35 year rule has this finally reached a limit of what is an antique? 1985 is it?

[KNUCK]

I know this comes up often and some people will say the club has to grow and prosper. But seriously is a 1985 Honda 750 or a 1990 Kawasaki ninja or even a 1994 Harley sportster collectible? I will say no, never will be because they just made too many and they just don't have anything special about them. Is my 2003 Anniversary Softail going to be special, nope.

I have seen this in most automobiles past about 1978, it's just a car nothing special. Many classic car clubs drew the line at 1975. Here we are at 1983 and still going! Can't we just draw a line somewhere to preserve the whole purpose and integrity of the club. Go ahead and hit me with your best shot if you disagree.

[exeric]

I agree with you. 1975 sounds like a good cut-off date, and everything after would be 'Special Interest'.

[T. Cotten]

Fifty is the new thirty-five.

....Cotten

[Steve Swan]

i would have to respectfully disagree, there are quite a number of, both uncommon and common of certain models of all makes post-1985 that are currently highly collectible as well as increasing in collectability. some uncommon examples would be the 1986 Ducati 750 F1 Montjuich, the 1986 F1 1987 F1 Laguna Seca, and the 1988 F1 Santa Monica, each very different yet similarly appearing machines. only 200 Montjuich's were produced, 20 came to North America, the Montjuich's were littered with magnesium parts, special factory racing heads. First year (1994) Ducati 916's, especially the Senna are already highly collectable. Certain early 90's Moto Guzzi Daytona's are highly sought after, the 2004 MGS-01 Corsa is another example, i believe 50 were built. The BMW HP2, 2008-2012 is another. i don't know the likelihood of ever seeing these bikes at an AMCA meet, but someone might someday bring something like that to show off much as i brought my Velo Thruxton, 1960 DBD34GS, and 1967 G80CS to the 1983 Lemars meet and was told "while they were nice bikes," i couldn't show them because of the 35 year rule. of the more common Japanese bikes, unmolested examples such as the 1979 Honda CBX, the 1998 first year Suzuki Hyabusa, the Kawasaki W650 twin, 1999-2007 is another example and are more likely to possibly be seen in future amca shows. imho, as time goes by, a few of the pre-1955 bikes will become ever more expensive, and pretty much of any the pre-WW II bikes will be unaffordable to old bike enthusiasts in future decades, and so bikes built in the past 2-3 decades will be what future generations can get into. even the Yamaha SR500's 1978-1981, and the SRX600, a one year U.S. 1986 model are prized. so that's my thoughts. to my way of old man thinking a 1969 Honda Z50 "monkey bike" is not worth collecting much less spending money on or showing one at an amca meet. however i think it's likely somebody might bring one to show off nd i wouldn't be surprised if one has been shown at an amca meet within the past 5 years. Z50's were made by the thousands, and today some people are super passionate about them and dump what i would consider stupid money into making one perfect. i dumped $4500 into a 1965 Yamaha Rotary Jet 80 because the Rotary Jet was my first motorcycle. i, lover of 1969 CB750 sandcasts look at them as "just an old Honda, others will have not be able to tell or care the difference between a single digit 1969 sandcast and a 1976 K6 CB750. oh well, just my two cents worth. considering my 3 Brit singles were excluded at the 1983 Lemars meet, and hurt my feelings, i would hate to see some poor young sap such as myself was excluded because some brain in the amca thought it wasn't old enough or worse yet felt any bike past a certain year wasn't special enough to merit attention. i'd like to have a Thruxton, DBD or G80CS now for what i paid sold mine for back in the 80's..... maybe the likelihood of seeing these newer European and Japanese bikes at an amca meet is low, as there are European and Japanese clubs that cater to these bikes..... hell if i know, just my two cents worth. in my case, i'll never never enter another show in my life even though some of the restorations i have sold have won multiple overall class awards at some major nationally recognized club events; in my case some wounds don't heal, but all heels can have wounds..... ha.

[Robert Luland]

When 75 out of a hundred end up in the crusher. Then they become collectable.

[Steve Swan]

When 75 out of a hundred end up in the crusher. Then they become collectible.

Bingo! and contemporary crushers are collisions making low production or first year models thereby affecting collectibility.

[jorrow]

But to the young people coming into this hobby and eventually replacing us, post '80 bikes are indeed antiques.

[Steve Swan]

But to the young people coming into this hobby and eventually replacing us, post '80 bikes are indeed antiques.

and i believe the 80's and even newer bikes will be a segue for inspiring interest and desire for owning a bike older than the 80's

[pisten-bully]

And if my first bike was a 1985 Honda 750, it would be fun to see one restored to AMCA standards....it would bring back fond memories at least!

[jcrawford]

While my peers and I generally prefer older bikes such as what we sought and got started with and lead to joining the AMCA, I think it is important not to discourage potential new younger members by restricting their options of interest or affordability. I think it is great when a young person shows interest and puts effort into finding, repairing, and preserving whatever they can afford instead of simply being given "disposable toys".
My 2 cents! (CDN)

[Dablaze]

Would an ‘&2 FXR or a first year Fatboy be special interest? I am just asking, I love the idea of a first year Fatboy being restored to original, not many still in gray with the yellow accents.

Craig

[Tom Lovejoy]

it is the times we live in, no way around it. Remember, when the club got started. A lot of folks looked at an old machine from the 20's or 30's and said that thing is not an antique - I remember when those were new :-) 35 years is 35 years, though I have virtually no interest in any thing approaching the 70's or later

[BigLakeBob]

I have no interest in anything above the '60's. The newest bike I own is a '69 and even though it is 49 yrs old I have a hard time accepting a Shovelhead as an antique. But as we each die off and younger people join the club, what is considered antique will be relative to that age group just as it has been, whether we as the current members like it or not.

[Steve Slocombe]

I'm still OK with the AMCA 35 year rule. There are plenty of interesting newer bikes, like the unrestored Moto Guzzi SP1000 I just parted with that was only made in 1978 and '79. And try finding an iron head Sportster that hasn't been rebuilt three times by young owners, crashed twice and chromed within an inch of its life. Those widow maker Kawasaki two strokes are fetching fancy money, and rotary engined bikes are always worth a look. A lot of the really modern bikes will be unrestorable when the electronics pack up, so make the most of what we have. I don't see pre-war bike prices rising inexorably either. The Antique Car Club shows a division between older guys with brass radiator cars, and younger guys looking for muscle cars. Look at the auction prices on low volume car variants from the 1960s and 70s, while those buses from the 1920s and 30s are more museum pieces. In the UK we have over 1000 registered Pioneer motorcycles (pre-1915) with 300+ turning up each March for the Sunbeam Club Pioneer Run. These are still relatively affordable, because you can really only ride them once or twice a year under controlled conditions. A 1921 (say) Harley would not be a big money bike to me, just a curiosity that is hard to ride. I reserve the right to change my mind when the first Harley Evo is 35 years old, but finding a good unrestored one will still be a struggle.

[exeric]

If I went to the trouble, time and expense to go half way across the country to a National AMCA meet, and half the bikes there were post 1975, that would be that last time I would attend that meet. Of course the AMCA will survive, and its members will sort this out by natural selection but right now in 2018, there are still a majority of older members and I know that many of them are doing their swap meets on ebay. I mean, I would definitely go across the street to see a neighbors 1985 Sportster, or 1979 Honda, but that's about as far as I would travel to see bikes of that vintage. I have recently developed an interest in Japanese motorcycles so I joined the VJMC, and they are much better than the AMCA when it comes to representing that interest. I still struggle to understand why so many members think the AMCA should be a 'one size fits all' club.