Brittish Motorcycle Safety - 1960's Style

[egleaves]

Brought to me today via Things You Wouldn't Know If We Didn't Blog Incessantly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLAVx19vOZw

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Interesting but they are driving on the wrong side of the road.

What kind of bikes were those? Looked kinda like Norton's but I couldn't see the emblem on the tank well enough.

[crazy steve]

What kind of bikes were those? Looked kinda like Norton's but I couldn't see the emblem on the tank well enough.

Careful Tom appears to be riding a Matchless, while Reckless Rick is on a Triumph. Both look to be 500 singles. No mirrors or turn sigs, but at least they're past the leather helment era....

'78E original owner

[bikerphil]

At about 5:40 in the video, it's a nice day and the guy gets off the bike to go get a newspaper. Then he comes out, and about 6:09 the temp. must have dropped about 30 degrees. It's all overcast and you can see his breath, lol. Also, never take your hands off the handlebars.

[b.walker5]

A blast from the past...

Careful Tom appears to be riding a Matchless, while Reckless Rick is on a Triumph. Both look to be 500 singles. No mirrors or turn sigs, but at least they're past the leather helment era....

Fred may be the best to identify the Triumph. To me it looks like a Tiger Cub which were a 200cc single cylinder that first appeared around 1953, the 500's were a twin. I think the Matchless may be a 350. Back in the 60's we had mostly English steel on our roads here and I recongnised many of the cars, some of which i've owned, including a couple of MK2 Zephers, a Morris Cowley, a Morris Minor and an Anglia Van. Lots of others like Vauxhalls, Morris Oxfords, Austins and a Humber Super Snipe bought back some memories.

[MaximPhil]

Hi b,
I too recognised many of the cars. 1965 Ford Corsair the newest I identified. Bleak looking place England in the 60's
I confess I had a pair of boots like that
No indicators on my BSA Bantan either though I did add a mirror.
Left foot braking and drum brakes.
Come on Fred tell us all about it
Phil

[crazy steve]

Fred may be the best to identify the Triumph. To me it looks like a Tiger Cub which were a 200cc single cylinder that first appeared around 1953, the 500's were a twin. I think the Matchless may be a 350....

It was a SWAG on the CCs, as the smaller Brit bikes didn't have much of a presence in the US when I started riding. The Matchless was never common here in any case, and was nearly impossible to get parts for in the mid 60s. But I'll never forget that 'M' for Matchless, as a buddy had a 500 single that had been cut-down/modified into a dirt bike. All the torque of your average tractor, and it would throw you over the bars if you didn't kick it just right. The one in the video is only the third Matchless I've ever seen moving under it's own power.

Anybody remember Jawa? And when was the last time you saw a Bultaco or Huskavarna?

'78E original owner

[robbo]

The matchless must be a 250 as its on L plates (learner) that was the maximum cc you could ride before passing your driving test. Oh and by the way their on the correct side of the road, its everyone else thats wrong!

[Larrym]

1984 and Big Brother??

Did you notice that most of the time the good guy looked back, saw nobody, yet still took his hands off the bars and signaled? At the heart of it all, signals and signaling have a sender and an intended receiver. No point in waving his hands around if there wasn't anybody to see it.

Unless of course, he knew that someday there'd be those traffic cameras everywhere..

[XSokieSPECIAL]

The matchless must be a 250 as its on L plates (learner) that was the maximum cc you could ride before passing your driving test. Oh and by the way their on the correct side of the road, its everyone else thats wrong!

Hey robbo,

Welcome!

Sounds like you may be over visiting from the UK site.

Ok, fair enough Ive been over there raising hell lately. Turnabout is fairplay.

[79XS11F]

I think I will send that to the lady who was looking for an upgrade bike from her scooter. She bough an 850 Triumph a few weeks ago and she is British to boot.
Rob

[fredintoon]

Yeah,
the risk taker was riding a 200cc Tiger Cub. The Tiger Cub was a bigger version of the 150cc Triumph Terrier. That engine stood upright instead of slanting forward and grew to 250cc as the power unit for the BSA C15 & B25, grew to 350cc as the B35, to 441cc as the B40 and finally to 500cc as the B50 so-called "New Gold Star." As a final nod to badge engineering the B25 turned back into a Triumph in 1971.
The careful rider had a Matchless single. They did make a 250cc but that one could perhaps have been a 350cc lightweight, not sure. The 250cc limit for L-plate riders was perhaps not yet a requirement when that movie was made. For sure in the late 1950s when I first had a licence you could hang L-plates on a Vincent Black Shadow and be legal.
About signals, whether by hand or by flashers, just because you can't see another road user don't mean he ain't there.
And yes, Bates fleece-lined riding boots, vinyl jacket because Barbour suits were expensive and leather was for racing, RAF Mk 8 goggles and first generation styrofoam lined helmets replacing the ACU bone-dome.

[robbo]

Cheers Greg thought you might appreciate some Limey sarcasm! The 250cc learner law was brought in in 1962, so depends when that 'delightful' little film was made. The Matchless was probably a G2 or G5 they did a 250 and 350.
Anyway thats my two cents worth on the matter, will return to my orginal reason for being here and thats to confuse myself even more over whats the best route to go with for a fatter back tyre

[b.walker5]

The clue is in the cars...

The vid had to have been made around or after 1962. For anyone who knows british cars if you study closely you'll find a Mk3 Zepher 6 at 2 minutes 37 in. These were produced from April 62 to 66. Theres probably other clues that could refine the date further but it think thats probably close enough to date the Matchless. If the 250 learner rule was introduced in 62 then Robbo's probably right with his assessment at 250cc. By the way, we also drive on the "right" side of the road, on the left.

[TopCatGr58]

Well, I don't know much/anything about these old brit machines!
But as for signaling, yes..perhaps no one behind, but you also signal for those in FRONT of you coming the other way...as was shown at a few of the intersections. I was surprised they didn't have Mirrors...but then again, like kids today....that might think there have always been SUVs for instance!

A bit of Brit trivia...ofc they/Brits will probably know the origin of the left side driving, but perhaps many of us YANKS might NOT know....so here it is!

It started during the Midieval period when folks...specifically KNIGHTS were on horseback. Folks were ALL right handed since being LEFT handed was would have made you in the DEVIL's legion! It's tough to shake right hands ACROSS your horse and waiste to the left side, so riding up on the left side, right hand to right hand permitted easy handshaking and such!

An aside story....military saluting came from the action of the KNIGHTS raising their VISORS to show their eyes.
T.C.