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Gezza
1st September 2009, 20:55
Excuse my ignorance but when does a bike become a classic. How bout my 1984 Fj1100 Yami then???

YellowDog
1st September 2009, 21:04
The FJ1100 !

I remember it well. It is certainly a classic bike, but I don't think it is actually a classic.

In the UK, to officially be classed as a classic it has to be regsitered before 1/1/1973 and that way you become exempt from annual Rego fees (Road Tax).

But most class a vehicle as Classic once it is 30 years old (not long to wait then).

Motu
1st September 2009, 21:05
Is it a classic to you? If so,then it is.If not,then it isn't.Who cares what other people think.

dogsnbikes
1st September 2009, 21:11
Techinaly its 40 years to be regersistered as a classic

personally if you think its a classic so be it,still some nice ones round and who ever had one and enjoyed it will still admire them

Voltaire
1st September 2009, 21:23
..when old guys come up to you and say " I used to have one of these"....

or when its parked up in a group of bikes and no one notices ....:innocent:

YellowDog
1st September 2009, 21:31
Is it a classic to you? If so,then it is.If not,then it isn't.Who cares what other people think.
You could run a KB opinion pole vote thingy.

IMO - No question.

It IS a classic!

Pedrostt500
1st September 2009, 21:31
Ive always worked on the 20yr rule of thumb, Ive just picked up a Honda VF 750 Sabre of an 82 vintage.

98tls
1st September 2009, 21:32
Is it a classic to you? If so,then it is.If not,then it isn't.Who cares what other people think. Says it all really.

Bonez
2nd September 2009, 05:50
First of the 4-valve head Yammy air cooled 4s IIRC. Yip, its a classic alright.

Motu
2nd September 2009, 15:42
4 valves aren't classic - we are going to make a new rule where only 2 valve heads are classic.4valves are ghey.

riffer
2nd September 2009, 16:05
Hmmm... kinda makes a mockery of the original Yamaha Genesis motored bikes being classics then, on account of their FIVE valves per cylinder.

Of course, some on this forum would say any type of valve (except a powervalve) was ghey.

idb
2nd September 2009, 16:59
Bring back the sidevalve!

Voltaire
2nd September 2009, 17:23
4 valves aren't classic - we are going to make a new rule where only 2 valve heads are classic.4valves are ghey.

Yeah...Rudge Ulster and Ricardo Triumph.....4 valve rubbish......classic.....I don't think so....:blink:
...what next overhead cams???....:innocent:

Bonez
2nd September 2009, 17:37
Yeah...Rudge Ulster and Ricardo Triumph.....4 valve rubbish......classic.....I don't think so....:blink:
...what next overhead cams???....:innocent:It'll be water cooled 2 strokes eliminated next :).

Dodgyiti
2nd September 2009, 17:58
We did a range of factual statements to confirm if you have a classic or not here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=87804&highlight=classic

If you agree to at least 3 of the statements in that thread- or even better, can add another statement- you have a classic, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

eelracing
2nd September 2009, 18:19
If it's old and you still ride and love it,then it's a classic.

If its sitting around in a museum on flat tyres,then it's a trav'esty.

RDjase
2nd September 2009, 18:38
4 valves aren't classic - we are going to make a new rule where only 2 valve heads are classic.4valves are ghey.

Reed valves are the only things that arnt ghey:yes:

2 strokes rule !

RDjase
2nd September 2009, 18:40
Hmmm... kinda makes a mockery of the original Yamaha Genesis motored bikes being classics then, on account of their FIVE valves per cylinder.

Of course, some on this forum would say any type of valve (except a powervalve) was ghey.

Powervalves are ghey too lol

My T20 doesnt even have reed valves , it makes for exciting power delivery

Voltaire
2nd September 2009, 18:42
We did a range of factual statements to confirm if you have a classic or not here:

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=87804&highlight=classic

If you agree to at least 3 of the statements in that thread- or even better, can add another statement- you have a classic, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

How about...
You know its a classic when: you skip the run and just turn up at the pub...:innocent:

Motu
2nd September 2009, 18:44
...what next overhead cams???....:innocent:

Of course OHC will never be classic - they brought about a major decline in motorcycle quality...it was the beginning of the end.Ban all OHC bikes from classic status!

ntst8
3rd September 2009, 07:17
Of course OHC will never be classic - they brought about a major decline in motorcycle quality...it was the beginning of the end.Ban all OHC bikes from classic status!

Except when its a Manx Norton of course... :niceone:

Dodgyiti
3rd September 2009, 07:31
How about...
You know its a classic when: you skip the run and just turn up at the pub...:innocent:

That must mean I'm a classic because my bikes could have made it but I was not up for it. Yay:eek:

nudemetalz
3rd September 2009, 14:44
FJ11's are way cool.
I had one once. Had a dodgy 2nd gear (used to slip out) so I just rode it like a 4-speed,..1:3:4:5. Enough torque to do so. Handled nicely too from what I remember.
IMO, she's a CLASSIC !!!!

idb
3rd September 2009, 15:13
A club started up in Invercargill called the Classic Motorbike Club or something similar.
What it actually meant was No Japanese Club cos there were brand new Harleys and...well mostly brand new Harleys.
If you rode with them on a Jappa they made you ride behind them.

sidecar bob
3rd September 2009, 15:28
Some vehicles become classic, others just become old.
I think durability & classic status are somehow connected, however distant it may be.

Bonez
3rd September 2009, 16:47
Except when its a Manx Norton of course... :niceone:And what about the Jawa OHC 500 twin? Geez next it'll be DOHCs banned ;).

Paulo
4th September 2009, 11:51
It's a very subjective thing. I had a guy park his 2009 Triumph bonnie next to my 1976 CB750 and proclaim to me proudly that his bike was a "classic" I guess some people think classics can only be British or italian iron. ?

Voltaire
4th September 2009, 15:06
It's a very subjective thing. I had a guy park his 2009 Triumph bonnie next to my 1976 CB750 and proclaim to me proudly that his bike was a "classic" I guess some people think classics can only be British or italian iron. ?

He meant 'retro', gotta give it Triumph....the joy of parallel twin 60's lookng motorcycling for the mechanically disadvantaged.
I remember when British bike riders would not give non British bike riders the time of day....:nono: those were the days...timeless....:msn-wink:

Richard Mc F
4th September 2009, 21:20
He meant 'retro', gotta give it Triumph....the joy of parallel twin 60's lookng motorcycling for the mechanically disadvantaged.
I remember when British bike riders would not give non British bike riders the time of day....:nono: those were the days...timeless....:msn-wink:

Unlike Itilian motorcycle owners who won't give give you the time of day unless your bike has chassis number within a bulls roar of thers.....eh John :whistle:

Fat Jellys are classics though

Bonez
6th September 2009, 18:14
It's a very subjective thing. I had a guy park his 2009 Triumph bonnie next to my 1976 CB750 and proclaim to me proudly that his bike was a "classic" I guess some people think classics can only be British or italian iron. ?Probably just been brainwashed by the marketing hype ;). In saying that I do like them.

Voltaire
6th September 2009, 18:43
Unlike Itilian motorcycle owners who won't give give you the time of day unless your bike has chassis number within a bulls roar of thers.....eh John :whistle:

Fat Jellys are classics though

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I'm not one of your ' Matching engine and frame number" anoraks
( mainly as Ducati bevels don't ...as they could not co-ordinate their frame and engine suppliers...)
I leave that to the investment types.
...in fact I have no plans to ever restore the Darmah...just do running repairs...like the guys I saw today giving their Vincents and Tridents a good thrashing up the North Island.
Ride 'em don't hide them!!!

Richard Mc F
6th September 2009, 21:06
Good to to see them used. coupla months ago, ok beginning of may I saw a vincent parked outside a pub in Paihatua, dirty with saddle bags.......excellent

But only ducrapi owners can get snobbish about valve actuation, ( yes but it's not a desmo) or cam drive ( oh it's only a belt drive) or shape of the engine lump ( you mean it's not a round case?) and "Oh it doesn't have a dead fly moulded in the transparent section of the fuel tank!"

