rootboy 

"I got the Team Champion, the Grand Record and this Le Champion all from the same place!"

WHA? Now that, I would like to hear more about.

BTW, links don't work for me.

billnuke1 

As I get to these beauties, I'll note the date codes. The Le Champion is plastic-coated!

billnuke1 

Crazy busy killin' bugs! Wife wants to go campin'! Will do as time and room permit.

Kactus

Same here.

billnuke1 

This from the Grand Record. The code on the Le Champion is 1974. It has the same head badge as the Team Champion. Which I can't get to easily.

Sorry that some can't open my pics. They have always worked before.

crank_addict

Please excuse if my request is in the wrong thread but hope the experts here can best advise.

Were the tt and chainstay lettering screened?

(I'm looking for a jpg or other Le Champion / 70's era top tube graphic (both sides). Not interested in the vinyl replacements.)


Thank you-

Kactus

The top tube and down tube lettering on my Champion Team appears to be screened. You may need to make a template and then use an airbrush if you don't want the decals.

crank_addict

^Kactus, thanks and will do.

Now where to find the artwork....
Old advert, brochure scans??

JohnRedman

Anybody have good data on Moto TC bottom bracket shells, when and how they were or were not drilled in the 70s? The one I'm familiar with is 5 holes in three different sizes, large in the middle. I recently acquired a C51 frame from 1978 vintage with no holes. As the C51 differs otherwise from TCs in that they used a short stack Moto headset instead of the taller Campy SR alloy one that year, I wonder if this might be another difference.

JohnRedman

If you don't know the 753 story, here it is. Moto never went through the 753 approval process with Reynolds, which is to build up two frames and send to Reynolds for destructive testing - on account of 753 being new and requiring different techniques. Instead, Moto just went ahead making TC/CT replicas and team frames. When Reynolds found out, they cut Moto off causing Moto to switch to Columbus SL which hurt Reynolds more than Moto, for sure. So, if you haver one of those briliant Blue frames with the Moto "M" in the seat tube caps, you are riding an outlaw.

rootboy 

My oh my,
That's awfully ambitious of you. Do you really think you could get good, clean lines that thin by spraying over a template?
Or silk screened? If so, you're a better man than I am. Not interested in the vinyl ones? Then how about some very thin, and very nice, water slides from Gus Salmon? He made me a set of Grand Record decals and they are very very good. Price was reasonable too.

due ruote 

I can give you exactly one data point: my '78 TC is drilled the way you describe.

JohnRedman

So, Softley is sending me the brown "TC" and "Made In France" decals and I am building the ultimate Irish bike (I'll share pictures later) and I'll drill the shell appropriately. I'm looking for a 20 1/2 pound result.

John Redman
Grafton, a town, not a street, somewhat west of Dublin,
NH, US

Kungfusu3

Hi All

Im new to the forum but have been lurking in the backgrounds for a while
im in the process of acquiring what I think is an early 1980s Moto Team Champion frame and fork, it has Columbus stickers and the design looks very similar to the team champion... Aside from the rear is in dark blue rather than chrome. I've browsed through several other forums and someone had suggested it may be an equipe pro?

The seller describes the frame as having some rust (though he has said no internal rust), so was thinking of treating it and getting it resprayed... And decal'd but don't know where to get the right ones... Especially that I'm not sure about the exact model and date..

I'd like to restore it to its former glory.. So will be looking at sourcing parts.. But again need some Moto experts to help me out with what I may have

thanks in advance!

zi

satbuilder 

OK. I'm in. Sourcing parts now. This is going to take a while.

Kungfusu3

Anyone able to help?

crank_addict

1985 Team Champion?? Super 21 lbs. project!

Looks original -
https://www.flickr.com/photos/strong...7616434177097/

satbuilder 

If you go back to page 7 of this thread, post #174 , verktyg posted up photos that are very similar to your frame. The differences I see are yours does not have a chrome rear triangle, or a number tag hanger on the top tube.

Here are catalogs of a lot of the Moto's.

bulgier.net - /pics/bike/Catalogs/Motobecane/

In 1984, it looks like both the Champion Team and the Le Champion came in the night blue color, which appears to be the color of your frame. It could be someone can narrow it down by the serial number of your frame.

Kungfusu3

Thanks guys. I wasn't sure if it was 84/85 as from what I could tell, the brake cable was situated below the top tube where the one I'm waiting for delivery is on top of the top tube.

Yeah as it looked very similar to the 82 version expect for the chrome rear triangle so that confused me...

Stumper57

Here is my 1984 Motobecane Team Champion which I purchased that year and rode and raced for a number of years. (Not the original paint job or decals) A very comfortable riding frame with Columbus SL and pretty light for that era at 21 lbs. - one of the best riding bikes I've owned in nearly 40 years of riding. I plan to restore this ride and as you can see I will need to replace the seat mast which eventually cracked after we made the fatal mistake of filing off the front derailleur boss to accommodate a strap on Campy SR to replace the original Simplex one. Any suggestions on a good frame builder & paint shop who might be able to help out with this restoration?? I'm in Boulder, CO Thanks gang!

satbuilder 

Let's talk touchup paint.

I'm finishing up the touchup on a '74-ish TC. There wasn't a lot to do, as this bicycle looks like it was a garage queen.

For starters, I tried using Porsche Signal Orange. This was supposedly a good match for Molteni Orange, as seen on a thread on Paceline. It was way too yellow.

I then went down to my local Ace Hardware, and purchased 3 different rattlecans of orange paint. The first was Rustoleum Allis Chalmers Orange. This was way too red. The second was Ace Hardware brand orange. I forget whether it is called international orange, or utility orange, but it's not the dayglo orange. Regardless, it was too yellow. The third can was Rustoleum gloss orange. This proved to be the closest match.

Finally, I have just about all the parts in hand to start the build. Should be a fun winter project.

If I can ever figure out how to post up full size photos, I'll try to get some shots of the build.

Kurt

plonz 

On a bike like that, close would not be good enough for me. I took my frame to an auto paint supplier and they had their "paint guy" mix up 8oz that matches perfect. He put the hardener and reducer in as well so it will function as touch up paint. Not sure they'd want to bother with this small stuff too often but they were cool about it and didn't even charge me. Something you may want to look into.

Kactus

This will be a fun project to watch during the cold, rainy winter. For photos, open an account with PhotoBucket and download your photos there. You can then copy the link straight into your posts here.

rootboy 

Kurt, FWIW, mine was sort of a garage bike too. But I bought it from the original owner in 85 or so. He had ridden it, but not much.
I touched up just a couple of tiny spots on it, but back then, "competition" colors in model paint where hard to find. Now, I notice, Competition orange, and yellow, seem to be available again at the hobby shops. Back then, I just mixed and tested some model enamel the best I could, and it looks OK. Very small spots, but there was one place on a seat stay about the size of a pea. From standing in the garage and rubbing up against something.

You might also check out the One Shot sign painter's enamel, in orange. Not sure if it'll match or not, and at about $14 for a small tin, it might be prohibitively expensive if you also have to buy other colors. I suspect you "need" about 1/10th of an ounce. :>

One more idea; I've seen a VW Golf driving around here in an orange that looks very similar to my TC. I did stop in the dealership, years ago, thinking it might be nice to have a small bottle of touch up paint. The guy told me that that was a limited color, and he'd need the code number off the car. I see the old guy driving around now and again, but have never chased him down.

P.s. in my view, this is not close to Molteni orange at all. It is close to the old "Competition Orange". Like the hot rodders used to paint Chevys in the 60's.

OldsCOOL

II'm wondering where chevy orange engine paint fits this blend. Too bright (yellow)?