I think that things will be fine
and the future is bright
.
I'm just turning 40 this year. I joined the owners club when I was in my teens, back in the early 90's, bought my first B31 Rigid back in '94 after saving my money from part time jobs. My Father or brother had no interest in old bikes, nor had any of my friends when I was young so the interest was not nurtured. From an early age I just liked the look of the bikes, the smell, the stance, the height, comfort, the sound, the torque and the slow revs. I like the rigid frames and the girder forks particularly and although I'm no longer "young" I still am younger than some others. I want to buy a Round Tank, a flat tank and a 30's sports bike which I will look after and pass on to other generations but the same thing that's keeping me from buying them is keeping my friends from buying M20's/B33's/Goldflash etc...price and availability! Ever look at ebay and see some of the totally overpriced "projects" that are being sold? Do you thin that someone who gives over 2 grand for a Bantam project will ultimately have a good experience in the old bike scene? I mean I like my D1, but I didn't buy it for more than my M20. The benefit of bantams was that they were cheap and easy to work on so that people could learn, the sooner they get back to a price that makes them easier to become an everyman's entry level model the better it will be for the whole BSA community.
Mind you, although I trained and worked as a mechanic and later in body work, then later on studied and completed a degree in mechanical engineering I still lack the practical engineering skills that some of the older guys I have know have had. I'm willing to learn if anyone wants to pass these skills on