FINDING THE SEVENTIES MASERATI MT-7

Finding vintage road bicycles used to be as easy as spending a morning Yard Saling.  Gone are those days, now that the interest in the vintage bicycle has become so keen and wide spread. With that in mind, it is rare to see something unusual present itself for easy pickin.  And that is exactly what happened with this unusual old Italian made vintage racing bicycle.

While looking through list after list of Craigslist, an activity which is more to pass time than to actually shop, this old Maserati presented itself and for under $300.00.  Interest was immediate but availability was going to be a problem - the bicycle was close to two thousand miles away.

Two thousand miles and only a single set of pictures and the seller's words to work with.  None the less, the bike was purchased with a hope and a prayer that it would be in acceptable condition.  And, for the most part, it was.

Distance and acquisition are rarely a big problems, when purchasing on-line.  As often as not, a facilitator can be found who will help to make the deal to acquire a bicycle.  That same person can, and probably will, pack and ship the bicycle to you, asking little in return other than reimbursement for the cost to ship.  However, that person cannot use your eyes, or your expertise, or your anything to look the bicycle over.

And that is a big problem and one that presented itself when the Maserati showed up, one beautiful Thunder Bay Spring morning.

The local Greyhound office opens at ten in the morning, six days a week.  About ten fifteen, the call came in that a parcel was there, prepaid, waiting for pick-up.  Though in the middle of something, at that exact moment, my hopes soared as I released a three or four month long sigh.  Though I had purchased the bicycle in mid winter, it was not until late Spring when it finally managed to make its way to Thunder Bay.

None the less, the bike had arrived and, with the task of immediacy completed, the Ranger headed for the bus station.  A half hour later, the reasonably intact shipping container was sitting beside The Old Shed.

When purchasing a bicycle on-line, it is wise to document the condition of the package, when it arrives and certainly before it is opened.  So too should the unpacking of the container be documented.  This pictorial record will prove to be invaluable should a shipping or false advertising claim arise.

It was not long into the unpacking that the first moment of dismay struck - flaking chrome.  The Craigslist listing had said the bike was in good condition.  Had there been a single mention of flaking chrome, the deal would never have begun.  None the less, the problem had arrived.

Flaking chrome all but demands repair, and repair is expensive.  At best, and at the time, the Maserati would see itself cleaned up, tuned up and made ready to use.  Little effort would be invested in expensive cosmetic repair, be they of simple paint/art replacement or re-chrome plating.

As the bike continued to emerge from its plastic and trapped air cocoon, other cosmetic issues presented themselves, but none of any significance.  Until the last of the bubble wrap came off of the chain stays.  A dent in one stay, on the inside and easy enough to disguise, but a dent, none the less.

Had the listing mentioned anything about a dent, the deal would not have begun.

Though nothing else major presented itself, during the unpacking ceremony, enough doubt was raised to speed up putting the bicycle into the work stand for a complete inspection and evaluation, in preparation for a Street Restoration.

NEXT - TEST BUILDING THE MASERATI