Triumphrat

larrykahn · 11-18-2012, 02:02 PM

You mean like this...?
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/Ne...uzuki-gladius/

hlmiskelly · 11-18-2012, 02:14 PM

[quote=steve betts;2427994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmak

"What Would Steve McQueen Do"

When in any doubt, this is always the question I ask myself...

What a strange coincidence because I always ask myself, "What would Bruce Campbell do?"

PaulMattoon · 11-18-2012, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Odysseus

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....".

I agree completely, but besides the baby boomer attraction to the past, I also think that good designs (airplanes: take the Spitfire, for example) are universally appealing. I didn't live in the 30s or 40s, yet some of the best work in design of traveling conveyances appeals to me.

Another thing that I was surprised with was the high volume of 20- and 30-year olds who ride/love Bonnevilles. They weren't privy to the bike of the 60s and 70s.

One thing that you said is certain: fashion constantly changes and the retro will be realitively short-lived, as all fashions are. 'Remember my grandmother back in the early 70s asking (knowing that she'd die soon) whether I wanted her Victorian furniture. I told her that it wasn't in fashion, then remarked, but it probably would be in a decade or two. She agreed.

NorthernThrux · 11-18-2012, 11:34 PM

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

deaninkl · 11-19-2012, 01:37 AM

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?

GTO Bruin · 11-19-2012, 08:54 AM

At one time, this was probably considered retro. Now, I'd say it's antique. How soon before future generations consider modern Triumph classics as antiques instead of retro classics?

Papa Weeley · 11-19-2012, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulMattoon

Could be because I was looking at the dates when people joined rather than the posted date. Dah! Another senile moment.

Ha! Don't I know THAT feeling much too well!

PaulMattoon · 11-19-2012, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Weeley

Ha! Don't I know THAT feeling much too well!

Gotta admit it and laugh at it when it comes along. Keeps me laughing--a lot now-a-days, anyway.

PaulMattoon · 11-19-2012, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO Bruin

At one time, this was probably considered retro. Now, I'd say it's antique. How soon before future generations consider modern Triumph classics as antiques instead of retro classics?

Now THAT is a good-looking bike. Why? Because it's uncluttered and functional.

Thanks for the great example.

Nickwiz · 11-19-2012, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kreemsicleT100

I agree with previous posts. Seems that motorcycles built for speed are really only fun going fast. Our twins have it all, and hitting the ton feels like I've accomplished something. A crotch rocket is just getting into 3rd gear at that pace.

On the other end of the spectrum, my 2-stroke dirt bike is standing up on the back wheel in 3rd gear when I'm hitting the power band. Speed? probably about 30 mph at that point, but what a blast. Top speed=maybe 60 mph, and honestly more fun than even my Bonnie. Dirt is my true first love.

So let the Power Rangers brag all they want. I guarantee I'm having more fun than they are on any of my bikes. Odds are that at the end of any of my rides, I won't need a straw to eat my meals, or even worse, probably won't wake up pushin' daisies. Just my opinion of why I prefer my bikes.

I keep trying to explain that over on another Forum and people get very angry and call me a fool!