After reviving my interest in motorcycling by purchasing a Royal Enfield (see previous blog) , and being asked by Angus “Don’t you already have a motorbike in the shed and…. CAN I RIDE IT !!!!! ?  ” I decided to restore my old trail bike which has sat in the shed under a shower curtain since the 90’s.

HISTORY

The bike is a Maico which like the Royal Enfield is a  marque steeped in history.

Founded in 1926 by Otto and Wilhelm Maisch, Maicowerk A.G. made road bikes and scooters but were most famous for their high-powered motocross and cross-country bikes of the 70’s and early 80’s.

Maico went bankrupt in 1983 and a new company was formed by the sons of Wilhelm Maisch , Peter and Hans called Gebruder Maisch (Maisch Brothers), hence the GM prefix in the model numbers and GMStar brand on the seat which distinguish it from a “real” Maico.

Before I purchased the bike I had been a Honda fan having bought my first bike second hand, an 83 XR200R and quickly upgraded to a new 1985 XR350R and started competing in Enduro races.Back then I was a skinny 19 yr old weighing in at about 65Kg on a bike that was twice my own mass.

 With lots of weight, not much power and pogo-stick suspension I quickly was persuaded by the German riding crew from Hawkesbury MCC that I had to ” Go German or Go Home”. At that stage European bikes ( Husqvarna, KTM and Maico) were miles ahead of the Jap bikes especially in Enduro.

 
 This was the motocross bike, the Enduro had different gearing and a head light & tail light.

Maico manuals and brochures list the bike having an Ohlin shock rather than the White Power that I have so it is possible that I have one of the pre-production models.

Not many of these bikes were produced, I read on one forum that only 100 were made. I knew about half a dozen people who had one of them in Australia back in the time.
I assume most of them are dead and buried ( there was one mentioned on the forum )
It also mentioned the existence of another pre-production model. Maybe its mine that they were alluding to ????

The new model was a bit of a break-thru as it had massive suspension, excellent handling, front and rear disc brakes and an exhaust power-valve that gave grunty off the throttle bottom end torque like a four-stroke. From the specs I gather it had 17HP off idle and 49HP at 8000rpm.

As you can see from the above specs the bike had an outstanding power-to-weight ratio
100kg( 220LB)  and 49HP = 4.4LB / HP 

 

 

So I purchased the Maico some time in 1986 and rode Enduros on it for a few years and then as things change and people move on, I lost interest in competitive riding but over the years managed to go for the odd social ride however eventually I ended up simply not knowing anyone who owned a dirt bike anymore and I gave up 🙁

The bike developed a problem with the hydraulic brakes and hence did not pass rego the next year and then due to neglect over time the master cylinders seized and it was all put in the “too hard basket”.

INSPECTION

I dragged it out of the shed dusted it off and assessed the damage.
I knew the brakes needed a complete rebuild and were my worst nightmare.

Front suspension – fork legs rusted, needs fork service
Rear shock – don’t want to think about it
Chain – seized, wear pad and roller rotten
Front sprocket – broken tooth and worn
Air filter – foam disintegrated but the cage was intact
I removed the spark plug and it was black and oily
Opened the radiator and its contents were clean and green
Checked the gearbox oil and it looked water-free
Plastics looking a little worn and sun faded
Electrics – fingers crossed
Engine – cranks over OK
Tyres – rock hard rubber
Exhaust pipe – needs dent removal and welding

I have some schrader valve (tyre) fittings from an earlier repair that you weld to each end of the pipe and after heating up with an oxy set you pump and pressurise the pipe to blow out the dents

After talking to some people I thought I would take the plunge and try to start it

Phew !!! – off to the intamanet

RESEARCH

Found some local sites/forums and came across  http://www.vmxunlimited.com/which listed some of the parts I needed and some that I might need in the future. Gave them a call and got some good advice from Les and also some contacts for servicing.

I decided to concentrate on the brakes and found http://www.burtbrosautomotive.com.au/
who rebuild brakes and after a quick chat bundled up my parts and brought them over. Troy arranged a quote for the master cylinders and callipers to be refurbished and some new hoses and fittings.

Whilst I was waiting for the brakes I thought I would investigate all the other parts required and decide on a plan of attack since I did not want to spend money on frilly-bits if the brakes were totalled and I was back to square-one. I also did not want to replace anything that was not absolutely necessary as until I rode it I would not know if the bike had any other serious problems…..Like a bottom end bearing or piston ring etc. 

REBUILD

To get the motor running properly it needed an air filter so that was the first investment.

Uni-Filter had a filter in stock and still have the pattern if they need to make more.  

Next the oil and coolant needed to be replaced and after dumping the murky gear box oil I thought I better open the clutch cover in case coolant had leaked into it thru a gasket or the water pump.

There was a little rust on the top of the clutch plates just where they were exposed to the air but no signs of water ingress as all of the gears etc were fine.

