Anyone have a MAICO 490 or KTM 495?

dbx33
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3/8/2021 1:13pm Edited Date/Time 3/12/2021 6:16am
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
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JBecker 72
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3/8/2021 1:41pm
My uncle had a Maico 490. By far the scariest bike I’ve ridden. I would love to have one.
2
3/8/2021 2:05pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2021 2:06pm
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the 490 Spider and engineering/quality problems. Thus, '81 Maico 490's sell for top top dollar and is harder to find than a KTM 495. There's some excellent enthusiast groups on Facebook where you can learn a ton on these kinds of bikes, and also find guys selling them


ShawdowGlen
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3/8/2021 2:18pm
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the...
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the 490 Spider and engineering/quality problems. Thus, '81 Maico 490's sell for top top dollar and is harder to find than a KTM 495. There's some excellent enthusiast groups on Facebook where you can learn a ton on these kinds of bikes, and also find guys selling them


Droooool.

Mentioned before.. when I was a kid, my friends dad had the 81 490 and it sounded like Godzilla coming when he kicked that beast to life.

Cool factor X infinity.
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dsmith
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3/8/2021 2:35pm
Friend had a maico ....called it ..the bull..it only has 4 gears...right?

The Shop

Ted722
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3/8/2021 3:59pm
Droooool. Mentioned before.. when I was a kid, my friends dad had the 81 490 and it sounded like Godzilla coming when he kicked that beast...
Droooool.

Mentioned before.. when I was a kid, my friends dad had the 81 490 and it sounded like Godzilla coming when he kicked that beast to life.

Cool factor X infinity.
I put this clip over in old school. Definitely captures the sound!

https://m.facebook.com/100004619198822/posts/1584433508387274/?d=n

(don’t need facebook acct.)
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TeamGreen
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3/8/2021 4:06pm
Raced the Maico 79/80/81/82 open bikes on a few awesome occasions.
Wasn’t the ‘82 called an Alpha?
2
teamddr
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3/8/2021 5:11pm
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
I think most of those maico and KTMs are still in jail
1
wildbill
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3/8/2021 5:25pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2021 5:26pm
I got passed by a 495 in Millican. He must've been doing triple digit speed. My PE 175 couldn't even hang.
web mx
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3/8/2021 5:42pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2021 5:45pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Raced the Maico 79/80/81/82 open bikes on a few awesome occasions.
Wasn’t the ‘82 called an Alpha?
yes the 82's said alpha control on the swingarm and 83's said dual control on swingarm and also sand spider on side covers
FreshTopEnd
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3/8/2021 6:35pm Edited Date/Time 3/8/2021 6:37pm
"and last vintage bike"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA


Consider the 83 CR480 Honda as well.
1
APLMAN99
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3/8/2021 8:30pm
I had a 495. Freaking death machine. May as well have just used a light switch for a throttle. And hard as crap to start. If I remember right you actually couldn’t start it in gear with the clutch pulled in, had to be in neutral. And you could really only find neutral when you really wanted to change gears while riding.......

Brakes seemed to be the same, either nothing at all or fully locked up, hard to remember much in between.

But I do remember skimming across a small lagoon on that thing with hardly any effort at all, and it was a dunes loving machine with the right tires. And you didn’t lose too many drag races with it, unless you just got scared of the thing swapping around and chickened out!

Damn, wish I still had that thing!!!!

