# 1987 Mountain Cat 7500



## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

Part of my past was running a couple bikes stores and Panasonic was a line sold at both those stores. Back in the fall of 86 I thought this was one of the hottest bikes being shown for the 87 model year...so I saved up the bucks and put one on the pre-season order for late winter/spring delivery. I loved the bike and the way it rode back then. Had a chance to recently pick one up to relive a little past from the golden years. Panasonic MC 7500. (The MC stands for Mountain Cat which was a prefix to Panasonics mountain bike line over the years) It's from the M730 6 speed XT rear end era and pretty much complete group. Lugged Prestige frame w/Lost was seat lug, chrome plated drive side chain stay and fork ends. All Japanese made stuff back then....Including the Tange Supple grips...which I'd buy more of today if I could find them. What's weird about this pick up is how it came to me....It had a Power Cam brake and a wheel set from the MC6500 model which had the same spec black RM-20 rims but Suntour XC Sport Hubs and Winner Pro freewheel. I'm wondering if it was maybe a show sample bike or something and parts got mixed or exchanged between models as the 6500 rear brake spec was also Power Cam. Possible that a previous owner of this bike had one of each and mixed the parts. In very decent condition not a spec of rust and most all of the hardware is in great shape...big bonus in the tires... while not the original spec Panaracer Ibex they are newer Smoke and Dart light skinwalls with the mold knobs showing yet. As most all bikes from this era it has a few paint nicks and scratches probably most from storage...It certainly wasn't ridden much. Oh, and this bike...yeah it was a production bike but made in much smaller numbers than MB-1's and similar XT production bikes. The color..... Lemon Lime/Lime Green fade. I think there's a few others that post regularly that will remember this one.

Here's a link to the original catalog page from 1987. Found at the Panasonic Bicycles Virtual Museum.
http://picasaweb.google.com/scarsgo/1987PanasonicBicyclesCatalog#5238286942631509730


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## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

It came with a modern day gel seat on it but I ordered the correct Selle Italia black suede Mundialita saddle for it. The Breeze & Angel Hite Rite?...it was on there coming out of the box so it stays. Oh and you gotta dig the old Mr. Pump mount bracket...my original had one just like it:thumbsup: Here's a few more pics.


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## hairstream (Apr 20, 2008)

nice fork.


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## themanmonkey (Nov 1, 2005)

hairstream said:


> nice fork.


You can still get 3 versions of that fork crown. Go to the bottom of the page HERE.

Panasonic was always one of my fave Japanese bike companies. They were also one of the largest contract builders for lots of other companies.


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## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

very nice bike


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## nowhereman (Jul 23, 2004)

mechagouki said:


> very nice bike


second that...


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## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

i've got one of those, too. i will try to post pictures this weekend. fun ride: lugged japanese prestige. i don't have the paint matched stem or the original fork, however.


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## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

rockychrysler said:


> i've got one of those, too. i will try to post pictures this weekend. fun ride: lugged japanese prestige. i don't have the paint matched stem or the original fork, however.


Yours could be my original bike....the guy I sold it to was college student . He rode it away from the store and came back a half hour later with the forks at 90 degrees. I could have cried. he was pissed and said I owed him a new fork and Ill I said was....it's a bike not a plane and you need to learn how to land when going for air.


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## Linoleum (Aug 25, 2008)

I almost bought a MC4500 a while back. I am short, it was tall, and the kind people on this board talked me out of buying it!

Like the paint scheme!


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## badbushido (Jan 4, 2006)

Linoleum said:


> I almost bought a MC4500 a while back. I am short, it was tall, and the kind people on this board talked me out of buying it!
> 
> Like the paint scheme!


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## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

rockychrysler said:


> i've got one of those, too. i will try to post pictures this weekend. fun ride: lugged japanese prestige. i don't have the paint matched stem or the original fork, however.


six years later, he finally gets around to posting a picture...


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## rockychrysler (Aug 9, 2003)

rockychrysler said:


> six years later, he finally gets around to posting a picture...
> 
> View attachment 1005005


wrote a little about the old panasonic on my blog tonight... RockyChrysler.com: Just about a bike: Panasonic Mountain Cat 7500


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## Rmplstlskn (Sep 18, 2015)

I have a 1986 Panasonic Mountain Cat 7500 too! It is black with orange & yellow highlights. All original except for wear items like cables, seat, grips... Oh yeah, did swap out for a taller stem as I am a Clyde big boy, but still have the original pulley stem. Great bike! Tough as anything I have ever owned. Lots of miles on that bike.

I will post pics soon...

Rmpl


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