Rear ObservationLooking Back over the Years
This is a survey to check if you followed all the fashions through the years. Don't think you can get away without confessing to your youthful dedication to the latest motorcycle fads - I have the photos and they will be included here unless I hear from you. Fill in your form now, it only takes a mo This chart is updated as results come in. First in with a completed form was Dickymint - I sent an email update out about seven pm and his reply was time stamped at 5.40 next morning. Just going to bed I expect. Are there any items on the list that you have forgotten? Let me know any stories to help illuminate the items. GrahamRallyist has suggested two army bags for panniers. That should strike a chord with many of you. Rivetted straps that broke under the strain. Holes in the back where the suspension units chaffed through. Everything inside wrapped in supermarket bags but still soaked by water thrown up from the back wheel. Crispy was the proud owner of a spark plug cleaner with steel rods in a tube. You screwed the plug in the end and shook it. Crispy wrecked many servicable plugs with this. 
Red Barrel
One of the first keg beers in the 1960s. The start of the rot brought to a halt eventually by CAMRA and slowed down at the time by the ridicule heaped upon it in a Monty Python sketch. The promotional keyrings were nice and chunky and ideal for attaching to zip pulls to assist zipping up using gloved hands. They were used on leather jackets and the zips on the back of motorcycle boots. Anyone still got one? My dad had a Watneys Red key ring. He was a motor mechanic and sales reps used to give him freebies. My mother still has it with all my dads bits and pieces. - Hayley Mansell I can remember Red Barrel being introduced. The good thing, unlike many other beers was it's consistency in that you knew that it would at least be drinkable. - Dave Cooper Black Knight - grey days
Typical rocker uniform was the black leather jacket (blj) but what works for the mid west climate of the Wild One is not practical for rainy England. One result was the totally impermeable PVC suit known as the Black Knight. It resembled leather in just one respect. Colour. It had several problems. Although the material was waterproof the design did not have the care and quality of a waxed cotton Barbour or Belstaff so it could leak into collars and pockets. On cold days the material would become stiff as a board and on hot days the ... er ... water could not get out. Seams were sealed by welding using heat making lines of thin and brittle material that would soon split. The potential was there but it was not brought to fruition until Rukka brought modern soft metallic coloured PVC and good design to their range of suits, quickly followed by Belstaff in the early eighties. Turbo Visor - a balanced view
A dish shaped helmet visor with a bearing in the centre and vanes to make it rotate in the wind of forward motion. Bruce Gibson had one and noticed that at night all the other vehicles had comma shaped headlights. Therefore when I bought one I made sure to balance it. On one occasion I set off and the AJS was making a terrible sound so I pulled the clutch and killed the engine to see if it stopped. It didn't so I pulled up expecting a cycle part to be the cause. But the grinding noise continued when the AJS was stationary and even as I walked round it. All the noise was amplified through my helmet from a rusty Turbo Visor bearing. Later versions had nylon or bronze bearings. The idea faded when people realised that the wind that drives the vanes on the turbo visor is enough to blow rain off a normal visor and gravity also assists when stationary. I remember those turbo visors. I tried one once - if the bearing squeal didn't detach your retinas, the gyroscopic reaction and wind pressure while looking right would twist your neck like an owl. - Rob Winnett The memories of the turbo visor are spot on; mine lasted at least one trip. - Ken Wells Corker Helmet - saving face
Motorcycle helmets have come a long way since the Corker helmet. This device was second cousin of a sola topi or pith helmet. It had an integral peak. A friend who rode a scooter had such a helmet. One night he fell asleep while riding home to wake face down being dragged along the ground by his scooter. By the time he came to a stop the Corker peak had worn to within 1/4" of his nose but had saved his face. Who needs full face helmets? My first plastic skid lid that replaced the cork lined pith helmet required the use of goggles. After trying the army surplus perspex and foam variety that froze to your face in winter and acted like a pair of woolen swimming trunks when wet, I moved up to the fighter pilot variety. - Eric Tindall Method for testing a Corker helmet. Press gently in at the sides. If the sides meet the helmet needs to be replaced. - Dave Cooper Pudding Basin Helmet
