OK, you've been
looking at some Maicos for sale, and the one that you've been thinking
about is a nice yellow 72 ... or maybe it's a 73. For sure the guy that
owned it says it was a 400... or maybe a 440. Hmmm ... maybe it is time
to refer to the good old Maico I.D. chart to see what you're going to
get into.
Radial? Sure, but is it a '79 or what?
Bare frame should make it easy, but wait a
minute! There were three ? or four ? or five ?different
models that used the same frame.
CODE
DEFINITIONS
MC
Motocross
GP
Grand
Prix
NG
New
Generation
AW
Adolf
Weil
Magnum
1978
New Motor Design, Motocross Magnum
E
Enduro
Model
Magnum
II
1979
Motocross Model
M1
1980
Mega
Mega
2
Motocross
Model Mega
SC
Super
Cross (1984)
LC
Liquid
Cooled
ENGINE
CODE DEFINITIONS
These
letters precede the engine serial numbers.
U
Close
ratio transmission
K
Wide
ratio transmission
M
250
Close ratio transmission
R
400
- 440 Close Ratio Transmission
G
400
- 440 Wide Ratio Transmission
MT
Countershaft
Moved Back on motor, closer to swing arm pivot. 250cc MX Started
1978
RT
Countershaft
Moved Back on open class motors. (400,440,490cc MX)
GT
Countershaft
Moved Back on Enduro model
Year
Model
Chassis
Motor
1968
MC250
380
000
272
000
1968
MC360
380
000
0
1969
MC250
380
000
273
000
1969
MC360
380
000
0
1970
MC250
381
000
274
000
1970
MC400
381
000
T400
000
1971
MC250
382
000
275
000
1971
MC400
382
000
U403
000
1972
MC250
383
000
U276
000
1972
MC400
383
000
U404
000
1973
MC250
383
0000
U277
000
1973
MC400
393
0000
U405
000
1973
MC501
501
2000
U501
000
1974
MC250/4
394
0000
U278
000
1974
MC400/4
394
0000
U406
000
1974
MC440/4
394
0000
U441
000
1975
MC250/5
321
0000
M321
0000
1975
MC400/4
322
0000
U322
000
1975
MC440/4
320
0000
U320
000
1975?
MC400/5
323
0000
M323
0000
1975?
MC440/5
324
0000
M324
0000
1976
MC250/5
AW
326 0000
M321
0000
1976
MC400/5
AW
327 0000
R323
0000
1976
MC440/5
AW
328 0000
R324
0000
1976
MC501/5
329
0000
0
1977
MC250/5
AW
330 0000
M321
0000
1977
MC400/5
AW
331 0000
M323
0000
1977
MC440/5
AW
332 0000
M324
0000
1978
Magnum
MC250/T
336
0000
MT336
0000
1978
Magnum
MC400/T
337
0000
MT337
0000
1978
Magnum
MC440/T
338
0000
MT338
0000
1979
Magnum
II MC125/T
340
0000
340
1979
Magnum
II MC250/T
341
0000
MT336
0000
1979
Magnum
II MC400/T
342
0000
RT337
0000
1979
Magnum
II MC440/T
343
0000
RT338
0000
1979
Magnum
E GS250
241
0000
GT236
0000
1979
Magnum
E GS400
241
0000
GT237
0000
1979
Magnum
E GS440
241
0000
GT238
0000
The
Enduro model bikes were sold as 1980's as well. There were a
small amount of models sold with 504-engine size.
1980
Mega
MC250/T
346
0000
MT336
0000
1980
Mega
MC400/T
347
0000
RT337
0000
1980
Mega
MC440/T
348
0000
RT338
0000
1981
Mega2
MC250/T
350
0000
MT350
0000
1981
Mega2
MC400/T
351
0000
RT351
0000
1981
Mega2
MC490/T
352
0000
RT352
0000
1981
Mega2
MC440/T
347
0000
0
Some
1981 MAICO's were built with 440 motors but not advertised in
brochures. They have later style top tubes/backbone, (NON Mega
form frame).
