Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126280
Maico G5400: Motocross heritage produces a winning enduro bike By John Huetter As this is being written, four Maico GS400 motorcycles are being prepared by four American riders to compete in the 1977 International Six Days Trial, to be held in Czechoslovakia. This .22 effort will be the cu lmination of a year of testing, experience, and learning in the U.S . Two Day Qualifiers - the AMA Reliability Trials. During th e last year , a strongly Arnerican influenced latest version of the 386cc Maico Enduro took shape. Lars Larsson, long time Two Day and Six Day competitor, missed a Gold Medal in only two of all the Trials. The rear sprocket bolts came loose on his GS400 . He ruefully admitted later tha t he had neglected to check them after the previous 12 days of com pe tition . The GS400 Enduro has been successful. To those familiar with the power characteristics and handling of the Adolf Weil Replica Maico 400 Motocross machine, it will be enough to know that the Enduro is that machine with lights, instruments, and a high pipe. For those who haven't had the experience of the AW400, well, we're here to tell how the Cross Country version works and, to our best ability, why. It is hard to remain the objective, dispassionate tester in being involved with the GS400 . Because it is crafted for perhaps the toughest competition arena in motorcycling - ISDT - its virtues are dramatic and any shortcomings, purely relative. The machine has a character that is unique, Teutonic, and purposeful. The GS400 Maico is red, like all of the 1977-77\-t Maicos . The angular alloy "coffin" tank has been enlarged to hold 11 liters (about 2 .9 gallons) . The frame, engine, suspension, seat and all functional runnin~ gear are identical to the mctocrcss bike. A Falk flexible rear fender incorporating a ta illight , a com b in ation headlight, horn and front numberplate arrangement, an aluminum skidplate, a centerstand, and a Wheelsmith (America n designed) high expa nsion chamber te rm inating in a very effective Skywa y silencer make up the enduro package. A higher final gearing and the Maieo wid e ra tio gearbox im p a rt sligh tly di fferent chara cterist ics to th e engine's de livery of power but it is not all that d iff e rent from t he 400 mo to crosser. T h a t mea ns tha t it accelerates very briskly in the lower gears: the wide ra tio gearing works to give it exceptionally good mid -range power. While the first two gears are lower than on the current 400 MX , the 52 · tooth rear -sproc ket reduces the abruptness of power del ivery to the ground which means less wheelspin and more traction on the slick or cobbly parts of the course. . The shifting of the gearbox was faultless . No rider ever kicked it out of gear unintentionally as , we have sometimes discovered on other Maieos. Actually, the transmission is well proven. It is the same as first appeared in the 400 a nd 450 five-speed Maieos back in 1975. The enduro application results in a bike that gets through the gears up to fifth very briskly, especially for a wide ratio box. . , The only significant criticism of the Maico GS400's performance was that it felt like it should go faster at flat out top end. There was a limit to the rpm the engine could achieve in fifth. Our initial impression was that the Bing Type II 36mm carb and the silencer , were limiting the maximum outpur. . By the end of the test , we had co me to th e conclusion , with som e inp u ts from kn owled geable Maico types, tha t th e pipe -si lencer comb ined with t he Bo sch e le c tro ni c ig ni ti o n was responsible for cutting th e top two to fou r horsepower off th e dyno cu rve generated by the 400 motocrosser, Now before potential Six Da ys' sta rs start moaning about the loss, listen up closel y: It doesn't make any difference in 95 % of riding applications. Peak horsepower determines only peak speed and despite the alcohol-fueled accounts of their 100 mph crosscountry machines by your buddies, there are damn few off'- road motorcycles in any state of preparation that will do over 80 mph and even fewer riders with the cojones and skill to ride them at those speeds. The tradeoff is that the Skywa y silencer a llows the Ma ico to pass the sou nd tests at a T rial with ease. T he Bosch electronic ignition , currently found only on the GS models. allows th e rider to start th e Maico with one kick after a night in the cold and make it the required d istance from impound within on e minute of his sta rt time . T he h igh p ipe , whil