Appropriately named from the shape (the other version is unprintable). The leather trim and straps ensured a snug fit with goggle strap keeping out all draughts and wind noise yet allowing the rider to hear the rattle of his tappets. Incidentally, goggles were always pulled down round the neck when stopped, not up on the helmet where a) they could fall off, b) the strap stretched, c) the strap and shammy leather face piece soaked up all the rain water. Mooneyes
Trade mark feature of short circuit ace John Cooper. Who can forget his epic Race of the Year combat with Giacomo Agostini at Mallory Park in 1971? I suspect mooneyes originated in American drag racing and were brought over in the mid sixties by 'Big Daddy' Don Garlitts for their first International Drag Fest. We saw them race at three or four venues including Poddington Airfield - since known as Santa Pod. Plastic ChincupStrange how a daft idea can gather momentum. These things were threaded onto perfectly comfortable helmet chinstraps to emulate the chinstrap position of a beat bobby (ah, remember those?) who wore it in that position so the helmet could come off easily without strangling them in a tussle with the teddy boys. The effect was the same with crash helmets. In a crash they came off. So a law was drafted to only permit chin cups if another strap went under the chin. I think at one stage they actually manufactured helmets with two straps until the craze died down. PVC Seat Cover - incontinent ridingWhen you throw a motorcycle down the road the seat seams often tear. Also the buckle on the heel of motorcycle boots can slash a seat if you don't cock your leg over quite right. The result is several inches of foam rubber eager to soak up rain and then squeeze it back out through your jeans when you sit on the seat. That is what makes PVC seat covers one of the most popular accessories. The leopard skin patterned version was so popular and Tiger Cub seats so prone to splitting that at one time I thought they were original equipment. I think they were on some scooters. TasselsIn the late 60s when good sense began to turn to weird ideas there was a fashion for attaching coloured strips of plastic to the handlebar ends. They were attached by poking a plug through the hole in the handlebar grip. Fortunately they could be stolen just by pulling them out so the craze didn't last long. Probably why no-one admits to being suckered. Ace Bars
If you did not have tubular front forks that accepted the definitive boy racer clip-on bars then you could get by using ace bars or combination bars (U shaped bar with its own pair of mini clip-ons) OK for the ton up blast to the roundabout and back to the cafe but purgatory when dragging along in a traffic jam. The ace bars came fitted to a year old 1960 Royal Enfield 250cc Crusader Sports. I had presumed that they were standard. The National Motorcycle Museum assures they were not. - Dave Cooper Ape Hangers - for gorillas
Another American idea that does not work well in this country where you need to make as small a frontal area as possible to avoid soaking up the maximum amount of rain. Triumph (Meriden) thought they were going to be sued by an American who was badly injured after his handlebars broke off. But it turned out he had fitted after market ape hangers and put undue strain on the motorcycle eye bolts. Oversize Forks - instability sold by the yardYet another Yank abomination for warm weather on lazy highways with large radius slow bends. Absolutely useless for scratching round the Peak District. Sometimes they got so long they flexed! Who needs suspension? My theory is that the fashion for torn knees on flared jeans came about so the folk who rode this type of bike with the ape hangers and feet forward position had a way of losing the wasp that was scooped up their trouser leg before it reached the parts other wasps shouldn't reach. King and Queen Seat - one up one down
Really comfortable twin seat with a slightly raised pillion to allow the lady at the back to share the flies in the face experience. But when riding solo it made it impossible to slide back down the seat for an occasional flat out blast. We still have a king and queen seat on the FJ1200 Mick got this year and very comfy it is. I bought this on eBay it cost me £103. When we first got it we went to York to see my daughter at uni. and we only stopped once. - Hayley Mansell Sidewinder - tricky as a rattlerWhen the club began there was no restriction on learner motorcycle riders but a 250cc limit was soon introduced. By the eighties the Japanese 250s such as the Yamaha LC were making that outdated so it was reduced to 125cc - unless it was fitted with a sidecar, on the basis that you cannot go fast with a sidecar attached. Wrong. Might be true for the old double adult Watsonian but some bright spark brought out a lightweight leaning sidecar which bounced along touching the ground once every other lamp-post. There was a cartoon of Mr Plod inspecting a spotty youth's megabike sidepanel with a magnifying glass and admitting "Yes, it IS a sidecar." LegshieldsA simple way to keep feet and lower legs reasonably dry but eventually died out as fairings became the more stylish choice. Some bikes came with them as standard most notably the Velocette LE noddy bike and the Ariel Leader. Needed to be fitted right or they would cause havoc when cornering. Sometimes the legshields were almost strong enough to double as crash bars (see below) and that gave the TRRL (now TRL) another of its ideas to save motorcyclists from themselves. While they were working on that TRRL also developed a mechanical antilock brakes system that stopped a disc brake locking the wheel on a wet road. When this was introduced to an incredulous group of riders at a presentation in Luton organised by the BMF everyone wanted to know when they were actually going to introduce a disc brake that WORKED in the wet! Craven Topbox
Panniers are the best way to carry luggage on a motorcycle. Sticking anything heavy high behind the back wheel is sure to make the front light and the steering to wave like a metronome. Therefore Ken Craven purposefully made his top boxes quite small. But they were far too convenient for chucking all kinds of things into and eventually, against his better judgement, he bowed to consumer pressure and made a larger version. Other manufacturers jumped on the pillion with less ethical posture and made enormous coffins for the unwary. The double aluminium straps of the Craven box aided identifying the genuine article. Knotted Aero Elastic - hooked on rubberAlso known as bungee cords (hence bungee jumping) these were a compulsory Christmas gift for every rider. Difficult to hook where you wanted it and almost impossible to pull off without it clinging to every spoke and mudguard stay on the way. There was a contagious skill in making the cord exactly the right length to provide optimum tension by tying knots on the elastic. The knot then became permanent and would produce children further along the cord. Sea Socks & Wellies or Boots - turned down again
Well, if the socks are longer than the boots what do you do with the sticky out bit that is too bulky to go inside the boot? Turn it down over the top. This serious clubman trademark gathered its own momentum so that you could actually buy false sock tops in the colours you wanted such as Star Rider brown and orange. OK, I admit it. The Corby and Kettering MCC actively discouraged this in the eighties when it had become a signature for old farts and they were trying to attract younger members. The socks were worn under a pair of black sheepskin lined leather high boots with zips up the back. (Same length as the pair shown in the photos.) A combination of sheepskin, sea socks & hot weather meant that the boots could become high in another way. - Dave Cooper We used to buy our Russian wellies from Leicester Cattle Market for 10/- (50p) a pair. They were stiff, didn't have agricultural treads and were a nice shiny finish. In later years the Russian boots became unavailable and were superceded by Derri Boots, starting with the traditional soft tie top versions. Dave Cooper mentions them in his 2009 Rallymans report and has a link to where they can still be obtained. Derri Boots have come up in conversation a couple of times lately with people wondering if they are still about. A lot of the Shakespeare MCC used to wear them on a regular basis. - Dave Cooper I still have my second pair of 'motorcycle' design Derri Boots. The first pair became brittle through heat and oil and cracked on the gearchange toe. I repaired it on half a dozen occasions by sticking patches over it and suffering one wet foot. 
The part that took the most wear was the heels. I cut heel plates from mild steel and screwed and araldited them in place. The same heel pieces were moved to my second pair. Occasionally I forget and end up on my arse on a stone floor. 
White Silk Scarf - Biggles Flies UndoneNot a bad idea to have a Red Baron scarf because the thin silk sealed the neck without strangling the wearer, was reasonably warm in winter and not too hot in summer. Needed (but never received) frequent hand washing to remove road dirt and transposed wax from the Belstaff. Also available in the for some reason less popular black. Maybe the dye came out into your neck. Yellow Rayon Scarf - round the old oak tree
Theory was that anyone displaying a yellow scarf on the handlebars of a parked motorcycle was advertising a need for help from other riders. The BMF produced a yellow rayon scarf to fit the purpose. At the time (60s) we always stopped for a fellow rider who would adequately signal distress by having an inner tube hanging from the handlebars or the inside of his engine scattered over the ground. These days it is left for AA Relay. I still wear my yellow rayon scarf, though a bit chewed now, outlasted a lot of bikes I should imagine! Derek Jordon (Dougal) was only mentioning a while ago the longevity of said items we must be sad bastards discussing old mufflers. - John Ashworth Beer Towels - last orders for scarvesTerry towelling scarves are good for absorbing water, ask any baby. Popular colour was red. The same material is used on promotional towels on bars to catch beer drips. A couple stitched end to end make an ideal scarf and carry the message that when your ain't riding you are in the pub. 
