Prices

Maybe it's because the people who owned those machines in their youth and would like to buy another find themselves too old to ride them or are sadly no longer with us.

1970's Jap classics is where the big money is right now. 

C'est la vie... 

There are various reasons for the crash in bike prices.  Death of owners of both single machines and collections. Older NOC members giving up or being forced to give up. New, younger NOC members taking on a family heirloom or inheriting a neighbours machine and then finding them too difficult to maintain. 

The same problems are happening in the States resulting in hoards of re-imports to the UK. The end result being a glut of Nortons which people have not got the spare cash to invest in. Look at price of 961s on the market. Some selling on eSites  for less than a good Commando 750.

Most of us will live in a ULEZ type zone or 15 minute city /town or area before long unless Joe Norton wakes up and says NO. At the moment 40+ year old vehicles do not pay £12.50 per day, so a classic Norton could be an answer?

How long is that going to last? 

'Brown car guy' (Sorry to go slightly off topic), recons that this mularky will go on until 2025 /6 and then we all pay per mile? Classics too?

My thoughts are that classics will come back for a year or two before the scrap yards or museums get them. what do you think? 

I prefer not to speculate.  It will only give Khan (the name means Emporor) more ideas.

Actually Neil, since we're venturing off topic, the answer is one of these:

Actually, Stan, it was the Brown car guy off topic, now if he were a side car guy............

(Penny Farthing for your thoughts?)  

Actually Norton did make bikes before 1900 , thats what started them off. Check your records Phil !!.

Check your records Phil !!.

No Norton bicycles in my records. Just lots of oily fingerprints and the odd coffee stain!!!

Have I been misquoted???   

I do have an electrically assisted bicycle so could easily join the hoards of red light jumpers avoiding the ULEZ fees.

I also live near Portsmouth which has its own LEZ to help combat pollution. This being typically  hypercritical in view of the nearby Military Naval Base, Cruise Ship Port and Ferry Docks. The Isle of Wight is also used by many airlines as a 'Way Point' into the UK so we consequently suffer the 24/7 effluent dropped by jet planes flying over Portsmouth.

I'm sure you are misquoted Phil. Ian, I think, was referring to Richard's post!!

I thought that I was going bonkers but it appears that many of you are several steps ahead of me already.  I deny everything that I have ever done and said. There is absolutely no rumour in the truth that I know anything about Nortons. 

Why don't you all just go back to watching the Football???

as a friendly chap who sold me a surface table yesterday pointed out: you can now get 5 1/2 % on a savings account....

The price drop, is not just in Classic bikes, pre-war cars have also taken a hit. I think the reason for it is that people who in their youth, wanted a Goldie or a Manx or a Bonnie, are now retired or no longer with us.  They have passed on their machines to family who are finding that it is to difficult to maintain these machines so they sell them through auctions or e-sites. Hence a lot of machines hitting the market.  Older buyers now want what they could not afford when they were younger. Now we see Z1, Honda 400/4 commanding high prices. I see the same with pre-war MG. You can see how the market is moving, gone are the days when you could phone up a supplier and ask for a part and they understand what you are looking for. Now you just get asked have you looked on the website, what is the part number. Russell Motors are old school and i buy all the parts i need from them if possiable. I phoned one supplier and asked if they had an oil pump for a CS1 [Cricket Bat Motor]  and i was asked is that a Norton!. Should of known better!!!