e o riginall y des igned for maximum effectiveness on th e 400 Mo tocross , does not get flatten ed out when th e 9 .25 inches of front and rear suspension travel are put to use . Our original, suspect in the rpm theft was the Type II Bing, you' ll remember. W e had identified some problems with it duririg the AW250 test (All Maicos use the 36mm Bing with jetting differences by displacemenr.) and felt that the "old" Bing worked more consistently. Maico levied a requirement on Bing to get their act together : essentially • conforming to the Maicowerke specs. They have made what seem to be the necessary changes in slide cutaway, needle 'shape, and jet sizes. As one result, every bike that uses a Bing carb should benefit. The torque curve of the GS400 builds strongly and stays virtually flat over a 4000 rpm band of oper ation . That is the significant thing for enduro and cross -country riding, whether in deep sand or thick woods. Coupled with the crisp shifting, the .powerba nd and .the .delivery. of that power to the ground siem to make the GS400 mistake-proof. You can be a gear off on the gnarliest uphill and still make it . You can hit a rock and get airborne in a low traction situation, downshift in the air, and continue in your chosen direction without ruffling the engine or yourself. R iders started asking if the cylinder was the same as the motocrosser. Did the GS have a heavier flywheel? The answers are "Yes" and "No." That long stroke 386cc engine covers a multitude of rider sins. The 83mm stroke and an overall engine design slanted toward low rpm power output make this motor work, and work very well , for enduro and cross-country. The Bosch electronic ignition helps with a strong low and midrange rp!Jl spark up to about 6500 rpm where it advances automatically. There is a crisp, responsive feel to the_Magura throttle in the lower four gears. But what all riders carried away from their jaunts on the GS400 was not the overwhelming power, etc. , etc. There are lots of 400s that can make the same power. The thing that makes th is mach ine special is . . . the handling. It is superior to just about any Enduro /Trials mount available in the U .S. ' We can th ink of only on e serious riva l: KTM , wh ich em bod ies a d ifferent approach but is still a motocrosser with lights and a WR transmission. Top -ranked. endu ro rid er Gary . Woodling came back fr om a short spi n on the GS400 with on e definitive co m men t: "T h a t th ing turns!" N ot only does the Ma ico GS turn . it go es straigh t with in cr edible sensitivity and little wear and tear on th e rider. The handling of, the GS400 seems better suited to American enduro conditions even than' to American motocross tracks. Perhaps that is because many European motocross circuits, where it was developed, are closer to enduro terrain tha n the graded loops of U.S. motocross tracks. The steering is really ' right-feeling. The only drawback to its cornering is that it feels h igh , higher than the motocross model. Of course, it isn 't. The chassis and suspension are the same but-there is more weight carried higher. The ground clearance is still 10 inches. The long-legged feeling takes some getting used to , especially on tight trail twisting and tree dodging. On th e other hand, th e machine slid es very nicely. The motorcycle feels longer-coupled than its 57 -inch wheelbase would indicate. The magic of the Maico fram e geometry seems to be work ing again , There was a wide range of comments on the Maico's suspension. One rider felt that the suspension was "i m pecca ble ." Another cla imed it was "excellent." The Fearless Fr eelance Test T ea m member who rode it the hardest and th e longest had this to sa y: "T he fro nt forks are just outstanding. " We can say with some assurance that th e GS400 suspension is absolutely enduro state of the art and fantastic for its a pp lica tion . The usable and used travel were exactly to factory claims of 9.25 inches front and rear. Everybody agreed it was the right amount of travel and getting agreement on suspension is a major accomplishment in itself these months. The front fork has been slightly modified internally and the fork sliders have been turned down to within a half-ounce of the works magnesium sliders even though they are still aluminum . Unsprung weight has been reduced by the new magnesium brake backing plate. The action of the fork is bind-free and smooth as squeezing toothpaste. The gas-charged Girling dampers bolted to the swingarm are supposedly . designed to M~ico specifications, They