THE MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 29 August 1925, Page 14

THE MOTOR WORLD

NOTES. The world spent’£672,ooo,ooo for new motor vehicles in 1924. The heavyweight championship of New Zealand will be decided at Hastings on November 1.1.

It is expected that the Clarence River bridge oil the main RlenhcimChristchurch road will be re-opened for traffic next month.

At a date to be decided on the Field, ing Club will hold the 350 c.c. championship, which, this year promises to be very interesting.

Registration lees to the N.Z.A.C'.U. will now bo 10s a year. For new riders a. concession of 5s is to be made for the first year’s riding.

It will pay to take all motor chains off the machines and thoroughly clean away the grit that must have accumulated during the wet weather.

The United States Assistant Trade Commissioner in Calcutta, in a recent report to his Government, stated, that British motor-cycies are now outselling American machines in the radio of five to one.

Motor-cycle lubrication is a vital point, and instead of using any oil that happens to be handy riders would be well advised to use that oil which tire makers of liis motor-cycle recommend.

A taxi-driver, who suddenly crossed over to the off-side of the road in front of a woman motorist at Romford, England,' because she would not dim her head-lights, was fined £5 on a charge of dangerous driving

Motor cycling is enjoying an unprecedented boom in the (J.S.A. ' at present. All the competitions have been well patronised.

The British Minister of Transport states that he is not- satisfied that any device is yet available which would prove of material assistance in avoiding accidents by being fitted in front of motor vehicles. He is. therefore, not prepared to' take steps to make compulsory the fitting of devices of this type.

At the instance of the South Island Motor. Union, the Awatere County Council is ascertaining what powers it- has to prevent road-side advertising, and if competent for it to do so will whitewash over signs on bridges on the roadside at certain points.

A circular has been sent to. all country surveyors by the British Ministry of Transport, urging that, to obviate the risk of skidding, road surfaces should be treated with a suitable heated liquid dressing, incorporating dean sharp crushed gravel or granite chippings.

An Arizona legislator proposes a law against allowing, dogs to ride on running boards. He says there have been many canine fatalities from this hnbit.

No fewer than 470,000 country children now got to school in the United States in the 19,G56 motor ’buses owned by the 11,883 consolidated rural schools. Thus do the motor and good roads bring opportunity t o the farmers’ door.

A n automatic danger signaL for rail, way crossings, operated by locomotives approaching crossings, has been invented by an Indian mechanic. A .locomotive can be made to turn the stop signal at, the crossing at approaches within the distance of a mile.

What is considered th e most expensive and most difficult piece of highway in the United States is being built to the summit of Cheyenne Mountain, 10,000 ft. uj>, at Colorado Springs. Six miles of this road, it is estimated, will cost £70,000.

For use in wet weather a very efficient windscreen wiper can be made by taking a piece of fairly large gauge, stiff steel wire, and bending it- into the form of an elongated “U.’’ One end should be bent over at right anglees to form a handle, and .the wire can be covered with rubber tubing. This can be slipped over the windscreen and swept backwards and forwards to remove the rain drops.

Sometimes, when descending •very steep land greasy hills, a car may slide bodily with wheels locked on a slimy surface. The best way of regaining control is to ease the brakes mom. entardy, so as to allow' the- wheels to revolve again, and then to apply the brakes gradually!. Sudden, applica. tion of the brakes is always bad, and is highly inavis able on wet wood* sets or a film of grease.

When a. gear slips out of mesh the most likely reason for the trouble is that the gear was not fully engaged. This condition is sometimes encouraged by the fact that the locking devices on. the shifting rods are not working properly. Worn gear teeth and worn shaft bearings, or shafe bearings requiring adjustment, are the usual causes, if the locking mechanism is found to be in good condition.

A London motorist recently left his motor-car outside his club, and when lie came out it had disappeared. He was in Oxford Street later when, to his surprise, be saw the car being driven toward the Marble Arch. He hired a taxicab, went in pursuit, and overtook the car in Portman Square. He jumped from the footboard of the taxicab to the footboard of the ear while the vehicles were moving, shut off the engine, put on the brake, and brought the car to a standstill.

