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Joined: Jun 06, 2009 Posts: 184 Location: charlotte, nc
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 8:51 am Post subject:
As a side note to this thread, I was working at a motorcycle dealership in 1973. A guy would come in looking for parts for a 63 BSA, Triumph, or Norton and I would wonder why he was keeping that "old, outdated piece of _____." 10 years old and I thought it was an antique. Now I have 18 bikes over 10 years old, and some going well past 40. I guess I understand now. I even get a kick out of the parts guy that looks bewildered when I ask for a part for the old stuff.
I guess the old saying "what goes around comes around" is true.
By the way Vespa, watch out for Pearl Harbor references. I didn't see any Italians lining up to help!
As a side note to this thread, I was working at a motorcycle dealership in 1973. A guy would come in looking for parts for a 63 BSA, Triumph, or Norton and I would wonder why he was keeping that "old, outdated piece of _____." 10 years old and I thought it was an antique. Now I have 18 bikes over 10 years old, and some going well past 40. I guess I understand now. I even get a kick out of the parts guy that looks bewildered when I ask for a part for the old stuff.
I guess the old saying "what goes around comes around" is true.
By the way Vespa, watch out for Pearl Harbor references. I didn't see any Italians lining up to help!
LOL
That is just the thing. A bike becomes used, then woefully outdated, then why would you even mess with that piece of crap. But a few years after that, it becomes a classic.
Frankly, I think it should be set at a certain year around 1980, and stay there forever. Once they started putting plastic body work on bikes, and other things, they moved into a new phase.
But there is a good question. Was there a particular year or bike when the industray changed forever. I think when Honda came into the world market, that marked a milepost, as well as a lot of new technology and a new interest in motorcycles, so around 1960 is a real landmark.
Likewise, the first Honda 750 ushered in a whole new style. look, and of course, a leap in technology., so to me, 70s bikes are radically different from 60s. (Except for the Moto Guzzi and El dorados, which looked like older bikes into 74 or so, but then again, the BMW looked quite different /5 from /2.
For me, 70s bikes don't look all that old to me. I grew up around them and remember when they were a dime a dozen, the colors and such (brown motorcycles?) are the colors I grew up with and do not care for, so it is hard for me to get excited about one. But some guys are nostalgic for exactly the bikes they grew up with, and do not care about anything older. For me, bikes from the 60s are king, bikes from the 70s, I can kind of appreciate as classics, and anything newer than that to me just looks modern but old and outdated. No offense to anyone here. We all have our tastes.
Besides that, it is not all that hard to find a 1980s bike that has been garaged and cared for meticulously, so where is the big deal in seeing one?
But for me, I would say 1980 and that is it. With possibly room for a particularly old looking bike if there is one that is newer than that. Again, no offense to the new bike lovers. I just don't see them in the same realm or category as pre 80s.
Joined: Oct 17, 2008 Posts: 162 Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 12:00 pm Post subject:
And every state has a different min. of years before they consider it vintage or historical. Here in Ohio it is 25 years for vintage plates. _________________ 74 CB 750 K4 PART OUT
74 CB 750 K4 SHOWROOM
96 VF 750 CD
65 C100 CUB
Joined: May 28, 2009 Posts: 423 Location: chicago area
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 12:14 pm Post subject:
on BOTH topics... vintage bikes and vintage posts?
i think if it can drink legally in all 50 states, its vintage, regardless of plastic panels. 25 years as ohio requires is a realistic idea. in theory, "vintage" would mean something that is not supported by the manufacturer, which is about 10 yrs. but thats just insane.
this is a topic that will never be agreed upon since we have so many different ideas of "vintage." guys my age see the late 80's bikes as vintage and nostalgic since thats what the cool kids rode when i wasnt able to ride. the members with more "miles" see nothing but the older bikes as vintage for the same reasons.
in short, the older riders hate the idea that a newer bike is considered vintage cause it reminds them that THEYRE vintage too! (my son wants a "vintage" bike, hes looking at the 90's fat boy, he's 10 right now) ugh, way to make your dad feel OLD son! _________________ No, actually I DONT sleep much, I have M.A.D.D (motorcycle attention deficit disorder, means i change bikes about twice a year) drink too much coffee, have too much energy and dont do much besides work and motorcycles.
Joined: Nov 02, 2008 Posts: 1085 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 5:20 pm Post subject:
A topic we'll struggle to get any sort of agreement on. In my shed there is the 79 GS750E with cast wheels and disk brake. Beside it is a slightly younger XL250S. The GS750 does not feel that dramatically different to its modern counterparts but the XL feels generations removed. I think the biggest difference is the front brake and the 6v electrics on the XL. I know feel is a subjective thing so arbitrary dates get set but????????The oldest in my shed is the CB175. It has electric start and 12 volt electrics that make the 6 years it's junior XL250S seem positively prehistoric, but the drum front brake and the extremely basic suspension fill out the bigger picture.
The 'little 88 Kawasaki' featured earlier in this thread was however ahead of it's time, pointing the way to what we still enjoy in 4 stroke single traillies. If I rode it I would have trouble seeing it as old in any sense really.
on BOTH topics... vintage bikes and vintage posts?
i think if it can drink legally in all 50 states, its vintage, regardless of plastic panels. 25 years as ohio requires is a realistic idea. in theory, "vintage" would mean something that is not supported by the manufacturer, which is about 10 yrs. but thats just insane.
this is a topic that will never be agreed upon since we have so many different ideas of "vintage." guys my age see the late 80's bikes as vintage and nostalgic since thats what the cool kids rode when i wasnt able to ride. the members with more "miles" see nothing but the older bikes as vintage for the same reasons.
in short, the older riders hate the idea that a newer bike is considered vintage cause it reminds them that THEYRE vintage too! (my son wants a "vintage" bike, hes looking at the 90's fat boy, he's 10 right now) ugh, way to make your dad feel OLD son!
I think it is true for a lot of guys, and nostalgia is remembering fondly your past. But for me, if I remember it, it is not of much interest. Sure I have good feelings when I hear 80s new wave, but I am not quite ready to consider it classic.
Maybe it is a matter of me being a little younger than the baby boomers.
For me, I want it to be older than what I am used to, which is the chrome tanks, headlights with speedos, etc. That is why I like the 60s Hondas. But then again, I like swing music and swing dancing, used to wear nothing but 40 suits, hats, coats and shoes, and had a pencil moustache.
Probably should have had a 40s bike, but too expensive and hard to maintain.
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