Otto’s only recourse was to recall every bike with the linkage problem, and replace the Conte & Cosso with an Ohlins unit, that cost 3 times as much. This required another bank loan, which was of course, denied. 1983 saw the release of the 490 Spyder, and off-road version called the Sand Spyder. While this bike was to be Maico’s last gasp at producing a winning machine, production snafus further alienated Maico distributors and riders alike, as rear hubs exploded, and gearboxes shredded teeth like corn, from what was later found out to be improper heat treating. In 1983, when an American racer, David Dion Scott was paralyzed when his rear hub exploded, and caused a horrific crash, his lawsuit put a virtual halt to further importation of the bikes, and it had US dealers scared to death of becoming involved in the litigation. Numerous bikes were returned to the distributor, and others were dumped at a fraction of their true value. Otto Maisch made one last desperate appeal to the government banks to help the company through the problem, but on May 10, 1983, the District of Baden-Wurttemberg flatly refused to give the Maico GmbH credit. No one would lend Maico a spare Mark. On May 10, 1983, Maico GmbH declared bankruptcy. The end had come. __________________ "If you don't respect the explosive power of the two-stroke, you'll soon find yourself tumbling down the track like a monkey in a dryer" MXA August 08 Last edited by medic201; 11-14-2008 at 10:14 PM.*

11-15-2008, 06:56 AM	#10 (permalink)
JThompson Administrator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bellingham WA Posts: 5,163 iTrader: (6)	Wow thanks for the article. Very nice read __________________ Tired of ads? Become a member for an almost ad free site! Also we give away monthly prizes just for posting! Register today! Looking for places to ride! Want to review a riding area? Check them out! PRE-ORDER MOTOTIPS Stickers now. Help keep mototips running! Get your order in today! Buy NOW! Special Discounts for members only! Check out our new discount forum for retailers offering to help you save money! Mototips Discounts

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