A few years ago I wouldn't have been in the market for bikes from marques like Ariel or James. However, when I was looking for a suitable machine to ride in the Cannonball, the only formal constraint was it had to be at least 90 years old, and my self-imposed constraint was that it be something other than the Harleys and Indians that would constitute 90% of the entrants. Those constraints still open left a huge number of possibilities, and it required research to sort through the bikes that were available.
For example, I'd long wanted (or thought I wanted) a Scott, but research on its suitability for a 3000-mile ride eliminated it. A James V-twin came up for sale, but without research I wouldn't have known that James had been a "serious" manufacturer of large motorcycles in the early years, but they survived the Depression and beyond by dumping all but small bikes. Although I eliminated the James because it was missing a few key parts that would have been next-to-impossible to locate, without my research I wouldn't have known it was worth serious consideration for the task. The point being, circumstances easily can change what might be of interest tomorrow.