The BSA A7-A10 Forum
Bikes, Pictures, Stories & more => Chat, Offtopic & Everything Else => Topic started by: Joolstacho on 12.09. 2024 02:08
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Are we looking at a 'dying art' re: classic motorbikes? Yes I think so.
I'm advertising various parts, BSA, Norton, Suzuki, at very reasonable (some giveaway) prices.
And I'm getting no response. Seems to me the next generation are not interested... Too hard. 'Boomer gen' here, and I reckon our kids generation is the last that will be at all interested. There's going to be a heap of previously desirable metal going to the recyclers. Tragic? Or is that overstating it?
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Nope. We are the last generation to have a love of these machines. In time a whole load of them will be going in skips. So ride the hell out of them while you can.
My sons, who were brought up on old British iron, will keep a couple of my bikes. My grandkids are just not remotely interested in any so they are all ultimately doomed.
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i don't think it is tragic Jools. more inevitable. maybe a bit sad for us, but all things pass. in 25 years almost all of us wil be dead, most of our bikes will be scrap, petrol probably rare to find. its the nature of things and why today there aren't many sailing ships, horse carriges, windmills, manual gearboxes. the current boomers pushing up the price of exotic cars are going to leave behind some despairing kids who view their inheritance as old piles of rusting junk.
too bleak? i say the opposite. its the motivation to fully enjoy this moment of motoring madness before it passes, and your moral obligation to thrash the snot out of your BSA as often as possible.
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Are we looking at a 'dying art' re: classic motorbikes? Yes I think so.
I'm advertising various parts, BSA, Norton, Suzuki, at very reasonable (some giveaway) prices.
And I'm getting no response. Seems to me the next generation are not interested... Too hard. 'Boomer gen' here, and I reckon our kids generation is the last that will be at all interested. There's going to be a heap of previously desirable metal going to the recyclers. Tragic? Or is that overstating it?
Sadly, I think you might be right. As well as the younger generation not being interested there are other reasons. We are in a transition period between riding nostalgia and museum exhibits. Motorcycles entered their era in the 1920's and have developed into very sophisticated machines. Older bikes like ours are still being ridden but the very old stuff is rarely seen other than on very specific runs like 'The Banbury Run'. There are many museums dedicated to the Victorian era with loads of stuff on display which we wouldn't dream of using today because it's no longer fit for purpose or just too labour intensive. Whilst we enjoy taking our bikes out and playing with the manual advance/retard, manual choke, dreadful brakes and driving around to find decent fuel, to most people this is just too difficult! When I first got involved with motorbikes, it was the adrenaline rush that got me hooked (like many addictions!). To get that same adrenaline rush today, you can go down to your local dealer and buy almost anything which will have at least twice the performance of our BSA's. So, for our younger generation I cannot see what the incentive is to get involved. My son and his mates are interested in my bikes but they're not relevant any more. Like most stuff which transcends more than two or three generations, the bikes will end up as museum pieces or even lounge ornaments!
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I follow prices on e-bay for bikes and cars. The market for most 50's 60's British stuff has really fallen. An original early Rocket 3 in good condition sold for £5500 last week and RGS Reps are going for £4000. Curiously standard Golden Flashes are holding up quite well. Its not just BSA, i looked a Nortons and Triumphs and its the same story. Commandos seem to be cheaper then they were 20 years ago.
Its the same with cars, there are decent drivable TR6 for around £8000 and XK Jaguars that used to be £90,000 are now around £40,000, still a lot of money but there's no market for them. When you look at the bikes and cars for sale so many are "estate sales" and I think this will accelerate bringing more onto the market in quite a short period.
My own situation mirrors what's going on; I've always hankered after a Rocket 3 but now I can get a good one for less that an A10 did I bid? No because the reality is they are big, fast and I'm old. The British bikes that are doing OK seem to be the ones that are easy to live with and nice to ride, Gold Flashes, B31's even Bantams which could be seen as "entry level" classics that are usable on runs and meet ups.
My son is 14 and we go to lots of events, we'll be at a hill climb this weekend. He really enjoys these events but as a spectator, he has no interest in owning any of the vehicles. We'll spend all day there and have a great time but when we get home I'll ask him what he really liked and he'll say " the live band were great, or they were great burgers.."