I also drained the coolant and it looked good too – no rust or oil to be seen

After buying some Loctite RTV silicone to make a gasket I re assembled the motor and mixed up some fuel prepared to start it up. It ran OK, a bit smokey but it revved cleanly and idled once warmed up. So that’s another test out of the way but I still won’t know if the thing is any good till I get it on a track.

I got the call from Burt Bros. that the brakes could be repaired but custom seals had to be made and it would take a few weeks.

I went about fixing the second group of items needing attention to actually ride the bike.

Lucky Maico used the same shaft as KTMs and the sprocket is an off the shelf item $35

I had a spare chain but before I could fit it I needed to replace the chain wear pad and roller which were not available locally and could not be seen on either the UK or Canadian Maico sites. I went down to Motor Cycle Accessories Supermarket and looked around their plastics dept. as they had heaps of UFO gear which was stock on the bike.

I picked up a pair of fork gaiters $30 and some UFO headlight straps $15 and a UFO chain guide from an XR600 for $50.

 

 

I dropped in and saw Steve from http://www.bandrbrakes-castlehill.com.au/  and he sorted me out with an assortment of washers and some circlips for the brake pad retainers. It turns out he is an MX rider himself and was very helpful with advice and well wishes.  

Next was the front. I installed the calliper and master cylinder and started the bleed process and again had issues with the washers but knew what to do this time as I had got some some extra washers from Steve just incase.

Once the pads started to bite I thought I will do a rolling test and then start it up and have a bit of a ride around the back yard WOO HOO its running…..But my joy was short lived.

Then my natural reaction kicked in and I started chucking tools and kicking the dog.

At this time of the restoration, after spending two days bleeding the brakes, I just wanted to put the bike on a trailer and take it to the tip

IT WAS FRICKING RUNNING 2 MINUTES BEFORE ..NOW ITS STUFFED AGAIN

All that work down the drain and I still did not know if the bloody engine worked properly.

No riding today….sent the family off to Surf Life Saving Nippers training and packed the tools up.

I got a beer out of the fridge and forgot about motorcycles for the rest of the day.

Sometime during the night after lots of beer I had a brain wave. I had used a product before to repair surfboards and other broken things called Selley’s Aqua Kneed It – a water proof epoxy putty.

Sunday morning was the Bennent Board Carninval at the beach but it was 4ft plus solid onshore and I knew the outcome. I passed on Nippers and sent the family off to the beach without me once more and got on the Enfield and rode down to bunnings. Walked to the adhesive aisle and after discounting any araldite or expoy glues which may not stick to the plastic anyway I found what I needed – Selleys Metal Kneed It.

It said –  “repairs radiators engine parts fuel tanks etc – can be machined or drilled etc”

So without getting my hopes up I roughly fashioned a plug for the mastercylinder fluid level inspection window and moulded it into position and went and watched telly for an hour.

I mounted the master cylinder on the bike again filled it up with brake fluid and “Hey Presto” no leaks – BULL SHIT !!!!!!!  I could not believe how easy was that…..I was kicking myself

Why the hell didn’t I do that yesterday ? – I was too pissed off to think straight and consequently did not take any photos of the disaster either.

So I quickly bled the front brakes and packed up all my gear, rang the missus and found that as suspected the board race was off as Warringah Council closed the beach.

They returned home in time for me to load the bike on the trailer and head to Pacific Park.  

I unloaded Angus’ bike and whilst he geared up I unload mine and started them both up.

The bike felt good but I did not push it as god knows what’s been going on inside the motor.

After a few laps I came back and assessed things and oiled the chain. For some reason the air valves on the from forks were letting oil out and it sprayed all over me which its probably due to the fork oil thinning over time. Some tyre valve caps did the trick.

A fork service is next on the to-do list along with installation of the fork gaiters I purchased.

I have already spoken to Allan from http://www.maw.com.au/ at Castle Hill about doing the work since he is also a Maico owner having a 70’s motocrosser and a Bultaco.
  
The front brake still felt a bit spongey and scared me approaching a few fast corners.
Another factor is that there was some scale on the fron disc and I may have bought pretty hard sintered pads which I may swap to the rear to save drag-wear which happens from touching the pedal with your foot by accident etc.

It was good to finally be able to ride the bike again after over a decade and it was certainly good to go riding with the kids – can’t wait for Emma to get her bike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So even though there is alot to do on the bike I am very impressed that I was able to get it running again after so many years in the shed.

The plan is to attack the front forks asap and then some tyres followed by new bars and grips then look at the electrics and lights so I can attempt to get it re-registered again.

CREDITS

Thanks again to

Les from VMX Unlimited (Mainly Maico)
Troy and Mick from Burt Brothers
Steve from B&R Brakes
Allan from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse
Ben from MCAS Auburn

for the advice and great service in helping me get it going again.