Maicowerk A.G.es una empresa alemana que comenzó a trabajar en 1926, al principio ensamblando motores Ilo de 98 y 123 cc.Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial la empresa quedó en la Alemania del Occidental y empezó a producir sus propios motores de dos tiempos, vendiendo motores y motocicletas completas.Maico hizo una breve incursión en el negocio de los automóviles con su propia línea de microcoches en la década de 1950-1960.Maico también ha fabricado motores para karts.
Las motocicletas de carretera se denominaron con nombre de vientos en inglés...'Blizzard' 'Typhoon' etc, pero la empresa fue más conocida por sus motocicletas para Motocros y Enduro, y por su escúter 'Maicoletta', que se vendieron mucho más que sus motos de carretera.
Las motocicletas Maico de motocros (serie MC) y enduro (serie GS) fueron unos modelos con mucho éxito en competiciones en Estados Unidos y Europa en la década de 1970-1980.Aunque era una empresa con mucho menos poder económico que otros equipos como los de las fábricas de motocicletas japonesas Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, y Kawasaki, los pilotos de Maico tales como Adolf Weil, Åke Jonsson y Willy Bauer demostraron ser un verdadero reto a los fabricantes japoneses obteniendo muchas posiciones entre los tres primeros en el Campeonato del Mundo de Motocros así como en el campeonato de Estados Unidos.La revista estadounidense Motocross Action denominó al modelo de 1981 Maico Mega 490 como la mejor moto de motocros de todos los tiempos.Los modelos 1974.5 GP de 400cc y 440cc, y el modelo de 1981 de 490cc junto con elmodelo de 501cc de motocros son algunos de los más demandados por coleccionistas de este tipo de motos antigua/ref>
The Maicoletta motor scooter of the 1950s was one of the largest motor scooters produced by any manufacturer until the modern era.The engine was a single cylinder 247cc piston port 2-stroke (an export version featuring a 277cc engine was also produced for use with a sidecar), with four foot-operated gears, enclosed chain drive, centrifugal fan cooling and electric start.This was fitted to a tubular frame built on motorcycle principles with long travel telescopic forks and 14-inch wheels.The Maicoletta had a top speed of greater than 70mph, comparable with most 250cc motorcycles of the time.In the 1950s most scooters such as Vespa, Lambretta, were 125cc to 200cc with 8-10 inch wheels and a top speed of 55 to 60mph, so the expensive but fast and comfortable Maicoletta developed a following amongst scooter club enthusiasts.
By modern standards the brakes (drum front and rear) leave something to be desired, but compared to those of other scooters from the period, the brakes are not inferior.
Pendulum starter An unusual Bosch 6v 'pendulum' electric starter system was fitted, which was quite advanced for the 1950s, and about which there are a number of common misconceptions.When activated, instead of rotating the crankshaft the starter used the generator coils on the shaft to rock it back and forth under the control of cams on the crankshaft.These cams closed contacts in the generator to trigger a reversing switch in the Control box that changed the crankshaft direction at the end of each swing.This gives the impression of the crankshaft continually bouncing back and forwards against compression, when operated.A separate set of ignition points fired the spark plug in the forward direction only, and when this fires the mixture in the cylinder the engine starts to rotate normally, the starter is released and the normal ignition system takes over.The advantage of this system is that the starter does not have to force the crankshaft to turn over against compression, so less power is required from the 6volt system.Its disadvantage is the unusual number of contacts, which can be difficult to adjust.The reversing switch contacts tend to wear out with extended use and can be very difficult to get repaired, hence the scooter's reputation for requiring roll starts later in life.Any one wishing for information on maico parts spares or full bikes can visit www.maicoonly.co.uk
The Maicomobil, said to resemble a 'two wheeled car' was a highly enclosed two-wheel motor scooter which sold only in small numbers.
The Maicowerk AG company went out of business in the 1980s and its assets were taken over by a Dutch company.