Magnificent Maico
The property of Scottish motocross rider Iain Clark from Carluke in Midlothian, this little beauty was captured on camera by Chris Montignani.
Iain Clark has always been a lover of off-road machines of all descriptions and has been involved in the Scottish offroad motorcycling scene for many years. Starting at an early age, Iain has taken part in just about all disciplines including trials, enduro and quad racing. He acquired his first introduction to off-road motorcycling in 1978 – an SL125 Honda, which he says almost had a knobbly rear tyre on it! His big turning point into the real world of off-road motorsport came along when he took delivery of his first ever race bike, a Mk 12 Bultaco Pursang, which he purchased from Ayrshire motorcycle dealer Jimmy Morton. Iain still has some great memories from those days as he used to race against Jimmy at many of the club events in and around the Ayrshire town of Sorn in 1982. Various other machines, including one exceptional water-cooled Armstrong twostroker with the radiator just below the headstock have now come and gone. But the memory of seeing a brand new YZ465 Yamaha in the local bike shop window was just about too much to bear for 17-year-old Iain, who could not believe how stunning the bike looked as he gazed at it in wondrous admiration. Fast forward 30 years or so and Iain found himself at a ‘dirt bike crossroads’, taking stock of where his next off-road fix would be likely to take him. As the years were starting to creep up on him, Iain planned to take his love of off-road motorcycling at a rather more relaxed and sedate pace. After some thought and a bit of pondering he was soon prompted to look into the world of classic and vintage motocross as this appeared to suit his age group and the kind of events he would most like to compete in.
Now, with his vintage grouping decided, what he needed at this point was a suitable machine and so it was time to have a look round to see just what was on offer.
With a comprehensive browse through various websites and classic/twinshock forums, Iain soon came to the conclusion that although there were many machines that would have suited him initially he would rather not go down the route of a second-hand buy and opt for something a bit more bespoke.
Iain was basically looking for a machine he could race at all classic and twinshock events but didn’t really want something that had been battered and beaten round the circuit for years, incurring all the associated
problems that go with the purchase of an older machine.
Fortunately for Iain there was a company specialising in just that particular type of classic bike build and renovation and so a very friendly ‘Carl’ at ‘Maico Only’ in Sandbach, Cheshire was contacted to see what they could put together for him.
After initial discussions with the manufacturers, Iain opted for a 1974 GP400 Maico twinshock bike, built to his very own personal specifications and requirements.
During the bike’s construction period Carl would send Iain progress pictures, enabling any further changes or adjustments to be made during the build.
Fourteen weeks later Iain took delivery of his brand new machine and says he was delighted with the results.
These bikes are of course built to a very high standard as you can see, although some minor adjustments have to be made to suit your riding style and track conditions prior to lining the bike up at the start gate.
Soon after his new bike purchase, Iain could hardly wait for his first chance to