Which Modern bikes will become Classics?

SERVDAVE said:
interesting thread! :)

I have a bet between my friend, his father and my father as to what will be a classic bike when I am 50.(I'm 27 now) Losers all have to pay £100 to the winner! :eek:

I've gone for the ER6F, had one myself and decided to put my money where my mouth is. My friend has gone for a R1200GS, his dad a R1 and my dad has gone for a Street triple.

I'll let you know who wins! :bounce1
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My money is on you coming last:D
 
Rushy said:
He's right you know, might as well give your dad the £100 .........
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You never know, it will be interesting to see who get the money. Sometimes was ends up being a classis isn't what is a fantastic bike at the time, but what stands out in the future. The Sunbeam S7 was a crap bike when it was released but is very popular now!

Saying that I am not sure an ER6F was the wises choice, lets hope lots of people who started out on them will get into collecting them in the future! :bounce1
 
SERVDAVE said:
. The Sunbeam S7 was a crap bike when it was released but is very popular now!
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I reckon that is because it has the right `look` for what is in fashion at the moment with a lot of special builders i.e. the bobber with big fat tyres look.
 
MarkShelley said:
I reckon that is because it has the right `look` for what is in fashion at the moment with a lot of special builders i.e. the bobber with big fat tyres look.
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Thats true, never thought of it like that, think they are also relatively easy to live with!
 
SERVDAVE said:
The Sunbeam S7 was a crap bike when it was released but is very popular now!
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It's was crap 50 years ago and they've got no better with age. The reason for their 'popularity' is that they didn't make that many to start off with

ER6's however are like dog shit up an alley and in 25 years time will be about as desirable as syphillis :augie
 
Nice 'n' Fat said:
It's was crap 50 years ago and they've got no better with age. The reason for their 'popularity' is that they didn't make that many to start off with

ER6's however are like dog shit up an alley and in 25 years time will be about as desirable as syphillis :augie
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Not a Kawasaki fan than! :)
 
slimpickings said:
whats up with it:confused:
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I will tell you, it is a triumph that has grown up in the MacDonalds pizza loving couch potato obese generation! it is a fat telly tubby only way is essex namesake of the modern era, and is living on the historic name of its svelt racing heritage forbears. :D

Just my opinion of course:thumb
 
Nice 'n' Fat said:
It's was crap 50 years ago and they've got no better with age .......
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Indeed, as was most of the Brit Iron .... as a pal once said to me "They were crap in their time and haven't got any better with the passage of time"

BSA produced the A50 and A65 for instance, making the old A7 and A10 unit construction, but they had their collective heads in the sand and didn't address the oil feed problems to the mains and big ends .... a familiar legacy unfortunately of most of the British Motorcycle Industry post war :nenau

Devimead were to sort the problem of oil supply to the mains quite successfully :thumb

Hindsight is an exact science .... if I'd kept the Arial Square Four, the Rocket Gold star, the Velocette Viper, the Sunbeam S7 (I bought for eight pounds ten shillings, complete with spare engine and drive shaft) .....

They were crap but it was all we knew at the time :D

For me, today,
G650XC (any of the triplets)
Versys
Yamaha TDM
VFR 750
SV650

:beerjug:
 
Oh, I forgot to add....

There is a huge difference between being a classic (anything over 25 years according to the VMCC) and being good.:thumb
 
Micky said:
Indeed, as was most of the Brit Iron .... as a pal once said to me "They were crap in their time and haven't got any better with the passage of time"

BSA produced the A50 and A65 for instance, making the old A7 and A10 unit construction, but they had their collective heads in the sand and didn't address the oil feed problems to the mains and big ends .... a familiar legacy unfortunately of most of the British Motorcycle Industry post war :nenau

Devimead were to sort the problem of oil supply to the mains quite successfully :thumb

Hindsight is an exact science .... if I'd kept the Arial Square Four, the Rocket Gold star, the Velocette Viper, the Sunbeam S7 (I bought for eight pounds ten shillings, complete with spare engine and drive shaft) .....

