From our Old Bike Archives – Issue 87 – first published in 2020.
Story: Jim Scaysbrook and Rick Schaap • Photos: Robin Lewis • Brochure supplied by Keith Ward
It would be reasonable to assume that during the ‘thirties, Germany had quite enough motorcycle manufacturers; not just the big ones like NSU, DKW, BMW and Zundapp, but countless smaller makers all vying for a slice of the sales pie. And it’s fair to say that unlike the British companies, which by and large stuck to a time-honoured formula of either small capacity two strokes or four stroke singles, the German designs were extremely varied.
As far back as 1926, Ulrich Maisch began producing accessories and parts for bicycles under the Maico name (formed from the words Maisch Company) at a small factory at Poltringen near Stuttgart. He also operated a 24-hour car servicing centre. By 1931 Maico had expanded to include complete bicycles and lightweight motorcycles powered by 98cc and 118cc Ilo engines. But with the rise of the Nazis and the onset of WW2, the factory’s production was nationalised and converted to the manufacture of aircraft components, with almost the entire production going to the Luftwaffe. By now Ulrich’s two sons, Wilhelm and Otto, were in charge, and the business was operating from a new, larger factory at Pfäffingen-Tubingen, also in the Swabia district. Remarkably, given its proximity to the manufacturing centres of Stuttgart and Frankfurt, the Maico factory emerged from the war with very little damage, but also with no core business. It was also fortunately based in the section of Germany now under Allied control, rather than being subject to Russian control, as was DKW.
With a large factory and plenty of tooling, the Maisch brothers at first began to make children’s toys, but by 1947 had returned to their first love; motorcycles. With the supply of proprietary engines basically cut off, Maico made their own, the first being a 150cc single cylinder twin-port two stroke which powered their first model, the M150. With Europe starved of consumer transport, business boomed and Maico ventured into various forms of competition as well as an expanding range of road motorcycles. The M150 was soon joined by the M250, a rugged and reliable machine that so impressed the German Federal Forces that Maico received a government order for no less than 10,000 units.
As the ‘fifties dawned, Europe was going scooter-mad, and Maico decided to get a piece of the action. The result was the Maico Mobil, a super-scooter of 250cc that was built like a tank and could easily transport two people in comfort. This was soon followed by the more svelte but still powerful Maicoletta scooter. Flush with cash and still with production capacity to spare, Maico took the next logical step and decided upon car production. The result was the Maico 500, a smart looking coupe using the same two-stroke engine that powered the Heinkel ‘Bubble Car’. Soon joined by the 5ooS (Sport), almost 4,000 of the cars were produced up till 1957. But with Heinkel unable, or unwilling, to provide further engines, and the Maico factory not having the space or resources to invest in its own, the decision was made to get out of the car business and concentrate on motorcycles.
During this period, the Maico motorcycle range (with the models curiously named after weather patterns) was expanded with the sleek 250cc Blizzard, and the twin-cylinder Taifun (Typhoon) which made its public debut at the Frankfurt Motorcycle Show in October 1953. Available in 350cc or 400cc capacities, the Taifun was, and is, an extraordinary looking machine, with swooping voluptuous lines and plenty of power. In fact, while other manufacturers were rationalising production techniques to combat the competition from small, cheap motor cars, the Taifun broke every rule, with expensive tooling and bespoke components. Like the 250cc Blizzard, the Taifun used leading link front forks and swinging arm rear suspension, but was otherwise much more radical in design.
The Taifun’s frame was based around a fabricated centre section in aluminium alloy sheet, folded and welded together in monocoque form, to which attached the top frame tube, steering stem and the single front down tube. The choice of the leading link front fork was partially dictated by the need to make the Taifun suitable for hauling a sidecar; vital to combat the opposition from small cars. It proved unsuitable for sidecar work, suffering from overheating problems and a tendency to break spokes. Personal comfort was paramount, with a positively luxurious dual seat finished in vibrant red, and enormously proportioned mudguards that were specifically design for that purpose – to keep mud and road grime away from rider and passengers.
maximum weather protection.
The front end of the Taifun began with a formed aluminium structure enveloping the steering head, to which was mounted the front mudguard itself; deeply valanced with built-in flares to disperse water. The rear end treatment was similar; a massive aluminium structure that almost completely enveloped the rear wheel, with the seat hinging upwards from the rear. A tyre pump was located on the under side of the seat. The whole motorcycle bristled with innovative design features, such as the pillion footrests which fold into recesses in the engine side covers. The rear swinging arm was also an extremely solid looking item, pivoting in Silentbloc bushes and cast in box section aluminium alloy. It was in effect single sided, because the right side finished in a flange to which was bolted a separate arm which formed an oil-bath rear chaincase, inside which ran a duplex drive chain. To maintain constant chain tension, the centre of the gearbox output shaft aligned directly with the swinging arm pivot. Chain adjustment was via a jockey wheel inside the case. The rear movement was controlled by a pair of conventional looking, but un-damped helical spring units, with a single hydraulic shock absorber (later becoming a pair) mounted on the right hand side. Also on the right side, a lever brought two extra springs into use (located inside the helical springs) for carrying a pillion passenger. Brakes were of similarly robust appearance; 200mm full width designs with short spokes, laced to the distinctive alloy rims made by champion cyclist Karl Altenburger. The rear hub contained a rubber shock absorber and both wheels were interchangeable.
