Arguably the bike that killed off Maico, the Alpha 1 was the successor to the much-loved Mega 2. As you might expect, riders had high hopes. Unfortunately, a new suspension system called “Alpha Control” was an absolute disaster, and Maico couldn’t survivie the onslaught of lawsuits.
Two main flaws killed this bike. First, the Alpha Control rear suspension, which was supposed to be a copy of Honda’s Pro-Link system. Maico’s version stressed the rear shock to the point that riders were bending and breaking shock shafts all over the place. On top of that, there was a manufacturing defect of the wheel hubs, and they would shatter when put through large forces, like landing from a big jump. Maico tried to offer consumers replacement Ohlins for all the broken stock items, but it was too late. At least it still has the jewel of an engine, I guess. For more on the Alpha 1 and what did it in, check out the end of this article about the Mega 2 from PulpMX.
This speific Maico Alpha 1 (VIN: 354-2971) has been parked since 2003 and is being offered by the third owner. The last time this numbers-matching bike was started was three years ago, and while it “sounded strong”, the next owner will have to take care of a few things including the left fork seal, kick start gear-catch mechanism, and the other things you can expect from a bike that has sat for a decade. Still, this is a rare find for someone who wants to complete their Maico collection (or maybe you want to start a collection of vehicles that caused financial ruin for their manufacturers?)
Find this Maico Alpha 1 for sale in Colorado Springs, Colorado with bidding up to $2,225