Originally Posted by
Oscight
Still confused on whether the Unique would be a good deal or not. The seller describes it as having the original seat, and I see a reflector set like the one in the picture there, but I see no bottle cage and there are new Bianchi handlebar tapes. Otherwise, the bike looks to be in pristine condition.
I wish the photos were larger, but that Lotus Unique looks like a beautiful bike for $300.00.
Lotus called that color Violet-Blue, it does appear to change color depending on the light. It looks particularly stunning in person, the photos just can't capture the depth of the color. Most of the Japanese Lotus bikes have outstanding paint quality, even after 30 years. The Italian and Taiwanese Lotus bikes can have variable paint quality.
The saddle on the Lotus is original, it's a Kashimax model with a reflective Lotus nameplate that was only used on the 1984 models. The reflector set on that bike is original, which to me can be indicative of a seldom-used or well-kept bike. The pedals are missing the original toe clips, straps, and reflectors. The bottle cage is missing, but that's usually just a bonus if it is there anyway. I don't recommend using the plastic-mount original cages, except for collector and display purposes. The brake hoods are also missing but easily replaced with aftermarket hoods.
Some of the mid-level Lotus bikes used foam grips in 1983-1984, some had bar tape, even on the same model in the same year.
As vintage Lotus bikes go, they don't get much nicer than that one. It also wouldn't take much to bring it back to 99% original.
If I was looking for a cool sport-commuter in that price range the Lotus would be a no-brainer. I could wax-on even more about this bike, if anyone was interested
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