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

[wadewallace]

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bmw.jpg

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[midman]

I don’t think the AMCA is trying to be something for everyone, it’s about antique motorcycles. My idea of an antique and yours might be different but there has to be some kind of guideline without being too restrictive.
It’s a moving target and I think the 35 year rule is right there. Most people consider things built before they were born as antiques and the younger ones aren’t going to be able to afford or might not even have interest in the prewar stuff.
I was growin up in the 60’s and loved Mustang cars and my first bike was a Kawasaki KZ900. I consider them antiques now and when I could afford the hobby I started my restorations with stuff of that vintage. Now I’m more interested in the older stuff and that’s what I look for at a show. If I see something at the show that does not interest me I walk by, no big deal. But when I was younger the stuff I walked by was completely different.
Like it or not 35 is old when it comes to bikes.

[T. Cotten]

Judging imports could make us money.

....Cotten

[Shaky Jake]

It's an interesting question. I always say they stopped making good stuff in 1970.



Kevin


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[Steve Swan]

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.

Eric, your points are all well taken and i agree with you, i don't drive anywhere to look at any bikes and if i were to, it wold be to Davenport or Wauseon. most of thje people i knew in the 70's and 80's are gone and i would enjoy meeting the people who have helped me get my '27 together, i do intend to make Davenport for that reason. i have one Japanese bike of acclaim, yet i do not belong to any club accept AMCA. i have British bikes and i do not belong to any Brit clubs. and in both cases in my earlier life, i belonged to Brit bike clubs that were available, but did not attend their meets, again except for AMCA. i will suggest the reason the AMCA made itself inclusive is, `1. how many old motorcycle clubs were around in 1953 when the founders started this club? i definitely remember as a kid people having little to no use for anything old lying around, "modern being better." when we were of age to collect any old bike we wanted, how many old motorcycle clubs were around? i was a member of the GSOC and VOC, i am pretty certain no japanese club was around yet 2. When we were young, we had an interest in the motorcycles the generation before us was interested in and the generation before us wanted to do what they could to foster and preserve interest in the bikes they loved, it meant something to them to see us take interest in "their" bikes, and they did not want to exclude anyone, such as the fellow at the Lemars meet in '83 who was semi-apologetic in telling me my bikes didn't qualify for membership because they weren't 35, even though i already knew they were classics. Probably in part, occasions in part such as rejection of my machines spurred conversations in the upper hierarchy of the AMCA, because some of these guys such as Ted Hogden spanned several decades; as a kid he grew up on Indians and and worked for Indian and he also worked for BSA in his later adult years, and so he and people after him who spanned parts of 2 generations knew bikes of their day would be classics and collectible. anyway...... i like history and when 2019 models are 35 years old in 2054 and i will be 102, these motorcycles will definitely be a part of someone's history and i will be pretty much forgotten. the word "antique" is maybe a bit of a misnomer, as i do not see a 1969 Honda as an antique, i really don't even see a 48 Chief as an antique.... and i believe the founders of our club at their first meet probably didn't display a 53 Chief or a 53 Pan at their first meet....?

[jorrow]

I hate to say it but we may be the antiques if we close our minds off and make rules as to what might interest others.

[Steve Swan]

I hate to say it but we may be the antiques if we close our minds off and make rules as to what might interest others.

ha! nice! i ditto that!

[Kozy]

I hate to say it but we may be the antiques if we close our minds off and make rules as to what might interest others.

You're right and continuing with that attitude an antique could evolve into a fossil!

[T. Cotten]

The State of Illinois, Folks,...

Says motor vehicles, including motorcycles, must be more than 25 years old (Firefighting vehicles must be at least 20 years old) to qualify for antique registration.

....Cotten

[RichO]

Steve, No, the founding fathers didn't display any early fifties motorcycles at their first meet. I know because I have the Cycle magazine story of that meet. When I first joined the club the cut off was 1954 the year the club was founded. It took awhile before they voted it to be thirty-five years or older. When I first started riding club functions and National road runs I would see a few pre-sixteeners, and quite a few twenties and thirties machines. That eventually changed to a few thirties machines but more forties and fifties units. This year at the Catskill National road run I was blown away by how many seventies cone shovel AMF machines were there in mint original condition with those paint schemes we all laughed at back then but I swear are so damn cool today. A vendor at Rhineback this year had about twenty of those cherry tanks for sale on his table. I feel lucky to have my 1981 FXB in stock condition. Last of the AMF machines year wise. Time rolls on and so do we. And so does our machines whatever the vintage!

