Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

I I Im~ression: Maico 250 Mega E Through the tr·ees with the greatest of ease By Tom Mueller Photos by Dan McCauley and Mueller Getting into woods racing is a bunch more complicated than it used to be. Only a few seasons ago a dated MXer or street enduro with knobbies would do the trick, but all of a sudden things got competitive. European bikes that had been . ~tate of the. an contmued to ImprOve, whIle ITs, XRs, PEs 52 and then KDXs began to smooth out the going for those who enjoyed going fast in the confines of the woods. The com-petitive edge a manufac· turer provided became more and more and more reliant on motorcross technology. Useable powerbands were developed, while suspension theory for MXers was revised 'to suit woods bikes. The gap became so narrow between the two that top level riders were finding their way to the winner's circle on non·modified or slightly modified motocrossers. Maico has flUed the best of both styles. of bikes together to create a machine that can make the mid or upper level off· road rider competitive, and with less effort than it would t.ake on some other brands. Plush MX suspension with correct woods damping and a two·stage powerband make the 250cc Mega E feel stable and smooth, to such a point it doesn't feel fast. But when next to a rider of comparable talent, most of our testers found themselves pulling ahead when on their regular bike they'd be riding in a d r a w . ' 1975 was the first year Maico imported their enduro bikes, but until '79 those bikes which made it to the States were always the previous year's MXer with modifications. Through '80 and into '81 the Mega E's have all of the new and updated items the MXers have incorporated. The new '81's are just now gracing dealer floors, and are meeting with quick success. Jack Johnson took a 490 Mega E from the first shipment .that came across the water and rode I.t to the Shamrocks Two-Day Quahfier overall in California on April 25-26. Our own test bike was returned to Barry Higgins of H&H Malco in Georgia, and before Barry returned the bike to Maico he took it to the Perry Mountain Two-Day in Alabama on May 2S·24 and copped the A class overall. The Mega E uses the magneto, kickstarter and gearbox of last year's model, but from there moves on to all new '81 components. Maico's newest motocrosser provides the foundation. From there a different clutch is added, a chain guard is provided for longer chain and sprocket life and a centerstand is included for easier chain adjustment and tire changes. The MXer's 56 tooth aluminum rear sprocket is replaced with a 52 tooth steel sprocket. The pipe is the same as the MXer's, only a large spark arrestdr is bolted on. Motoplat ignation is replaced by Bosch COl, which accepts a head and tail light. A speedometer lets you keep track of your speed and progress. A Bing carburetor comes on both MXer and Mega E models. Maicos come with Metzeler tires front (3.00 x 21) and rear (4.50 x 18) to get power to the ground. Magura levers and throttle are some of the best offered. Gold anodized rims look nice and top off a woods ready package. Dialing it in The 250 Mega E can handle an enduro or hare scrambles stock, but when the slightest edge is of the essence for the serious competitor these modifications can be made: I. Teeth are welded onto. the brake pedal for added grip and feel when braking. A grease fitting is installed on the· pedal for quick lubrication. 2. The stock brake rod is removed and a cable is used, as the rod may be bent by rocks or stumps. Excess rear brake parts are removed and a spring, mounted from the swingarm to the top of the brake arm, retains tension. The bottom of the brake arm is slotted for easy removal of the cable. 3. Bars are shonened by an inch, shorty levers with two piece lever holders are added, and grips are replaced. 4. A grease fitting is put on the kickstarter joint to keep it easily moveable. 5. The rubber between the carburetor and intake is replaced with high pressure hose. (Stock rubber will crack and break, causing possible intake of din and related problems.) 6. Stock 2-ply tires are replaced by 4-ply tires. Rocks will raise havoc with the 2-plys and flatten them. Twelve p.s.i. of pressure in the 4:plys work well 'in Two-Day competition. Rim locks are removed and pins are used as with Sun rims. Rim locks offer more of a chance for tube puncture when rocks are hit. 7. . Put 535cc of oil with 12 p.s.i. of pressure in the fork assembly. If you measure 16 centimeters from the top of the fork to the oil level you're spot on. Getting it ready We pulled the bike down to the frame and found it a fairly easy job. The engine came out in 30 minutes, but we later realized that the rear motor mount could be removed with less difficulty if the load was removed from the rear end. Removing the shocks and!or rear wheel does the trick. The engine, complete with oil, weighed in at 65 pounds. The spark arrestor weighed 9~ pounds, heavy compared to other models, but also exceptionally quiet. After inspecting the parts we were surprised to find one shock was different from the other. One spring keeper was thicker than the other..a 15 millimeter difference made for some strange handling traits. Getting the air filter serviced was a bother. The seat must be removed requiring two 13 millimeter wrenches. Two metal straps hold the filter in place and force must be used to disconnect them. The· air box has a drain hole in the bottom, but has no provisiops for stopping water or mud from getting in. Both front brake and clutch cables have adjusters by the levers, but no adjusters are included ei.ther in or at the bottom of the cable. At least half of the adjustment was used up when the bike was new. The clutch lever was a real bear to pull in, even after lubin~ the cable twice. Internal work on the clutch can make it work with less effon according to Higgins, but he called it a "trade secret. " We upped air pressure from 12 to 13 p.s.i. in the forks and found them fine, but we had more problems with the back end. We tried different preloads. but if set soft for small bumps they'd bottom on bigger jumps and if we set . them stiff the back end would want to kick up. Our test bike had us spending most of the time riding up on the tank, .which was OK in the woods, but on the fast stuff it was better to get back over the rear wheel for better traction and handling. Although the wide ratio gearbox's five speeds felt far apart, it didn't take long to get IUed to. Revving it up was usually the answer. The bike has a strong low end, but still comes on MX strong through high rpm's. Adjusting the chain required some guesswork as to getting the rear axle even on both sides. Snail cam adjusters would work better. Other rider input In many motorcycle publications, including our own, a test is usually conducted by a few staffers. This time we went out to the races and onto the trails, finding riders where we could and putting them on the Maico. Here's the level each rider competes at, in what form of racing, his usual bike, and what each had to say. "A" rider/Hare Scrambles. TwoDay/Maico 250 Mega 2 "The gears in the transmission are way too far apart for me. I never found a place I could stretch it out in every gear. The suspension feels spongy. I figured, with it being new, it would be stiffer. That SOB will probably run 90 mph down the highway, but I think the silencer is holding it back so":,le even then. Other than that it's a trick machine. It just needs a little adjusting to suit my style." "8" rider/Enduro/KTM 250 . "If only my KTM suspension was like thatth's just like riding a big 125." "A" rider/Enduro/Can-Am 250 Qualifier . "Steering is nimble and light, which could be attributed to the 2·ply Metzelers. The engine seems to have gobs of power, but revs up too quickly. I think the bilte would be best in TwoDay or fast hare scrambles events. In a slick, wet enduro the Maico would wear you out long before the Can-Am. If the Maico had a Can·Am engine, you couldn't beat it." That was this rider's first impression. After a few miles on the Maico, he felt he could ride it faster than his Can-Am, which he has been competing on for almost a year. . "8" rider/Enduro/Suzuki PE 250 . "My arms got tired at first, it was hard to get the front end up. The suspension was no comparison to my PE. You can do so much more with the Maico. Over rocks and through gullies it was great. The brakes were good. The front brake was softer than my PE and the rear was super. It's got tractor power, but a lot of snap on low end.

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