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Are retros the future of motorcycling?

15K views 113 replies 63 participants last post by  Bonnocam 
#1 ·
Been thinking about the number of manufacturers jumping on the "retro" band wagon. I suspect that naked retros just might actually be the future of motorcycling.

Bikes are again being produced in classic configurations by their original manufacturers. Look at the Guzzi V series, the Triumph classic twins, and Honda's CB1100, appearently soon to come to these shores. Now, we get word that BMW is to introduce a classic airhead boxter twin , though details are scanty.

I went so far as to contact BMW last year about how frikkin' heavy and/or ugly and soulless their bikes had become, and that I would not own one. I can't be the only rider out there who feels this way.
 
#35 ·
I have my Buell 1125 Rotax when I want to get crazy, my '48 Indian when I want to get cool, a DR650 when I want to get dirty, my Bonneville when I want to get mellow, and my V-Strom 650 when I want to get somewhere.


Love them all guys, no prejudice when it comes to motorcycles or women.
 
#36 ·
The have a place, for a time. Retro is, fundamentally, a fad which will pass eventually. The automotive industry may already be abandoning it. On the other hand, retro is probably safe from a business perspective. Copying something good is probably as profitable as making something good, and much easier.

Unfortunately you get people from “design studios” drawing up things they know nothing about and similarly ignorant MBA’s forcing engineers to try and salvage the situation.
 
#42 ·
My baby, Black Betty, will be 12 years old in January of of 2013. According to the sticker on her frame she was born on January of 2001. I think she must be one of the early ones. Almost 30,000 miles and zero trouble. Both valve checks were spot on. Never even a cam cover leak. I try to take her out and flog her on a regular basis. She seems to like it.

 
#43 ·
Don't know why this old post surfaced, but glad it did. Nice thread.

Much of the discussion was on the subject that good designs are timeless, hence the name 'retro' ought to be changed to 'classic'.

When getting back into motorcycles after a 26-year period of family-raising, I was looking for what was the back-then familiar and was put off by all the plastic-covered bikes hiding the engine and sport bikes.

I was going to say that I'm convinced that such remakes of old will be popular for a time with people like me, but us old farts will eventually die off, but on reflection young people (in their 20s and 30s) like classic-looking bikes, so the market of classic bikes may continue.

I always wondered why companies haven't produced classic cars or planes that have great lines, but it's probably a production vs. cost to the buyer reason.
 
#51 ·
Don't know why this old post surfaced, but glad it did. Nice thread.
It just started yesterday at 7am ... ;)

It's funny, though, for the last couple of years, all of the bikes I've found interesting or have been interested in buying have been "naked", which is really odd after three decades or so of plastic-clad sportbikes. Maybe it's just a nostalgia thing. Though I do have to say I like the look of an engine hanging out there for all to see.
 
#46 ·
When I returned to motorcycling after 30 years off; I wasn't sure what I wanted. I did know that I had no interest in a HD, because my son has one, and it looked way to big, bulky and LOUD for me.

I wanted a "real" motorcycle, and when I saw the used T100 at the shop; it really "spoke" to me.

It just looks "right," and appeals to many others as well, because I'm definitely a member of the "nostalgic old guys who like my bike club." Every day I ride it, at practically every stop I make; someone wants to look at and talk about it.



Rick
 
#47 ·
The retro trend is a result of the huge baby boomer demographic bulge. Everyone is attached to the music/motorcycles/cars/whatever of his youth, but there are very many baby boomers, and many of them seem to have some money to spend to indulge this.
 
#50 ·
I didn't start riding until 2009. It was all about the gas prices, I didn't expect to love riding so much.
I got this Land vehicle Vehicle Motorcycle Motor vehicle Car
my Suzuki 2009 TU250
and added this Land vehicle Vehicle Motor vehicle Motorcycle Automotive tire
my 2010 Bonnie

I'll never willingly give up either bike. I ride them both the year round.

If I had the money I'd get one more Land vehicle Motorcycle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle
Kawasaki's 2012 ER-6n

All three are considered naked standards. Other than that I can't tell you what all three have in common besides I love them and want to ride them. Well I love the two I have and I'd like the chance to love the ER.
 
#55 ·
I can recall in my youth when the Bonneville was the top dog of motorcycling,and the Honda S90 was the way cool ride of the slightly older crowd than me.
Now that I am approaching 60,I appreciate the New Bonneville for what a classic motorcycle it is, I thought it was cool then,and I think it is cool now. With reliability to boot. :)
 
#57 ·
I'd be very interested in an Airhead Retro. Got any more info on that?

Also, would Guzzi please make a V7 which is lighter and more powerful. And while you're at it, think about doing something with this:
 
#59 ·
I meant to post this the other night...

There is a distinct difference between "Retro" and "Classic" and I think that sometimes those two terms get confused by folks. There are classics that are retros, but there are plenty of retros that aren't classics.

Classics that happen to be retro:

1954 Corvette
1955 Belair
1964 Riviera
1968 Dino Ferrari
1968 Camaro
1966 Mustang Fastback
Etc...

I could go on... But you get the point.

On the other hand there are plenty of retros that arguably aren't classics:

1975 AMC Pacer
1971 Ford Pinto
1976 Chevrolet Chevette

I could go on... But you get the point.

So the point is that things like:

The Oxford Shirt
A blue blazer
Levis Jeans
Converse Chuck Taylors
Apple Iphone
The Hinckley Bonneville
Single Barrel Scotch

... Are all classics regardless of when they are made and some stuff is just retro stuff.

What does that mean? It means that if something is a timeless design it will endure and if it is not it will end up being a footnote in history and/or an interesting piece in someone's collection of odd stuff.

So... No... Retro is not the future. In the future classic and timeless designs will continue to endure and as new timeless designs are introduced they will be appeciated, purchased and sought after by the consumers.
 
