VOLUME ISSUE JUNE , P131
categories read "same." Only
the displacement, bore and
stroke, claimed horsepower and
price tags differentiate the two
machines. Which one do you
choose? Stand by!
In the old days, motorcycle en
-
gineers were still searching for the
magical formula for the correct
frame geometry. Companies like
Cheney, C&J and Boyd & Stelling
were making aftermarket frames
for many race bikes. There were
aftermarket forks as well, and
many Japanese machines were
modded with these pricey parts.
But for the Maico? Nein!
"The 500-class Maicos offer
the best stock suspension of any
motocross machine in the class,"
wrote CN. "The performance of
Maico front forks is already near-
legendary. It really is that good…a
front end that looks like no other.
It also works like no other." That
crackerjack front fork, combined
with the dependable Girling
shocks in the rear, helped make
these Maicos race-ready. Con
-
necting the two ends was a frame
that made aftermarket shopping
unnecessary. "The Maicos also
share the most forgiving, best-
handling, stock chassis/swing
-
arm combination in the business."
Obviously, with the same chas-
sis, the 400 and the 450 would
share handling characteristics.
The engines were going to sepa
-
rate these two machines, and the
staffers found that the 400 was,
in an odd way, the faster of the
German brothers.
"This article is building up
into a fantastic paradox: the 450
is probably the quickest thing
around for motocross and has
the same chassis and suspen
-
sion." Yet somehow "…the 400
is faster. You have to rev it more
and keep it revved so, once you
figure this out, you're more likely
to be near peak horsepower
most of the time." Conversely,
"The 450 doesn't require you to
rev it at all to get going fast; it's
always there. It never comes on
the pipe because it feels like it
never falls off the pipe."
The crew pointed out that
Maico's Grand Prix riders, Adolf
Weil and Ake Jonsson, preferred
the smaller machine. Here in the
U.S., specifically California, one
local rider saw it differently."
"I rode a Maico 450 and liked it
a lot," said longtime CMC star Val
Tamietti. "It had a lot of torque.
Then, they wanted me to ride the
400 instead of the 450. I never
liked that bike, just because
it didn't have that bottom-end
torque. The Maico worked well in
hard-packed, blue-groove condi
-
tions, which is what I rode all the
time, at places like Carlsbad and
Saddleback."
$1498 was the MSRP for the
400, and one more Ben Franklin
would get you the 450 from your
local Maico dealer. Eventually,
the factory settled on just one
open bike, though its displace
-
ment would vary from 440 to
450 to 490cc. There were many
Maicos, and then there were
none, as the company fell victim
to bitter infighting and purpose-
ful destruction.
But in 1974, Maicos were
winning motocross races in the
big-bike class, and they were
doing it with a utilitarian style.
"When you're riding a Maico, your
concern for the smoothness of
the finish is non-existent. They
are not show bikes; they are mo
-
tocross racers." Maicos are still
popular mounts at vintage races.
All these years later, a certain je
ne sais quoi makes them "jolie
laide" today.
CN
Subscribe to more than 60 years of Cycle News Archives issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives
For racing, the Europeans
leaned toward the 400 and
the Americans the 450.