You mentioned the YZ490, I rode one of those for a short time also. MUCH easier to go fast on, the one I rode was actually mellower than my 250 and was super confidence inspiring. I’d think about getting another one of those if I could find a super clean one for a good price.
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WEAL
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3/9/2021 3:29am
I had three 490 Maicos and one 400. Two 81 models, one 82 and the 400 a 79 model. The 400 was the best overall at it was more willing to rev. The 490 were initially a disappointment as they were not as strong as I thought they should be. I reworked the cylinder and head on one, compared it when I got a ride on a works bike with reed valve cylinder and found that my work was spot on. I had to rework the clutch as well and had special sinterbronce plates made to get two more into the basket - otherwise the clutch would never hold beyond 3 gear. The reed bike pulls a little better on very low revs but is nowhere near my bike in the upper revs - that was fun! The overall package of the 81 Maico was quite hard to beat as they have a much better chassis than the rest of those days.
When racing sidecars we had one of the first 610cc engines from Zabel (no exhaust valve) and being dissapointed again we started working on the engine. Seemed to help as we won many starts and finished much better. Friedhelm Zabel always wanted to have a look inside and offered me a new engine with the new fancy exhaust valve in exchange for my engine. I kept mine as I was beating the then new engine already on the track.
Happy Maico days!
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dcg141
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3/9/2021 5:32am Edited Date/Time 3/9/2021 5:34am
I want a 80 390 Husky. Still has the older bike looks but you can put the 40 mm forks on them easily.
davistld01
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3/9/2021 6:59am
I had the opportunity to race a Maico 490 a few times when I was much younger. It was the only "open" bike I ever raced...and although it pretty much scared the absolute shit out of me at least once every lap...it was a great bike. If I ever thought about going into vintage racing again (and was ten-years younger) I'd try to do it on a Maico 490.
alphado
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3/9/2021 10:12am
I almost bought one back in the late 80s. I tried to start it myself before I took it and it kicked back and bit me. That was enough for me.
G-man
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3/9/2021 10:26am Edited Date/Time 3/9/2021 3:18pm
If you can get your paws on a 81 RM 465 FULL FLOATER, that would be the bike for me racing vintage.
Had one and it was the smoothest open bike I ever rode.

81 the Suzuki's ruled the Motocross world for bikes to race off the showroom floor. Had a 81 125 as well and that bike was magic too in a different way as you could REV the crap outta her.

If you crashed on those bikes it was entirely rider error as they were flawless.


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Bret
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3/9/2021 11:06am
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
Love my 1981 Maico 490. I've been riding the same one since 1982. The power is very smooth and linear. It is not the beast that some people make it out to be. If you are tall, the '81 is the ticket. If you are on the shorter side, go for a 1979 Maico 440 or a 1979 Maico with a 490 engine. The '79 turns better than the '81. See if you can find a 1980 Maico to test ride. They had a frame that you sat "in" instead of on. Some liked them. Some hated them. Kind of a mix of the '79 and the '81. You will have no trouble finding parts. No matter what Maico you consider you really can't go wrong. They really are fun to ride.

ATKpilot99
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3/9/2021 12:06pm
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
Bret wrote:
Love my 1981 Maico 490. I've been riding the same one since 1982. The power is very smooth and linear. It is not the beast that...
Love my 1981 Maico 490. I've been riding the same one since 1982. The power is very smooth and linear. It is not the beast that some people make it out to be. If you are tall, the '81 is the ticket. If you are on the shorter side, go for a 1979 Maico 440 or a 1979 Maico with a 490 engine. The '79 turns better than the '81. See if you can find a 1980 Maico to test ride. They had a frame that you sat "in" instead of on. Some liked them. Some hated them. Kind of a mix of the '79 and the '81. You will have no trouble finding parts. No matter what Maico you consider you really can't go wrong. They really are fun to ride.

Is the 82 pic at the Coliseum ? What's the story behind that ?
ShawdowGlen
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3/9/2021 12:28pm Edited Date/Time 3/9/2021 12:30pm
ATKpilot99 wrote:
Is the 82 pic at the Coliseum ? What's the story behind that ?
I can answer that. Wink Yes....it's the LA Coliseum. It was the CRC "California Racing Club" Amateur Superbowl of Motocross.

How cool is it that Bret is still riding that beast 4 decades later!

I raced that day as well. One of the coolest memories I have of riding/racing.




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Falcon
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3/9/2021 1:53pm
G-man wrote:
If you can get your paws on a 81 RM 465 FULL FLOATER, that would be the bike for me racing vintage. Had one and it...
If you can get your paws on a 81 RM 465 FULL FLOATER, that would be the bike for me racing vintage.
Had one and it was the smoothest open bike I ever rode.

