Maico

The best model and year was the 1981 490.

Try www.maicomadness.com

But the AW series was a lot of fun. I had a 1977 AW400 and it was a blast. Parts are still around and like a lot of vintage bikes there are clubs forming to keep those old war horses going. I am part of the husqvarna vintage set but I have a friend who collects and races Maico's. If you want I'll dig around and find out where he gets his parts.

[This message has been edited by weimedog (edited 01-07-2001).]

Depends if you just want to ride it, or if you want to do the vintage racing thing.

Some say that the 81 490 was one of the best dirt bikes ever.

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Vintage Dirt Home Page

Hey Ken,

I own a 1982 MC250. Although the '81 490 is an awesome bike, it can be too much for riding in the woods which is what I do. As far as parts, IMO the absolute best place to get parts is at www.maicoonly.com I just restored my '82 from the frame up and every part I needed was available as either new factory stock, aftermarket or used. Also, Maico Only is refabricating many of the old parts that are hard to find such as fenders, Wheelsmith pipes, kick start knuckles etc. In Canada, the prices were fairly close to parts for a Japanese bike of the same vintage (with the exception of the piston). I have a lot of fun with the bike and can't wait to build another. Another site with good pictures and info is www.maicobrothers.com
Here areb a couple pictures of my bike www.maicobrothers.com/scotts250alpha2.jpg www.maicobrothers.com/scotts250alpha1.jpg

Happy riding.

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Scott
'82 Maico 250


[This message has been edited by renegade (edited 01-09-2001).]

Maico's are out there just like a lot of other bikes. Alot depends on just what it is that you wish to do with it. I agree with the other posts about top models and the availabilty of parts. Do some research and if you are truly interested then you will know what it is you are looking for in the bike. Parts are out there, some times you just need to know where to look.

I ride a 1983 490 and it's fast enough for me. Vintage racing is a great sport. Just remember that you are riding in certain situations with somewhat outdated suspension sytems. That's why you race against other bikes in your class. Ride smart.

As the others say, it depends on what you want to do with the bike. You can race any year Maico through the '83 model in AHRMA events and other regional vintage series. The early 70s Maicos are fun to ride but expensive to maintain (ask me how I know this!)and you will seldom find a good example that's ready to race for less than around $2,000. If it IS less than that, there's likely something wrong or in need of replacement. Parts are not a problem to find (Maico Only and NW Maico/CZ have about everything). The mid-70 Maicos are plentiful and there are some bargains out there becuz this is a relatively under-raced segment. At the top of the heap are the 490 Maicos from '81 thru '83. These bikes are still competitive against mod bikes and a helluva lot more fun to ride! I don't know why some people claim they have too much power, becuz it's great, ez-to-use power that lets you ride at your best. The famous quote about a 490 Maico is: "If you can't win on one of these, take 6 months off racing. And then quit." Yeah, I've got one of these too. A good race-ready 490 can be expensive, but there are also some bargains out there if you look hard enough.