Commando prices...

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I do notice now that even the Commando and Trident are no longer easily able to jet away from any car on the road. Out on the dual carriageway
plenty of big euro saloons just roll right by and Im doing 75. They do so effortlessly. Both bikes can top the ton but no fairing over 75 gets to be
tiresome and I prefer not to hold the bike up at any higher speed.
Yes ride now as you will either be too old tomorrow or not able to ride a petrolmobile at all.
As an investment you have to go to the exotics or the simply rare as hen's teeth bikes. Triumph Norton BSA not as collectable I fear.
Royal Enfield Inters (not the current bike) are few in number but they dont have much of a following.
It is about fun not money.
 
I live 8 miles from Washington DC. The traffic is terrible, the drivers are terrible, and there's no where nearby to go for an enjoyable ride, so I ride very little. Yes, once you get 50 miles or so away from DC there are interesting places to ride - at one time, I would have considered that close by - not now.

I enjoy rebuilding British bikes. I have one of each bike I like to ride and the rest I sell. It's not to make money - when considering my time I've lost on every one I've sold. I try to get back what I've spent to buy and rebuild them and usually do cover that. Before anyone asks, yes, I know what I have in them - that's part of the enjoyment for me.
 
Onder said:
I do notice now that even the Commando and Trident are no longer easily able to jet away from any car on the road. Out on the dual carriageway
plenty of big euro saloons just roll right by and Im doing 75. They do so effortlessly. Both bikes can top the ton but no fairing over 75 gets to be
tiresome and I prefer not to hold the bike up at any higher speed.
Yes ride now as you will either be too old tomorrow or not able to ride a petrolmobile at all.
As an investment you have to go to the exotics or the simply rare as hen's teeth bikes. Triumph Norton BSA not as collectable I fear.
Royal Enfield Inters (not the current bike) are few in number but they dont have much of a following.
It is about fun not money.
Click to expand...
There was a time when if you had a big Brit twin you could leave most cars for dead especially on exelleration
But these days things are different
 
You are a hard man , all in black and on a powerful black motorcycle, always cruising at 80 because you are a hard man on a powerful motorcycle.
Then a Ford Fiesta flits past you, the young female driver's face visible in her mirror which she is looking into while touching up her lipstick..

This happened to my expat friends Tony Cording and John McDougall in 2002 when they shipped their Vincents to the UK for touring.
They said to themselves " What the hell, we aren't hard men on fast motorcycles anymore, we might as well slow down to the speed limit( 70mph)

Glen
 
Guess when I look back ,just a young fool on fast bike with $20 helmet t-shirt and sneakers passing everything .... just a bad dream these days .... fast cars today are really fast
 
No kidding , still got black & blue ankles from the 70’s ...... and some other momentos ... most gear most of time now ....
 
Endearing memories you and the Norty taking turns riding each other...I look back with fond embarrassing reflection at times. Cold & damp make some of the mems very vivid & painful, but eventually an agreement was reached.

A young fella down the street with his first new to him Sporty asked yesterday what mine was & what kind of motor was in that little bike.. I offered him to come out on the road with his for a lesson, which he promptly declined as she sparked off first stroke down. He may yet survive to 21.
 
Never been beat from the lights and that is on my 8 hp Zuma 125 scooter so maybe time for some of you oldies to trade up to something modern.:D
 
You not challenging the real fast guys .... last wknd took on a big hopped Up Harley with the stock 305hp Acura shawd with v-tech .... all up hill straight line drag he stayed with me for two gears then I was alone ..... he was making a lot of noise and had serious mods ( 120hp/120ft.lbs @ rear wheel)....just sayin ...
 
Well I got the Acura last fall low km 42km lease return for much less than a good new sport bike , and it good on gas .... bet the breathed on Harley was more $ , even just the paint !
 
Craig said:
Guess when I look back ,just a young fool on fast bike with $20 helmet t-shirt and sneakers passing everything .... just a bad dream these days .... fast cars today are really fast
Click to expand...

Ya, but fast motorcycles are even faster! Trouble is that they start with a button, don't look like a motorcycle, and shift on the wrong side :)
 
It just ain't kosher for a motorcycle to shift on the left. Some sort of alien sabotage.
 
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Ill go one better: all right shift all one up....
I prefer one down Triumph style but as long as
all my bikes shift the same Ill have a sporting chance
of living through the next moment of terror.
 
Hi All,
I belong to the Oregon Norton Enthusiast Club. I am in my early 60s and I am one of the younger people. There is one
young man in his 30s, but that is it. I had a Commando in 1982 and always wanted another one, so at age 63 found a
MKIII. I also wrench on it. I also have a CNC machine, so I can even make bits and pieces that it needs.
But take a look at the young people now--coming out of school with a mortgage worth of debt. They won't be buying expensive vintage bikes, and living in apartments they would not have a place to tinker on them even if they wanted to. I think Harley has a huge demographic problem coming up--the fat old men that ride them are dying off--and the kids will not have a clue what to do with these metal monsters.
 
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As a previous owner I'm sure you'll certainly not be disappointed by missing out on opportunities to turn a wrench from time to time. Gotta love'em. They're like jock itch...Never let you forget you've got it.
 
Tinkerbell said:
Hi All,
I belong to the Oregon Norton Enthusiast Club. I am in my early 60s and I am one of the younger people. There is one
young man in his 30s, but that is it. I had a Commando in 1982 and always wanted another one, so at age 63 found a
MKIII. I also wrench on it. I also have a CNC machine, so I can even make bits and pieces that it needs.
But take a look at the young people now--coming out of school with a mortgage worth of debt. They won't be buying expensive vintage bikes, and living in apartments they would not have a place to tinker on them even if they wanted to. I think Harley has a huge demographic problem coming up--the fat old men that ride them are dying off--and the kids will not have a clue what to do with these metal monsters.
Click to expand...

Imagine being a kid with a mountain of debt who knows what to do with these metal monsters but can't afford to buy one or a place to keep it.

Hi!
 
Read in paper today my generation is last to have it easy , those born from’81-96 milenials ? find it more difficult .... my wife and I both went to work each day for 35 yrs .... I mostly had second job and renovated couple houses built a couple cottages to make a living , always lived poor .... no debt now but time is so short , maybe did it wrong ....should have lived it up young and died with mountain of debt
 
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