When todays bikes become old...... will they become scrap?

I read an interesting article the other day in one of the nationally published mags. It was written by an author that I have read since the 70's when he was working on a brand new engine configuration. He tends to go a little to technical for my tastes rather often but this month, he made a point that should strike home with any lover of vintage bikes.

He reminded me that for us, all of us here on this forum, it doesn’t take a whole lot for us to get these bikes running. Spark, gas, air and compression are all relatively easy to come by and once all three are assembled in the correct quantities, we would have standing before us, a running (to some degree) motorcycle.

Many of us remember points and all the little tricks we used to use to keep them operating correctly to time the sparks at the plugs. Ahh, remember the matchbook? How great was that little invention? We not only had a means of cleaning and dressing the points, but a built in points gap setter as well! Yup, all those types of things were the things that helped us keep our bikes running. I owned Kawasaki triples back in the 70’s and still do but at least my H2’s in the garage have CDI ignition and not the THREE sets of points that my H1’s had back then. In fact, most of the bikes presently in my garage have points operated ignitions.

Then it was my English loving friends that taught me about the first Lord of Darkness that reigned supreme long before Star Wars was even a gleam in the George Lucas’s eye. Yes, Lucas Electrics. We had to learn that + goes to ground and leaking smoke causes electrical problems and not the other way around. We learned that various thicknesses of aluminum could be rated for 5, 10 and 15 amp fuses when all else failed. We learned of magneto lighting and ignitions. Rev it up and the headlight shown brightly, over-rev and it burned out. They put up with all that because the handling was second to none and besides, they had me to fix their bikes<LOL>.

Long before Tickle-me-Elmo was Tickle-me-Amal. No rider was absent the smell of dried gasoline on his fingers. Bugs were a food classification long before full-faced helmets were available to the masses. If you rode a bike, you learned how to fix it, no exceptions. There were no “riders” as many of today’s owners are. Just as I know most if not all of the guys reading this know how to work on their own machines, it just came with the territory so to speak since neither me nor anyone I knew could afford to have anyone else wrench on our bikes.

There is a point to all this nostalgia. It is going to end soon. That’s right I’m afraid. Mr Wood in his article brought up a very good point.

With today’s computerized electronic fuel injections and multiple mapping and software controlled antilock braking systems, what are our children going to do when they find that 40 year old 2010 ZX10 in the old barn long after we’ve transformed back into dust? How will they ever replace the old and corroded fuel injection computer that runs on a 32 bit system when that technology is, well, 40 years old?

Even find anyone be able to resurrect an old DOS computer? Of course not. Even the old guys don’t have parts for them anymore or even the hardware platform to run it on.

That is the point. Since today’s bikes take much more to produce a simple spark and many if not most bikes either are or soon will be throttle by wire…..what will those kids be able to get running?

Have we found or maybe created our own ending to collecting Vintage bikes? I for one hope not cause my old bikes have something that I can't find on the new ones, a soul.......

jeff

 

Probably scrap. Most of today's things are disposable and designed for a lack of maintainance by the owners, just toss it away when it's done.

Unit hubs on trucks, instead of bearings you grease. No maint. but you chuck them and $600 (parts cost) of your money in the trash every year or two.

Been left on the side of the road by my jeep and an $11 sensor it can't run without. No warnings, just quits, engine dead. It's a 94. A limp home program would have been great.

My wife's Jeep Compass has been insisting via warning light that we're missing a tire for 2 years now because I refuse to pay $400 for an air pressure sensor. I told the dealer I've got a tire guage, thanks.

We're creating "smarter" vehicles and dumber people.

Sure 4 carbs can be a pain but once they're sorted you're likely good to go for years as long as the rest of the bike is in order.

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

This is gonna make me sound like one of those Old Farts that you never wanted to be, when your were young (guess I am one at my age). :twisted: EVERYTHING THAT IS BUILT NOW IS DISPOSABLE :twisted: !!!

skillet
BTW as you probably guessed, this is a pet peeve of mine

 

It will be a shame that "modern" bikes will mostly be junk (hopefully recycled in the "future").

But then again, entry level bikes are only what 4-6k? Not saying that is cheap for everyone. But if you just want to putz around many people COULD afford those if they knew how to ride AND were not convinced they HAVE to buy the 20k beasts...

Unfortunately even the 20k beasts (or 40k wings) will probably be junk as well.

Maybe the Star Royal Venture will still have carbs in 40 years - That model is NOT stuck in the past... It's future proofed!!!

 

Cant say I mind the idea of seeing these modern bikes slowly dying off....

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

Metal-bob brings up a good point, how many of us bought a new bike for our first? I didn't and only know a couple of guys that did, both in their early 20's. I began riding in 73 and never had a new bike or really even thought too much about a new one. I remember going to the yammy dealer and looking at the TX500 in the mid seventies, the brown one....don't know why but I REALLY liked that bike. Maybe because compared to my 73 CB350 it seemd so much nicer but it wasn't worth the money to me.

