Why Maico Was The MOST EVIL Motorcycle Brand That Ever Existed

Thanks for sharing this. It was one of the best historical documentary vlogs I’ve ever experienced on the tube. I always wondered what happened to Maico. Thanks for clearing it up. It is a tragedy that so many were injured and affected by one family’s dysfunction.

I worked at a maico ktm dealership in Norfolk VA back in the mid 80s. The knobby shop owned and operated by Bruce Lember, then sold to bill darling who was the mechanic that worked there. We all raced ,and we lived ate,slept ,and breathed everything motocross. We would pack up Friday afternoon drive all night during the winter down to Florida,race Saturday and Sunday drive all night just to be back at the shop Monday morning. I was 16 17 years old and was working my dream job with the best guys in the world in the best years of my life. It was great. We were all A riders, me in 125 bill on 250 and Bruce on open class. Later bill raced open then him and I both in 125 A . Everyone knew us and we had nothing but friends at the track. If someone needed something a part or whatever we had it for them. I remember rebuilding shocks ,top ends , clutches even bill rebuilding a crank between Motos. Best memories with my dad and friends and would take a million dollars to trade for them and if I had it to pay and live it all over again, a million would be a bargain. Great guys maicos unbelievable bikes but I will say they did have weak gearboxes.

I had a '78 Maico Magnum 400 that I did a complete rebuild on in the '90s. Had it apart down to the last piece. The craftsmanship that went into building that bike was the best I've ever seen in any motorcycle. Every part looked like it was machined by a tool maker. Every weld was textbook perfect. That bike was a work of art and I wish I still had it.

I saw the same thing happen at a restaurant I worked at. Known for great food and portions, the dad died and the kids started slashing quality. When ever the execs try to improve the bottom line by cutting quality it always fails. In Maico's case it was intentional. Such a sad story of what had been a primer brand.

My Dad was desert racing during the "Maico Breako" period. Despite the hub issues he mentioned, he said those bikes were FAST, and had great handling.

If I made the 81 490 and it was renounded as the best thing out there my first thought would be, don't change a single thing until someone came up with something to better it. Being an old school bloke I really appreciate a bike with 4 main wires, manual choke and a tool kit with 4 spanners and a screwdriver. Keep your ABS traction control GPS heated grips etc etc. Easy to use,easy to fix and goes like stink. That's all I need.

Always wondered what happened to Maico. Seems like it's the same old story; bean counters and rotten managers destroy companies.

I was stationed at Kitzigen, Germany in 1976 and my bud was into dirt bike racing. He was also in the US Army as I was but he had bought a used Macio 250 from some German guy and got his German racing license and was pretty successful on the circuits around Southern Germany. Then he bought a brand new 250 Macio direct from the factory and went out and KICKED ASS! I got to go riding with him on the tank trails out of one of the Army bases and he let me ride his competition Macio. One HELL OF A BIKE! Long live Macio!

The original brothers had the knowledge of metallurgy, heat treating, and machinist skills. I can imagine many of their key personnel...ie, Chief Engineer, Shop Foreman, and several old timers in the machine shop left when the kids took over. That skill and talent is the Heart of a business and not easily replaced.

What an incredibly sad story. That 81 490 really is a gorgeous machine!

It's not uncommon in German families to torn apart like this, for some reason our culture breeds competition and jealousy amongst siblings. A couple of notable examples being the supermarket chain Aldi which split to become Aldi north, Aldi south and famously the Dassler brothers who split to form Adidas and Puma. My brother's and I can't work together, even that we all work in the motortrade we have seperate workshops on either side of town, any previous collaborations always lead to resent, arguments and not speaking for months (sometimes years).

I remember 2 things about my '76 400 Maico - the insane powerband in 2nd gear and limping for a week after kicking over the bike without using the compression release lever.

I ran a Yamaha 125 back in the early 70's, and a friend (much wealthier) let me take his Maico 250 around our practice track. Obviously a superior bike, it felt like an extension of my body and made me feel like I could beat the world. I've always admired the brand during it's golden years even though it contributed to my dissatisfaction of the bikes I could afford and led to my abandoning the sport for girls and rock & roll guitar! So sorry to hear that they disappeared due to family treachery - the brand deserved better.

My Dad raced Husky 250's and 390's on a team with a former AMA Enduro champion in the late 70's. They'd get a factory race bike in a crate and immediately start grinding away metal in strategic places to make it lighter and do all kinds of crazy shit you'd never think of to get an advantage. When the 490 came out, it didn't matter how much lighter you could make a Husky or anything else. The power was just on a different level. I remember rocking the Maico shirt as a 4 year old 💪

Thanks for the very interesting video! Bought a new 1981 490 Maico for $2500 and raced it for two years. Incredibly reliable, fast and the handling was awesome. Only nitpicks were left side kickstart and tiny front brake...

I had a lot of success on a '79 440Maico but as you said the best one I ever rode and to this day I will say the same was the '81 490. Amazing machine. such a sad end to an icon.

Back in the 80's my brother had 1. We lived next to a tollway and across from a highway. My brother would race everything that he could, and he was in the dirt next to the road and he won every time! That thing was incredibly fast!

Well done Gooner. Thank you for your time and talent putting this together. I had a 84 CR500 that was, most likely, designed with the 81 Maico in mind. I’m 64 now and remember that leap in technology and development. We are blessed to live in this moment in history.

Rode a 490 once. Probably the fastest bike I have ever been on. It actually kind of scared me a little. I remember thinking "I ride a CR 250s and 500sfor fun, I got this." The 490 is a whole different breed of monster. That little maico had more low end power than any 2 stroke I have seen

I remember riding my friends 490 Maico back around 1983. I got chased by a Sheriff patrol & out ran it . I remember looking back and seeing gravel rocks peppering across his hood...... it was wild !