VOLUME ISSUE AUGUST , P135
could make a living off dirt
bikes.
"I partnered up with a
fellow unemployed aero-
space engineer named
Sam Wheeler, and together
we founded Wheelsmith
Engineering. Our first
location was in Santa Ana.
Good news, bad news: the
good news was that I had a
job. The bad news was that
as the business grew, there
was little time to pursue my
passion for racing. During
that period, I'd get away
from it all every so often by
going out to Saddleback
and riding with Hart, who
had also won a lot of races
on Maicos and eventually
earned a factory ride with
Yamaha."
Although Sam would
leave the
partnership not long after it
was formed (he was more
of a land speed records guy
and had even built a twin-
engined Triumph for Bonn
-
eville), the "Wheelsmith"
name remained, eventually
becoming the shop to know
if you wanted to make your
Maico better.
"It was a great bike," Smith
says, "and a lot of the nega-
tive stories that people have
repeated about them are just
based on folklore. There were
basically two items that you
really needed to watch: the
top motor mount brackets and
the primary chain. The brack-
ets would break easily, so we
would gusset those up."
"The primary chain, which
by the way, was much more ef-
ficient than straight-cut gears,
would wear out. But the Maico
had a magnetic oil drain plug,
and if there was a piece of shrap
-
nel sticking to the plug, it was a
signal that it was time to replace
the chain."
WHEELSMITH
partnership not long after it
says, "and a lot of the nega
tive stories that people have
top motor mount brackets and
the primary chain. The brack
ets would break easily, so we
would gusset those up."
Although Sam would
leave the
partnership not long after it
was formed (he was more
of a land speed records guy
and had even built a twin-
engined Triumph for Bonn
eville), the "Wheelsmith"
name remained, eventually
partnership not long after it
(Right) If you followed
motocross in the '70s,
especially in California, you
will remember this logo.
(Left) When Wheelsmith opened
in the early 1970s, the shop got
so popular it was hard for them to
meet the demand for those who
wanted Wheelsmith's Maico mods.
Your recipe for success.