Maybe it's because I've turned into that old fart that Skillet mentioned but when I bought my very first new bike, it was a bike I could ride 1000miles without blinking or take my sweetheart camping on for a long weekend. In 07 is cost me 7400otd for a Vstrom 1000 and I had to mod a few things to make it more comfortable on the highway but it's bulletproof. It's not much better then Iwin's jeep....all electronic sensors etc and when it gets to the point that they can't be replaced, it will be worthless which is a shame. Now, if it had carbs then it could probably last forever with a rebuild or two but it won't with proprietary software and sensors.....

jeff

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

It might not even be an "age" thing. Talking to people my age, folks that feel the way I do seem to be in the minority. You have to end up on a site like this (or one like it) to find kindred spirits. IMHO a "throw away society" is just wrong ???

skillet
BTW I'll put away my soap box now...

 

I dont see the problem by then we wont be here and the gas engine will be obsolete. There will be hydrogen powered vehicles that fly through the air no more roads and you wont even have to pilot it it will just go to where your thinking about. Doughnuts will be the health food of choice and beer will be considered one of the major food groups. But marajuwanta will still be illegal unless you live in Muskogee

 

OK, Buck Rogers. Or is that George Jetson?

And here we are, it IS the 21st Century, and we still have cars with tires.

Did you see the Audis (and other vehicles) in "I, Robot?" They still had wheels...

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

You guys are forgetting one leetle teenie fact. The manufacturers didn't make just one of each of their models. As such spare parts (via donor bikes) will be available long after the models have been discontinued.

It is also dirt bag simple to find the parts these day. A few minutes on ebay and poof! You got it. When was the last time one of our members bought a new Yamaha carburetor?

There will likely continue to be folks like our own Len who can source consumables for us nostalgia buffs.

Some models have known failure problems that are extremely expensive to replace through the dealer network. For many of these parts there are the entrepreneurial sorts who design and manufacture better than new replacement parts or repair services to fix at the component level expensive assemblies at a fraction of the cost of new. A great example of this is the latch for the trunk on my BMW K1200 LT. It is a crappy overly complex design that causes the handle to break. A high percentage of the latches do fail too. No worries though because BMW has a solution. You remove the trunk, drill out the rivets holding the 2 halves of the case together and replace the bottom half of the trunk. I am NOT SH***ING YOU!!! The cost for the part is $1200. One thousand two hundred dollars. An enterprising gentleman designed two kits. One is a "Fix it before it breaks" kit and the other one is the one you need if your latch has already failed. Cost? $123 and $360. Go look at the kits. They are amazing. www.lttrunklatch.com

Fear not my friends! The sky is not falling!

Loren

 

It will have to be George Jetson i am all out of sparklers.

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

*Jumps on soap box*
This is what happens when you outsource engineers and pay the LOWEST bidder. No one knows how to fix/redesign it and the OEM parts are crap.
*Jumps off box*
(FYI: I have a BS in Mechanical Engineering but worked as a Quality Manager).

 

I want the electric/hydrogen/antimatter/whatever dual purpose bike from the NEW Star Trek movie

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

That's more than a good news!!!!
I just hope that my bikes will last for pretty long. (I have a 2009 suzuki M90 and a 750 maxim)I guess that the only way i can help things is by taking care of my bikes without kicking the hell out off them.

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

I think Im going to buy a Ducati 1198r and store every part on it untill im about 90, then ill give it to my great grandson. and he can sell it to a museum and bury my sorry a** with the leftover money. hahahha Life insurance here i come! (or should i say ducati dealer) :lol:

 

we might not be able to bring them back but someone will
i read about a guy that had a program on a laptop in his car just for emission inspection, passed every test perfect even though it was blowing blue smoke

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

Sounds like a plan!

 

Re: When todays bikes become old...... will they become scra

I like what wamaxim said....

I'd like to think that in 40 odd years time people will still swoon and gasp at shows and spend hours rebuilding their neglected old MT-03s or whatever. Another generation of enthusiasts will surely bring another generation of expertise. Meanwhile I'm more than happy dwelling in the world of choke levers and suchlike.......

By the way, I'm only 24. And I really can't stand most modern bikes!

 

Right, I'm in, I have this theory about the evolution of things mechanical, where they go though design changes until they are pretty near perfect, then henceforth it's just tinkering.
Take the rifle for example, muzzel loading flintlock, rim fire, pin fire, untill you get to the winchester repeater, that was IT for me.
Like the bike I am rebuilding now the Bonneville copy, XS650D, the pinnacle.
More & more bike manufacturers are producing 'retro' bikes, I'm sure these bikes could be 'tinkered' with, long into the future, while the tupperware examples will go the same way as the mini skirt & the hoola hoop.

 

Because they have tupperware? The mechanicals are the same as a non-tupperware bike so why will they hula hoop and mini-skirt?

Loren