What is your definition of VINTAGE?

[Rosco400]

Hey Luke, thats a great question that has obviously stirred up a bit of interest. What is your definition of Vintage.

Good question col, over to you luke

[runutz698]

Ok on the technical side non of the 60 - 70-80-90's bikes are vintage, the term Vintage is for cars/Bikes Made between 1919 - 1930 that is the tue definition. So a 1928 Douglas DT Side tracker is a true vintage dirtbike by defenition. 

How ever the Motor Cross bikes haven't been around  that long, and the early examples are road bikes moded to use off road and are from european back ground, But are they a true MX bike??? Or is MX bike refer to a purpose built bike which was designed to go off road before it was made??

There is no such thing as a chinese or Jap. vintage car, nor would you call a FJ Holden Vintage.

Classic in the true meaning is a car/Bike built 1931-1948 so where does that leave everything else??

Maybe we need to make up a new Cat., all the stuff in between fits into like retro 1948-1985???

Otherwise everything 1930 - to 25years or older is a classic and that is alot of stuff and leaves it to open.

We need to keep it clean and streamlined as once all this stuff is a 100years old what will it be?

Nutz

[pancho]

the true meaning of vintage is 'BEST' of its type or year and does not necesarily define a period time wise. no japanese vintage timewise? i would like to know [really, not sarcastically]what has suzuki been manufacturing in motorised vehicles since 1909? cheers wally.

[runutz698]

Suzuki didn't make it's first motorised bike till 1952 and before that was into  Loom Works machinery.
http://www.globalsuzuki.com/corp_info/history/index.html

Check this link out for the timeline and history. 

So I think you may have your wires crossed.

[lukeb1961]

Suzuki did make a number of prototype cars in 1939. 4-cyl 750cc things. The war stopped them putting it into production. The Power Free and Diamond Free bikes of 1952 were very basic/simple  bicycle things, that nevertheless sold in large numbers (53,000 per year!). The Colleda of 1954 was their first real motorbike.

The Jeff Clew book SUZUKI was an exhaustive history up 'till  1979.

[lukeb1961]

Hey Luke, thats a great question that has obviously stirred up a bit of interest. What is your definition of Vintage.

Ahh.. that was the discussion at work that triggered this question to you lot! My personal definition of Vintage Dirt Bike is very firm and clear. The era when I was a teenager and lusted after these things. Specifically, 1976-1980. Everything before then is 'ancient', and anything after that is 'modern' and those crazy young kids ride those single-shock weird things.
Feel absolutely free to laugh or deride. But that was MY era and MY definition of cool 'vintage' dirt bike. You OLD guys who are into pre-75 are unfathomable    Does the whole thing need to be reclassified and renamed? ABSOLUTELY. "vintage" was coined back in the late 1930's for chrissake! There is NO problem with renaming/classifying things, so long as it makes sense and rids us of the ambiguity.

Graeme M's proposal below sounds to me to be very close to the mark.

[runutz698]

I agree make up a new class for all things that don't fall into the date critera, You have to have some method. Other wise the whole thing gets lost and is a joke.

 Vintage was also never got canned in the late 1930's it still around today Just ask your insurance company. I have a 1929 A Ford and it is a vintage car, the club I belong to is a Vintage Car Club which is any car from 1919-1930 even asked some of the old boys did it ever get canned last night at a club event and these guys are 80-90 and they said the vintage is by date.

 If you don't go by date or type ect. there is no use classing anything, Just make it Good/Bad/Diffrent/Don't Bother.

after reading this thread  my company toyota prius is a vintage car as it is the best type of it's era.??

Now lets go to the other theory that it was you wanted when you were a teenager ect. well that means a 1908 Whippet is nothing as everyone who wanted one when they were a teen are long gone??

I guess it really comes down to how do you want class it Age/Date or Type, Country of orgin? Rather than saying what do you call vintage?? there has to be some method otherwise the whole thing means nothing at all.

Nutz

[maicomc490t]

Just did a quick search on the net for definitions and I really think what is below sums it up for most of us rather than having three hundred different classes.

I'm sure that most of us enjoy a wine or three so I have left the whole definition intact. definition #4 pretty well sums up our sport / hobby I reckon so no further bullshit required other than setting up age classes. All the bikes can be vintage be they motocross trials or enduro.

This is the web based Collins dictionary definition;

vintage  (vintages plural )
1  n-count The vintage of a good quality wine is the year and place that it was made before being stored to improve it. You can also use vintage to refer to the wine that was made in a certain year.
eg This wine is from one of the two best vintages of the decade in this region... 
2  adj Vintage wine is good quality wine that has been stored for several years in order to improve its quality.
ADJ n
eg If you can buy only one case at auction, it should be vintage port. 
3  adj Vintage cars or aeroplanes are old but are admired because they are considered to be the best of their kind.
ADJ n
eg The museum will have a permanent exhibition of 60 vintage cars. 
4  adj You can use vintage to describe something which is the best and most typical of its kind.
usu ADJ n
eg This is vintage comedy at its best.

Sourced - English Collins Dictionary - English Definition & Thesaurus

The admired part would be up to the owners I guess, lol. We know some bikes are complete shitboxes but they are included in fairness to the broader appeal they have eg Honda's, Yamaha's, Suzuki's and Kawasaki's lol !!!

Simple ain't it !!!

Dave Mac   

[paul]

looks like you have been drinking the port  ,how many bottles do you have left in the case