Could clubs for vintage motorbikes soon die out?
Discussion
Can't say I didn't see this coming after my own experience.
Who would have though younger people don't have any interest in obscure/boring 1950s grey porridge.....
It might help if some of these clubs were a bit more accepting of younger members.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c33vk8yrz1eo.a...
Who would have though younger people don't have any interest in obscure/boring 1950s grey porridge.....
It might help if some of these clubs were a bit more accepting of younger members.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c33vk8yrz1eo.a...
Can't say that's a surprise. You'd need a garage to own something like that, which with the cost of property is beyond a lot of people.
Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
“ Instead they say the current generation of motorcyclists are purchasing bikes they wanted to own but could not afford when they were young”
Isn’t that exactly what their own membership is doing too? You have to have some interest or desire to want to own the things and that’s largely driven by what you grew up wanting. Hardly surprising that the window of what people want shifts over time. Much the same is happening with pre-war cars, if there’s no nostalgia for them as you never saw them even as a kid then why would anyone want to sink time and money into to them when you could have something you like instead?
Isn’t that exactly what their own membership is doing too? You have to have some interest or desire to want to own the things and that’s largely driven by what you grew up wanting. Hardly surprising that the window of what people want shifts over time. Much the same is happening with pre-war cars, if there’s no nostalgia for them as you never saw them even as a kid then why would anyone want to sink time and money into to them when you could have something you like instead?
To be honest I think that this is the case for nearly all bikes. There’s barely any people my age riding bikes and that’s been the same since I started.
Most people riding bikes are 50+ and it shows at nearly every place where bikers meet. Getting a license is a pain in the arse so much so people just don’t bother.
Add to that the price of new bikes and you need to be older to afford them. Gone are the days of bikes being a cheaper option which I think takes a big incentive to have one away.
Most people riding bikes are 50+ and it shows at nearly every place where bikers meet. Getting a license is a pain in the arse so much so people just don’t bother.
Add to that the price of new bikes and you need to be older to afford them. Gone are the days of bikes being a cheaper option which I think takes a big incentive to have one away.
Interest in 1950's or 1960's vintage bikes may well die out soon because young blokes who rode them or wanted one back in the day will be in their 80's by now,
Its a continuos cycle. In 50 years from now blokes in their 70s or 80's will be riding their vintage Hayabusas,Panigales,R1's etc that they owned or wanted back in the 2010's or 2020's but couldnt afford
but i dont think interest in vintage bikes per se will die out
Its a continuos cycle. In 50 years from now blokes in their 70s or 80's will be riding their vintage Hayabusas,Panigales,R1's etc that they owned or wanted back in the 2010's or 2020's but couldnt afford
but i dont think interest in vintage bikes per se will die out
Marquezs Stabilisers said:
Can't say that's a surprise. You'd need a garage to own something like that, which with the cost of property is beyond a lot of people.
Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
It might well be easier to find parts for a '50s or '60s Triumph/BSA/Norton/Ariel/AJS/Matchless/Royal Enfield than to find those for a 20 or 30 year old bike. Although some of the reproduction parts are not very good...Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
OutInTheShed said:
What are other people's opinions of one-make owners' clubs?
The whole 'club' system seems to have changed over the past couple of decades.
My experience of the CZ/Jawa one wasn't great. The whole 'club' system seems to have changed over the past couple of decades.
Turned up to the meet on my VFR as the parts I'd been sent by a vendor caused the top end to seize the week or so before. 70% of those there were either on Japanese bikes or drove. I was pretty much ignored until one guy I'd spoken to on Facebook recognised me. The next day they sat around doing bugger all so I went into Wales....
I was also the youngest by EASILY 30 years.
The others I've seen don't help themselves by only doing runs in weekdays - when younger people work
Is this another case of boomers wondering why younger people don't have money for hobbies?
I know it's a horrible generalisation, but there's an element of truth behind the fact that motorcycling isn't a cheap hobby. I think you must *really* want to ride these days to spend the time and money to get into it, and not a lot of younglings do, especially when they can't afford avocados, central heating or other necessities.
I know it's a horrible generalisation, but there's an element of truth behind the fact that motorcycling isn't a cheap hobby. I think you must *really* want to ride these days to spend the time and money to get into it, and not a lot of younglings do, especially when they can't afford avocados, central heating or other necessities.
Marquezs Stabilisers said:
Can't say that's a surprise. You'd need a garage to own something like that, which with the cost of property is beyond a lot of people.
Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
But you’re not the target market. Also, realistically, it's not going to be your only transport, so you need to be affluent enough to own at least one other vehicle on top of your house with a garage.
Finally, for all my FireBlade has been off the road this month, that's lack of time rather than a lack of parts. I imagine unless you have access to all sorts of very specialist equipment, these things are difficult to keep running. I couldn't be bothered myself, and at 40, with a garage and another car and bike, I'm their target market...
Parts really aren’t an issue. I have two projects on the go; a 1931 Sunbeam and a 1957 Norton. Most bits for the Sunbeam are easily available either from the owners club or second hand on eBay. The Norton’s even easier, I think one of the websites boasts you can build a new one from their spares!
This is such a non-story. I’m about the same age as you and I’ve been involved with vintage bikes all my life and 20-25 years ago none of my mates of the same age were interested in them. Now I can think of half a dozen within a couple of years of me who have old bikes. Including my mate Carl I spoke to yesterday who’s been using his 1931 Sunbeam for work and shopping as the cambelt on his Audi broke. I know him through work not through bikes. He doesn’t go to any club meeting or organised events, same as me now! Organised clubs may have had their day but the VMCC has done all it can to f
k the job up with obsessive in-fighting, greed and general misery. Doesn’t mean bikes aren’t being ridden by younger people just means they ride elseware. Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff