The history of the famous bikers cafe in London

[Greybeard]

https://pin.it/5MNAj0m

[bikerbob]

I have been watching some videos on youtube about the Ace cafe and found them very interesting I was  what was termed a rocker back in the day but living in North East England never got to the Ace but we did have our own well visited cafes up here by bikers, I remember them in  Morpeth GosforthNewcastle Low Fell Gateshead Birtley and Whitley Bay on the coast. The video I watched last night was about the Ace and guy was being interviewed about his time at the Ace in particular about the time when crash helmets became compulsory. He said that before it was compulsory he did sometimes wear a crash helmet but it had nothing to do with safety it was all to do with the weather mainly if it was cold you used a helmet to keep your head warm. Also in that video it was stated that the main reason for making helmets compulsory was that in 1960 there were 14,000 falalities involving motorcycles.

[Greybeard]

I believe that the death of D H T E Laurence when he crashed his Brough Superior also influenced making helmets compulsory in the UK.

[bikerbob]

I am not so sure of the D H Lawrence effect after all he must have died about 40 years before helmets were made compulsory, I think it was more to do with the horrendous figures in the late fifties. I knew people during that era who were killed and lost limbs in motorcycle crashes but strangely in each case they were wearing crash helmets but speed was the thing that caused the accidents except fot the 2 lads that lost there right legs they were on the same bike a BSA Super Rocket they collided with a van coming the opposite way who was on the wrong side of the road.

[Swarfcut]

   I'm of an age to remember those killer three lane A Roads, which were fine for overtaking unless some other guy coming the other way had the same idea. Yes, I seem to remember there was a time when Rockers were the media's bad boys and always in the news. I suppose bravado, playing chicken and the exuberance of youth played their part. Oh, that was the days when you could learn on a 650 Solo, before the 250cc learner limit was introduced.

   Now we have proper training, safer roads, more traffic, fewer bikes as a proportion of total road traffic, and a more safety conscious mindset. Also the accident statistics are not published as they used to be. We also have a good few on the road who have got through the net, with no licence, no insurance, bad attitude and represent a real danger.

 Swarfy.

[Greybeard]

I am not so sure of the D H Lawrence effect after all he must have died about 40 years before helmets were made compulsory...

BBC News - Lawrence of Arabia and the crash helmet
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32622465

[Bsareg]

Wasn't D H Lawrence the author. I think T E lawrence was the chap in Arabia

[Greybeard]

Wasn't D H Lawrence the author. I think T E lawrence was the chap in Arabia

Of course! What a duffer I am  I've edited my post.

[Butch (cb)]

Wasn't D H Lawrence the author. I think T E lawrence was the chap in Arabia

Of course! What a duffer I am  I've edited my post.

Lady Chatterley's helmet ?

[Triton Thrasher]

Lady Chatterley's helmet ?

Is it a bike that you would even want your wife, or your servants to ride?

[bikerbob]

Thanks for that article Greybeard very interestingI mistakenly I thought that Lawrence died about 1920 just after the first world war I should check facts before commenting.