Maico
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Maicowerk A.G. was a West German motorcycle manufacturer producing a range of two wheeled vehicles with two stroke engines from the early 1950s through the early 1980s.
The road motorcycle models were named after winds... 'Blizzard' 'Typhoon' etc.
The company was known more for its purpose-built Motocross and Enduro machines, and for its 'Maicoletta' motor scooter, both of which sold in higher numbers than the road motorcycles.
Maico racing motorcycles
Maico motocross (MC) and enduro (GS) racing models proved very successful in both European and American competition throughout the 1970s. While lacking the financial capital and big money race-team backing like that of the Japanese factories of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki, Maico riders such as Adolf Weil, Ake Jonnson and Willy Bauer proved to be a serious challenge to the Japanese factories and produced numerous top three finishes in both World and US Championship motocross competitions. U.S. publication Motocross Action called the 1981 Maico Mega 490 the greatest open-class motocross bike of all time. The 1974.5 400cc and 440cc GP and 1981 490cc models are some of the most sought-after vintage MX and twin-shock motorcycles to this day.
Maicoletta
By modern standards the brakes (drum front and rear) left something to be desired, but were adequate by the standards of the day.
Pendulum starter An unusual Bosch 'pendulum' electric starter system was fitted, which was quite advanced for the 1950s, and about which there are a number of common misconceptions. When activated, instead of rotating the crankshaft the starter used the generator coils on the shaft to rock it back and forth under the control of cams on the crankshaft. These cams closed contacts in the generator to trigger a reversing switch in the control box that changed the crankshaft direction at the end of each swing. This gives the impression of the crankshaft continually bouncing back and forwards against compression, when operated. A separate set of ignition points fired the spark plug in the forward direction only, and when this fires the mixture in the cylinder the engine starts to rotate normally, the starter is released and the normal ignition system takes over. The advantage of this system is that the starter does not have to force the crankshaft to turn over against compression, so less power is required from the 6volt system. Its disadvantage is the unusual number of contacts, which can be a nightmare to adjust if they have been tampered with. Unfortunately this happens too often, by those who mistakenly believe that the starter's unusual action means that it is faulty. The Bosch system is well made, with a full voltage regulated charging system for the battery in the control box, along with the solenoid operated reversing switch for the starter. However the reversing switch contacts tend to wear out with extended use and can be very difficult to get repaired, hence the scooters reputation for requiring roll starts later in life.
Maicomobile
The Maicomobile, said to resemble a 'two wheeled car' was a highly enclosed two wheeler which sold only in small numbers.The Maicowerk AG company went out of business in the 1980s and its assets were taken over by a Dutch company.
See also
- C-Zeta Motor Scooter
- Heinkel Motor Scooter
- Lambretta Motor Scooter
- N-Zeta Motor Scooter
- Puch Motor Scooter
- Triumph Motorcycles 'Triumph Tigress' Motor Scooter
- Vespa Motor Scooter
- Zundapp 'Bella' Motor Scooter
External links
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