Ahhhh it's great fun

Mekk
7th September 2009, 01:15
Old Vehicle Classification

The following are the classes to which old vehicles are classified for collectors purposes. Note that there are two systems, European and New Zealand.

European:

* Veteran, up to 1907

* Edwardian, 1908 - 1919

* Vintage, Jan 1920 - Dec 1930

* Classic, Jan 1930 on, only collectable types



New Zealand:

* Veteran, up to Dec 1918

* Vintage, Jan 1919 - 31 Dec 1931

* Post Vintage, Jan 1932 - 31 Dec 1945

* Post War, Jan 1946 - 31 Dec 1960.

Note, this is for cars. I don't know if it holds for motorcycles. Anyone able to confirm/deny?

ajturbo
7th September 2009, 07:08
Excuse my ignorance but when does a bike become a classic. How bout my 1984 Fj1100 Yami then???
thats not a "classic".. thats a land whale

LTSA rate a "classic" as something over 40 years

Voltaire
7th September 2009, 07:17
Old Vehicle Classification

The following are the classes to which old vehicles are classified for collectors purposes. Note that there are two systems, European and New Zealand.

European:

* Veteran, up to 1907

* Edwardian, 1908 - 1919

* Vintage, Jan 1920 - Dec 1930

* Classic, Jan 1930 on, only collectable types



New Zealand:

* Veteran, up to Dec 1918

* Vintage, Jan 1919 - 31 Dec 1931

* Post Vintage, Jan 1932 - 31 Dec 1945

* Post War, Jan 1946 - 31 Dec 1960.

Note, this is for cars. I don't know if it holds for motorcycles. Anyone able to confirm/deny?

Yes, they are the dates used by the Vintage Car Clubs here in NZ and probably the US as pre WW2 NZ imported a large amount of US cars and after thru trade went British, also holds for motorcycles.
The European one is different as they didn't really have much in the way of car ownership until the 50's

Probably seemed relevent once upon a time....

One observation on this part of the forum is the large interest in 70's and 80's Japanese bikes, which makes sense as that is what people grew up with..British bikes to most would be 'of interest' much in the same way as I see pre WW2 cars and bikes.

Big Zappa
8th September 2009, 22:32
Do you think it's a classic? It's all that matters.

Dodgyiti
9th September 2009, 17:40
Unlike Itilian motorcycle owners who won't give give you the time of day unless your bike has chassis number within a bulls roar of thers...

:lol:

It say's it's a tiger's roar on the sticker!

Raaagh! Meoow

hospitalfood
9th September 2009, 17:44
Of course, some on this forum would say any type of valve (except a powervalve) was ghey.

hey, what about side valves............

riffer
9th September 2009, 17:50
hey, what about side valves............


Definitely ghey.

And slow...

hospitalfood
9th September 2009, 17:54
Definitely ghey.

And slow...

slow yes but you can't call a side valve ghey

sidecar bob
9th September 2009, 18:17
If you always wanted one as a kid, or your dad had one, that dosent automaticaly make it classic.

Voltaire
9th September 2009, 19:24
If you always wanted one as a kid, or your dad had one, that dosent automaticaly make it classic.

My Dad had a Morris Oxford, Morris 1800 and an Austin A60..and I got my licence in a Morris 1300 ( the fast one, not the 1100 cc pos).....put me of British cars for life.
.....oh he did have a brand new HQ Holden Premier in metalic Orchid...purple to you lot ( $ 5500.00 in 1973) that I spent many an hour driving ( hooning) when I got my licence..... a real boy racers car from back in the day.
I inherited his 4 cylinder Comodore .......put me off Australian cars....

DEATH_INC.
9th September 2009, 19:38
A REAL classic is when it's worth more now than when it was new.....pretty good rule of thumb I reckon...

Dodgyiti
11th September 2009, 08:25
... a real boy racers car from back in the day.
....

Sorry Voltaire, but the Holden boy racer's car from back in the day was the 6 cyl Torana, and it had better not be an auto :sick:
we all wrapped them around power poles to ensure their rarity today...

