Maico Announces All-New Frame

[JETZcorp]

Haven't been on in a while, but I thought I'd post this bit of news that's been around for a while. Maico International announced that for the 2011 model year, their line-up will receive an all-new frame - and it's still made of chromoly steel.

http://twostrokemotocross.com/2010/06/w ... ly-framed/

[quote=Maico International]An all new frame is the latest addition to the trick range of new products now advancing the spec list for the 2011 M.M.X. Sporting a cleaner and more detailed line than the previous model it is also expected to be lighter nimbler and produce even better handling characteristics than its well proven predecessor.

Resisting the temptation to follow the Japanese fashion gurus and go with large angular chunks of ally, Maico International have stuck to the more traditional chrome moly material as they firmly believe that any weight gains that may be achieved by using aluminium (please consider that this years 250 Maico M.M.X. weighed in at one kilo lighter than the latest ally framed Yamaha 250 two stroke) are easily offset by the far superior handling provided by a chrome moly chassis.

Hand made in the U.K. the new frame features an interesting new design and will be available in several colours as well as a nickel plated option which is set to match the mirror style finish of the swing-arm and sub-frame.

Maico Internationals Lesley White commented “ It would have been very easy to go down the ally-frame route and use statements like, we wanted to update the looks of the bike, but our first criteria is based on overall performance of the material not looks, and in our opinion chrome moly is better suited to the job”.

The new chassis is expected to make its debut in the next few weeks as Maico Internationals Dunlop Maxima rider Neil Berry rolls in to Europe for a vigorous schedule of testing with yet more development parts all destined to be included on the 2011 bike.[/quote]

This was posted to TSM on 24 June, and you can expect than any more news that breaks will be posted there.

[yzmxer608]

Too bad they don't give any info on the design on it, or sketches/photos . Will be interesting to see what it will look like though.

[Voutare]

Looks cool. I want to see the pictures of it.

[JETZcorp]

This just in, weight savings of three kilograms announced. This means the Maico 250 is now 4 kilograms (that's 8.8 pounds) lighter than a YZ250.

While newly manufactured products and confidentiality agreements are queuing up thick and fast at Maico International, the 2011 M.M.X. really is turning out to be a case of “less is more” as just like all the fashion conscious ladies the M.M.X. just keeps shedding the pounds!.

When the 2010 model broke cover back in January this year it was a few weeks after the dust had settled before the news hit, that despite its rather old fashioned style frame, the 250 weighed in at one kilo lighter than this years ally adorned Yamaha Y.Z. 250 two stroke.

With some major advances already made in more areas than the manufacturers are prepared to divulge just yet!, the 2011 Maico is all set to shed up to another three kilos bringing the anticipated weight of the 250 to around the one hundred kilo mark with the new 500 following in its shadow at a shade over the magic ton and the mighty 700 expected to roll in at one hundred and three kilos.

[yzmxer608]

700 two stroke?

[JETZcorp]

Yes, with 82 horsepower according to the Maico website.

http://www.maicointernational.com

By the way, it was just leaked on TSM that, along with the 250, 320, 500, 620, and 700 two-strokes, they will be bringing back a 380cc two-stroke to the lineup, presumably for the 2011 model year.

[Voutare]

Fuck that. 700cc's? That's ridiculous. I wouldn't even want to try kicking that beast over.

[Wilmx829]

a 700cc two stroke? You would need a diaper to ride that.

[yzmxer608]

That's just plain insane, better have some smooth power delivery .

[ShackAttack12]

Oh but it does sound so fricken bad ass....

[motoxlova#1]

haha we need a vid of barcia screaming one of those

[JETZcorp]

It wouldn't be hard to kick over at all. I'm sure it comes with a compression release, just like every other big-bore Maico since the early '70s. I've seen videos of people struggling with CR500s so I thought kicking over a 490 Maico might be hard. Then I got to try out an '83 490 the other day, and with the compression-release it was a big cream-puff. Like kicking over a 250. Even the old 760 they said fired like a 250 once it was warmed up. And, word on da street is that the 700 has a really smooth power curve, almost like a four-stroke (almost.) I think a lot of people get the wrong impression about two-stroke power after riding 125s and even 250s. Yeah, they're peaky, but anything bigger than that (aside from the CR500 which is all screwed up) is easy and manageable. The difference between my 250 and my dad's 390 is like the difference between a Formula 1 motor and a thousand-horsepower V8. Their peak power isn't very different, but if I have to roll on the power from just off idle, there someone's going to be low on torque.

So yeah, I don't think there's any reason to be afraid of a 700, unless you're stupid enough to ride it like it's a 125. Over 400cc in two-stroke-land, you have to change your riding style to capitalize on torque rather than screamin' peak horsepower, and I imagine the 700 would be the ultimate example of that.

[yzmxer608]

Jesus, they had a 760 too?

[JETZcorp]

LMAO!

I guess I forgot that wasn't common knowledge. Yeah, they made it for the ISDE around the late '70s to early '80s (the stories conflict, but all the pictures show a 1981 bike). They did it because that displacement class was dominated by BMW 1000cc twins, and apparently someone at BMW made the mistake of telling someone at Maico that a motocross-bike-based 750cc two-stroke single couldn't be done. So, in typical Maico "F*** you!" fashion, they made five, and took the ISDE by storm. It was basically a giant piston hammered onto a 490 Maico engine (same stroke, clutch, transmission, etc.) but it was limited to 4,000rpm! That meant that it only had 43hp to work with, but that was fine because it was an enduro machine, and even at only 1,200 revs it made 26 horses!

Here's Super Hunky's article on the monster.
http://superhunky.com/articles/nov00rsMaico760.php

[yzmxer608]

That's just insane.