It was brought up on another forum. What was the intention of the anti tamper rivet for the bezel on the speedos? Surely if you wanted to go off route to visit Mum or Girlfriend, you could just unscrew the cable! Or was it some sort of warranty issue, but not fitted to civvy bikes Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

During the War they were obsessed with fuel economy, maybe it was to stop units from cooking their books?

Or perhaps if you recalibrated the speedo by a percentage you could safely steal that same percentage of fuel?

Also bigger military vehicle's had lead seals on carburettor governors to stop tampering but that was probably to slow them down.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

An interesting question...

['During the War they were obsessed with fuel economy, maybe it was to stop units from cooking their books?']...

I would imagine the black market for fuel was a temptation....

Disconnecting the speedo cable to 'knock off' a few miles would have been pretty easy to cover a visit to the girlfriend and wouldn't have much effect on total mileage..

Adding hundreds of miles to 'create' surplus petrol wouldn't be so easy to do discreetly without removing the bezel and altering the 'tumblers' manually.....Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com

DRs were given specific routes to follow, if they got lost and did more miles than expected they would have to explain themselves, also every half gallon of petrol and pint of oil was carefully measured into your vehicle and had to be signed for.

The whole system was designed to try and stop pilfering and considering the value of black market petrol its not surprising.

I expect it became slightly less strict when you were in combat but the people who did this sort of paperwork were still with their units and unless ordered not to would carry on with their duties.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Fuel for the military, at least in some parts of the UK, was not really a problem, if a couple of local stories are anything to go by.

A local farming family told me that they would regularly get visits from certain Service personnel asking if they had any surplus meat to part with. In theory obviously they had none, as every animal slaughtered had to be accounted for. But some days 'Mum did some extra washing' and a lot of sheets would be on the lines across the farmyard to cover up the fact an extra pig was heading to the slaughter room and nothing was going to save its bacon. The standard unit of exchange was jerry cans of petrol and the family ended up with so much stored in one of their barn they eventually resorted to burying full fuel cans in the surrounding fields. From memory they used the last of the wartime fuel in the early 1960's!!! That is a lot of fuel.

Another source used by another local was the lorries used to deliver bombs to a local storage area. When it was lunchtime all the personnel would be taken back to the main camp for feeding, invariably leaving at least one truck unattended. So some of the fuel would be siphoned off. If a strict measured supply was being applied then it would not have been long before someone twigged where the 'leakage' was happening; but no, the practise continued on a regular basis during the operation of the store.

So I reckon a lot would depend upon the area and the rigour of any fuel issue.

How much money could they have saved by not fitting those rivets in the first place?

Is it possible those stories refer to American troops?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Not only was the speedometer bezel secured, but both ends of the speedo drive cable as well; the cable attachment nuts at both ends were captured by a tiny brass chain soldered in place to prevent their removal....

email (option): teladelujo@msn.com

I did wonder about that but can't say I've ever noticed it in pictures. Something else to look for! However I've just fitted an old second hand speedo cable with brass ends to the WC10 that I'm currently restoring which does have such holes drill in both nuts. Which give me a good opportunity to check if my photobucket account is working again. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

I'd never heard of that, I wonder if you can take a wheel out without removing the speedo cable? maybe it wouldn't matter, you could break the chain and then when you report you've had a puncture it could be replaced?

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Ron,

I couldn't help noticing a blister in your paintwork. I am not used to such irregularities from you!!!

Regards,
Leon

email (option): leonhop3_at_planet_dot_nl

Duly noted Leon and attended to with some fine W&D and a small touch up brush. The joys of flash photography. Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Ron, do the holes drilled in your cable nuts join up so you could pass a thin piece of wire in one and out of the other? I'm wondering if they had a wire and lead seal like you would find on mail bag.

Rob

email (option): robmiller11(a)yahoo.co.uk

Yes Rob I can easily thread a thin wire through the holes. Which I assume would then have to be attached to some part of the machine and finished with a lead seal.

It still beggars the question, "what if you have to remove the wheel"? Ron

email (option): ronpier@talk21.com

Fascinating. I shall now have to examine thousands of photographs for evidence !

The November 1939 dated KG No.3 Jaeger clock with cable that Jan acquired in France had no rivet and no cable security device (it would be difficult with the Jaeger top fitting tooo) so this must have been a later-war introduction.

My CVC box did have the lock-wire still in place...was that to stop them from stealing electricity ?