Is Gitane Pegasus suitable for conversion?

[tmho]

I am looking for a mountain bike to install a rear hub motor. Recently, I got an offer of a bike with the names "GITANE PEGASUS" on the frame. Attached please find the photo. So far I only have this photo from the owner. I seldom see these names on bikes. Also, the internet has only limited information.
My questions:
1. Is this a good bike? How much should it be if it is brand new.
2. Is it suitable for adding a rear hub motor?
3. My rear hub motor is with 7 speed cassette. If the bike is with 8 speed cassette, will this be a problem?
4. The owner claims that he bought it 2 years ago brand new. But I saw an ad on internet having a very similar bike but it is 2006. The only difference I can find is the brake. (please see the attached photo) Then is it possible that the bike can be bought brand new both in 2006 and 2012.

 

[MadRhino]

2006 is about right. They discontinued this bike a while ago.
It is good for moderate power, with a solid torque arm or dropout plate.
7 spd not a problem, easy conversion.

 

[dogman dan]

It's a mid price bike, and the frame looks reasonably strong. 7 speed gears makes it all the more suitable to convert. I would guess it's retail price was somewhere above $250. Could have been more if the frame is nicer than I think.

Though not a fancy bike, it's far better than the really cheap bikes. Its even got a decent looking saddle on it. The typical walmart bike has a really crappy seat, and tinfoil front chainrings. Near as i can see, this looks like some medium decent stuff on the bike.

A much much better front fork will make the bike ride like a dream if you do that.

But for street use, go for it. The fork is fine for street.

Easy for it to have sat in a box, or on display since 2006. New condition is as good as new IMO. But it's not new, it's out of the store 2 years. So don't pay full retail. You should be able to look up the MSRP on it, from 2006.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Gitane is a french brand belonging to the same company that makes Peugeot. I think the last year for the Pegasus was 2006. Good bike, but not new. Those brakes are.... not likely something made this millennium. Mid 90s maybe, but the rest of the bike looks more modern. The BB will be french thread, so rule out a BBS02 drive, but otherwise, everything would be compatible with whatever you want to do with it.

So to better answer your questions
1. Yes. $150-$250 is reasonable
2. Sure. use good torque arms.
3. Yes, but a minor one. you can change the motor to be an 8 speed, change the shifter to a 7 speed, or live with it, since you may never want to shift again. Probably best to fit an 8 speed to your motor if possible.
4. Sounds like the seller is full of... Lets call it loosely interpreted facts. He might well have bought it from a store where it had sat unused for almost a decade. But even if it sat sealed in box since new, it would still have old tires, old plastic, and old grease. Time wounds all heels. things degrade just by age, even when not used. I wouldn't treat it like a new bike, and wouldn't pay new bike prices for it even if it had never been assembled.