Volunteer Emergency Service - the big dripThere must be some information of this idea that captured the imagination of rockers everywhere. Theory was that if there was a need to quickly transport blood from one hospital to another they could call on registered (and trained?) volunteer motorcyclists for the job. My Eye and Pigs Would Fly. The VES was a country wide organisation and worked very well. Local organiser had a motorcycle shop in Wigston. - Ken Wells Marples Must Go - not by trainErnest Marple was Minister of Transport when it was really a Ministry and not just a deparment with other priorities. This was the time when the 250cc restriction arrived, MOT tests were introduced, Motorways criss-crossed the country. 
Crash Bars - not breaking into pubsFitted on the under-standing that if you dropped the bike at any speed you didn't want to get your leg trapped between road and bike. Likely as not these things would actually trap your leg in that position when anyone without crash bars would have long since safely separated from the sliding bike. For good measure you could also fit matching rear crash bars to ensure that neither you nor your pillion escaped. Badge Bar - for handicap racers
Close to being a crash bar but usually a single chrome bar bolted through the sidecar lug on the front downtube. First time the bike fell over it would hopefully break off or bend. Otherwise you could end up with a bent frame. Extra Lamps - keep warm on the wiring loom
Hands up if you had a battery sapping spot lamp with a blue spot in the middle. Or a yellow broad beam fog light that you could never really tell if it was on or not. Steve White once had the brilliant idea of fitting a small lamp on his rear carrier to illuminate the fluorescent bib and reflective sam brown across his back. Must have made rear observations confusing. Stone Guard - a chip off the old block
A chip-fryer mesh that was fixed over the 7" headlamp to protect the glass from large chips thrown up by the rider in front. Also available as a concave version to cover the peculiar 'self cleaning' shape of the Cibie headlamp that gave a bit of extra illumination to 6 volt electrics before all the bikes changed to 12 volt alternators and quartz iodine (halogen to you sonny) bulbs. Headlamp Cover - mobile fly paper
Handy for keeping summer fly swat off the 7" headlamp glass. The fluorescent material also gave an eye catching glow to the frontal aspect of the approaching motorcycle. That probably attracted even more insects to spread themselves on the cover so that when night fell they would all end up inside your Belstaff pocket when the cover was removed, folded and put there. Goldie Silencer - whistle while you work
As a tribute to the class of the BSA DB34 a pattern goldie exhaust graced many strange motorcycles. Like the rest of the Gold Star the silencer is classically proportioned. For the addition to be completely successful it should emit a distinctive whistle to the exhaust note on the over-run. I had a swept back pipe to go with my goldie silencer. Shame it was on a C15 and not a DBD 34 - Ted Trett Megaphone - the sound of the sixtiesBecause of its race track background the megaphone exhaust graced many bog standard road bikes as a cosmetic brag. Dunstall made a civilised version that did not result in the neighbours throwing half bricks at you every time you started your bike. Turnout - nice again
The nearest thing to not having a silencer at all this pipe was usually short and cut off or bent out at an angle. If you fitted one of these it was usually necessary to jet up the carburettor by half a dozen sizes to avoid a hole in the top of a piston. You would also be relegated to tail end charlie on club runs. Gas Mask Bag - needed after beans
A specific variety of exWD canvas bag. Square in proportions with two brass press studs on the flap and subdivided internal compartments. Supported over the shoulder by a broad canvas strap the bag could be held tight to the body by a piece of string wrapped round a large metal button. The kind of thoughtful war-time design that might have won a Design Council label if it was done in the sixties. Duffle Bag
Not long after duffle coats became the hippy wear of choice along came the duffle bag, also loosely based on navy wear. Tube shaped and with a combined drawstring and shoulder strap. They were usually pvc lined fabric to provide some stiffness to the shape and waterproofing. In other words, rain that entered through the neck stayed in the bottom. Still a fashionable choice for beachwear. Parkas & Lots of LampsTaken at Stanford Hall on Founders Day 2009. Not filled the form in yet? Shame on you!
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My dad had a Watneys Red key ring. He was a motor mechanic and sales reps used to give him freebies. My mother still has it with all my dads bits and pieces.
Full of memories and bloody hilarious. Thank you.
