Motobecane grand touring
 

I saw the ad on CL and e-mailed the seller.He sent the pics and said he hasn't set a price yet but make an offer. It looks kind of rough but if the price is right I can make it pretty again. I guess it would be the French bottom bracket and stem size due the year of it's manufacture.
Ideas on an offer? $40?

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1435282955.html

old motocanebe grand touring -

im pretty sure this bike is from the 70"s skinny tires lightweight in good cond.still needs some work & new seat
27" 18-speed bought it in a garage sale in riverside last month & dont have time to work on it.looks like a nice vintage bike,
made in frace.e-mail me if interested & i will send pics.all original
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e3...uring/MB_1.jpg
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e3...uring/MB_2.jpg

If you can get it that cheap in OC, good on ya! Even in the current rough shape, it's worth a bit more, IMHO, but don't let that stop you from getting a bargain. Yes, the era is about right, 1974-75 is when they brought back that round headbadge, it's almost surely got a FR BB...very tall frame, but it's not 27", that's the size of the wheels. Ask him if he has the "slide-on" panniers that go with that rack.

I'm not an expert on this model, I do have a Paramount from the same time period and some of the parts, such as the brakes, look very good.

The initial cost should be low but that will be only a small part of the cost of the restoration.

If you have the time and skill you could disassemble the bike, clean & touch-up the paint and clean and polish the rest and have a nice bike.

Michael

You are going to insert yourself into a mini bidding war for that Moto since seller did not set a price. That area of OC is rife with flippers. In fact there is one seller in GG that sells bikes like the Moto for around $125+ in its current condition. As far as I can tell he only props them up in the middle of the road and snaps a pic. Also check for a stuck seat post.

I have the same bike...well, maybe a size smaller....mine is about a 1980 model. Weinman center-pull brakes, Motobecane labeled (SR stamped?) triple crankset, Suntour VX in rear, 5 speed 14-32 freewheel, Selle Italia seat, one set of cage bosses, no bosses in fork, etc. stem/steer tube is the French (ie, smaller) diameter...don't know about threading on the BB because I didn't compare mine to another one. I pulled mine out of a shed for $0, completely dismantled, cleaned, polished, repacked all the bearings, added new tires, tubes, fenders and some accessories and it has come back into "play" as a very nice riding bike that I commute with, take on pleasure rides, or whatever....I liked what a friend said about it when he looked at it,....."I guess 'grand' is French for Hotel"....true, but still a great bike. I also have one of the same model, but an '84, thus 18 speed and different drivetrain, that I bought from an ad on CL for $100...it was clean, tuned, and literally ready to ride (I love buying bikes from neat freaks!)....so, one could argue that I over-paid for the one I pulled from the shed. But, hey, I like blue and the other one is gunmetal/burgandy :)

That's a long way of saying that I've watched these a lot since I own two & my observations are they seem to be sold pretty cheap (or advertised cheap), but are very nice riding bikes. In the condition shown, I wouldn't get into a bidding war, though.

Here are mine:

http://www.fiataccompli.com/bike/ass...mb-325x231.jpg

and...

http://www.fiataccompli.com/bike/ass...mb-450x277.jpg

$50 would be a steal for this bike. Obviously needs a thorough tune up. The rear rack is an Eclispse brand, which had specific Eclipse brand panniers that fit them only. Nice bike.

I was contacted by the seller and was told there was a crack in the seat tube near the bottom bracket. He said maybe it could be welded back together. I passed on it.

Great move ! I would not touch anything with a crack in its frame.

Neat Freaks
 

TMH657...sorry it didn't work out. It wouldv'e been a fun bike to spit and polish back to life. I like blue! Bikes like that go for about $100 to $150 here in Houston but normally - take off for the seat. Hope you find another you'll be happy with!

Jez-o-pete Fiat! That is one pretty gun-metal-gray MOTO!! I too have been lucky to get a few bikes from neat freaks cheaply and all I can say is GOD bless them and their little OCD hearts!

I have always wanted a MOTO from that time period. I think they have a quality look to them that sets them apart. The fact that they are touring is a bonus to me. I had an opportunity to buy a his-and-hers set in blue and silver from a guy for $200.00 but I did not want to drive the 45 miles to go get them. They stayed on CL for 4 weeks until the day I got paid and made my mind up I was going to drive and go get them. The ad was gone. Snooze and you lose! Sigh...