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Message: [QUOTE="OldMaiconut, post: 119059, member: 22933"] I mentioned this bike on the Old Huskys thread and Jaguar asked me to tell him more. I started out racing MX on a 71 125 Suzuki and got to the point that the bike was really holding me back. I was struggling to keep up with the back of the pack of guys on Monarks, Pentons, DKW's, and the like. This was back in 71 and I was 13 or so... Anyways, I got to bugging Dad about needing a European race bike. I had been studying my stacks of dirt bike magazines and had my dream bike picked out.... a brand new 1972 125 Husky! Dad, who headed up the financial department said nope... get the Maico... German ingenuity and all... Well, he was paying the bills so Maico it was. I remember the day we went down to Vic Krause's Competition Cycles and laid down the $1100.00 it took to buy the new bike! Wow!!! What a neat bike! Bright orange fiberglass, six speed gearbox, Metzler knobbies.. wait a minute..where's the carb??? Oh yeah, the Germans know better.. it's inside the case because of the rotary valve. Vic Krause tells me to be sure to smear silcone all over the gaskets because the factory ones won't seal out the dirt..Hmmm, German ingenuity... Next day I get it out for a little break in ride. What a screamer.. power comes on low and keeps pulling forever. I can go WFO over whoops and ruts that used to threaten to toss me in the bushes. Uh-oh it's jumping out of gear... Dammit it's brand new! Go home and call Krause's.. Oh no big deal it's a shifter adjustment bring it to Elkhorn for next Sunday's races and I will fix you up. Cut to next Sunday Vic gets his feeler guages and proclaims me good as new. There are 70 guys on the line for the first moto in 125 A class.. First turn ought to be hairy! The bungee snaps and I survive the first turn and 45 minutes later finish the first moto in 5th place! Boy, thats my best finish ever.. this Maico is great! 2nd Moto and I'm running good again. Even Ol' Vic Krause gets a little excited... he's at the first turn halfway through with a pit board telling me to keep it going. Next lap I go for the rear brake at the end of the long strait and the rear brake is GONE!! The pedal has snapped!! Lucky for me there is a huge berm and I bounce off it like I planned it this way. I finish the moto ending up 7th overall for the race and by then it's hopping out of gear again. I'm not too happy with the reliability of my new bike and Krause admoinishes me that I can't ride a Maico like a Suzuki... I need more finesse. The bike goes home with Vic Krause and I get it back at the next race. It went on like this. Fix it break it. Break it, fix it. My dream bike ended up being a night mare. Then I throw the chain and it jams up and breaks the shifter gizmo lug on the cases. No warranty on a race bike Krause says... how about me selling you a Carabela motor to fit into your Maico frame? CARABELA??!! Uh .. no. The dream bike finally ended up in the back of my garage and I grew to be more interested in chasing girls and partying. I think I ended up selling it to an ignorant freind a few years later. I got out of dirt bikes and got into Harleys for a while, but the bug never left. Moved to California and bought a 78 YZ250 and never raced it. Now 20+ years later I am restoring a 71 250 Maico and planning on breaking my old bones racing vintage. Guess I'll never learn. [/QUOTE]

Verification: Which ocean is California closest to?