81 the Suzuki's ruled the Motocross world for bikes to race off the showroom floor. Had a 81 125 as well and that bike was magic too in a different way as you could REV the crap outta her.

If you crashed on those bikes it was entirely rider error as they were flawless.


I was going to mention this. Early '80s Suzukis were the best-suspended and best-handling bikes out there.

2
3/9/2021 5:15pm
If your plan is to vintage race, make sure you have scouted out the classes and requirements to fit in properly. Late model twin shock classes are often dominated by the Maico 490's, although in Europe, where there is a strong Evo and twin shock series, the creativity in building newer bikes into "older" twin shocks is amazing. Relative to 490's, a Dutch company still makes new motors ranging in sizes from 400 to 700, and the hot set-up seems to be to take an 82 or 83 chassis and weld in the twin shock arrangement . Below is a pic of Dowd's bike from Farleigh Castle a few years ago. Some of the other pics show Hondas, Suzooks and Husky 4-T's on a "gone crazy" mods basis. The Euros are definitely way ahead in terms of exploring the outer limits of vintage racing...




Check out the amount of work involved to turn this mid-80's Honda CR500 into a twin-shock, air-cooled, drum brake beast:



The Belgians gave the RM 500's similar treatment:



The Husky TC series has found a serious following, and the HVA guys sell enough trick parts that there is really not much left on the bike that one could call original Husqvarna. These are Mike Brown's and Doug Dubach's from 2018 (and when they lapped me I don't think they could have gone by me much faster on a modern bike):








4
RM Mike
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3/9/2021 6:10pm
Quote from Gordon Lightfoot:

If your plan is to vintage race, make sure you have scouted out the classes and requirements to fit in properly. Late model twin shock classes are often dominated by the Maico 490's, although in Europe, where there is a strong Evo and twin shock series, the creativity in building newer bikes into "older" twin shocks is amazing. Relative to 490's, a Dutch company still makes new motors ranging in sizes from 400 to 700, and the hot set-up seems to be to take an 82 or 83 chassis and weld in the twin shock arrangement . Below is a pic of Dowd's bike from Farleigh Castle a few years ago. Some of the other pics show Hondas, Suzooks and Husky 4-T's on a "gone crazy" mods basis. The Euros are definitely way ahead in terms of exploring the outer limits of vintage racing...

That is absolutely badass since I'm very old.
srobinson
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3/9/2021 6:22pm
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
srobinson
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3/9/2021 6:31pm
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
srobinson wrote:

Bret
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3/10/2021 7:11am Edited Date/Time 3/10/2021 7:13am
dbx33 wrote:
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like...
Looking at getting my first and (hopefully last) fast vintage bike. Looking for a fully done up resto-mod bike for the track and it seems like both these would suit me. Only vintage bike ive ridden or owned was a 90' YZ490 which I liked the motor a lot and ergos were decent too, only complaint was brakes sucked (had disc) and the suspension would have been adequate if it had adjustable comp/rebound and was valved for a fast 165lb rider.

any other bikes I should consider? not really into the cr/kx500 bikes.
Bret wrote:
Love my 1981 Maico 490. I've been riding the same one since 1982. The power is very smooth and linear. It is not the beast that...
Love my 1981 Maico 490. I've been riding the same one since 1982. The power is very smooth and linear. It is not the beast that some people make it out to be. If you are tall, the '81 is the ticket. If you are on the shorter side, go for a 1979 Maico 440 or a 1979 Maico with a 490 engine. The '79 turns better than the '81. See if you can find a 1980 Maico to test ride. They had a frame that you sat "in" instead of on. Some liked them. Some hated them. Kind of a mix of the '79 and the '81. You will have no trouble finding parts. No matter what Maico you consider you really can't go wrong. They really are fun to ride.

