In the written history of motocross you will find a chapter on the 1981 Maico 490 Mega 2. It was an important motorcycle for a few main reasons –
The Maico 490 Mega 2 was the last gasp for the European motorcycle manufacturers, who struggled against the onslaught of outstanding motocross bikes from Japan. The Mega 2 was also the pinnacle of success for the revered German marque, Maico – they would never again make a motorcycle so near perfect. And it signaled the end of the twin-shock era, as linkage-assisted single shock designs were the future.