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/126336
~ CN M Q) ..c o ... u o IAbove) Tall and lean. the DMG Yamaico looks mean. (Below) See any sloppy frame welds? The exhaust pipe is another DMG exclusive. (Above) Here is the totally rebuilt airbox housing the three-quart oil tank j&' and air filter. built by Mike Dailey (below!. dr Return of the Yamaico(Maimaha?) ~'" By Brian George Remember, back in '73 , when Ake Jonsson switched from Maico to ride for Yamaha? He developed a hybrid dubbed the Yamaico. It was his shot at making a better handling Ya ~ maha by using Maico front forks. T o get a little more out of the . h k .. ~n~ne e SlUC a Mai co piston insi de the barrel a nd mounted a 20 Maico exhaust pipe under the tank. T he fr ont"en d soon became a fad , but when later Yamahas got better, the Yam aic o concep t d ied off. Bu t not every one forgo t the Maico's excellent tracking characte ristics. and a SoC al shop in San Ped ro built another breed of the Yamaico. DMG , a builder of fo ur -stroke Maicos spo rting Honda engines since 1974, received a n order for a rather uni que I!10torcycle last month . A customer wanted to pu t one of Yamaha's TT500 engines into a Maico ch assis. Takin g on t he ch allenge we re D~G's fa.ther/so~ tea~ of Don and Mlk~ ~alley. Mlk~ dId . all of the fabrication on the bike while Don took the role as consulta nt and designer. The Da ileys took a stock Maico AW 125 chassi s minus the engine, the '78 m otor a nd he aded for the drawing board. In order for the engine to fit inside the AW fr ame, mod ifications ha d to be made. The lower frame tubes were lower ed and new mo unts set in the front of the chassis. The dry sum p engine p rese nted another problem , a nd a n oil tank had to be fa bricated to fit inside a new airbox . In order fo r the carburetor to fit properly on the intake manifold and the three q uart oil tank to slip in beside the ai r filter , the right center upright had to be bowe d out slightly. The 250·400 series Maico gas tank had to be notched and rewelded on the right side to clear the top engine mount . Other modifications had to be made throughout the bike. such as the rear hub and swingarm that / had to be reversed . This presented only minimal difficulties because the stock Maico components switched instantly. O nly a brake rode bracket had to be welded on. The rear sprocket was the next point of interest, as the stock AW 125 chain was a 428H and the TT500 required a 520 . To get a working prototype. the outside of the stock sprocket was cut off and the inside of a 520 sprocket removed. a nd the two pieces were then tacked together. Later a blank 520 sprocket was fitted to the hub . The fina l component list incl udes Works Performance rear shocks and stock AW forks. green Akront rims with Metzelers front and rea r , stock Maico brakes , fenders and bars . Magnum GP FlM side panels, and Magura dogleg levers. The clutch bracket was taken from the Yamaha so the compression release and Terry clutch cable could be fit into one unit. With all of these trick goodies highlighting one of the finest looking Four -strokes around , how did it handle? Like a Maico. Cornering was a breeze and whoopdies not to be feared . The estimated weight of tHe machine came in at 225 lbs ., which made it an easy flier and controllable lander. With all new components. the bike costs approximately $2500. But, if you have a TT500 engine of your own. tlie chassis can be p urchased for $995, without the engine. If you already have the Maico chassis and want to stick the engine in, expect to pal som ewhere in the neighborhood of.a grand for t he power pla nt brand new. Labor charges and miscella neo us parts will also have to be added to the cost, but they 'll vary depending on wha t ou c; q wan t. " DMG ~'q 1505 S. Pacific Ave. ororn San Pedro. CA 90731 "V, 213/832-6844 •