"Hierarchies of Meaning and Value in the Classic British Bike Scene"

Variations in market value for classic British motorcycles of the 1950s and 1960s have been shaped on the one hand by historical importance (relative rarity, engineering advances, competition successes) and on the other by marque identification, desirability, and “image.” Using selected examples, the article argues that beyond the obvious factors influencing the prices traders can ask (and usually get), such intangible considerations as aesthetic appeal and cultural resonance are also important determinants. The skyrocketing market for Triumph Bonnevilles is a case in point. Other British bikes match the Bonneville in specifications and performance, but without the advantage provided by name recognition and an association with celebrity enthusiasts, they remain relative “bargains.” In particular, the products of Associated Motor Cycles Ltd (AMC), the maker of AJS and Matchless road bikes and racers, allow an exploration of the factors, some of them difficult to quantify, that condition how the market receives one piece of British iron versus another. The article also describes the work of a few builders and owners, who have found ways to “up” the recognition, and hence the value, of the AMC marques. Objective considerations may be most of what matters in fixing values in the marketplace; but the “meaning” of a particular motorcycle, based on more subtle calculations, can have a lot to do with how many thousands of pounds or dollars end up being exchanged.