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

[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....?

[Shaky Jake]

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



Kevin


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[T. Cotten]

Judging imports could make us money.

....Cotten

[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.

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[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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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

[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)

[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!

[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

[jorrow]

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

[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.