2. Maico
Germany’s Maico produced some of the best-handling motorcycles in the history of dirtbiking, and how it never won a single World Championship title is a mystery that ranks right up there with Stonehenge. The tiny brand, owned by the Maisch family, was a major player in the dirtbike market through the 1970s and into the 1980s.
Maicos were fast and easy to ride, but they had their quirks, such as clutch that relied on a series of stacked washers instead of coil springs to engage and disengage the clutch. Maicos weren’t always reliable, but when they did run to the finish, it was usually at the head of the pack. The company enjoyed success in the early 1970s and adjusted well through the long-travel revolution and into the 1980s, arguably its best period. This was the time of the 490 Mega E, perhaps the best single Open-class motorcycle ever built and one that—believe it or not—handles on par with modern bikes.
Quality control issues related to its first single-shock effort, the Alpha in 1982, led to a lot of broken bikes and pissed-off customers, precipitating a slide into oblivion that was sealed by a family squabble over the direction of the company. Maico has mounted minor comebacks a few times, and its intellectual rights are reportedly under the control of a Dutch company. We’d just love to a see a German suitor resume production of the brand using modern technology while retaining Maico’s original philosophy of what it takes to build a competitive machine.
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