BUILT-IN OBSOLESCENCE?

2019 marks the 85th anniversary of the founding of the Worcester Auto Club and WAC motorcycle club, of which I have been a member for over 45 years. In that time, I have overheard countless discussions regarding the technological virtues of Japanese and German-built machines, in contrast to that of leaky old unreliable British bikes. The question is... what has become of those mechanically sophisticated motorcycles of yesteryear?

I owned an Oriental four-cylinder 750 in the 1970s, and discovered that the outlay for replacing its decaying exhaust system equated to almost two weeks’ wages! Particularly with the recent emergence of computer-managed engine systems and electronic-aided controls, the second or third cash-strapped owner might find that the cost of replacement parts and specialist maintenance required is beyond their pockets or mechanical expertise. So is built-in obsolescence responsible for the absence of those aging superbikes?

Perhaps their lack of sophistication may explain the vast numbers of those old British bikes from the last century which remain in action? Rob Smith, member 579

The cost / value equation certainly played a part when I decided to sell my Suzuki 750/4 rather than rebuild it, and this is common to most ‘consumer durables’, I think. TVs, washing machines and the like were all expected to be more durable 50 years ago than they are today. Their prices have fallen as manufacturing costs reduce, and subsequent secondhand values must influence whether it’s worth reconditioning any complex machine. It’s odd, though; while we’re delighted to muck around with old motorcycles, I’m not sure I’d want to watch Game Of Thrones on a cathode-ray television! Rowena