Vista Torino muscle bike

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509clunk

509clunk

Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Messages
646
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Location
washington state
Rating - 100%
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I purchased this bike on here from THIRSTEE (great rrb member) it was a shot in the dark for me, never heard of vista?looks cool! priced fairly! GOTTA HAVE It. i love this little bike i added a slick, a new seat and wiped it down turned out nice. When i recieved this perfectly packed bike i realized the box had been repacked by the usps and missing some small items, no big deal made a trip to the local bike shop and did some scrounging and picked up everything i needed. It took some time to get the derailer adjusting figured out (3-4 hours!) but shes a RIDER now! I rode it for about a mile today with no issues, even got a thumbs up :mrgreen: thanks again thirstee!
As recived
photobucket-2107-1327629212748.jpg

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After assembly and clean up (no idea why the chain is that way)
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I couldn't help but notice the `55 Bel Air. Looks good! Did your Torino have the original seat when you got it. Just wondering if the Vista nameplate on the back was in black or white? Do the end caps on the pedals say Vista? I think you got a great deal. I looked for mine for a very long time! We almost have twins!
IMGP0733.jpg
 
Wow quesy we have twins seperated at birth!!! Do you have any of the original sell sheets on these bikes? or any information i cant find anything online,white tag on the back of the original seat.what type of derailer is on yours, mine has a suntour i dont believe its stock i had to modify to get enough throw to get in 5th, grind the cage off!
photobucket-4666-1327859351574.jpg
 
509clunk said:
Wow quesy we have twins seperated at birth!!! Do you have any of the original sell sheets on these bikes? or any information i cant find anything online,white tag on the back of the original seat.what type of derailer is on yours, mine has a suntour i dont believe its stock i had to modify to get enough throw to get in 5th, grind the cage off!
photobucket-4666-1327859351574.jpg
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I have these that I copied from my original sales brochures:
1969
vista69.jpg

1971
vista71.jpg

1974
vista74.jpg

I'm not a Vista expert. I can only relate what information I have found after years of searching on the internet and comparing bikes with other Vista owners. Vista came to life in the mid 60's. Schwinn stopped selling bikes to their nonfranchised dealers. These same dealers went together and found a company willing to build a bike to their specifications. This was the start of NIDA also.Those specs were very close to schwinn specs because the dealers had spare parts for schwinn. Things like S7 1 3/4 tires, forks, goosenecks, seats etc. Columbia ended up making them. These bikes had built in kickstands, ashtabula forks, persons seats, S2 and S7 wheels.
You asked about the shifter length. Shimano made the shifters, the first used the T handle type, second style was the short version with round Vista knob and last was the long handle version. All 5 speeds used an overload tube, like Schwinn.
003.jpg

007.jpg

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Mine has an Allvit derailluer similar to Schwinn
001.jpg

Brakes are Dia Compe
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The fork design and even the fork darts remind you of Schwinn, as does the nameplate and chainguard.
006.jpg

From what I saw in your photo, your has the correct sissy bar, mine has some after market one. Both bikes would have had ww tires when new. I've only ever seen one with those original tires, but I love your redline rear!
Here is a photo of the Columbia bike that gives Vista its beginning.
columbiadeluxe5.jpg

columbiadeluxe5a.jpg

If your into StingRays or Schwinns for that matter, Vista is just another part of the story!
 
quesy that info you posted is great! i am going to keep my eye out for some vista literture!does yours have the reflector?
 
509clunk said:
quesy that info you posted is great! i am going to keep my eye out for some vista literture!does yours have the reflector?
Click to expand...
Mine had the same 8 sided reflector like yours. I thought it was aftermarket, but now I'm thinking its the right one! Hope I didn't throw it out.
 
Yeah this Vista company was definately after schwinns market.They cloned them closer than any competitor,blade forks,almost exact goosenecks,knurled rims (japanese marked),etc.I picked up a 26" collegiate clone Vista a while back and was stunned at how hard they tried to copy schwinn.Im on the look out for them now.Yours is the first Vista muscle bike Ive seen,very cool.

I bought this Vista seat NOS still in the bag,its a troxel and very high quality
vista002.jpg
 
I know you guys are talking 5 speed muscle bikes....but an old guy I know has a cherry white Vista 10 speed with the tall frame for large riders. It's really mint, are these bikes worth anything? He wants $20 for it. And it keeps haunting me. I didn't mean to de-rail this kool Vista thread. Thanks, Gary
 
CHAMPION123 said:
I know you guys are talking 5 speed muscle bikes....but an old guy I know has a cherry white Vista 10 speed with the tall frame for large riders. It's really mint, are these bikes worth anything? He wants $20 for it. And it keeps haunting me. I didn't mean to de-rail this kool Vista thread. Thanks, Gary
Click to expand...
I've seen the 10 speeds go for $50-$100, similar in pricing to the Varsity. Any minty bike for $20 is worth picking up!
 
I agree with quesy! Hey quesy i am also watching that brochure!are we going to be bidding each other up on it?
 
509clunk said:
I agree with quesy! Hey quesy i am also watching that brochure!are we going to be bidding each other up on it?
Click to expand...
509 your safe! I already have that one. Thats where I copied some of those torino photos from! Good luck!
 
Hi there. I'm a newbie on the forum, looking for an expert on Vista Torino restorations. I'm a freelance writer, working on a story for Bicycling magazine about a Vista Torino 400 restored by a prison-based bike recyclery. Really neat story, really awesome bike (my avatar pic). It went to an 8-year-old girl, the youngest child of a single mother of four. An inmate found a banana seat and gave it some love, but I want to know more about the history of this brand, the parts, what makes it unique, etc.

In trying to learn more about this bike, I found this thread and really loved the old ads posted by Queasy Rider. Can anyone please help me learn more? You can vet my work at kimhcross.pressfolios.com and email me at [email protected]. Thanks! --Kim
 
RideMC3 said:
Hi there. I'm a newbie on the forum, looking for an expert on Vista Torino restorations. I'm a freelance writer, working on a story for Bicycling magazine about a Vista Torino 400 restored by a prison-based bike recyclery. Really neat story, really awesome bike (my avatar pic). It went to an 8-year-old girl, the youngest child of a single mother of four. An inmate found a banana seat and gave it some love, but I want to know more about the history of this brand, the parts, what makes it unique, etc.

In trying to learn more about this bike, I found this thread and really loved the old ads posted by Queasy Rider. Can anyone please help me learn more? You can vet my work at kimhcross.pressfolios.com and email me at [email protected]. Thanks! --Kim
Click to expand...

Looks like @QUEASY RIDER has done the most homework on the Vista Torino. Hopefully he will chime in with more history info for you!
Jim
 

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