The Maico 250 was the 250 cc version of the engine range that Maico introduced in 1953. It powered the M 250 Blizzard road motorcycle and the Maicoletta scooter, one of the largest and fastest scooters of the 1950s.
Maico 250 at a glance
| Maker | Maicowerk A.G., Pfäffingen, Germany |
|---|---|
| Engine | single-cylinder two-stroke, the Rundmotor |
| Capacity | 250 cc |
| Introduced | 1953, with the redesigned engine range |
| Road model | M 250 Blizzard |
| Scooter | Maicoletta 250, 247 cc piston-port |
| Scooter gearbox | four foot-operated gears |
| Scooter wheels | 14-inch |
| Scooter top speed | over 70 mph |
| Scooter drive | enclosed chain, centrifugal fan cooling, electric start |
Based on one source: the Maico company article, which describes the 1953 engine range, the Blizzard and the Maicoletta. There is no separate Wikipedia article on the 250.
History of the Maico 250
Maico was founded in 1926 by Ulrich Maisch and grew into a motorcycle maker in Pfäffingen near Tübingen. Around 1953 the firm redesigned its engines. The new Rundmotor kept the main dimensions of the earlier unit but had the generator integrated into the casing and a smoother exterior, and it remained in production in various capacities for about twenty years.
The 250 cc version of the Rundmotor went into the M 250 and M 277 Blizzard road motorcycles. Maico named its road models after winds, and the Blizzard was among the best known of them. The same engine family also appeared in the M 175 and M 200 Fanal and Passat, in the M 175 S and M 200 S, and in the Maicomobil and Maicoletta scooters.
In the Maicoletta the 250 was a single-cylinder 247 cc piston-port two-stroke with four foot-operated gears, an enclosed chain drive, centrifugal fan cooling and electric start. It was fitted to a tubular frame built on motorcycle principles, with long-travel telescopic forks and 14-inch wheels, and gave the scooter a top speed of more than 70 mph. That made the Maicoletta one of the largest scooters produced by any manufacturer until the modern era, and it was expensive but fast and comfortable.
The comparison with its rivals was striking: most scooters of the 1950s, such as the Vespa and Lambretta, had 125 to 200 cc engines, 8- to 10-inch wheels and top speeds of 55 to 60 mph. The Maicoletta developed a following among scooter club enthusiasts, even though its drum brakes front and rear leave something to be desired by modern standards. Maico also fitted an unusual Bosch six-volt pendulum electric starter, advanced for the period.
Design and features
- Rundmotor: the redesigned 1953 engine with the generator inside the casing.
- Blizzard: the 250 cc road model, named after a wind like the rest of the Maico road range.
- Maicoletta: a 247 cc scooter with four foot gears, enclosed chain and fan cooling.
- Electric start: the Bosch pendulum starter was unusual for a 1950s scooter.
Maico 250 versions
- M 250 Blizzard: the 250 cc road motorcycle.
- M 277 Blizzard: the larger version of the same road model.
- Maicoletta 250: the scooter with the 247 cc engine.
- Maicoletta 277: an export version with a 277 cc engine, intended for use with a sidecar.
The 250 was the middle of the 1953 road range, between the single-cylinder M series and the twin-cylinder Taifun. More machines are in the Maico collection.
Sources
- Maico, English Wikipedia: Maicoletta, scooter specifications, market position
- Maico, German Wikipedia: Rundmotor, Blizzard, model range
