1976, police warning for short mudguards

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

Oh how times have changed, back in 1976 I got pulled over by the police for using short mudguards and no bottom section of my chain guard. I was reported by them and had to attend Camberley police station for a verbal warning!
How petty they were back then 🤣
Was this just me, or did any of you guys get a going over?

 

[T4tomo]

Oh how times have changed, back in 1976 I got pulled over by the police for using short mudguards and no bottom section of my chain guard. I was reported by them and had to attend Camberley police station for a verbal warning!
How petty they were back then 🤣
Was this just me, or did any of you guys get a going over?

View: https://youtu.be/xGxjnD42iw0?si=2pmlDTzNKJTepRbG


presumably pulled over by PC Savage

 

[AndyRM]

That's nuts! I could understand if they were pulling you over to point out that the short guards were useless I suppose.

 

[Drago]

If I even thought for one moment about riding at night with no lights PC McWilliams would appear in a bolt of lightning and cuff me round the ear. And too right.

The short mudguard crew must have got a shock when BMXs and MTBs started to appear.

 

[dicko]

In 1966 I bought a James 175 in bits in a box from my mate. Got it going nicely but it was a bit loud. Out for a run and out steps a Police Constable holds his hand up and stops me. Switched off and he has a snoop around and finds the horn don’t work. You could hear me coming a mile off ! However he lets me go and I buy a bulb horn from a cycle shop,.

 

[Cycleops]

I'm not sure George would have had a word over shorties but he would over no lights at night.

 

[Dadam]

Oh how times have changed, back in 1976 I got pulled over by the police for using short mudguards and no bottom section of my chain guard. I was reported by them and had to attend Camberley police station for a verbal warning!
How petty they were back then 🤣
Was this just me, or did any of you guys get a going over?

Surely full length mudguards and a chain guard weren't a legal requirement back then?

 

[Paulus]

Surely full length mudguards and a chain guard weren't a legal requirement back then?

I don't think so.
But it was ok to ride a racing bike with neither fitted.

 

[T4tomo]

Surely full length mudguards and a chain guard weren't a legal requirement back then?

Indeed. I suspect the OP is telling porkies...

 

[Dogtrousers]

Surely full length mudguards and a chain guard weren't a legal requirement back then?

No, IIRC in 1976 it was just lights and reflectors, which were typically mudguard mounted. I don't remember pedal reflectors being a thing back then. Plus working brakes.

It wasn't until the 80s when weirdness like spoke reflectors and pedal reflectors burst onto the scene. About the same time as suicide levers and spoke protectors (dork disks). I'm not sure what drove that sudden change.

Of course I could have muddled all that up and it may be cobblers.

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

If I even thought for one moment about riding at night with no lights PC McWilliams would appear in a bolt of lightning and cuff me round the ear. And too right.

The short mudguard crew must have got a shock when BMXs and MTBs started to appear.

Within a few years we where all riding around with short mudguards 🤣

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

In 1966 I bought a James 175 in bits in a box from my mate. Got it going nicely but it was a bit loud. Out for a run and out steps a Police Constable holds his hand up and stops me. Switched off and he has a snoop around and finds the horn don’t work. You could hear me coming a mile off ! However he lets me go and I buy a bulb horn from a cycle shop,.

Not for me, when I started work I moved onto motorbikes. I purchased a new exhaust for it. Two weeks later I was nicked for using an exhaust that was louder than the surrounding traffic. I was Guilty with no charge 😂

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

Surely full length mudguards and a chain guard weren't a legal requirement back then?

You would think so,but I got a verbal warning just the same 🤷‍♂️

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

What you need to understand was using a bike with short mudguards was looked at as being antisocial back then. The copper that nicked me did a full rugby tackle, so that I came straight off the bike onto the ground. (I was only 11 years old)
The copper was just a crazy sod. But I still got marched back home. Yes, things did kick off a little as to how he stopped me, but back then it was simply brushed under the carpet.

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

I can see there are some disbelievers, but I tell you the truth. Back in the 60’s a woman was cast out by society if she had a child (bastard). The kids ended up in children’s homes and the local residents didn’t want bastard kids living near them. I was one of those kids !!!
The 60’s was the end of that period when people thought like that. Trouble is the local residents and coppers were not youngsters themselfs so they where stuck in their ways😥
I was locked up when I was 14 yrs old, because I was in the care system, they did not have to take you to court to lock you up, they owned the lock up!!
My crime, was not getting on with the officer in charge of the home I was in 🙄
Surprising what was going on back then and how people constantly turned a blind eye.