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I was wondering if you had other photos of your Motobecane's headtude badge. Back in 1989 I built a road bike from a bare Motobecane frame. I lacked the badge. I sold the bike about 5 years ago and bought it back last week. Nice bike, I forgot how nice they ride.
Anywho, I have some decal paper for the pc and I am wanting to do a Motobecane headtube badge.
twist wrote: I was wondering if you had other photos of your Motobecane's headtude badge. Back in 1989 I built a road bike from a bare Motobecane frame. I lacked the badge. I sold the bike about 5 years ago and bought it back last week. Nice bike, I forgot how nice they ride.
Anywho, I have some decal paper for the pc and I am wanting to do a Motobecane headtube badge.
Ahh, Motobecane...
I bought my Grand Touring new in 1977 for $250. A really nice ride (although I can't ride hands-free; the front wheel won't hold a straight line but immediately starts turning-- any idea what that's about?). Anyway, I've been in love with that bike since the day I bought it. Unfortunately, she's currently in a shipping carton, because I want to have some minor repairs made, but need to come up with the money first. And before I do that, I'm having a Bianchi Project 3 frameset restored. Then repairs to the Motobecane, while I'm building up the Bianchi frameset. But first, bLuE oRdEr needs to stabilize his finances. 
So what model Motobecane do you have?
The headtube badge picture is actually from Classic Rendezvous. They have a Classic French page, and on that page, there's a link to their Motobecane page, which has the photo of the headtube badge.
Also, I've seen these badges for sale occasionally, and you're in luck, because here's one currently for sale on Ebay!
By the way, I'll be writing a legal column for Velonews soon-- I research and write the articles, and the columnist (a bicycle law attorney) then puts his touch on it, but gives me credit for research. Should be appearing in August. I'll keep you posted. Well, good luck with the badge, Twist!
I purchased my first mountain bike in 1988. Soon I desired a road bike. My best friend worked at a bike shop and hooked me up with a stripped bare Motobecane frame. It came with a plastic "M." So I painted it to reflect the current Trek carbons (pre OCLVs) and the mtb I had at the time. Somehow the green came out more Bianchi than turquois but still nice. I purchased all the Ultegra I could afford (derailers) and a Sakae crank. Rob provided the rest including old style Shimano 600 (Ultegra) brake levers. Given its 27" wheels I had to use diacomp for speed scrubbing. but the wheels were freshly built for the project even using butted spokes. We spread the read out to accept a 7 speed hyperglide freehub and cassette. Funny thing is that the shifters are not indexed since I have yet to replace them with the Dura Ace down tube shifters collecting dust in my garage. Shifts great, however. Friction shifting is the use of the Force IMHO and down tube shifters are the best shifters over all when maintenance and replacing cables are foactored in. The handlebars are sort of narrow but wide in the drops. We rode to the beer garden the other night and I was pleasantly suprised on how comfortable it was to ride in the drops. The stem height and size probably had a lot to do with it.
After acquiring more bikes than I needed I sold this bike to a friend's wife about 5 years ago. I sat in their basement most of the time so they were happy to sell it back. They tend to smoke as their exercise.
The only decals I placed on her are from a Front 242 sticker. Front 242 can be seen on the top tube above the shifter and "Tyranny for you" on the headtube. I did glue the "M" on the HT but it fell off. Thus my desire to place a Motobecane decal there. The only other decal is an Off The Front from the original bar wrap. Fortunately John and Brenda replaced that wrap with cork. I will also put Motobecane decals on the downtube. Have no idea what model it is.
twist wrote: They tend to smoke as their exercise.
I can't tell the model either. I do notice that your bike has somewhat plain lugs, like these:
instead of the fancy nervex lugs like these:
That might provide a clue about the model. Also, your bike probably had this decal:
which should provide a clue about the year.
I'm gonna try to stop at three bikes: My Motobecane, my Bianchi, and someday, a tandem. Then it's time to find a girlfriend for the tandem, and after that, I won't have the money or freedom to buy anything else. :D
Those are nice lugs. The type of lugs that make me hard. Nothing can compare to old world brazing. Tig has its purpose but lacks the soul of a lugger steel bike. Always ISO of a nice steel road bike.
Get a GF just slightly shorter than you for best tandem fit. Or slightly taller then you can ride in back and enjoy the view! My wife and I are about the same shortness err height so we can exchanges bikes.
twist wrote: Those are nice lugs. The type of lugs that make me hard. Nothing can compare to old world brazing. Tig has its purpose but lacks the soul of a lugger steel bike. Always ISO of a nice steel road bike.
Get a GF just slightly shorter than you for best tandem fit. Or slightly taller then you can ride in back and enjoy the view! My wife and I are about the same shortness err height so we can exchanges bikes.
Notice also the paint details Motobecane used with those lugs-- the lugs are a different color than the tubes, and accented in gold. Has to be hand-painted. My 1977 paint job still looks as new as the day I bought it, too, except for where I've nicked it. That's why it's in a box-- I wanna send it off for professional touch-ups so it doesn't begin to rust.
The lugged steel is the reason I got the Bianchi frameset-- the first cross bikes, perfect for commuting, good for touring or off-road.
So now I have to decide if I get the GF first, and then a bike to fit, or the bike first, and then a GF to fit. 
Probably get the bike first, because GFs come and go, but a good bike is forever.
Friday I leave for RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). 7 days, about 500 miles. Wifey and I usually take a tandem and two road bikes. I have done about 13 of these. Sorta like Mardis Gras meets Tour de Lance. I ride with a group of college friends in this damn school bus full of felonies (no guns).
bLuE oRdEr wrote: Here's another photo:
I had a Motobecane moped in jr. high. You could pedal it like a bike or use the motor. I only laid it down once.... 
Tex wrote:
bLuE oRdEr wrote:
I had a Motobecane moped in jr. high. You could pedal it like a bike or use the motor. I only laid it down once....
I only laid my Motobecane down once, too. In my thirties. To paraphrase the immortal words of Christopher Walken, "Owie Ow Ow"!
AgentWood wrote:
bLuE oRdEr wrote: a bicycle law attorney
i think i've heard everything now.
Blue, when you get your degree have the bastards reverse the need to fuck with bikes. For example, lawsuits destroyed the quick release on front wheels.
Probably some nitwit who had NO idea how his bicycle works dropped a wheel and called a lawyer. You wouldn't believe the questions we get from cyclists.
"I got a tcket for riding on the sidewalk; what should I do?"
Ummm, don't ride on the sidewalk?
The other side of that is that some companies knowingly manufacture and sell a dangerous product because there's more money to be made by continuing to sell the product than there is in fixing the problem. That's why lawyers win lawsuits.