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Having read this thread with interest, it seems as though most of us are coming to terms with reality. We could/should maybe did predict this a few years ago when it was apparent that there was no 'young blood' in the clubs and hangouts we use. Anybody who thought their bikes were an investment or alternative pension should be running a cold sweat now! The outcome of this conversation should be 'What are we going to do about it?". For me, I 've never treated my bikes as an investment. I've collected them because I like them and they give me pleasure, to ride, restore and to look at. They also boost my ego when I take them out and people admire them. Being interviewed at the local Classic Show makes me feel like a celebrity and I get a massive boost from the feedback I get from fixing magnetos, dynamos and selling A10 spares (I've still got a shed full if anybody wants anything!) None of these things are translatable into cash but make a more important contribution to my quality of life and give my life a purpose. So, if the values fall it doesn't really matter to me. One day, I'll die and somebody else can clear them out in the knowledge that I dredged every last drop of pleasure out of them and their value isn't important. A couple of years ago a new guy came to our club, youngish (less than 60) and showed interest as he is a neighbour of a friend of mine who also has an A10. He came along on his Honda. After a while I offered to lend him an A10 which he gladly took up. He found that our style of motorcycling is different to the image he had always carried around in his head. We ride slowly, we take in the scenery, we stop for a pie and a natter, we help each other and we do it all at a leisurely pace. We aren't outdoing each other to be the fastest, have the the most expensive bike etc. He found that he loved this lifestyle and persuaded me to sell him my trusty old A10 and he still loves it and it has given him access to a way of life he wasn't aware existed. Maybe we should be promoting our way of life, telling people what a great time we have and having an old bike is a gateway to something and some people who make life wonderful. It's about the people, not the bikes...though they are the key to the door, behind which is a fulfilling and enriching world.
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Yes, I'm getting the vibe here (haha you can tell my age by my verbiage!)
I've never done my 'bikes for any sort of investment value at all. But we've got so used to the inflation in values haven't we, it becomes a bit of a shock when you realise that the curve has turned downwards bigtime. The Velo KSS/KTT that I built, agonised, and slaved over for many years is now but an ornament. It's 99.99 finished and has never had oil in it, and I guess I'll never start it because as it is, it's best kept as an ornament, (without oil it won't drop oil all over the carpet will it)!
I have to remind myself that I only ever did this stuff for the love and satisfaction of actually doing it. Money wasn't even considered (apart from agonising about what I needed to spend on them)
Bit like my house too. On 30 acres of beautiful hilly forest, easy commuting distance from Melbourne, Hand-built by me and mates in the eighties, full of character, solid as a rock, split level Adobe.
But what!!! It doesn't have 3 bathrooms? Oh no! - no white laminate! Only 4 bedrooms? ...Bluddy'ell! (plenty of redgum, ash, Jarrah etc but what's the point of that).
But we never built it for profit. We've had near 50 years of enjoying it's beauty and no neighbours (Turn it up to eleven). As we get to the age where we're considering having to move on, (because it's all work up here). Replacing it with some suburban brick-veneer at a similar value seems like a cheat - until we think of the 50 years in paradise!!
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You've got it Jools, spot on. Look at what you've had rather than what's coming. I haven't had the wilderness home, or lots of space which I'd have loved, but I do have a decent, paid for home that's comfortable and dry. I get to ride out all over on bikes, and my family are sound people.
As for the bikes, I went to a new (to me) bike place near me for a Kwaka MoT. Traditional blokes with sensible views. The guy there said that a customer was trying to sell a really nice Triumph for £5.5k, he was offered that by a potential buyer only to have his offer refused. He then readvertised for £6k, saying the previous price wasn't enough - what a tool!
It's true to say that any hobby, passion, interest is going to cost you money that will probably never be recouped - what you 'lose' is what you gain from the pleasure of doing it! My kids have no interest in old bikes but, I reckon, there will always be a small group of crazies that will be drawn to them so long as there's oil in the ground. I'm comparitively young, and I can't see many people younger than me on our bikes, but I do think there may be a renaissance sometime in the future.
As with life in general, there are the ebbs and flows. What's new today will be old tomorrow and vice versa. Don't give up hope just yet and get those bikes on the road. *good3* *good3* *beer* *beer*
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G'day Fellas.
I've said it before, people who want our 50's-60's bikes remember them in their youth. So now are 60-80 years old and dropping off the perch! Now people in their 50's are thinking of bikes of the 70's-80's so their prices are steady. So it will go no, in another 10 years those will start to drop in price.
Then there's the cooking models V specials. The specials (SS100, Vincent, Goldies etc) will still command premium prices for a few more years yet.
