New member/old owner
- Thread starter Brad
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In the monthly Vincent publication MPH there is a feature called 25 years ago that is a synopsis of what was happening in the same month's MPH issue 25 years back.
One of the articles mentioned recently expressed concern that the oldtime Vincent owners dying off would make the price of the bikes tumble. This was in 1988 and Vincent twins had reached $10,000 for a pristine Rapide and possibly 12,000 for a really nice Black Shadow. A lot of those old fellows have left us and the MPH reads like an obit column most months, but the price crash never came.
The opposite has occurred.
Today a barely rideable Rapide clunker needing everything brings about 45-50k and the Shadows are over 100.
So it is hard to predict. Why did I go for a bike that was made before I was born? Not sure really, it might have been all the Vincent yarns I heard when growing up. Heard a few Commando stories to and this kid at our school had a yellow one that blew away the 450 Hondas and even the 650 Bonnies. There was a rumour that it made yellow smoke when the rider really got on the throttle. We all believed this 100%, though none of us had actually seen the yellow smoke and the rider pinned the throttle pretty much every time he left the school, which occurred about 14 times a day.
So it could go the same way with our Nortons, there were definitely lots of yarns about them back in the day. As far as present day, I might have read one or two written by that Hobot fellow right here on this forum. Keep it up Hobot and in twenty five years Wolfie will have all our Commandos which will be worth 100 k a pop! :mrgreen:
Glen
One of the articles mentioned recently expressed concern that the oldtime Vincent owners dying off would make the price of the bikes tumble. This was in 1988 and Vincent twins had reached $10,000 for a pristine Rapide and possibly 12,000 for a really nice Black Shadow. A lot of those old fellows have left us and the MPH reads like an obit column most months, but the price crash never came.
The opposite has occurred.
Today a barely rideable Rapide clunker needing everything brings about 45-50k and the Shadows are over 100.
So it is hard to predict. Why did I go for a bike that was made before I was born? Not sure really, it might have been all the Vincent yarns I heard when growing up. Heard a few Commando stories to and this kid at our school had a yellow one that blew away the 450 Hondas and even the 650 Bonnies. There was a rumour that it made yellow smoke when the rider really got on the throttle. We all believed this 100%, though none of us had actually seen the yellow smoke and the rider pinned the throttle pretty much every time he left the school, which occurred about 14 times a day.
So it could go the same way with our Nortons, there were definitely lots of yarns about them back in the day. As far as present day, I might have read one or two written by that Hobot fellow right here on this forum. Keep it up Hobot and in twenty five years Wolfie will have all our Commandos which will be worth 100 k a pop! :mrgreen:
Glen
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2007
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swooshdave said:
Read article yesterday where stock analyst looking at age demographic of Harley owners trending older and predicting declining sales as less younger riders
wanting to take on the motorcycle version of SUV's that they are. Plus lots of low mileage ones coming on the market. Time to sell Harley stock.
At 65 I think I've got some years left in me and maybe even an Alton when I can't kick it over so maybe 10 more years. No son to pass her on to.
A friend rode with this fellow a couple of years ago, out with a group, Havens on some kind of modern litre sportbike, several other youngish hotshot kneedraggers on similar. They hit the twisties and Havens threaded the pack. They never saw him again until they all pulled in for lunch, Havens sitting there waiting, bike cooled off nicely.
I believe he was 82 at the time. Someone rode with him last fall and said it's still the same.
http://www.modernmotorcycling.com/ted/ted.htm
Glen
I believe he was 82 at the time. Someone rode with him last fall and said it's still the same.
http://www.modernmotorcycling.com/ted/ted.htm
Glen
Worntorn,
Only the Combat could produce colored smoke; it is a function of the tank/side cover colors.
Mine, obviously, produces the sought-after yellow smoke at WOT, but only when the smoke selector switch is on. This is done by turning the key one more click beyond ignition/lights position (again, ONLY the Combat had this special switch feature).
From time to time one might see a red tank/sidecover Combat, switch in correct position, emitting red smoke, but the yellow is by far the most dramatic.
I myself have seen quite a few black Combats spewing black smoke - even at idle. Some have, over the years, tried to attribute the Combat smoke-production to insufficiently-robust bearings, unable to contain the awesome Combat power. But us Combat owners know the truth.
The Combat's ability to produce colored smoke, available only in 1972, was of course what the Japanese were after when they began flooding the market with two-stroke bikes. They were successful to a point, in that they could produce smoke - but only grayish-white in color. An unexpected bonus was that they picked up a lot of power in the process, which is why you still see two-strokes - even though they sound funny. I will never forget my first encounter with a Z-1; it is painful to admit, but he was faster than me! But my smoke was prettier, so there.
Sadly, very few of us are left that can make colored smoke, as the special switches fail over time, no originals have been available for many years, and the technology to make an after-market version has been lost in the mists of time.
Only the Combat could produce colored smoke; it is a function of the tank/side cover colors.
Mine, obviously, produces the sought-after yellow smoke at WOT, but only when the smoke selector switch is on. This is done by turning the key one more click beyond ignition/lights position (again, ONLY the Combat had this special switch feature).
From time to time one might see a red tank/sidecover Combat, switch in correct position, emitting red smoke, but the yellow is by far the most dramatic.
I myself have seen quite a few black Combats spewing black smoke - even at idle. Some have, over the years, tried to attribute the Combat smoke-production to insufficiently-robust bearings, unable to contain the awesome Combat power. But us Combat owners know the truth.
The Combat's ability to produce colored smoke, available only in 1972, was of course what the Japanese were after when they began flooding the market with two-stroke bikes. They were successful to a point, in that they could produce smoke - but only grayish-white in color. An unexpected bonus was that they picked up a lot of power in the process, which is why you still see two-strokes - even though they sound funny. I will never forget my first encounter with a Z-1; it is painful to admit, but he was faster than me! But my smoke was prettier, so there.
Sadly, very few of us are left that can make colored smoke, as the special switches fail over time, no originals have been available for many years, and the technology to make an after-market version has been lost in the mists of time.
Brad, thanks for explaining special Combat smoke. Even though we teenaged observers were without this detailed knowledge, we knew for certain that when the yellow smoke appeared, the bike would be accelerating faster than any other vehicle on earth.
Glen
Glen
I'm 28. I have one bike, a 1974 MkIIa 850 that I rebuilt myself using my own tools. I will never sell it, unless it comes to a life and death matter of a family member. In fact, I just told my wife last week that if I ever go crazy and talk about selling it, she is to physically restrain me until that feeling has passed. I'm always on the lookout for more Nortons, among the piles of other bikes I hope to own one day. Most of the people I know that are my age have tools and fix their own stuff, but I'm quite sure I don't see the big picture, i.e. the young people (my age?) who don't know what a "cross-tip" screwdriver is called. Anyway, if there's lots of them out there, that just means more bikes for me! I'll fix 'em up!
Ben
Ben
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