They were crap but it was all we knew at the time :D

For me, today,
G650XC (any of the triplets)
Versys
Yamaha TDM
VFR 750
SV650

:beerjug:
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Interesting choices, think its a good call with the TDM. They have a good following already, a nice bike to ride.
 
Micky said:
Hindsight is an exact science .... if I'd kept the Arial Square Four, the Rocket Gold star, the Velocette Viper, the Sunbeam S7

They were crap but it was all we knew at the time :D
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And as crap as the bikes you mention are, they were also very innovative and cutting edge for their time as well as very expensive which meant the vast majority of people could only dream of owning one of them. Same as now really.

I would make room in my garage for an Arial Square Four, a Rocket Gold star, a Velocette Viper and a Sunbeam S7 quite happily, even though they are 'crap' :D
 
Devon said:
And as crap as the bikes you mention are, they were also very innovative and cutting edge for their time as well as very expensive which meant the vast majority of people could only dream of owning one of them. Same as now really.

I would make room in my garage for an Arial Square Four, a Rocket Gold star, a Velocette Viper and a Sunbeam S7 quite happily, even though they are 'crap' :D
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I should think you would :thumb

I didn't say they are crap .... I said they were crap ;)

If they were in anyone's garage right now there's no way they could be considered crap at all :pullface

The motorcycling journalists in those days told lies in return for freebies :eek:
They gave, my 1966 BSA A65L a fantastic write up, I have it to this day (the road test not the 'bike) in reality it was bloody awful. Seized up three times, when pottering I might add. A common fault it would appear. I ended up rolling it back in to Cusworths at Doncaster for what I owed on it. I walked away with nothing and was glad of it.

Innovative? Certainly. We had the ideas but not the production methods. As a police cadet in 1963 we had British and Jap factions :D One of the lads Honda 175's (new kid on the block) was quicker and handled better than my 350 BSA AND he had a starter motor AND indicators :blast

We had T140V police bikes ha ha ha .... not for long. Bits dropped off, one day in the saddle (if you could manage a day without breaking down or losing your fillings) and the bike needed a full service. You couldn't have the lights on, the radio and two's blue's on at the same time :eek:

So, with the old age pension I was thinking of getting another bike to compliment my 84,000 mile F800GS and seriously considered another 'old Brit' but then remembered "They were crap in their time and haven't got any better with the passage of time"

I'd much rather be riding these days than spannering, so bought misen a G650Xcountry :thumb Money well spent in my book :thumb

:beerjug:
 
I had a Triton with wideline frame and pre unit Tiger 100 engine with fine finned alloy cylinders. It shook itself to bits and p***ed oil and petrol everywhere. The electrics were useless and the vibration broke my wrist watch. God knows what it did to my finger joints.
 
Bendy toy said:
I had a Triton with wideline frame and pre unit Tiger 100 engine with fine finned alloy cylinders. It shook itself to bits and p***ed oil and petrol everywhere. The electrics were useless and the vibration broke my wrist watch. God knows what it did to my finger joints.
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Sums up Micky's points quite nicely:D

They were crap in their day and haven't got any better over the intervening 35 years
 
JohnnyBoxer said:
They were crap in their day and haven't got any better over the intervening 35 years
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On the contrary.......

Old Brit bikes are much better now than they were back in the day. Better bearings, better oil, better gaskets, suspension, brakes, tyres, electronic ignition, new carbs and lots of knowhow to cure the old problems. If they're put together right they can be very good but they do need maintenance.

2 years ago I rode my 1966 Bonneville to Gibraltar (1000 miles in 3 days) and my 1968 Spitfire to Spain and back (1500 miles in 5 days) without any problems whatsoever, nothing broke, nothing fell off and not a drop of oil was dripped :cool: .......................and both bikes are now worth more than they were 2 years ago :aidan
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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