Motobecane 50v perpare for a love/hate relationship!

Rebel Moby /
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Motobecanes are most excellent bikes, easy to wrench, aside from the cam/clutch puller (mandatory tool to get) you can easily fabricate any other specialty function tools in a garage without access to a machine shop.

Master switch from hell needs to immediately be replaced if it has not already failed, this will also require hard wiring the bike with the added benefit of chasing out all the other electrical gremlins designed into the bike by evil French electrical engineers (an evil deed by the French in retaliation of the US DOT forcing them to have the ignition ground through the tail light and installing a sealed beam headlight).

You will want to at least install an external condenser as the original design with an unvented magneto just cooks the poor heat sensitive unit in the heat byproduct of electrical generation. You would also need to replace the bonding strap that goes from the upper engine mount to the external coil with one from a intake to that coil (which happens to be the best location for that external condenser).

Check the engine mounts - the rubber gets soft and they distort to the point where full variation is not possible. Replacement is a 15 minute job if you have trouble... shorter if you set yourself up properly and not try to take short cuts.

Swapping out the Gurtner carb for a SHA14:12 is a good idea, unless you have the patience of the Dalai Lama and want to clean that dang weepy carb to surgical standards. Best idea is a cable choke carb.

Check the head badge of the one you plan on buying to ensure it is at least rated at 30mph as Mobys come in 3 flavours 20 - 25 - 30 miles per hour ratings in either variated or dimoby single speed. If you get the rarer dimoby 30mph bike you only have to put on a stock variator and change the Jhook and you can laugh at the folkes who snickered behind your back for getting the cheaper version because you will be instantly faster than their stock 50v.

Like any bike, some folks love them, some like them others hate them... like any other brand they have their particular issues and characteristics which some folks cope with, some manage well and others just get angry.

They have a reputation of being temperamental and moody little Frenchis bitches who will give you much love when they are in the mood and grind you the wrong way at other times. All so very true but they are drop dead sexy and so much pleasure when they are well loved.

^ in my humbly unbiased opinion...

This single post is part of a larger thread. Start from the top or view this post in context.
Subject Written By Posted
  Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Topic by: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 09:26PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Andrew Squiggman Andrew Squiggman 12/21/15 09:39PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 09:43PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Andrew Squiggman Andrew Squiggman 12/21/15 09:49PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 09:54PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Allan RJH Allan RJH 12/21/15 09:57PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 09:59PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 10:08PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: - rwc - - rwc - 12/21/15 10:11PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 10:16PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 10:23PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 10:27PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: - rwc - - rwc - 12/21/15 10:29PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 10:36PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 10:37PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: The Real Mike D The Real Mike D 12/21/15 10:32PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 10:35PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Andrew Squiggman Andrew Squiggman 12/21/15 11:08PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 10:49PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Downhill Harvey (OFMC) Downhill Harvey (OFMC) 12/21/15 10:53PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Paul H Paul H 12/21/15 11:07PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 11:06PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Max Johnson Max Johnson 12/21/15 11:14PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Stephen Keller Stephen Keller 12/21/15 11:16PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Max Johnson Max Johnson 12/22/15 12:47AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Better Fส็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็ster Better Fส็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็็ster 12/22/15 08:20AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: NEMA Victor (3 Knees Down) NEMA Victor (3 Knees Down) 12/22/15 04:08PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: jeffrey Suarez jeffrey Suarez 12/22/15 12:14AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Hells Satans Sleepydog Hells Satans Sleepydog 12/22/15 01:13AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Jimmy Cincinnati Jimmy Cincinnati 12/22/15 09:03AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Matt Madden Matt Madden 12/22/15 09:50AM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Badboy Brandon Badboy Brandon 12/22/15 12:18PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Dan (LandLordsMG/PSVMC) Dan (LandLordsMG/PSVMC) 12/22/15 03:13PM
  Motobecane 50v perpare for a love/hate relationship!Re: Rebel Moby Rebel Moby 12/24/15 04:34PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Max Johnson Max Johnson 12/24/15 05:41PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Lauri V Lauri V 12/24/15 07:55PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: Kiel the Canuck Kiel the Canuck 12/25/15 07:49PM
  Re: Is the Motobecane 50v a nice bike?Re: ---------------- LaZer ------------* ---------------- LaZer ------------* 12/27/15 11:20PM

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