At one time, for a period of about four months or so, I owned the Masi currently offerred on Ebay. When I bought it, I was the third owner of it. I would have kept it if it were my size. I bought it for a $1000 and knew I could sell it at least for what I paid should I come across one in my size or should the size prove annoying for a thousand dollar bike that I wanted to ride.
Neither the paint nor the braze-ons influenced my decision to sell it. I would also guess, though the person I bought it from did not know who did the braze-ons or paint, that repainting it and adding braze-ons in the eighties seemed like a good thing to do. Who would ever have thought, when the bike was refurbished, that there would be a worldwide forum (thanks again, Dale) in 2007 debating and questioning the efficacy of refurbishing a person's 1974 bike? Or that Masis in original condition would be more far more valuable than those with add-ons and new paint? Someone that prescient would be counting money instead of watching Ebay auctions.
And to demonstrate how much of that ability I have: I wouldn't mind getting my 1965 Porsche 356 back, if I had the money at the time to get a valve job every 15,000 miles. I paid $1800 for it in 1969, and sold it for $2100 in 1971, after two valve jobs, thinking I got a great deal.
Cheers.
Tom Hayes
Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44023 USA