Trail Rider Magazine

February 2024 37 A brief synopsis of the history of Maicowerk A.G. Although our younger readers might not be familiar with the Maico marque, older readers hold Maico motorcycles in high regard, regard- less of brand loyalty. In the early 70's, op ons for serious dirt scoots were limited. The Japanese began offering reasonably priced bikes that were as reliable as tractors but handled like refriger- ators up a fourth-floor Brownstone. Those who took off-road racing seriously basically had three op ons: the German-built Maico, Husqvarna from Sweden, and CZ from Czechoslovakia. Oh yeah, there were many other Euro brands, but for the most part, they were fragile and rather unreliable, with dealer networks largely nonexistent. The Maico story in itself is interes ng, although rather dark. Maicowerk AG was founded in 1926 by Brothers O o and Wilhelm Maisch as Maisch & Company, manufacturing 98cc and 123cc 2-stroke engines. O o and Wilhelm were equal partners in the business un l the end of World War II. This is the beginning of where it got ugly. You see, Wilhelm Maisch was a Nazi, while O o and his family refrained from poli cs, concentrat- ing on business. With Wilhelm being a member of the Na onal Socialist Party, by law Wilhelm was no longer an equal partner in the family business; he became a minority stockholder. This gave O o 60 percent ownership while Wil- helm held the minority. This did not sit well with Wilhelm. In 1957, Wilhelm became paralyzed, and his sons Peter and Wilhelm Jr. entered the family business — Peter, in marke ng, Wilhelm Jr., in engineering. The early years of Motocross were booming for Maico. The bikes handled incredibly well and stood up to the test of me by winning worldwide on a regular basis. By the mid-70s the company was on fire, domina ng the open class- es worldwide. Unfortunately, infigh ng amongst the two families led to sabotage. Improper heat trea ng of cri cal components, at the direc on of Wilhelm Jr., led to the company's demise in 1983. This narra ve is greatly simplified; it's a long hor- rendous story. During the mid to late 70's, Maico dominated open-class motocross. The Japanese offerings had just started to catch up when in 1981 Maico released the mighty 490. Some might say that the 1981 Maico, the last of the twin shocks, was the best bike Maico produced. Sadly, it all came tum- bling down as the single shock '82 models were cursed with inten onal flaws in an effort by Wil- helm Jr for control of the company. Yes, it's hard to wrap your head around, but who ever said history was pre y? -Kurt DC Plas cs full body kit really makes a project pop DC Plas cs full body kit really makes a project pop

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