Ixion
11th September 2009, 13:17
Of course OHC will never be classic - they brought about a major decline in motorcycle quality...it was the beginning of the end.Ban all OHC bikes from classic status!

Oi ! What about the cammy Velos ?

Ixion
11th September 2009, 13:19
4 valves aren't classic - we are going to make a new rule where only 2 valve heads are classic.4valves are ghey.

There's a bunch of Rudge owners looking for you. Ain't going to be pretty.

ajturbo
11th September 2009, 16:25
i used to hoon around in a statesman....

burn-outs on the footpaths... only AFTER we got kicked out of the pub....(never before)

Ahhh the good old days

popelli
11th September 2009, 17:33
Excuse my ignorance but when does a bike become a classic. How bout my 1984 Fj1100 Yami then???

a mass produced UJM (universal japanese motorcycle) becoming a classic??

isn't that the same year they started producing evolution harleys - and are they classic motorcycles yet ?

In both cases the answer has to be no

sidecar bob
11th September 2009, 17:56
a mass produced UJM (universal japanese motorcycle) becoming a classic??

isn't that the same year they started producing evolution harleys - and are they classic motorcycles yet ?

In both cases the answer has to be no

But a '73 Z900 was a mass produced UJM too. Anyone want to argue that they arent classic. (no, i dont own one)

Motu
11th September 2009, 19:53
Oi ! What about the cammy Velos ?

The Yanks banned them from the dirt tracks,limited ohv engines capacity....all the give the sidevalves an advantage.I don't see a problem with that....

popelli
12th September 2009, 05:45
But a '73 Z900 was a mass produced UJM too. Anyone want to argue that they arent classic. (no, i dont own one)

are they a classic - yes or no depending on which side of the fence you sit

did they change the face of motorcycling definitely a yes

did the yamaha change the face of motorcycling no it did not do anything appreciably different to what was before it - therefore in my book not a classic bike

did the evo harley change the face of motorcycling no - but it did change the fate of harley but again its not a classic bike - and that is reflected in prices for early evo's rock bottom prices with loads of good buys at present

ditto prices for the yamaha rock bottom, if it was a classic then prices would be rocketing and they are not

as for the kwaka prices are rocketing therefore it could be classified as classic

Bonez
12th September 2009, 09:07
are they a classic - yes or no depending on which side of the fence you sit

did they change the face of motorcycling definitely a yes

did the yamaha change the face of motorcycling no it did not do anything appreciably different to what was before it - therefore in my book not a classic bike

did the evo harley change the face of motorcycling no - but it did change the fate of harley but again its not a classic bike - and that is reflected in prices for early evo's rock bottom prices with loads of good buys at present

ditto prices for the yamaha rock bottom, if it was a classic then prices would be rocketing and they are not

as for the kwaka prices are rocketing therefore it could be classified as classicThing is in 10 years those prices will go through the roof. Around the 35-40 year mark what was once considered hohum items seem to rise subsentially. Just an observation over the years.

Paul in NZ
12th September 2009, 09:39
Oh pish - if you like it and you are prepared to spend more on it than its worth while there are better cheaper modern stuff about then in your mind it's a classic - since when did motorcylists become such stuffed shirts?

Besides - the relevance of a certain motorcycle to its status is often relateds to a certain market. The excellent american magazine Motorcycle Classics feature one a while back and they feature a lot of these emerging classics we have ignored.

http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/Motorcycle-Reviews/September-October-2008/1984-Yamaha-FJ100.aspx

Bonez
12th September 2009, 10:34
Nice find Paul. City Honda is having it's 1st birthday today. Some nice classic UJMs on display.

scumdog
12th September 2009, 10:45
Bring back the sidevalve!

Quite right - overhead-valves are a passing fad...

And as for overhead cams???? sheesh....

scumdog
12th September 2009, 10:49
A club started up in Invercargill called the Classic Motorbike Club or something similar.
What it actually meant was No Japanese Club cos there were brand new Harleys and...well mostly brand new Harleys.
If you rode with them on a Jappa they made you ride behind them.

