83 Maico 490

[VintageDirt]

Do any of you old Maico experts know if the later "M-Star" transmissions were the same as the 1983 490? I want to think that they stayed the same all the way to now but that may be wishfull thinking. My 490 has exploded gears so I guess the folklore is true. It would be nice to find an 85 or so roller and just swap some heat treated parts for the no good ones.

Wes

 

[Uchytil]

Check East Coast Maico, Bill Eyler. Google it or I can look up his number. He's a 490 man.

 

[VintageDirt]

Check East Coast Maico, Bill Eyler. Google it or I can look up his number. He's a 490 man.

Thanks, I just sent him an email.

 

[bultaco4ever]

Maisch brothers kin were feuding. Improperly heat treated components were ordered 'on purpose' to sabotage the company. The recall and bad PR sank the company. More solvent Maisch kin bought out the other for pennies on the dollar but the company could not recover or compete with the Japs. I'm afraid of post 80's Maico's.

 

[sm7482]

hey now, the 81 490 is said to be the most powerful open class bike of the time. ive read numerous articles talking about how the japs bought up 490's to take there motors apart and figure out how they had the power they did. it's too bad that they encountered those problems though. a big one was when one of there rear hubs exploded while being raced and the guy was paralyzed and sued the company. on my friends 83 490, it had a sticker on the tank that read something like "No warranty expressed or implied."