Is it still possible for new bikes to become "classics"?

A thought experiment to liven things up around here...

After having to buy a new car for my wife recently with all of its gee-whiz high-tech gadgetry practically driving it for you, I got to thinking: Are we nearing the end of the time when vehicles can become "classics"?

If you look at the XJ's for example, while some parts are getting hard to find or difficult to manufacture for a DIYer, by and large a skilled machinist can still make, or work around, most anything it takes to keep them on the road. The same holds true for vehicles dating back to the beginning of the invention: They were all built by tradesmen using equipment and processes still in use today, therefore someone with skills and access to that equipment can still recreate or repair nearly everything they are made of.

But when you consider the new bikes and cars, with all their computer controlled everything, does the same hold true? It's not like somebody can manufacture a new computer in their garage shop when one goes on the fritz. So many sensors and specialized parts go into a modern bike that require equipment and processes not accessible to the individual to manufacture or even maintain. It's really beyond comprehension of one person anymore. Plus, it's virtually guaranteed that these companies will at some point simply stop manufacturing critical parts for vehicles beyond a certain age, then what happens? I suppose you can still look at them in a museum.

50 years from now, do you think any bikes (or cars) built in the last 5 years still be on the road? Or have cars and bikes also become just another disposable commodity in our modern world?

 

Great thread!

I agree with you, the more displays and computer controllers that are put into the bikes makes them have a shelf life if you want to keep the OEM. A good shade tree mech could cobble around most things 50 yrs from now and get the bikes roadworthy. But if something does go wrong with the display and computers, I don't know how long after the normal 10 yr mark a manufacture will keep making or stocking those items.

The Avatar display on some of the XJ's come to mind even now as I try to refresh one.

 

Motor vehicles have become disposable about 15-20 years ago. Unfortunately.

 

It's getting worse wet timing belts and wet oil pump belts instead of chains. Don't know of any bikes like that though?

 

Hard to predict, I think. I remember thinking this same thing when the square body Chevy was "new", bemoaning how trucks were cheaply made without any style like they used to build them. Now square bodies are a collectible classic. Every part you can think of is available aftermarket.

 

Styling comes and goes, so I don't think that has much bearing in the long run. Some of the most collectible vehicles are also some of the ugliest, which is often part of the appeal.

It's the ability of the garage mechanic to keep them running in the long term that I think is dying or already has died. I'm afraid to even change oil in my wife's new Subaru for fear of voiding a warranty or screwing up some sensor.

You hear stories of headlights that cost $1200 to replace, a burned-out taillight that results in $4000 worth of repairs...and don't even get me started on "subscription" based features that were already installed and paid for when you bought the vehicle but then they extort more money from you if you want to actually be able to use it. It's like buying a new house with a complete kitchen, but you have to pay extra to be able to turn on the stove, the refrigerator, the sink...

I mean, there's a reason you don't see vehicles in the post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max based on a 2025 Subaru. ;-)