[exeric]

I hate to say it but we may be the antiques if we close our minds off and make rules as to what might interest others.

I want to say that I love all motocycles, and I have made a real effort to expand my interests in Japanese, British, and German motorcycles; however, I am a bit militant about what I consider an antique motorcycle, and die cast, CNC machined, robot assembled motorcycles don't fit into my criteria for an old bike. I have a story that sums up my attitude about disappearing 'true' antiques. I went to an AMCA Florida chapter meet a few years ago and brought my 1911 Flying Merkel in the back of my truck. I thought it would be good to bring a bike for people to look at, talk about, and have something to reinforce the old motorcycle hobby we are suppose to be sharing. About 3 guys thought it was the funniest thing they had seen that day, joked about the ignorance, and stupidity of the early 20th century, and thought it was dumber than a moped. I could understand that response from a group of morons at an Auto Zone parking lot, but from AMCA members? Awareness of old motorcycles should go before the post war era; and that was always my appreciation of the efforts of AMCA members that brought rare, and unique motorcycles to a National, or Regional meet. You can look at pictures of old bikes, but there is no substitute for the real thing.

[T. Cotten]

Its also relevant, Folks..

Where do insurance companies draw the line?

....Cotten

[Steve Swan]

I want to say that I love all motocycles, and I have made a real effort to expand my interests in Japanese, British, and German motorcycles; however, I am a bit militant about what I consider an antique motorcycle, and die cast, CNC machined, robot assembled motorcycles don't fit into my criteria for an old bike. I have a story that sums up my attitude about disappearing 'true' antiques. I went to an AMCA Florida chapter meet a few years ago and brought my 1911 Flying Merkel in the back of my truck. I thought it would be good to bring a bike for people to look at, talk about, and have something to reinforce the old motorcycle hobby we are suppose to be sharing. About 3 guys thought it was the funniest thing they had seen that day, joked about the ignorance, and stupidity of the early 20th century, and thought it was dumber than a moped. I could understand that response from a group of morons at an Auto Zone parking lot, but from AMCA members? Awareness of old motorcycles should go before the post war era; and that was always my appreciation of the efforts of AMCA members that brought rare, and unique motorcycles to a National, or Regional meet. You can look at pictures of old bikes, but there is no substitute for the real thing.

people such as you describe, Eric, have no appreciation for the history of early machines, the ingenuity of making a machine that could go down the road under its own power, and the persistence, patience and perseverance, much less courage to defy all odds. i think at least part of the problem we are discussing has to do with the definition of antique, and perhaps the amca not realizing what was happening during the 70's into the 80's,as newer yet classic machines in their own right were demanded by young owners to be included in the amca; while i did not demand my British bike be recognized, my case, in part, is an example of the amca trying to be all things to all people with all machines, hence the focus on a particular era of machines was intended but lost. i certainly cannot disagree with a clear line drawn in the sand purist this is what we are about and this is what we are not about. that's why there are many other different clubs and why some Ducatisti with an F1 Montjuich might never join AMCA. and, i would suppose if that Ducatisti want to expand his range of interest or passion for anything other than Ducati, he will look for older motorcycles and undoubtedly find the amca. as you'll note my thoughts on the matter are evolving in my efforts to gain a new perspective.

[RichO]

That's why we have National judging classes from 1 to 8, We and other clubs have titles like antique, classic, vintage, modern, etc. One size does not fit all. It was called the Antique Club because in 1954 not much of what we see at meets existed. If you just had pure antiques for judging and show at chapter or National events there wouldn't be much on the field these days. People who are ignorant and have their head up their, oops, you know what I mean show up but wouldn't know a cool old bike from squat but someone will and that's the one you brought it for. The others are there to try and chew gum and walk at the same time.

[jorrow]

I have much older bikes, but feel my shovel is just as kool but in a different way. And looking for parts is really enjoyable as they aren't priced out of reason, and can be just as challenging to find. I do realize the difference in what Eric is referring to as "true antiques", but, do you realize many high school students have never seen a rotary dial phone? Its all relevant folks.