21-06-13, 08:55 PM
For me, age alone will not qualify a bike to classic status. Again, I reckon it starts with grabbing the imagination when it first comes out. There has to be something really outstanding about it which puts it ahead of the competition. I think you have to be careful not to confuse classic with vintage. Almost all pre-70s British bikes are now generally considered as vintage, but I'm sure that people who rode and owned bikes in the heyday of Brits will tell you there were good and bad, same as with the "Jap era".
Regarding "grabbing the imagination when it first comes out", it's interesting to note that the Fazer gen 1 thou did not do this - it's price in the showrooms was too high, and Yamaha made too much of the "son of R1" hype to market it as an aggressive street bike, which in standard form it isn't. But when good second hand examples started to appear in showrooms, then it began to make it's name as what it truly is - a great all-rounder. (Of course I'm bound to mention this bike - I'm now on my fourth one. But I have my reasons for liking them so much. But classic? Probably not.)
Regarding "grabbing the imagination when it first comes out", it's interesting to note that the Fazer gen 1 thou did not do this - it's price in the showrooms was too high, and Yamaha made too much of the "son of R1" hype to market it as an aggressive street bike, which in standard form it isn't. But when good second hand examples started to appear in showrooms, then it began to make it's name as what it truly is - a great all-rounder. (Of course I'm bound to mention this bike - I'm now on my fourth one. But I have my reasons for liking them so much. But classic? Probably not.)