From: Toby Opferman <yahoo@...>
Subject: [MAICOMOTORCYCLES] Re: 1983 Spider vs. Sand Spider 490
To: MAICOMOTORCYCLES@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2009, 10:26 PM

What do you think of the 1984 Husqvarna 500XC? How does it compare to the other bikes?

--- In MAICOMOTORCYCLES@ yahoogroups. com, JOHN DELAURA <bbbjonedel@ ...> wrote:
>
> Hello Toby,
> I also have a 1983 Sand Spider 490. I don't race but I've been riding
> it hard in So Cal deserts for the last 3 years without any type of
> problem except for an old throttle cable that frayed and stuck wide
> open (gotta love dependable kill switches). When I first got the bike
> I called John Caldwell at Canadian Maico and he told me if the gears
> or hubs were improperly heat treated at the factory then they would
> have failed a long time ago. John also told me not to slam it into
> 5th gear as that gear is thinner than the other gears. I don't slam
> the bike into any gears, I just shift regularly and the bike is more
> than fast enough for me. I also change the gear lube after each time
> out (Bel Ray 80).
> Anyways, I installed a 16 tooth front sprocket and a 53 tooth rear
> sprocket and the bike will go 0 to 95 mph in the blink of an eye and
> still have all the low end torque I'll ever need for the slow first
> gear spots (Rarely do I have to slip the clutch). I have a 520 rear
> knobby tire (yes, the chain does scrape the tire a little) and I can
> pull 3rd and 4th gear wheelies in deep sand out in Ocotillo Wells
> with just a flick of the throttle. I ride thin steep trails of loose
> sharp rocks out in Stoddard Wells and El Mirage and the bike points
> so well that a few times in the beginning I thought I was going to
> end up face first into a boulder but I just turned the bike a little
> sharper and rode right past the problem. I can blast over whoopies in
> 5th gear and it just skims over the tops.
> I had a Barnett clutch and fork seals installed at Vintage Iron. I
> bought a skid plate, FMF silencer/spark arrestor, and intake manifold
> at Maico Only. I bought the sprockets, a front rim with SS spokes,
> air filter, plastic, and decals from John Caldwell.
> John Caldwell, Eric Cook, and Rick Doughty have all been very
> generous with their help and advice.
> I have the original Bing and my 490 will always start cold on the
> second kick and warm on the first kick. I have 10 classic 2-strokes
> and my Sand Spider is the absolute best of them all. It pulls faster
> and stronger than my 1991 Honda CR 500 (yes, this one has killer mid-
> range), my 1984 Husqvarna XC 500 (rebuilt very well by Vintage Iron),
> my 1983 Honda CR 480 (another killer mid-range bike), my 1980 Mega 1
> 440 (this one's quick but the 490 rockets away from it in drag
> races), my 1998 Honda XR 400 ( this is my billy goat for the trails
> up in Los Padres mountains), and all my smaller bikes. My friends
> have modern 4-strokes (KTM 520, Honda CRF 450, Honda XR 600) and they
> let me ride their bikes for a little while but with all their nice
> suspension and brakes and handling they still simply do not bring me
> that same feeling of total happiness in riding that my 490 does. And
> the 490 looks great, too. I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
> Best Regards,
> John DeLaura
>
> On Jul 7, 2009, at 1:16 PM, Toby Opferman wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Ok, this is prolly a tired old subject, but what do you think about
> > the Sand Spider vs. the Spider? I've heard that many like the Sand
> > Spider gearing, I was thinking to myself that Sand Spider having
> > low first/second gearing may do good on tight trails.
> >
> > My only concern is off comments about the heat treatment on gears
> > and the fact that the 5 speed would likely have thinner gears than
> > the 4 speed. I'm like 99% sure without looking that the 4 speed and
> > 5 speed 1983 motors are identical aside from the transmission
> > (maybe also flywheel, but that's irrelevant) so if I have a 4 speed
> > I should have no problems just getting the gears, perhaps the rods
> > and replacing them if I choose to do so.
> >
> > I was thinking what would be the cost of getting them perhaps NOS
> > or new manufactured from Germany vs. used but still would like to
> > ensure I get some good gears and not ones that are going to shread
> > like popcorn.
> >
> >
> >
>