Evil D

Scored yet another Lotus from the same thrift shop today that I got my Excelle from, $30. Could have got it for half price tomorrow but the extra $15 was worth making sure someone else didn't snatch it. Looks to be all original except for some old Continental tires that were badly dry rotted, so I bought some new ones and new tubes and gave it a good wipe down to clean off the years of dust. I did some light research on it, it's an '87, retailed for $599, index shifter, pretty sweet ride. The chain needs degreased but otherwise it's ready to ride (once I air up the tires anyway). Anything else I should know? What's it worth?

Bianchigirll 

Nice looking bike. I am a big fan of the Alpha 5000 group.

Ready to ride? Didn't overhaul any bearings? Worth? Lets see you paid 30 right? would you have paid 60? I doubt it. take thrity dollars add the cost of the tires and tubes and say 20 for your labor. Whats that come to about 130 maybe 140? I bet you could sell it for 150ish in the spring.

Evil D

Oh I have no doubt, I've sold entry level Ross's for that much around here. I have about $100 into it with the tires and tubes, but I don't plan on selling it anyway, I was just curious.

zukahn1

I would guess a $175-200 in nice shape. Real nice bike for the price. While nice the lesser Taiwanese alluminium frame and accushift stuff with CID chainrings, could hold the price down quit a bit for knowledgable buyers.

Evil D

Yeah, that Biopace style chainring stuff is constant controversy with everyone I talk to. You either love it or hate it. I haven't spent enough time riding them to care one way or another, so my opinion may change after a while. I just have two Lotus's now that have them but I haven't spent any time riding either one. I also didn't know the frame was Taiwanese, I thought the "made in Japan" part meant the frame too. Who made the frames for Lotus? Personally I'm more of a steel frame guy and prefer my Excelle over this one, but the indexed shifting is a nice addition. I supposed I could always just upgrade.

zukahn1

About the tim this bike was made lotus was transitioning alot of there production from Japan to Taiwan so it is possible the frame could have been made in either Japan or Taiwan. If the frame is marked made in Japan it was probably made in Japan. While it won't increase value much being made in japan will likely make the bike a little easier to sell.

Snydermann

I'm sorry, but that information is just not correct.

Lotus bragged in their sales literature for 1987 that all of their bikes were made in Japan or Italy. Even the cheapest models. There was never a transitioning from Japanese to Taiwanese production, Lotus didn't last long enough for that to happen.

While it is true that lotus experimented with some inexpensive Taiwanese bikes in the earlier 1980s, they were always marketed as inexpensive/value bikes and were an integral and variable part of the model line-up starting from about 1982 and peaking in and around 1984. 1986 had less Taiwanese models and 1987 had none. After 1988 Lotus bikes were pretty much just Lotus in name and were sold by Sears and other companies. Those models resumed some Taiwanese production, but it was no longer a full-line of models anyway, just a few bikes available that still carried the Lotus name.

The Lotus Leger is a cool bike, one of only two Aluminum bikes offered by Lotus, for one year only. It should eventually be a very collectible model, Lotus is still on the upswing. Your bike looks very original (even still sporting the correct 1987 reflectors) which makes it even more rare than the average non-original Lotus. Lotus bikes in general are not rare; however, completely original Lotus bikes are VERY rare.

The 1987 Leger shares the same components as the 1987 Lotus Unique. So it's basically an aluminum-framed Unique. It is my understanding, from speaking with quite a few Lotus dealers from back in the day, that the Lotus Leger and the Aluminum Esprit were not very popular, for reasons unknown. The color choices seem to have been a matter of contention, with the Aquamarine Blue of the Lotus Esprit being the most popular and the first to sell out. The bikes were often seriously discounted and often took years to sell after their introduction. Even as of a few years ago there was a guy on Ebay Selling Legers new in the box.



I'd value the bike at $350.00. I WISH I could find these rare Lotus bikes at a thrift store for 30 bucks.

Evil D

I was hoping you would chime in. Thanks for the info.

Evil D

Well guys, I got blasted by a work van today while crossing a cross walk on my Leger. It destroyed both wheels and chewed up the brake levers and my Brooks saddle. I'm pretty banged up but nothing is broken. The miracle is I usually pull my daughter in a tag along bike with this bike but today she went to the zoo with some friends, otherwise I'm sure she would've been hurt.

Stay safe folks, don't trust cross walks. I usually don't but the car coming the other direction had come to a complete stop and it looked like this guy was going to as well but he drilled me good.

marius.suiram 

for Snydermann : did you see my post about "Lotus Eclair"?
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...us-eclair.html

BlueGrassHopper

Hello lotus bike experts. I have a leger that i am trying to get a value on. It is all original but missing the lotus water bottle. has the made in Japan label. Any idea on the value? Can't post pictures right now since i don't have the post count yet.

zukahn1

Read the other posts in this thread then please just start another post and you may get some info help.