Hill Climber

Good shot of a rider about to (possibly) fly off his bike as it crests a hill somewhere along time ago. Notice the lack of safety equipment. No helmet, cloves, goggles. And the crowd seems awfully close to the action.

The only safety item that was mandated was a cord that was attached to the riders wrist. If he flew off the bike, the cord would become disconnected from a lead on the electrical system of his machine. The engine would then be grounded out and the bike would (hopefully) stop. The forward momentum, and the still spinning wheels, often would still cause the out of control bike to go barreling through the crowd, banging off flesh and bones.
Brave men alright...