So my XN85 wouldn't be a classic in their eyes then??

Oh, wait, maybe the word Classic meant the OWNERS, not the bike!:shit:

Like Classic Snobs or something??

Bonez
12th September 2009, 10:56
So my XN85 wouldn't be a classic in their eyes then??
Nah its got TWO ohcs and its a Suzuki......some just haven't gotten over the fact the the Japs won WW2

popelli
12th September 2009, 11:00
Thing is in 10 years those prices will go through the roof. Around the 35-40 year mark what was once considered hohum items seem to rise subsentially. Just an observation over the years.

please clarify

prices thru the roof for FJ yamahas or evo harleys?

answer really needed as I am thinking about breaking my evo for parts, if its going to be worth something I'll wait a few years

Bonez
12th September 2009, 11:07
please clarifyThought it was pretty obvious. Units get older, original parts harder to get, prices go up.

popelli
12th September 2009, 11:13
Thought it was pretty obvious. Units get older, original parts harder to get, prices go up.

not always some things are just not collectable

have prices for morris marinas gone up yet?

Bonez
12th September 2009, 11:16
not always some things are just not collectable

have prices for morris marinas gone up yet?Seen many for sale lately? It's up to an individual to decide for themselve what is "collectable".

popelli
12th September 2009, 11:24
Seen many for sale lately? It's up to an individual to decide for themselve what is "collectable".

apart from the few jeremy clarkson has removed from circulation on tv havn't seen any for years

still doesn't make them collectable

Bonez
12th September 2009, 11:26
apart from the few jeremy clarkson has removed from circulation on tv havn't seen any for years

still doesn't make them collectableIn your humble opion of course. Mind you most have probably just rusted into oblivion. Someone else might have a different veiw on the matter.

Voltaire
12th September 2009, 14:38
not always some things are just not collectable

have prices for morris marinas gone up yet?

...But surely a car that stays in production for 10 years and sells 800 000 plus units must be classic!!!<_<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Marina

I drove them as an apprentice....along with other great vehicles like...The Commer van...The Chevette....The Vauxhall Viva....The Hillman Hunter....The Morris 1000....what a load of junk.
Only marginally better were the XA Falcons, HQ Holdens.
The Mk4 Cortina was probably the best of the lot....that is however not saying much.

Then Hiaces, Coronas and Corrollas arrived.....proper engineered cars.....excluding the Mazda Bongo....
Was I glad at the end of the day to get into my VW...and drive home in a well engineered vehicle that in its own production life was concidered classic.

Dodgyiti
14th September 2009, 13:25
Who would have thought the Yammaha Fizzy's were ever going to be anything more than disposable learner bikes that got thashed and trashed and sent to the crusher?
They are so popular in the UK they have shows for them and a minter, especially in the purple scheme, go for pretty reasonable money.

Not my cup of tea but I can see why.
People learn on them, get old and have some cash and want to relive some weird stuff they should have forgotton and snap up the few remaining tidy ones.
Takes many or just one path to make a classic.
Race heritage, limited numbers, groundbreaking technology, last of the line, unrestricted, expensive, pretty or really ugly etc etc
I don't think it is comprehendable how, or in some cases why, it just is.

nudemetalz
14th September 2009, 15:46
You wait,....

Since Moto Guzzi has not made a proper sportsbike for a while now (and probably won't since being owned by Aprilia), the V11's will be collectable.
I'm not going to sell mine in the near future. Love it too much !!

Dodgyiti
15th September 2009, 07:30
You wait,....

Since Moto Guzzi has not made a proper sportsbike for a while now (and probably won't since being owned by Aprilia), the V11's will be collectable.
I'm not going to sell mine in the near future. Love it too much !!

True, I have given up waiting for the MG-01 to be put out in road trim, probably because they learned with the Daytona that they lost money on each and every one sold.

They must do a sport bike, the 1200 Sport is just a hotted up version of Grandad's Breva, and doing retro attempts at recreating a V7 Sport using a Nevada 750 engine does not cut it.
:blank: