1965 Motorycle Road Safety PIF - Look, Signal, Manoeuvre

Ah those were the days....when I was a lad... lol
Motorcycle road safety PIF from 1965 - a road-safety film contrasting the standard of riding between two twenty-year-old motorcyclists. Produced by Associated British Pathé for the then Ministry of Transport.
Different times.........but some things never change!

[@flange5523]

Tom's friend went on to become a motocross champion

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

in his mind. Actually he went on to become a drug addict and wife beater. He is now in jail.

[@MartynHutchby]

If you rode that far left these days, some arse would drive you off the road and into the gutter. Nice to see a more innocent time. Wish the roads were that empty now.

[@TheWizardOfTheFens]

Yep. Dominate the centre of the carriageway now. Keeping way over is far too dangerous these days....

[@JBbisem]

Yeah...you've got to protect your lane now or they'll bump you or clip your handle bars.

[@wolfgangwind788]

Ist bei uns ( Köln / Deutschland ) nicht viel besser - als Motorradfahrer lebt man unter Gottes Gnade - allways a good grib for your tyres ..

[@borntoclimb7116]

But the death is the same

[@johndonaldson3619]

6:00 According the the newspaper headline 'Queen Visits Ethiopia' it's filmed on 2nd Feb 1965

[@williamnethercott4364]

When I was a learner, in the late 70s, I fitted the plastic front L plate between the headlamp and mudguard of my Honda CD175. It scraped the top layer of paint off the mudguard! I had wanted a Tiger Cub but couldn't find one and the Honda was a reliable bike. These days, I ride an AJS Model 8, very similar to Tom's Matchless. I love this video for it's view of the world just 4 years after my AJS was built and when I was 8 years old.

[@conradmason87]

Nice. Takes me back to the days of very little traffic on the roads and courteous drivers. Those actually were the good old days, by comparison.

[@regscriven]

Agreed those were the days as the song goes

[@ragazzi25]

Old motorcycle gear, the bikes, the cars...All were so cool back then! 🇬🇧

[@mrbenn64]

Makes a clear signal and then blazes through the zebra crossing with the old lady waiting 😂

[@Murderdogs]

Wow, what a strange coincidence, the street he turns onto at 5:28 is Rayners Lane, my local town since I was born! That Jaguar dealership is a Tesco now although I think it was still a dealership only a few years ago. The shed behind it is still there. The only shop which seems to still be there is the dry cleaners which has only changed its name! Absolutely incredible to see it way back then.

[@jeancathrinemitchell3461]

Just seen this video and your comment I used to live on rayners lane in the prefabs that he passed

[@naughtyblonde69er]

Welbeck road South Harrow , Rayners Lane Middlesex , Rayners Lane estate , South Harrow arches , old driving school Alexandra Avenue 😉 good old days oh and that’s pheasants bakery corner of kings road Rayners Lane

[@Beeza56]

Thanks for that info, I thought I recognised the area. Lived in Greenford as a kid in the '60's, but been Stateside ever since.

[@markrowley1223]

The area has changed a bit since this film! When Tom is riding up Eliot Drive, I can't believe how much open space there is, with what look like pre-fabs dotted around the place. I also recognise Wyld Way up near Tokyngton, Wembley, close to where my grandparents lived. All just looks far more civilised then.

[@paulketchupwitheverything767]

So, are they the Southall gas holders and the cooling towers of the old Acton Lane power station that appear in the background a couple of times?

[@markrowley1223]

@@paulketchupwitheverything767 I think that the gas holder was the one off Northolt Road, South Harrow; it seems to have been filmed mostly around that area.

[@naughtyblonde69er]

@@markrowley1223 yes you are correct , South Harrow or Northolt road gas tower in the background , now waitross etc they use explosives when taking it down lol caused a lot of complaints because of the big bangs

[@davideldred.campingwilder6481]

Love the end bit with the wolf whistle!

[@RobinCarmody]

The Queen's visit to Ethiopia, plugged in the Daily Express headline seen here, ran from 1st-8th February 1965 (just after Churchill's funeral) so this was presumably filmed around that time or shortly after.

[@AshleyPomeroy]

I realise I'm responding to a nine-year-old post, but a bit of Googling reveals that Mr Motorcycle comes out of the shop with the Daily Mirror of 03 February - the headline is about the cancellation of a pair of RAF planes, a transport plus a supersonic version of the Harrier, both of which were announced on 02 February. And then two months later the government cancelled the TSR2 as well.

[@daznapoleon6799]

Love the L plate coving the head light.

[@sporty05]

Sweet Matchless and Triumph singles!

[@johnduheaume6650]

Thanks for posting this Andy W, happy days! Failed my bike test first time circa 1966, no lessons at all 😟 CBT hadn't been invented, don't think a helmet was compulsory, I think that I alternated mirror signal manoeuvre with signal mirror manoeuvre = fail. Had a Royal Enfield 250, BLN418B only registration number I have remembered. Take the point over the comments when Tom shoots across the Zebra crossing while the old lady is waiting. Ride safe, cheers John. 🌞🏍

[@AndyW_inUK]

Ahhh those were the days...you're right, there were no helmet laws...I rode with a large group, Bristol to London, all of us helmetless demonstrating against the intro of helmets becoming compulsory. That was late 70's. Ironically I chose to always wear a lid lol. Ride safe, keep safe and don't forget your face mask 😁

[@peterrat99]

Before the clean air act of 1968

[@MrOregona230]

awesome jackets

[@saxongreen78]

Quite excellent...Tom looks real cool.

[@larrycrazysheepdavies]

brill thnx for posting nice ta see old bikes and cars. I can remember riding the old tricycle bike lol

[@MrGuitarphenomenon]

The only thing this taught me was that if you sleep in you will get run over by a truck, wind up in the hospital, and your friend will get a girlfriend and totally forget about you.

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Well done. Proceed to the next level.

[@howardmckeown7187]

hahahhaha!!

[@usmanhar]

Love this, thanks for posting

[@peterrat99]

Headlights were for night use in them days, late 60's we started to add an aftermarket dipswitch

[@andrewhowden5826]

the old buildings and prefaps were fab!!!!!

[@Whitejesselink]

I love that blipping the throttle when down shifting movie scenes

[@agohelliwell6755]

TOM ! He's such a good boy !

[@Porsche996driver]

Great share thanks! Yeah turn signals are helpful. In Germany BMW provided them standard. Dig the ending jazzy Austin Powers music.

[@Whitejesselink]

Tom's friend is a goof ball. Wish I had motorcycle British friends.

[@wolfgangwind788]

So ein schöner Film ! ! ! Etwas ähnliches gab es in Deutschland als : ,, der siebte Sinn" - dieses Motorrad Video ist unterhaltsam u lehrreich u auch lustig 😄👍

[@R1Chronicles]

That was good for the year created, what were they thinking with the extreme left though, it has a motor, it's not a pedal bike :)

[@brianallen9810]

I wish I had that Matchless.

[@AndyW_inUK]

....get in the queue! Lol

[@coelhovsk]

Matchless motorcycle 😃👍

[@elvisterrier]

And a Triumph?

[@geoffreypinchen5075]

A great piece of filming and excellent British motorcycles of the period. The position of the front 'L' plates was odd, I wonder were learners not allowed out in the dark! The lack of road markings on busy road junctions must have been a real liability for any road user.

[@fairyheli2]

back when travelling within a foot of the pavement , tailgating a lorry and putting a card over the headlight was considered safe practice.

[@AlanRobinson-smoggie]

Why didnt you stop for the pedestrian at the pedestrian crossing on 5min 35sec Tom...? Forward observation dude. Forward observation.

[@harpharpharpharp1971]

I was about to say the same thing. Well spotted Alan and Ian.

[@MrLefthooker]

I logged on to say exactly the same thing :) Beat me to it :)

[@SvenTviking]

Yep, old dear waiting at the Zebra.

[@marklittler784]

Sometimes the pedestrians prefer to wait till its quiet on their side before stepping out or prefer to let traffic pass especially motorbikes before using the crossing.

[@Benjohns89]

You don’t have to stop :)

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

there's always a Bedford TK lol

[@UriahD85]

Followed by these words 'My dad used to drive those.'

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

@@UriahD85 and the classic, "my uncle had one of those"

[@BeejJorgensen]

Tom has a 1-second follow time on the van, with no forward visibility. Bad news. Tom's sweetheart had a ¼-second follow behind him. Get some space in there, man! :)

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

05:44 Tom parks up on warm sunny day to buy a newspaper 06:06 in the 20 seconds it takes to get back to his bike, freezing fog has descended

[@Beethoven80]

Well, it's definitely England then.

[@Nooziterp1]

Nowadays when he came out of the shop his bike would be gone.

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

@@Nooziterp1 lol sad but true

[@Nooziterp1]

@@SeanieVoiceOver The reason I think for the rise in motorcycle theft is that cars are getting so hard to steal that they are turning to bikes because they are far easier. There are several dedicated bike parking areas in my local city centre, provided with metal bars to which a bike can be chained. Every time I go past one of them something like 3 out of 4 are sitting there unlocked, despite the convenient metal bar. It will come as a shock to the owners when they go back to their bike only to find an empty space.

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

My bike has an alarm and 2 immobilisers, when parked at home it’s put in 2 heavy chains and 3 locks Bike thieves carry batter powered angle grinders and or bolt cutters The reason gangs of scooter thieves ran amok in recent year was the fact that the cops stopped pursuing them

[@paulbryan9091]

passes furniture van at a side road naughty, then leaves that old lady waiting at the crossing.

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Tom is secretly a badass.

[@briggsfartblender788]

Tardis on the left at 1.13! Woodheyes Road, junction with North Circular Road, NW10. Ascots gas appliance maker opposite, now IKEA Brent Park.

[@partarioflynn920]

Briggs Fartblender: Well spotted! I've watched this film loads of times and never noticed the police box.

[@hansoncab]

There were a few commercials filmed around there in the sixties,I remember this one cos I was driving the furniture van but it was used as a props van for Pathe

[@regscriven]

Ahh passed motor cycle test in 1959 on a 500cc triumph no crash helmet, the good old days

[@shuenshuen]

Man I wish id get a chance to live a day in those old days. What's your age if you don't mind me asking? I recall being told the grandfather of our current doctor (he was a doctor also) was the first to own a car in the entire village. His driving test was just driving a circle around the local church. Someone from the mayors office then had to decided whether he was fit to drive, but he himself had never even been in a car before!

[@regscriven]

@@shuenshuen I am 78

[@regscriven]

@@shuenshuen If memory serves me correctly in those days a provisional licence lasted 6 months price 10 shillings. You had to take the test within one year, i think the 250cc restriction law came in about a year or so after i took my test

[@shuenshuen]

@@regscriven wow, such a difference with how it works today. Thanks for the reply!

[@billbogg3857]

I think the limit on L plates was 250 cc. Memory playing up?

[@FEStanley]

Reckon this was filmed in North West and West London. Wyld Way, seen towards the end is in Wembley NW London, and the Carrier company seen in the closing sequences had a factory in Wembley - not sure where. The elevated road in the last section looks like the A4 to me - the gasholders in the background look like the ones at Kensal Green.

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

Tom's house is Woodheyes Road, junction with North Circular Road, NW10

[@AndyW_inUK]

Learner plate i.e. not taken/passed motorcycle test to get full licence, 'Provisional' licence only.......you could ride up to 250cc on 'L' plates when I was a youngster, not sure about as far back as Tom's time! Way different now, CBT (Compulsory Basic Test) before kids can ride on the road, then only ride motorcycles up to 125 cc and max 11 kW power output for up to 2 years max without taking the full test.

[@stevenlangdon-griffiths293]

Very nice peek into the past

[@A9XXC]

They had a friction damper on the twistgrip and were always on the right side. Euro bikes had left foot brake / right foot gears right up till the late '70 at least, it was only the Japanese bikes that swapped them over.

[@CZ350tuner]

Rudge introduced the first left foot gear lever / right foot brake motorcycles in 1932. The reason is that it's easier to perform a U turn on a British road if the gear lever is on the left.

[@marklittler784]

At least his friends still got a sash cord window lol

[@wynkindeworde6504]

Tom could do with some air in his rear tyre.

[@marklittler784]

Tom could do with not overtaking at junctions.

[@widdleflaps]

5.34 mins , toms just failed his test, lady waiting at pedestrian crossing

[@MrTedwise]

fantastic Thanks for posting A++++++

[@mujaahid4life]

Very educative video.

[@paulnolan1352]

Tom is such a good rider he didn’t spot the woman at the pedestrian crossing.

[@geoffreypinchen5075]

I believe the Highway Code at that time advised you to stop ONLY once the pedestrian had actually stepped-off the kerb and set a foot onto the crossing. To do otherwise would be quite unexpected to other road users and could have caused a shunt. There have of course been numerous revisions of the Code since then, together with the addition of zig-zags and light-controlled crossings, which if you ever visit Dublin you will find are completely ignored by drivers!

[@artsygan]

if only drivers/riders today are this polite.

[@plasticvisual]

Cool clip! :)

[@richardrichard5409]

Matchless G2

[@Apollo949]

The so-called safe rider didn't stop to let the old lady cross at the zebra crossing. The commentator missed that one!

[@marklittler784]

That white consul likes getting in on the film footage !

[@williamsterben]

The scooter: Triumph Tigress or BSA Sunbeam? 175cc or 250cc? Will we ever know???

[@acbtlondon]

Such a cool video, he should have stopped for the pedestrian at the zebra crossing at 5:32 though 🙂

[@brackcycle9056]

.. And Toms bike is still on the DVLA ... resting somewhere since 1984...

[@williamsterben]

Excellent! Matchless G2CSR, I passed my bike test on the AJS equivalent and now being old, I can insure a Kawasaki ZZR1100 fully comp, along with four other 'classics' for £88. Brilliant!

[@tonypate9174]

+Will Sterben Your not old unless you can say them wer th dayz to this try on you tube RODE SAFELY VICTOR HORSMAN LIVERPOOL 1955

[@tonymarwood]

Looks like a G2 and not a G2CSR

[@williamsterben]

@@tonymarwood The forks are CSR, so unless it's a bitza it points to being a CSR. It can't be a G5 (which had the same forks) as they are 350cc and would't be legal on L-plates.

[@broadsworddannyboy5057]

At 5.29 -- Tom drove without due care and attention accelerating by an OAP standing at the zebra crossing......a fail 🙈🙈 - he should not have been in a rush to get the scud magazines.....😂😂😂

[@lindapirie7021]

Wow, these guys will be in their 70s now - hard to believe! Of course I believe the evidence that this was made in 1965, but in some ways it looks a bit more modern than that. I have it on a PIF DVD, and when I first saw it I thought it was from the 1970s!

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

Tom will be in his 70's His friend was killed in 1966

[@markthorne3414]

cool film

[@wolflupus788]

The man with his crouch,😆😆😆then the Old Bill.!

[@Kirkee7]

LOL note the L plate over the headlight and the days when there were few road markings.

[@richardrichard5409]

That Black Corsair 1500 appears a few times😊

[@MrConan89]

I now live in the Philippines. They have cut it down to 'manoeuvre.

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

I see the '64 Matchless G2CSR was last licenced in 1984 so just may still exist, however, no recollection for the '64 Triumph T20 Tiger Cub which is probably hardly unsurprising !

[@medi-grower4731]

tom fails to stop for the pedestrian waiting at the pelican crossing, around about 5:30 or therabouts just after hes done his turn?

[@marklittler784]

6:00 Corona ! they knew it was coming !

[@RPNization]

LOL ! I just thought the same !

[@peterrat99]

Yes you could, there was a little adjustment to vary the friction, if you tightened it too much you could make it stick open

[@jeremywright4450]

Blimey 1965 no Escorts, Capri or Cortina’s Mk2 and Mk3 yet strange to think that, but all coming on the roads soon!

[@andycapp8843]

Did the old British bikes always accelerate when you took the right hand off the throttle when the right arm is signalling, or was it just the magic of Tom? Very funny to watch, happy days.

[@ioioioioio6026]

a lot of old bike throttles stayed open and didn't automatically close

[@AndyW_inUK]

You're welcome :D

[@ak47show]

toms a badass

[@SwiffMeister]

Still driving on the wrong side of the road... Reckless Tom :p

[@pawsnpistons]

And even in this learning video the weather in GB isnt the best 😂

[@amria5725]

nice motorbike..

[@chrisparti]

At 8:40 Tom doesn't stop for the woman on the zebra rossing, naughty Tom...

[@LtJackboot]

I saw that too

[@antman5474]

me too, he was thinking about his newspaper

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

it's a 05:32 the whole clip ends at 8 40

[@mrgrumpy5116]

that could have been me on the Matchless

[@onteamplanb]

Well isn't tom just a saint !

[@phildowsing]

Well Tom made an error of judgement, correct me if I'm wrong, at 5.34 woman waiting to cross Zebra crossing, he drove straight over?

[@m2mark1]

lmfao or in toms day...what a beezer gaff..........good stuff lol

[@drdaif]

I am Tom's Friend. And so's my wife.

[@VinceVoyeur1]

No mirrors or indcators on the bike!!

[@amria5725]

maybe, in 65 , they hadnt invented yet..

[@VinceVoyeur1]

They had them, probably not required, so the manufacturers could 'save money' by offering them as an option.

[@amria5725]

mmm... thanks vince

[@harpharpharpharp1971]

Indicators on bikes didn't exist then. They were only on newer cars. For older cars, you could buy them separately and fit them yourself.

[@Renegade666]

you can still ride a bike with no indicators, not sure about mirrors though.

[@joebaker8015]

0:35 Cameramen: 💥💢💥💢

[@jesuisravi]

good old Tom

[@marklittler784]

Things obviously haven't changed.

[@TheSwithy]

Tom rides in the gutter too much, if you rode in the gutter like that nowadays you would have cars coming up the outside of you, and no in the 60s would you see a bike and scooter riding together, don't think so!

[@DogmaticShrew]

@blackhat400 Thats it!!! Thanks :)

[@dazednconfused31337]

5:59 drink and enjoy CORONA

[@blackhat400]

@DogmaticShrew You mean the 3 wheeler ? its a mesersmit, [ yeh like gerry plane,] dId you notice " no road markings at juntions, [ give ways, or stop.]

[@sgtmilko]

Tom Should've stopped at the zebra crossing and let the old lady cross.

[@Maconyoutube]

How does he hold is right hand out to indicate, yet still accelerate?

[@howardmckeown7187]

foot throttle

[@MrConan89]

I passed my test in 1962 and got my first speeding ticket (on a BSA Bantam 125cc) in the same year. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think side mirrors were not even ALLOWED on a bike when you took a test.

[@billbogg3857]

It may have been because some of the old thumpers used to vibrate a fair bit so the side mirrors could give a rather hazy image. I suppose they are obligatory now...

[@TahreyUK]

Bubble car at 2:58 :-) Can't see why you can't ride as carefully as the first chap but still go a bit quicker like the second one to make up a bit of time. In fact, it's more important if you're pushing hard. (I'm envious of / irritated at that fella... always being able to get up early enough to ride slow AND stop off for a newspaper. Got coffee in his veins, not blood...)

[@mookyzook]

Thank goodness for indicators, Tom spends most of his time riding one handed, how is that safe? Also most roads with major junctions have lane markings on them now so positioning yourself to turn left or right is pretty much dictated. I took my first bike test in 69 and even then they told you to ride out three quarters of the road, so you didn't cut in close to pedestrians, cleared parked vehicles etc, and so no car driver tried to overtake inappropriately and drive you into the kerb. If there was any factories left nowadays you would spend most of the journey filtering through traffic to get to them anyway and who needs papers, you can look up the news on your phone. It's strange how things change over fifty years and you don't actually notice until you see this.

[@MoraleHazard]

No mirrors, no turn signals, riding in mittens (?), and a lot less traffic.

[@GerardRoo]

Magic, what a laugh and to think people rode a bike like Tom.....Oh yes they are called Police Motorcyclists!

[@seanmaccionnaith3458]

Was that taken on the old A4 ??

[@Sallyjord1]

Great film, does hand signals still form part of the driving tes ?, had to do them in mine and that was only in 1982

[@richardachahboun6439]

You /may/ be asked about them in the theory test, the questions are random and you are only guaranteed to get a question about level crossings. You aren't required to demonstrate them on the road.

[@Rufinoman]

Richard Achahboun I still use hand signals where I live (where appropriate) simply as an additional way of letting the other drivers know what I'm doing or rather that I shouldn't be invisible to them.

[@andycleary6209]

+rufinoman I still use hand signals though i bet you won't find mine in the highway code ;)

[@SeanieVoiceOver]

Using hand signals actually confuses a lot of motorists, if your bike has indicators it's probably best not to

[@carlnapp8673]

The learner's note across the headlight? Didn't they drive at night-time?

[@marks6663]

perhaps that was a learner's restriction

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Yes they did. I haven't seen an L plate across the light before. Usually on a bracket attached to the fork leg or across the gaiters. There was no night restrictions.