I have a Motobecane Le Champion which I have been assuming was a late 1970s model. I do know that it is an original, French-made Motobecane, and not one of the current (garbage) Asian-imported models sold under the "Motobecane USA" name. The problem is, I've had incredible difficulty finding out anything about the bike I have, including the model year, original MSRP, current value, etc. Stamped on the underside of the BB is the number '5682247', which I assume is the frame/serial number, which should help in determining the model year, but I have been unable to find any site that provides the information I need. I'm hoping someone can help me. Originally, I thought the bike to be from the late 1970s...possibly a 1979, but I have determined that it's not a 1979, based on the location of the shift levers, as I found a photo of a 1979 model, which has the levers on the down tube, whereas the levers on my bike are mounted on the ends of the bar. Looking at the frame, I can tell that this frame never had down tube-mounted shifters, so I'm figuring it's safe to assume that the bar-mounted shifters is the original location.

The following components are all Campagnolo: brakes, brake levers, bike-mounted pump, hand-sewn leather bar wraps, chainring, cranks, and (Gran Sport) pedals. As for the shift levers & derailleurs, all are SunTour, with the front derailleur being labeled "SunTour BL", and the rear derailleur labeled "SunTour Superbe Tech". The bars & stem are both Philippe, while the toe clips are stamped "christophe Special". As for the (brown leather) saddle, it shows "ITALIA" on the back-side. The frame is Reynolds 531. Unfortunately, other than the fact that the badge is of the square design, and the bike's color is what I would consider a metallic titanium, I have no other information I can provide. Although I can't be 100% certain, it appears that all components are original, for I did discover that, in the late 1970s, due to the fact that Japanese companies started producing components that were just as good, if not better, than European components, and at a lower cost, Motobecane started swapping out certain Campy components for their Japanese counterparts, such as the SunTour components used on my Le Champion.

To (hopefully) help anyone who might be able to help me, I've included a few photos. Any/All help would be greatly appreciated, for, at this point, I am at a loss how to proceed. I have plenty of additional photos, if, for those willing/able to help, they are needed.