Enjoy what you've got while you can, when you're gone your gone.
Cheers
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i stand in the garage looking at the berger build waiting for the petrol tank that a mate is painting, i think to myself WELL i lost count at 6 grand and how much enjoyment am i going to get out of it. at 65 and after the heart attack urma the yonda will be sold now it is getting too heavy for me, i will lose money on urma because of all the replaced parts but i have enjoyed working on her and riding her. i will never sell betsy beezer she has been with me for decades of love and hate. maybe one day in the future i might swap the tuned berger build engine and rrt2 for betsy's engine and box and sell the featherbed and other bits, who knows, that is a thought for the future. as for the berger build it has been built in memory of 3 deceased mates and it will bring back good memory's of knowing three great mates while i'm riding it.
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Very nice thought Berger ,I suppose that our age its inevitable that mates will die,we were a gang of 5 and I'm down to 1 old mate left , one Spanner , died young at 53 ,the 2 others were both very bad health wise and chose to disappear despite efforts to stay in touch and so may well have curled there toes up . Bruce now as health issues and so do I so who knows , but they can't take our memories away from us and by god we enjoyed our bikes the girls we met (some of us married ) and of course the sense of friendship that only bikes bring out in people .We took the *** unmercifully out of each other but come a problem we were all there to help ! RIP Spanner most generous ,hard working and funny mate any one could meet !!
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It is a really big generational turnover. I've just come back from our local auctions, I have furniture to get rid off and wanted to put it in the next auction. The body language told me all I needed to know, everyone is clearing out the same stuff so there's a huge oversupply. Next stop is charity furniture place but I now know I need to rush before everyone else has the same idea and I get turned away!
Like the bikes, the pleasure is in the owning and using.
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All true, although I rather doubt that "it's the bikes we wanted when we were kids" that's keeping values high.
For example, a 20 year old apprentice in 1960 lusting after that Goldie, he's now 84 and almost certainly not buying any bikes at all.
Fast forward to 1970 and he's lusting after a Rocket Three, but now he's 74 and also unlikely to be contemplating heaving a big old triple around.
It does bring a wry smile when some like to post about "future classics" though. What a load of nonsense...no-one under about 50 seems to get any pleasure getting their hands dirty on old machinery of any sort let alone some japanese plastic machine (good bikes though they are) where spares are unaffordable/unobtainable.
Clearly "we" Boomers are the last who had to do it and so developed some skills and pleasure from it, and younger ones (like my sons) view them as worthless codger bikes to be sold or scrapped as appropriate.
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Yes, and I think there's also a degree of rose tint about some of the "classics". Some of the cars were pretty awful to drive and while those of us who grew up driving bangers and were happy with brakes that pulled either way randomly (when they worked) very suspect steering and a lot of noise, the younger generation are horrified.
I used to ride a Goldie on the 70's when they were quite cheap. It was not a fun bike and while I'm glad to have had it I don't miss it at all. Same goes for my XK140 (also when these could be had cheap), horrendous to drive, basically a 120 mph tractor. I drive my 1970 Series Landy with manual steering, no syncho on half the gears and drum brakes but when someone younger get in they can't drive it.* For some reason Series Land Rovers seem to have broken the generation barrier and young people buy them, them post on our forum "how hard is it to fit power steering, disc brakes, sound proofing..." We are polite because we want to encourage them, but the answer is always the same, "did you try one before you bought?"
I do think that one of the reasons there are so many A7s and A10s around is that they are actually very good bikes that are easy to live with. BSA tried hard with the design and its really proven itself over 60 years.
*When i got tyres fitted the young lad said he would drive it on to the lift. I watched as he went backwards and forwards in and arc. After 3 goes I said would you like me to do it? Yes. I explained it didn't have power steering. His reply "How long has it been broken?" *pull hair out*
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Nothing to add, I agree with it all. Liked all of the above. I've got £10ks of tools and machine tools but my boys have no interest 😞. They'll have to pay for several skips!
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I just acquired this heap of rust thinking I might junk the siezed engine and look for a A10 and build an oily rag Beezer.
The main problem is I'm working outside (no shed space or garage) and at 72 I seem to feel the cold a bit more.
My 2 sons give me encouragement but neither wants to get their hands dirty !!
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Don't dispare too much.
I woke up one day and thought I want a classic. Less than a week later I had one and have been Obsessed ever since. It took me until age 38 to find this obsession.
