Cycle News

"Maicos were head and shoul- ders above everything else at that time," Smith says, "and other companies were always trying to understand why. I was close to Kawasaki's race shop in SoCal, and they always had Maicos sit- ting around!" Wheelsmith offered every- thing from footpegs to cylinder porting to expansion chambers, the latter of which he believed "put the two-stroke engine on the map. I found the harmonic interaction that is taking place inside the expansion chamber fascinating. I studied the words of [former Cycle magazine writer] Gordon Jennings and learned a lot about scavenging, pressure, and so on." Smith's expertise in build - ing the pipes caught the eye of the Maisch family; one year, his shop built and shipped 250 pipes to be installed on new Maicos. He also began to explore the marketing end of the business. In the 1972 Trans AMA series, he approached factory Maico rider Ake Jonsson. They hammered out a deal: Jonsson would use some Wheelsmith items on his race bikes and allow the use of his name in Wheelsmith adver - tising. In turn, Smith would pay the Swedish rider $200 for each victory. "There were a lot of great rid- ers in that series that season," Smith recalls. "I remember think- ing that maybe he would win one or two races, tops. Instead, he went on a streak and won the last nine races! That was a pretty big check for our little business to write!" He soon began sponsoring other riders on both the local and national circuits. Morris Malone, Jeff Jennings, and Dar - rell Shultz would all ride Maicos that had come through Wheel- smith's race shop. The most fa- mous Wheelsmith rider, however, was discovered by Smith by accident—literally. "I was competing in a local race and crashed into another rider—just took him out! After the moto ended, the guy and his brother came over to my pit area and threatened to beat me up!" The angry rider was an up- and-coming racer named Gaylon Mosier. The looming fisticuffs melted into a long-lasting friendship, and the two formed a partnership that would endure until Mosier was signed to Team Kawasaki in the late '70s. "He was just a natural rider and a strong competitor. And he became a very good friend." When Mosier lost his life in a bi- cycle accident, Smith was called on to serve as a pallbearer. By the late '70s, the company had expanded, with Smith even becoming a full-fledged Maico dealer. A racer could buy a new Maico for around $2000 or a fully tricked-out Wheelsmith Maico for a whopping $6000! "We would sell and ship those to riders around the world," he says. But he saw the Japanese manufacturers moving at a pace that Maico couldn't (or perhaps wouldn't) match. Family infight - ing began to plague production, and Smith began to explore other life options. "By 1980, I was burned out and decided to move on. I sold Wheelsmith Engineering in 1980. A guy bought it for his kid to run, and, well, he eventually ran it out of business—just tubed it!" After a career in the auto fi - nance industry, Smith retired. He returned to the world of shifter kart racing and even brought Tim Hart along with him. Hart passed away in 2017, and Greg went back to two wheels and still relies on a primary chain drive, as he now pedals his mountain bike along trails throughout Southern California! "I loved being in the sport," he says today. "I still have friends and relationships that I made in motocross. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything." CN CNIIARCHIVES P136 Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives dealer. A racer could buy a new Maico for around $2000 or a fully tricked-out Wheelsmith Maico for a whopping $6000! to riders around the world," he says. manufacturers moving at a pace that Maico couldn't (or perhaps wouldn't) match. Family infight ing began to plague production, and Smith began to explore other life options. and decided to move on. I sold Wheelsmith Engineering in 1980. A guy bought it for his kid to run, and, well, he eventually ran it out If you didn't ride a Maico, you feared this guy.

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