Commando prices...

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the most common reaction i get concerning my bikes from 'older' folks is "my father, uncle, grandfather etc. had one of those" and from 'younger folks "what is it?"
 
alan hodge said:
the most common reaction i get concerning my bikes from 'older' folks is "my father, uncle, grandfather etc. had one of those" and from 'younger folks "what is it?"
Click to expand...

Yep, I get the same stuff from old guys. But a young rider on a rice rocket, dressed in matching color leathers, came over to me and said, "Dude! I could totally rock that!". There may be hope after all.
 
That 250K cancer treatment actually costs less than my Norton did, but sells for 6,000 times the price of my norton... Affordable it is NOT. The high price is based on the need for the treatment being a life or death decision, not it's cost to it's manufacturer and provider to produce and deliver. I went in to have a cardio stress test. The doctor was in the room for all of 25 minutes and the bill was $3,400. You can't really measure a commodity like the value of your norton against health care pricing.

I think like Baz does. The actual price of commando's will decline with the death of my generation because there's still a lot of commandos out there. They will drop in price until they are cheap enough to be a novelty purchase for the clueless next generation. At that point they could resurge as a "fad", but they will never be "the bike I always wanted when I was a kid" to the millenial generation.

I go to a local place that has car shows every weekend. When they have the '50's chevy show, most of the owners are 10 years older than I am, because these were the cars that they lusted after as kids. My generation was more the muscle car era and the owners at those shows are usually around my age. It seems logical to me.

I've kept my commando as a relic of my past. I had hoped to pass it on to someone in my life who appreciates the "time capsule" aspect of what it is, but there isn't anyone in my family who thinks like me, nor anyone who rides so it will probably get sold for $800. when I die by my family just to "get rid of this stupid thing"...
 
o0norton0o said:
That 250K cancer treatment actually costs less than my Norton did, but sells for 6,000 times the price of my norton... Affordable it is NOT. The high price is based on the need for the treatment being a life or death decision, not it's cost to it's manufacturer and provider to produce and deliver. I went in to have a cardio stress test. The doctor was in the room for all of 25 minutes and the bill was $3,400. You can't really measure a commodity like the value of your norton against health care pricing.

I think like Baz does. The actual price of commando's will decline with the death of my generation because there's still a lot of commandos out there. They will drop in price until they are cheap enough to be a novelty purchase for the clueless next generation. At that point they could resurge as a "fad", but they will never be "the bike I always wanted when I was a kid" to the millenial generation.

I go to a local place that has car shows every weekend. When they have the '50's chevy show, most of the owners are 10 years older than I am, because these were the cars that they lusted after as kids. My generation was more the muscle car era and the owners at those shows are usually around my age. It seems logical to me.

I've kept my commando as a relic of my past. I had hoped to pass it on to someone in my life who appreciates the "time capsule" aspect of what it is, but there isn't anyone in my family who thinks like me, nor anyone who rides so it will probably get sold for $800. when I die by my family just to "get rid of this stupid thing"...
Click to expand...

I only used medical costs as an example as to why many Americans NEED to focus on their net worth. (side conversation)

Frank, would you be so kind as to provide my contact info to those inheriting your Norton???
 
The market share will not diminish, only if they are scrapped or written will that happen. It is what the owners young or old do with them, much like all the Classic Triumphs out there that would certainly out number classic Nortons. Even my Neighbour who riders a modern Triumph Tiger 1200, came back from a ride on my MK3 - ''My god, that is raw motorcycling'' was his reply. Convincing the the youngsters that riding a Commando is fun is the hard part.
 
Pete, what do your buddies think of your norton? Do any of them even ride motorcycles?

*Unless I drop dead quickly, I bet I sell my bike at some point to pay for some hemmeroidectomy... or some dental work. Both of those cost a small fortune... :D
 
o0norton0o said:
Pete, what do your buddies think of your norton? Do any of them even ride motorcycles?

*Unless I drop dead quickly, I bet I sell my bike at some point to pay for some hemmeroidectomy... or some dental work. Both of those cost a small fortune... :D
Click to expand...

Not many do no, the oldest bike is an 07' triumph.
Everyone loves the Norton, I don't think many would want to own it though. Demands too much time and money.

Old motorcycles/machines etc... attract a certain personality type, I believe it is genetic. Seems to be less of that personality type around these days.

Another casualty of the digital era.
 
I've sold 3 Commandos in the last 5 years, and all the new owners were older than me (mid 50s). One bike was being bought to go in the front room!
Whenever I go to bike meets 95% of the other folks are older than me. Seems to be the age when disposable income becomes reality nowadays.
I started riding Brits in the early '80s because they were cheap...
 
All approximate - no nitpicking please:

Right shift ended about 45 years ago. If 18 in 1974 you could have bought a new right shift British bike without your parents permission (in the US). So, anyone born after 1956 is probably too young to have bought one new. I wonder how many members were born before 1956 and how many were born after. I suppose for the MKIII people before and after 1958.

Anyone interested in them after they quit being manufactured is, IMHO, a younger enthusiast.

Of course the overall number of enthusiasts is shrinking as is the number of available bikes. The Combat I recently finished put one back on the road, and forever terminated another. The same is true of the 74 850 I'll soon finish. I bought the frame, cases and title and then bought an untitled bitsa donor - one coming back on the road and one+ gone forever.
 
NPeteN said:
Not many do no, the oldest bike is an 07' triumph.
Everyone loves the Norton, I don't think many would want to own it though. Demands too much time and money.

Old motorcycles/machines etc... attract a certain personality type, I believe it is genetic. Seems to be less of that personality type around these days.

Another casualty of the digital era.
Click to expand...

My Dad was an enthusiastic fellow , he loved everything and everybody , except gas engines ... earliest memory is of Dad trying to get old lawn boy 2-stroke to go on weekly basis .... soon as electric mowers came out he had one .... not sure where my love of bikes ,cars, Jeeps , trucks , etc. came from , not family , maybe all the neighbourhood boys who lived and breathed ‘em ....eh
 
My hope is that we experience a major chopper era for classic Britbikes.

That way, my remaining original/restored collection will be worth more.

I have NOTHING against people chopping bikes, even though I personally have never done so and never would.
 
grandpaul said:
My hope is that we experience a major chopper era for classic Britbikes.

That way, my remaining original/restored collection will be worth more.

I have NOTHING against people chopping bikes, even though I personally have never done so and never would.
Click to expand...

Currently happening with Japanese bikes. I have a cb that's worth roughly 10x what I paid for it 10 years ago.
 
In 1985 you could get a brit bike for about 800 dollars. Low miles not clapped out but
likely needed a top end job.
Inflation calculator says that is 1900 dollars today. Id say same bike today would run
about 4-5 grand depending on make and model.
 
Onder said:
In 1985 you could get a brit bike for about 800 dollars. Low miles not clapped out but
likely needed a top end job.
Inflation calculator says that is 1900 dollars today. Id say same bike today would run
about 4-5 grand depending on make and model.
Click to expand...


I bought my 850 new in 1975 for $2550, which is $12,160 today according to an online inflation calculator. That's less than I'd sell it for.
 
here's another thing...you can't ride a bike classic or otherwise with your thumbs on a lil keyboard
 
o0norton0o said:
..................I've kept my commando as a relic of my past. I had hoped to pass it on to someone in my life who appreciates the "time capsule" aspect of what it is, but there isn't anyone in my family who thinks like me, nor anyone who rides so it will probably get sold for $800. when I die by my family just to "get rid of this stupid thing"...
Click to expand...


I could save your family a whole lot of hassle and give you $800 right now! :)
 
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