So don't worry too much if you kids or grandkids or following generations havnt show any interest yet.
I like to think with the way vehicles are going now with the likes of electric etc, the classic will be even more desirable in the future.
And the beauty about forums like this is that the knowledge of all the contributors will be in the ether forever.
It has helped me so much and it continue to help future gens. Keep it coming.
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Nothing to add, I agree with it all. Liked all of the above. I've got £10ks of tools and machine tools but my boys have no interest 😞. They'll have to pay for several skips!
Mate, see it off to a good home before it's junked. I've already briefed my lads that there's a tidy sum tucked up in my garage and two sheds, that should motivate them a bit *????* *????*
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RogerD.... Faced with a need for cheap quick dry storage, I punted on a polytunnel. OK, I know I'm supporting the Chinese economy, but a 3m X 2m version (for around £60) 2 years ago has proved pretty good. Great as a woodstore for our log burner, it now has a pallet wood floor, keeps out the rain and has proved a good solution. SWMBO reckoned I had too many sheds.....
As for your purchase, all the hard work has been done, and with the exception of a missing oil tank you have all the major bits to make this amalgam a runner.
Swarfy Cheapskate.
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Agreed, or go on the local free-ads and look for a used shed. I put up a cheap gazebo to work under once, being dry really helps. Condensation is your enemy so keep the ends or window open.
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G'day Fellas.
Years ago moving into a new abode with no shed/garage I purchased a 20' shipping container. Served me well for a few years and very secure as I was only home on w/ends. A very rough neighborhood.
Cheers
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Don't those steel containers sweat like a disgraced politician though?
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it depends on the spec, i have one that has a wood floor and vents and its fine, no condensation and bikes stay good over the winter.
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The evolution of technology I suppose. My grandfather,who grew up on a farm probably said the same sort of thing about horse-drawn vehicles.
Part of the reason for selling my real BSA was because I could see the writing on the wall.
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I would not be so negative. Interest in these old bikes is bound to wain. I did not buy mine for an investment. I wanted a project that would stretch me, and it has.
I have enjoyed most of my time on the bike and enjoy riding it, proud of what I achieved getting this bike back on the road.
My biggest worry is that currently there is a massive network of expertise and spares and this will thin out as time goes on.
Still the BSA remains a challenge and an enjoyment.
John
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I would not be so negative. Interest in these old bikes is bound to wain. I did not buy mine for an investment. I wanted a project that would stretch me, and it has.
I have enjoyed most of my time on the bike and enjoy riding it, proud of what I achieved getting this bike back on the road.
My biggest worry is that currently there is a massive network of expertise and spares and this will thin out as time goes on.
Still the BSA remains a challenge and an enjoyment.
John
I totally agree about the pleasure of restoring and then riding our lovely old bikes.
The knowledge stored in this forum has to be the most complete encyclopedia of these motorcycles anywhere in the known universe. 👌
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Don't those steel containers sweat like a disgraced politician though?
G'day Rex.
Yes and in summer can get to 70°C. I had a few holes in the floor and 2 x 12" fans near the ceiling both ends.
My bikes are just for pleasure, riding or rebuilding. I have little concern over value. Crikey the ex racer/Cafe has cost me over $60K but I'd be lucky to get $10K for her now!
Parts are getting more expensive (even from India) and hard to keep 5 bikes on the road (I was earning more $$$ in 2000 than I am now) but I'll keep putting along till I can't putt no more.
Cheers
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Don't those steel containers sweat like a disgraced politician though?
The answer to containers sweating I've found is to close off all vents and install a absorbtion dehumidifier (the compressor types aren't very good below 50°f). Once the humidity has dropped they use very little power.
all
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Yes, nobody is interested any more. I sold off 26 motorcycles last year and still have all my really good finished bikes (18) waiting to go to new homes. The remaining 45 or so projects basket cases and spares may never find somewhere to go and this hurts me a bit but there it is. I also have a large amount of tools but again nobody works on anything any more. Both of my son-in-laws just go out and buy the parts or specialized tools for a current project then trash what is left rather than have a “pile of useless bits sitting around”.
It is certainly a different world out there these days. My current issue with cancer is not helping any of this but at least I have 50+ years of hard riding memories!
Frank
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What a depressing topic!! All that money I spent and to no avail.??? Gone is my excuse to the missus that they are an investment. He He.*grins* I have a shipping container for my projects. I purchased it with vents in lower and upper diagonal corner. In our Oz climate, there has been no major issues with condensation so no need for moisture absorbents. No-one in the family is remotely interested in my bikes, so I am sure lots will end up in the tip -sorry - "Waste Recovery Centre"
My interest is still fairly high though, so have to be content with that.
Cheesus Frank, I thought I had it bad with 22 ( I think at last count) projects.!! *help*
Col
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It was all my clever idea of staying occupied once I had retired. Collected lots of unfinished bikes and from everywhere as I travelled extensively came to be unable to turn down any offer so accumulated batches of motorcycles from other ill individuals( what do I really need with 5 Bantams?)
Now it comes down to seeing off a great majority of these to my poor long suffering restoration buddy but all he wants are the Nortons(3 of them now and a few more to go) delivered a ‘69 “S” last week now for the ‘71 Commando done up for racing next month.
I still love it all and will continue restoration plans on the remaining important bikes.
Just too stupid to fall down!
Keep well fellows.
Frank
Beautiful fall day here in the mountains wish I could go for a ride. Maybe I can get the Ariel NH with sidecar out and get a few miles in
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Are we looking at a 'dying art' re: classic motorbikes? Yes I think so.
I'm advertising various parts, BSA, Norton, Suzuki, at very reasonable (some giveaway) prices.
And I'm getting no response. Seems to me the next generation are not interested... Too hard. 'Boomer gen' here, and I reckon our kids generation is the last that will be at all interested. There's going to be a heap of previously desirable metal going to the recyclers. Tragic? Or is that overstating it?
Absolutely spot on mate. I’m 60 & a few months ago a 20 something year old lad I work with whom rides a generic ugly 2023 plastic xfkxxRR568kxxy walked past my R60/2 & joked about its age then (seriously) asked what the 2 big things that were hanging out the side of the engine were ??? I actually felt a bit sad for his ignorance being a rider. At 10 I could name the model, origin & engine capacity of any bike I saw. I was obsessed with bikes
I’ve assembled several of my favourite bikes from the 60’s/70’s that I find being sold off locally, been busy getting them rebuilt if req whilst I’m still working for another 2-3 yrs & then plan on riding the absolute living hell out of them in my retirement right up until I’m on the wrong side of the grass. Hence even building a BM/steib outfit to mitigate crook old legs
But yes, no one will want them & as their prices tumble - parts, labour & road registration costs are absolutely sky rocketing so for me unless you have the love .. they are a liability to the non boomers
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It will be an absolute tragedy when our pride and joys fade into the history books.
I must be reasonably lucky in that my step son is champing at the bit to get his hands on my bikes.
I call them my babies. He calls them his inheritance. At least he does love our old Brit bikes.
My son couldn't be less interested if he tried.
As an aside, I added to my collection and managed to lay my hands on a 1972 BSA Thunderbolt. So current stable includes the 53 super flash bitsa. 72 Bonnie, 72 Thunderbolt and the 07 Wideglide. I think that'll do me till I pop off.... all though a Norton might be nice just to round it off.... I'm sure wifey would be most impressed. Not....
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It will be an absolute tragedy when our pride and joys fade into the history books.........
You're right of course. But the tragedy is only for us because we appreciate the engineering and development which led to BSA producing a decent bike such as the A10, which still gives pleasure in use now. However, it isn't a tragedy for anybody else because, for them, the A10 is, as an old telephone, a fountain pen, a record player, a coal fire etc....... just outdated and pointless. Whilst we appreciate these things from our youth and they remind us of days when life was simpler, but a bit tougher, other people don't identify with this stuff any more. Sadly.
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Sad in a way but inevitable in others.
As a society we don't hanker after horse and carts (for example) and when we've all gone our bikes (for the most part) will be as sought-after as twin-tub washing machines with mangles on top, geysers heating water in bathrooms or cars with starting handles are now.
We've had a recent new boy with an A10 joining our riding group, and he needed in-depth explanations regarding tickling and A/R levers.
He's 64... *eek*
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I think its also a reminder that the pleasure is in the use and the sharing, not the accumulating. Unless you can afford the air conditioned store the reality is everything deteriorates when its not used. I think the young are right to focus on the experience not the ownership and they will often be living in smaller houses with less space. I'm clearing out furniture and finding it has zero value, its all too big, too hard to keep clean and people want to change furniture when they move, not take it with them.
What we need to do - and its clear a lot of you really are - is get the bikes out and visible at ride outs and rallies. I return to our old Landrover as an example. Its very scruffy but gets a lot of use. People often come up and talk, they never say "it needs restoring" or "that bit is wrong" what they do say is "its great to see it being used", "it reminds me of the time when..." or "can my boy (or girl) sit in it?" (yes of course) and if we are at a vintage rally near much better vehicles (as usual *smile*) they don't look at those more than us. The "rivet counters" go and count rivets, but the public and young ask "is that bit home made?" (yes..) or "I see its brush painted" with a smile.
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The fact that our bikes are exempt from tax and MOT here in the UK (at the moment) might be a slight incentive for some ?
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I was pondering on these thoughtful and reflective lamentations, when something sprang to mind. Most of us on this Forum have lived through some of the most tumultuous, and definitely the fastest changing times in human history. If one thinks of how much has changed within our lifetimes so far, it is mind boggling, from the advent of the internet to genetic engineering to nano technology, etc. What this means for us is that technology and engineering from a few decades ago is now obsolete, which seems absurd given that that engineering was actually very good indeed. In turn, this leads to totally different ideas and expectations for following generations, even from our own children. These generations will look at stuff from the recent past, adjudge them to be 'old' and focus on new innovation which they see as 'better'. Things that they look upon at being part of their youth is over in a blink of an eye, so there's no time to build up a connection, or interest or sentimental connection.
The upshot of these musings is that (I believe) what comes around goes around. There may be a lull in interest in our bikes, and things of the recent past, but I do think this interest will re-emerge in time. Our role in all of this is to rescue as many of these curios as possible, make sure we keep a record of how to own and maintain them electronically (this Forum), and then wait for posterity to resurrect them from wherever they may find their resting places.
In the meantime, let's make as much noise as possible - maybe someone, somewhere will take notice and get the bug. *beer* *beer* *beer*
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You've reminded me with a conversation I had with an engineering Professor recently. He was bemoaning the fact that children are growing up today with sealed technology. His point was that you can't take the back off anything and explore how it works. He said this was a huge problem as children were shut off from the mechanisms of technology and had no framework for understanding how things worked.
The engineering of a BSA is very accessible and visible. (Not too visible we hope! A big end should be heard not seen *smiley4*)
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It's just like the 1960s with thousands of perfectly serviceable steam locomotives going off for scrap, often coming off their last train straight into the scrap sidings. A few hundred survive cared for by enthusiasts.
I see the same future for our classics.
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It's just like the 1960s with thousands of perfectly serviceable steam locomotives going off for scrap, often coming off their last train straight into the scrap sidings. A few hundred survive cared for by enthusiasts.
I see the same future for our classics.
At least bikes fit in small sheds and don't need rails.
Steam enthusiasts with loadsa land, patient partners and compliant neighbours were probably too few and far between for there to have been much chance for those beautiful creations. Some of us will have watched what Fred Dibnah did to his back garden in creating a steam emporium . . . but that's beyond most of us - and didn't go down too well with some folk, including Mrs D.
I'm less pessimistic than some, subject to the availability of fuel, and will continue to use unrestored oldies as daily transport for as long as I can. Afterwards, they may end up as static exhibits I suppose, and many may be lost, but is the vandalism gene so embedded in the modern version of us that we'd countenance the mass destruction of machinery just because it's obsolete? Perhaps it is, but I hope not.
As I won't be around to shed tears, I'm not going to worry too much, I'll just keep doing what I have always done for as long as I can, which is running around almost daily on whichever takes my fancy, and mending the things when they need a helping hand.
Just doing an engine swap for the upcoming winter on one bike (having sorted out a damaged bottom end on another one as I mentioned in 'what have you done with . . .'), so I can take its high-mileage motor apart for any TLC needed and park it on a shelf for when the next swap is needed. There's nowt much wrong with it, but best have a look before there's a major problem which might be expensive. And it's good to have things to do that keep a person out of harm's way in the house.
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As a parallel to the "no-one's interested anymore" title, a recent TV documentary on steam heritage railways said that worthwhile reliable volunteers are now hard to come by.
When the sheer size, magnitude and generally monotony of the restoration of an old loco hits those (sometimes) youthful but willing volunteers, the response is too often "what, I'll be chipping paint and rust for another three years, and another ten before it's even running? I'm off".
Another sad result of the "instant gratification" generation.
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Rob haha " a big end should be heard not seen" i don't want to hear mine at all , tappet noise is enough for me *beer*