Cheney Yamaha #12

[dfisher]

Mark,
This one turned up fairly close to home - Yamaha #12.  Lovely job of welding and pipe modifications   

[firko]

What a cool find, the sister bike to my #14 frame. It's a pity about the frame mods but at least they're done professionally. I'd probably fix it if it was mine though......speaking of which, is it up for sale Dale?
I bought mine from Paul Pinnsonault in Massachusetts who told me he'd the bike up picked up locally. I believe you're from that general vicinity so it'd be logical to think that they were sold by the same dealer.

[Husk72]

Mark,just a curious question. Wouldn't all that rust bother you a bit,you know the integrity,strength of the frame etc?


                                                                           Cheers,Mark.

[Tim754]

just a curious question. Wouldn't all that rust bother you a bit,you know the integrity,strength of the frame etc?     Shit no!  Tim754

[firko]

Mark,just a curious question. Wouldn't all that rust bother you a bit,you know the integrity,strength of the frame etc?

Not really, it appears to be only surface rust. My Metisse is equally as rugged as was one of my Hindalls. Reynolds or 4150 chro-mo is pretty sturdy.

[Gippslander]

Firko, when you mentioned Paul Pinnsonault I thought, that name rings a bell, he's a great guy.... read on....

A while ago an Ebay lowlife took $600 from me for a bike he did not have, and after the usual to and fro' what's happenin' emails he answered "Sorry, I had to go out when your guy called to pick up" (3 times  ). 

So, I was unsure if there was a "communication" problem or if I was getting screwed (I know, the lad can be a bit slow).

Now it's a long way to the other side of the US and although I would have loved to fly there and knock on the lowlife's door (and his scone) it would just not be cost effective (a strange and foreign concept to most of us here).

So, I put out a call for backup on Mark's and straight up had 5 or 6 US brothers ready to toe the line, had a look at Google maps and one of the number a guy named Paul Pinnsonault was close so he helped out, and yep the deal was a scam, so left it at that, walked away, lucky it was not a lot more moola.

Anyway then there was a few back and forth emails to Paul, letting him know that his efforts were much appreciated, and on one reply he attached a photo of him winning one of the bigger hillclimb runs in the mid 90's, see below, crikey he's "the right stuff";  it would have to be the same Paul.

[firko]

Yeah, it's the same Paul and you're right, he is a good guy. Here's my Pinnsonault story........One morning, I was perusing Marks Swapmeet over a cup of coffee as per my usual habit and lo and behold there's a rough but fairly complete Cheney Yamaha RT1 for sale for $1000. I immediately emailed Paul and seeing that nobody else had put their hand up to buy it, he informed me that the bike was mine. I asked him to organise the shipping to Long Beach and to get back to me with a total cost so I could Paypal him the money. Well one week turned to three and I hadn't heard anything back despite my sending him a number of reminders. Finally I got an email from Paul telling me that he'd thought it over long and hard and had regretfully decided to keep the bike and restore it himself. I was disappointed and more than a little pissed off but he seemed quite genuine in his apologies for screwing me around. I pit it down to opportunity lost and got on with my other projects.

Then, about 12 months later an email arrived out of the blue from Paul Pinnsonault asking me if I was still interested in buying the Cheney. He explained that as much as he wanted to keep the bike he knew deep down that he would never get around to restoring it and feeling bad that he'd originally pulled it from under me he decided to offer it back for the very same $1000 it'd been a year earlier. He went on to say that he'd been offerered much more money for the bike but felt that he owed it to me for what we'd originally agreed on. Naturally, I wasn't going to let it get away this time so I immediately sent him the $1k and he organised its shipping to Long Beach for a ridiculously low figure. I learned from the deal that Paul is a man of integrity and honesty. It would have been so much easier and more profitable for him to sell the bike locally without me ever knowing but he acted on his good concience and did me a good turn.

Paul and his brother have a bike shop in Massachusetts and wheel and deal in Maico bikes and parts. Apparently he's a legend in hill climb circles.......Paul Pinnsonault's the "right stuff" alright.
  As seen on Marks Swapmeet
 
today                                                                          
 

[dfisher]

Firko,
Much is the same story here with frame#12.  Back in the shed it went after the owner decided to hang onto it.  I made a suggestion that an effort to thwart any further deterioration was recommended if and when it came up for a restoration again.