ATKpilot99 wrote:
Is the 82 pic at the Coliseum ? What's the story behind that ?
There is a story behind it. That was an amateur supercross back in 1982 put on by CRC (California Racing Club). The guy down the street from me, Jim, when I was a teenager had a '79 Maico 400. He bought an '81 and sold me the '79. He taught me to ride and introduced me to racing. The club we raced in had an amateur supercross coming up and you had to qualify to enter. Jim told me that if I qualified on my 400 he would let me race his 490 at the Coliseum. I managed to qualify and that is the bike in the photo. I was 16 at the time racing the OPEN Beginner class. I think I had about one year's worth of riding experience under my belt. He let me ride it once in a while which was pretty cool. He ended up in a car accident that ended his days of riding and GAVE me the 490! He had one condition, never sell it. I kept my end of the deal and have been racing it ever since. I have been riding and racing it rather sporadically for 40 years. It is hands down my favorite motorcycle.
Steve125
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3/10/2021 8:16am
G-man wrote:
If you can get your paws on a 81 RM 465 FULL FLOATER, that would be the bike for me racing vintage. Had one and it...
If you can get your paws on a 81 RM 465 FULL FLOATER, that would be the bike for me racing vintage.
Had one and it was the smoothest open bike I ever rode.

81 the Suzuki's ruled the Motocross world for bikes to race off the showroom floor. Had a 81 125 as well and that bike was magic too in a different way as you could REV the crap outta her.

If you crashed on those bikes it was entirely rider error as they were flawless.


81 465 was the only year the Biggest Zook had a 5 speed trans too.(of the 465-500s that is)
I have a handful of Floater 125's and 250's but the big bore is definitely on my list of needs.
Steve125
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3/10/2021 8:19am Edited Date/Time 3/10/2021 8:20am
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the...
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the 490 Spider and engineering/quality problems. Thus, '81 Maico 490's sell for top top dollar and is harder to find than a KTM 495. There's some excellent enthusiast groups on Facebook where you can learn a ton on these kinds of bikes, and also find guys selling them


Didn't that bike have a primary chain too? Loved those bikes but I remember seeing one opened up and seeing a chain in the case. maybe it was an earlier one..
1
3/10/2021 9:06am Edited Date/Time 3/10/2021 9:09am
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the...
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the 490 Spider and engineering/quality problems. Thus, '81 Maico 490's sell for top top dollar and is harder to find than a KTM 495. There's some excellent enthusiast groups on Facebook where you can learn a ton on these kinds of bikes, and also find guys selling them


Steve125 wrote:
Didn't that bike have a primary chain too? Loved those bikes but I remember seeing one opened up and seeing a chain in the case. maybe...
Didn't that bike have a primary chain too? Loved those bikes but I remember seeing one opened up and seeing a chain in the case. maybe it was an earlier one..
I think all (except for the very last) Maicos do.

The theory floated out there is that the rotational force of crank/clutch keeps the front end planted and is part their characteristic good handling.
2
dbx33
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FL US
3/10/2021 9:56am
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the...
The Maico is more highly sought after, as you'd mainly be shooting for a 1981 490 Mega-2. The bike started going downhill in 1982 with the 490 Spider and engineering/quality problems. Thus, '81 Maico 490's sell for top top dollar and is harder to find than a KTM 495. There's some excellent enthusiast groups on Facebook where you can learn a ton on these kinds of bikes, and also find guys selling them


Steve125 wrote:
Didn't that bike have a primary chain too? Loved those bikes but I remember seeing one opened up and seeing a chain in the case. maybe...
Didn't that bike have a primary chain too? Loved those bikes but I remember seeing one opened up and seeing a chain in the case. maybe it was an earlier one..
I think all (except for the very last) Maicos do. The theory floated out there is that the rotational force of crank/clutch keeps the front end...
I think all (except for the very last) Maicos do.

The theory floated out there is that the rotational force of crank/clutch keeps the front end planted and is part their characteristic good handling.
is it forward rotating instead of backward? my mv agusta had a forward rotating setup and it definitely reduced felt engine inertia at high rpm

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