1982 Other Makes MAICO ALPHA 1 490 MX

3541794

Clear

The Maico 490 has become a true legend that only seems to grow as they get scarcer. While the Mega 2 is the pinnacle, the ALPHA 1 is not far behind. I found this Maico Alpha 1 490 MX while looking at another bike, funny how that happens sometimes. It was in the back of a garage, in the dark, with about an inch on dust on it. It had been sitting for a about a decade or so. But when I saw the silhouette, I knew it was a MAICO! The bike is all there, the original Bing 54, the original Metzler in the front, a factory Maico cross bar pad sits on the bars, Magura levers are still in place and unbroken, the original kickstarter and gear selector are still in great shape, and even the original Corte Cossa rear shock even sits in its place. Of course, 34 years of time has assured that some items have been swapped out: the original bars were replaced by Answer bars, a Dunlop 490 sits out back, fork leg protectors were slipped on, etc. And some items were missing, no grips (I slipped on some old school Oury grips.) no air filter basket ( I put a UNI air filter from my new Honda into the air box space to keep debris out of the system. I also put a new kill switch in place, as the original was missing and the wire was just dangling, begging to be hooked up to something, The bike has good spark, and compression. The gear selector clicks into each gear with ease, the brakes all function and the clutch lever has a good pull and engages just fine when you slip into gear. The bikes needs to have the BING 54 rebuilt. I opened it up to clean out the mummified old gas and the floats seemed very brittle, and they will not work properly. The bike will blurt to life with some T2 shot down into the cylinder. Both tires are not safe to ride on as they are cracked and worn by time. The bike has the normal wear and tear you'd expect to find on a 34 year old motocross bike. Frame serial number: 3541794 Engine serial number: RT3541683 This is a real auction! NO RESERVE!! So some lucky MAICO nut, can buy this bike, squirrel away in the garage working on it at night, and then bring her out and make the ultimate statement at the gate at your local Vintage MX Race!