The heart of the matter was, of course, the engine/gearbox unit which was designed to act as a main construction component, with castings fitting into the centre frame section. For some reason, possibly to do with registration or insurance levels, the engine was available in either 350cc or 400cc capacities, the former developing 19.5hp at 5,100 rpm and the latter 22.5hp at the same revs. Mixture was supplied through a 26mm Bing carburettor which, with its air cleaner, was completely enclosed inside the centre frame unit. This enclosure also muffled the usual intake roar which particularly affect two strokes. Standard piston clearance is just .0016 inch – very close for an air-cooled engine. The generous finning of both the iron barrels and alloy heads keep temperatures down, however the factory recommended a long running in period of 4,000 km. The crankshaft ran in four ball bearings with high quality seals at each end to provide maximum and consistent crankcase compression. Crankshaft bearings were lubricated from the gearbox.
Primary drive was by helical gears, which although expensive to produce, ran virtually silently. Inside the gearbox, a reduction gear helped keep the rear wheel sprocket as small as possible. One disadvantage was that the reduction gear produced an audible whine under acceleration. A heel/toe lever controlled gear changing. The battery was carried in a compartment inside the right side engine crankcase cover, with a top cover fastened by two Allen-head screws. Generator capacity was 60 watts. Two ignition coils with separate points supplied the sparks.
Although it looked heavy, the Taifun weighed in at just 164kg, thanks to the liberal use of aluminium. Top speed in solo form was 135km/h and 110km/h when fitted with a sidecar. Throughout its production run which lasted until 1958, the Taifun changed little, apart from the addition of the second rear damper. Petrol tanks were generally chrome plated with colour panels carrying Maico’s distinctive gold badge. Colours were generally red with a black seat or silver/blue with a red seat. The colour-matched headlight shell, with its 25mm light unit, also housed the ignition switch, a generator warning light, and the speedometer, which had a gear position indicator built in. The handlebars are actually two separate bars, each half clamped into the top fork crown.
Like all Maico products, the Taifun was a paragon of original thinking and quality engineering. These factors however, add up to mean cost, and there is no doubt that the Taifun was an expensive motorcycle to manufacture. With a retail price to suit, potential customers were intrigued and impressed in the showroom, but reluctant to part with the cash. Total production figures are unknown, but the model was discontinued in 1958.
From the owner
The Maico Taifun featured here is owned by Henrikus ‘Rick’ Schaap, formerly of The Netherlands and now resident in Victoria. Rick’s shed contains a fascinating collection of rarely seen European motorcycles and outfits.
“The Maico Taifun is a rare bird in Australia, in fact before I bought mine as a rolling frame from Perth-based collector Richard Gordine I had never seen a Taifun “in the flesh”. Around 2012 I found an interesting German-looking two stroke engine under the “unknown” heading of eBay’s Vintage and Collector motorcycle parts. It didn’t state it was of German origin but (to me) it sort of looked German. I knew that it was not a DKW twin as I have one of those. It was also not an Adler, an ILO or an Ardie, which are all German two stroke twins of the 1950s. Thanks to Uncle Google I found that it was a Maico Taifun engine, so I decided to buy it and when I got it spent a few days dismantling and cleaning.
“It was far from complete. There were a few missing parts, such as the whole primary drive so, I decided to find a good home for it and this is where Richard Gordine comes in. He had been asking in the classified ads for Maico Taifun parts and although this was about 10 years ago I did remember it and went through a large stack of magazines to find his phone number. Yes, he was still looking for Maico Taifun parts so I sold him this ‘parts-engine’.
Fast-forward to late 2015 when I discovered that Richard Gordine had put his Maico Taifun project up for sale on eBay. I decided to buy it, including the engine parts that I had sold to him. This turned out to be a straightforward project as it was a virtually complete bike, albeit in pieces. A new set of rings was obtained from Motorrad Stemler in Germany, and the duplex 1/2 ” x 5/16″ roller chain came from Gus Kuilboer, my local bearing supplier in Hamilton. Classic Chrome in Geelong did a great job in re-chroming the exhaust system and the handlebars. I have had the Maico running in the workshop a few times but have not yet taken it to the road. I also had it in display at the Broadford Bike Bonanza in 2016.
“The second Maico Taifun project I acquired in 2 stages. A chance meeting at the Balhannah Swap meet led to the finding of a complete Taifun front-end under a house in Pascoe Vale and another chance meeting at the Bendigo Swap meet led me to the rest of the same bike located in Moe, Victoria. Now I have about 90 % of my second Taifun project but there are still some important parts missing. If any one has the engine covers of both sides laying in the shed – easily recognizable by their large and unusual shape as they have the built-in pillion footrests – please contact me. About 1500 Taifuns were built and very few found their way to Australia. I know of about eight that are in this country.”
Specifications: 1956 Maico Taifun (400cc)
Engine: Air-cooled, twin cylinder two stroke
Ignition: Battery and coil
Power: 22.5 bhp @ 5,100rpm
Bore x stroke: 65mm x 59.5mm
Displacement: 395cc
Fuel system: Single 26mm Bing carburetor
Transmission: Four speed
Suspension: Front: Earles type leading link forks, 100mm travel
Rear: twin shock 85mm travel
Tyres: 3.50 x 18 front and rear.
Brakes: Front and rear drum 200mm
Weight: 396lbs 164kg
Top speed: 80mph