#60 ·
I actually tabled this discussion with a group of family members this weekend.

They all (six of them) agreed that it was their boomer generation driving this. Funny enough my driveway was filled by their:
New mustang Shelby (looking 60's)
Challenger (looking 60's)
New beetle cabrio (looking 60's)
Ford flex (arguably a retro look)

And over beers in the garage I could not keep them off my thruxton and my bonneville.

I am 36 but I grew up around triumphs. So it was kind of burned into my mind at a young age.

This discussion was a fun one......thanks for bringing it up.

Bill
 
#64 ·
Interesting point about the cars - here in the UK we have lots of new Beetles and a few of the Mustangs etc make it over here but in general the UK car market is a lot less 'retro' styled.

I guess my everyday car is very retro though as it has looks that haven't changed much since the 1950s ...

 
#61 ·
I love my Triumph,but if BMW came out with a cool R90-R75/6 retro, I would be beating the doors down to buy one. I can recall Yvon Duhamel dominating on the R90 in the early 70's when I went to the races at Laguna Seca.That was the R1 of the day and is still a great looking bike.
Of course I would still keep my Bonneville.
 
#63 ·
I think the whole retro thing is a phase. Like 10 years ago people were throwing away all the 70's honda and kawa and whatnot's, but look at them today, a good cb 750f k1 or Z900 will go 10 grand! Right now the 60's are the period that is the hippest, with cafe racers starting to get more desired, but alas, I think in about 10 years it wont be hip to have a retro anymore, it'll just be another motorcycle, like there are people with ugly 80s motorcycles (which are getting increasingly handsome at the moment)
 
#66 · (Edited)
It seems to me that our tastes are formed fairly early in life - in our teens or earlier, into our early 20s - whether it's bikes, music, cars, or countless other things. We carry those tastes into later life, and if they happen to require money in order to indulge them, some of us can do that once we get into our 30s, 40s or later, so we create a "retro" market. I'm totally convinced that the Triumphs made in the 1960s are the most beautiful bikes ever made, which is why I have the modern equivalent, but I know that that view is influenced hugely by the fact that they are what I lusted after when I was a kid.

Fifteen or twenty years ago you could buy a good '60s Bonnie in the UK for a couple of thousand quid, but then my age group started to sniff around them and the price went through the roof. A few years later, early '70s Japanese bikes suddenly started taking off (CB750, Z1, etc.), because the young kids who lusted after them were by now middle-aged and with a bit of spare cash. And so it goes on.

These days, Bonneville-style bikes are referred to as having "classic" styling, but I think there was quite a bit of to-ing and fro-ing before people settled on that description. In fact, in the UK, at least for calculating sales, they used to be lumped in with cruisers, which really offended a lot of us. I think over time, the popularity of those "classic"-style bikes will fade, as they start to look more and more antiquated as each new generation gets older, and those of us who lusted after them die off. But "retro" has got a lot of steam in, because the idea of what retro means is constantly changing as middle-aged blokes move into the market looking for something that reminds them of their teenage bike lust. But for the same reason, it will always be a niche market, because I don't think it will ever be the predominant market for young 20-something bikers.

And there are two other points to bear in mind. Firstly, an air-cooled engine with a spine frame means a manufacturer has to produce an entirely separate bike from its mainstream products. There is very little sharing of parts, which increases the expense and risk to the producer considerably. Secondly, emissions regulations may well kill off air-cooled bikes for good in the not too distant future, and if that happens, the answer to whether such bikes are the future of motorcycles will be a very unambiguous "no".
 
#69 ·
I was not knocking modern bikes just the so called Designe most manufacturers follow the same path so it was nice to see retro....modern but looking good....When I pull up sombody allways say lovely bike the other day an old lady even......you have the VW Beetle...the Mini...Fiat500 all good sellers though not all practical so tha must say something....And even the 911
 
#70 ·
I think its a case that anything that was good will become a classic. Honda Hurricanes, first generation Fireblades, Suzuki RGVs, are fetching big money now. If any one of the Japanese big 4 produced a replica 80s liveried sports bike it would sell like hot cakes.
 
#74 · (Edited)
Some things remain fashionable forever. Sometimes they even appreciate.

I have a barnfind 1973 Porsche 911S, the last of the "early" cars. I'm restoring it from the bare metal on up, just ahead of the 911's 50th birthday next year. Now there's a shape that hasn't fundamentally changed in half a century, though the contents have always been "improved". Sit in a 1963 or a 2012 911 and there is an instant familiarity. Just like sitting on a 2012 or a 1963 Bonnie.

That feeling of familiarity is what defines the Bonnie as a classic. The new one is improved, but it didn't lose its character. The Modern Bonnie isn't a retro copy. It is a modern Bonnie and it shares its DNA with the bikes of old. It is honest. It is exactly what you might expect the Bonnie would evolve to.

While the latest 911 iteration is extraordinary, and honest in the same sense, my old car is worth at least twice what a 2012 911 C2 is, and its heading to thrice. That tells you something about which car people really cherish...


Sent from my iPhone using Motorcycle.com App
 
#75 ·
Luckily the US still seems sensible when it comes to getting a motorcycle license, Europe is becoming anal, to say the least, so the future could be bleak for motorcycling in general.. firstly if young people don't ride when they are young, there will be no old farts to be born again once the kids are out of the way.

Why the retro boom now? because a lot of 50+ers want the toys they had when they were kids, or at least things that look like them.

To a certain degree retros are nothing new, there has always been a custom business.... remember when race specials were either home made cafe racers or exotic things like Richman, Bimoto..etc. now every factory offers off the peg GP reps...

I like the trend, but will a Retro in 30 years time be R1 lookalike or a Retro of the modern Retro?
 
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