No-one's interested anymore.

[fffcycles]

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

[Macbeth]

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

[Superflash]

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....

[CheeserBeezer]

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.

[Rex]

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...

[limeyrob]

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 ) 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.

[Roger (Doomtrainbarx)]

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 ?

[Worty]

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.

[limeyrob]

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 )

[Black Sheep]

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.

[groily]

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.

[Rex]

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.

[berger]

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