A MERITORIOUS PERFORMANCE.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14308, 20 March 1912, Page 10

A MERITORIOUS PERFORMANCE.

A RECORD MOTOR CYCLE TRIP WITH SIDE-CAR.

367 Manchester street, Christchurch.. March 7th, 1912. F. R. Jones, Esq., Christchurch. - Enclosed please find a short account of my side-car ride to Mount Cools, which perhaps may interest you. FAIRLIE TO MOUNT COOK AND RErURN. WITH MOTOR-CYCLE AND SIDE-CAR. Wo left Fairlie on February 25th at 3115. pm., and rode on to Burkes Pass, twelve miles away, the Singer pulling like steam. On reaching the toot of tho Pass, I gave her moro throttle, and she took tbo hill in great style. It is a good hard pull uphill for about a mile, and tho way the Singer climbed that, hill was a marvel. She took us up to within fifty yarda from, the top before sho began, to falter. The passenger immediately jumped out, and we got up to,within a few yards of the top, when she stopped, it was a simple matter tor the two of : us to push her over the crest. Then on through, tho McKensao Plains for another ten miles, and -wo came to a sandhill. This was a sticker. I drovothe i Singer as far as she would; go, but with! the wheels sinking six inches-or, more] in the soft sand is rather beyond-the; limit, of; a* 3i laden-with side-car and fifty pounds of luggage- So all hands to the wheel, and- the machine was soon over the hill and on to hard roads again. Now began a series of undulations till Tekarw was - reached at 5.30. We left:again at 6.10, and soon we were on the dreaded Wold's Plains. These are awful for' a side-car. The motor-cars have worn a track for their wheels, and the centre of tho road is quit© a foot highor " than the wheeL tracks, and is inches thick in dust This made it very hard to steer in,'with ■tho motor. driving up higher than tno side-car. - we passed over these, and -wo struck more hills,: which we mounted with ease. At last, alter mounting a rather sharp hill, we.came on" to Lake Pukaki, and soon after wo arrived at the hotel, .at 815, taking five hours exactly for the 56 miles, which, considering the country, was remarkably good going. The motor went like a clock—it seemed as if nothing could stop its progress. Next morning we were on the road again at 8.60, on our last stage of the journey,.4o miles. The hills that wo encountered on tnis bit of the road were mnuinberable, but the"Singer was equal to every demand mado on her, and she flew them.all save one, which was newly metalled and was too much for it. This surmounted, we were soon going well. Wo then got our first stoppage, a puncture. Tnis was soon overcome, and. wo were on tho road once again. We now came on to the riverbed in front of; th© Hermitage, which was very heavy going, but with the passenger; jumping put occasionally ; wo kept going and eventually arrived j at-the Hermitage at 1.10. We had th© j honour to Lave drivon the FIIiST SiDiS- j CAR to Mt. Cook. Tho return journey was one of ' greater difficulty. The weather when we started was very threatening and before we had gone, five miles it came down in torrents, the road was soon turned into a quagmire. On tho trip back to Pukaki we had to push up two hil-s, the mud being so heavy. Wo got to Pukaki at 11.30, 4i hours for 40 miles. We had lunch here and were away again a little after one. By the time we got on to tho Wolds tho roads were something awful, nlud six inches deep and occasionally a hili or two. However, by sticking to it we got to the Tekapo Hotel. We intended to stop here the night but to our dismay we found that the place was full and no .room left for us. .There was nothing more to do but to push on to Burkes Pass, 14 miles further on. Now came our first mechanical stop, which was a simple one, namely, the water had got into the contact breaker of the magneto. This was soon remedied. It was not'to be wondered at considering that the rain had been pouring down all day, and going through water courses a foot deep in places. However, wo-pushed on and we got to Purke's Pass, 84 miles in the rain and snow and over hills. This is, I think, a performance by a 3j h.p. machine which to my mind is mafveLous. From Burkes Pass to Fairlie, the next day, was very simple. The Singer did 192 mi'es of country which, taken altogether, is as bad a road for a motor as can be found anywhere. . - The Singer did this with side car. passenger and luggage weighing 20 stone, the driver and'machine weighing nearly 30.stone, on a gear ot 5| to 1, making a total-weight of 50 stone, on a machine that was not in any way, prepared; for the journey; the driver had not driven the machine before.