was out other day witha pal for a ride, and we went to visit a local classic dealer, he had his full array of nice to haves and would love to haves, and we got chatting about bantams.
told him i had a bushman, and a d14, and he laughed, stating what they all say, why would you buy/ bother and all that, and i tried to explain that in most cases, they are simple cheap, easily recognisable, and furthermore collectable.
it was like id shot his wife....... he said "i could make a call now and get 3 bantams here and give less then 1500 for them all"
why dont you thought i? then it dawned on me, that regardless, yes he may well could, and maybe we couldnt get 3 for that price, but if i did they would be mine. and thats my point, regardless, i enjoy what i enjoy, and no amount of price or rarety changes, im sure i get equally amount of smiles on my bushman as i would i i owned a brough superior (i actually can only wish on that front ::) )
well that was my quick bantam rant
ride on folks
Strange comment by that dealer.
One dealer not too far from me said that Bantams are becoming quite desirable these days.
He said a lot of the older bike riders find that it is harder now to get their leg over what they used to in the past, so are downsizing as they wish to keep hold of some memories from the past. He did feel the prices are creeping up for usable Bantams.
If anyone has got 3 usable ones to sell me for £1500, let me know!
I had Bantams in the 1970s and have still got one now. They are easy to work on, take up little space in the garage, parts are plentiful and put a smile on your face when pottering around on them. In fact my D14 is a lot quicker than my B40 with regard to acceleration, only losing out above 50mph.
I recently completed a 3 year restoration of an Ariel Square Four and a 3 week restoration of a D7 that I can hang on the back of my camper van for holidays. They're both very satisfying to ride but of course in completely different ways. I still feel relief getting back from a ride on the 200kg Ariel that all those bits are still where they should be (and most of the oil). The Bantam ride is much more carefree and I can chuck it around the lanes like I'm still in my 20s. Recently it blew a head gasket but as I had a spare in one pocket and a Whitworth spanner in the other I was back on the road in 10 minutes!
There are a lot on the market at the moment but to me that doesn't devalue them at all.
Cheers,
Bernie
I mostly ride my 'sporty' A10 special or Super Rocket.
When I drag the Bantam out for a change I always come back with a huge grin in my face.
On club runs she keeps up with the bigger bikes.
I guess it will be the last bike left in the shed as I get too old to manage the bigger bikes as she has the perfect combination of the low seat of a D1 with the go of a D14/4 engine.
i couldnt agree more guys, i see bantams values increasing all the time and think wow thats great. It also allows first time owners of classics to get a foot in the door without breaking the bank or the marriage :)
i like you dean, will more than likely have the bushman forever.