1982
(Alpha
1) MC250/T
353
0000
MT353
0000
1982
(Alpha
1) MC490/T
354
0000
RT354
0000
1982
(Alpha
E) GS250
353
0000
253
0000
1892
(Alpha
E) GS490
354
0000
254
0000
1983
Spider
MC250
361
0000
361
0000
1983
Spider
MC490
362
0000
362
0000
1984
SC250LC
363
0000
363
0000
1984
SC490
364
0000
364
0000
Sold
in Europe as MAICO's, but in the US they were sold as M-stars.
i purchased a maico and on the chassis the # starts with 326 and the motor starts with r323 is the frame and motor from different years?
Amanda Lane / UNITED KINGDOM
Posted Apr 07 2008 11:44AM
Hi please can you help my red maico is a MC125 fahrgest 881448 and the engine number is 813608 please could you tell me the year thanks Dave
andymoto / Carmichael, CA, UNITED STATES
Posted Feb 06 2009 06:25PM
Dirt Bike Magazine in 1971 or '72 tested or showed pics(think tested) a rotary valved 125. See no listing of it unless I need glasses...lol...I know I've seen the bike and they were very, very rare. Now didn't Maico make a 125 Roadracer as well? Know Bultaco did and seemed Maico for a short time did. Anyone remembers? The MC 125 looks like the early '70s rotary valved 125 motors with frame mounts and other mods made. Where are the prototype later '90 Maicos; know a distributorship existed, at least in Cycle News they advertised a U.S. distributorship in the Southeast.
andy / leeds, ZZ, UNITED KINGDOM
Posted May 28 2009 12:22PM
Hi I'm trying to find out what year my maico is I believed it to be 1985 but my frame number doesn't match any on the site can you help? thanks
Rena / Spokane , WA, UNITED STATES
Posted Jun 13 2009 04:57PM
Please Help Me!!! I have a 1990 Maico MX250 It's Blue!! In Very good Condition, I have been told these bikes are rare.. Is that true??? How much is the value on this Bike??? I don't know much about them, But I went to an ORV Park and had at least 30 people surrending my truck, asking me questions, telling me what a rare bike this is.. I HAVE been told that it ended in 1983, how is that possible when i have a 1990!!! I wasn't ripped off was I??
rm500f / marysville, WA, UNITED STATES
Posted Oct 01 2009 03:41PM
I recently came across a 1977 Maico 250. From your i.d. chart I see it is a 1977 mc250/5 aw Vin.333000 engine M321000. My question is that it has an up pipe on the right side of the bike and every pic. i have seen about this bike is that it has a low pipe or an up pipe on the left side. Mine has had the air box modified to clear this pipe so I cannot believe its the stock setup although the rest of the exhaust routing looks fine. Could you tell me what is the correct pipe for this bike? Thank you, Jay. P.S. I race vintage M.X. on a 73 TM 400 Suzuki. I thought you would have sympathy for me.
post a comment
About the Author
Rick Sieman
"Super Hunky"
Yeh, it's me. Rick Sieman, aka "Super Hunky". I've been around the off-road scene since right after the earth cooled. In the process, I've accumulated some odd bits of knowledge and have become horribly opinionated.
Creator/Editor/Publisher of Dirt Bike magazine; Editor of Off-Road Magazine; Off-Road Editor of Old Bike Journal; Raced in every Barstow to Vegas event from 1968; Trophied the Blackwater 100 a few times; Raced in Europe, Japan, Peru, Guatemala & Mexico; Competed in over 1000 dirt bike races; Crashed my brains out too may times to count
Articles by Rick Sieman
Untitled Document
Sponsored Links
Off-Road Videos - Check out over ten years of extreme 4x4 action, product testing and the Off Road Nation at play. Baja racing to rock crawling, ATVs in the sand to motorcycles in the dirt, it's all here. Rate them, share them and upload your own.
ATV Reviews - Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris, Kawasaki, Can-Am. First rides to long-term tests, check out the latest in ATVs, UTVs and Side-by-Side vehicles of every make and model. Read expert opinions and follow custom project vehicles.
Axxxtion Sports..... Axxxtion Sports is heating things up with their 2010 Winter Heat snowmobile calendar! Simply Sexy!
Posted Mar 01 2008 08:57PM
