Nice find, Inkwolf. Motobecane was well known for producing very nice bikes. They were prized possessions in the '70's and are worthy machines.
You will be able to use it as a road bike very effectively. I ride my '70's vintage French bike (Peugeot) on many tours and big rides and hold up very nicely against people on new and "modern" machines.
Unfortunately, all my resource material is packed away, so I can't give you any information or original pricing. I guess your bike is from the mid 1970's and had a sticker price of around $600.
Go to oldroads.com for info and parts. Go to the vintage lightweights forums at
http://oldroads.com/d_ltw_def.asp?rec_count=1 and ask the guys there what you want to know. Post for parts. Somebody can help you.
Also, I can usually get my hands on parts for you, so contact me for what you need. There is a neat guy in Neenah that has/had 700 great old bikes - he is owns a bike junkyard. He either has or can get what you need.
French bikes did have some odd sized parts like the bottom bracket, but if you need to replace the bottom bracket, pitch the bike and move on to your next big find. For the most part, however, you can replace parts with anything available.
Contact me direct if you need advice, parts, or info.