Motor coaching is very popular in England, . and great strides have been made of late by the motor manufacturers in the design of coaches. According to “Motor Transport,” the general tendency is to provide lighter and more comfortable cars, the outward appearance of which resemble s that of large touring cars. The majority of these coaches run on pneumatic tyres, and are fitted with all-weather bodies.

Many drivers do not know at what speed their engines develop best power for road or hill conditions. Some engines have great torque for brilliant performance until the engine is running at a much higher speed. Some very small engines develop high torque at low car speeds because they are geared low and run at very high speeds while others cannot show' pulling power until the car is. rolling at_ a much faster rate.. The problem for each motorist is to find out at. what car soeed .his engine reveals the greatest pulling (power, Endeavouring to maintain this speed whenever climbing steep hills; - -V

hi 12 months the number of motorcycles jti use in New Southli\ ales had increased from 14,345 to 18,112,

The heavyweight motor-cycle championship or" Mew Zealand will be decided at Hastings on .November 11.

In 12 months the number of motorcycles in use in Mew South Wales had increased Irpm 14,<545 to 18,112.

Every live minutes spent greasing the new car will save an hour’s labour on a future repair ,lj ill. One way to keep out of battery trouble is to Keep the connectors covered with a tlrin coating of vaseline.

‘‘The traffic control at the Wembley Exhibition wa* a. masterpiece,” said .Mr llawkes at the Waimatiri County Council meeting. “Motor-cans, three abreast, kept moving on in a constant stream, and although they were close together there was no hitch. All the signals were instantly obeyed, and as the traffic was passing in one direction there was no fear of collision.”

A Christchurch journal wants an eyesight tests for ail drivers of motor-cars. A year or two back, after a mentallyderanged person ran amuck with a car in Wellington, an examination of all motorists toy insanity experts was suggested. Why not give the pedestrians a turn, and let the doctors tnump their chests and give the survivor s licenses to go out on the roads?

Waipa County (Te Awamutu) has deferred consideration for three months of a scheme to spend £130,000 on.- laying bituminous surfaces on the main highways in the county. The County Council is of opinion that increased assistance will be forthcoming from the Highways Board later.

Judge: “Why did you run down this man in broad ‘daylight on a perfectly straight stretch of road?” Motorist: “Your Honour, my windenscreen was almost completely obscured with ‘Safety First’- stickers.”

It is as wed to remember that the nuts on the wheels can always be tightened a little after the car has been run for some time, no matter how tight- they were at the time the wheel was replaced. In' fitting for the first time, it is avaisable to remove the cotter pins after a few; days of running, and pull the nuts up as far a.s they will go

The. American Railways Association is launching another intensive campaign designed to minimise level - crossing accidents. This time the slogan is, ‘.‘Think, Driver —Think!” Such action is worthy and necessary so long as the level-crossing itself constitutes a hazard in the traffic problem. Commenting upon the campaign, United States automobile journals think that for the accomplishment of the association’s objective elimination of the levelcrossing would be a vastly better measure than annual campaigning, and hope that such danger spots will practically soon lie abolished.

Members of the R-.A.C.A. are very enthusiastic about the eight days’ test to be held from September 16 to 23., It is expected that over 200 will take part in the event. On the first day’s run to Bathurst the competitors will be entertained at lunch by Mr J. A. S. Jones. After leaving the Western town the cars will go across to Goulbinn, and on the third day a one-mile dash will be he'd on the property pf Dr. Faithful, then Canberra will lie reached for lunch. Sunday will be spent at Kosciusko, then the return will be made via Bemboka, Conjola, Kiama. In all 800 miles will be covered.

The Junior T.T. motor-cycle race, contested on, the Isle of Man on June 18, was won by W. L. Handley, riding a 350 c.c. (3Jh.p.) machine, and attaining an average speed of 65 miles an hour. The course is over a road circuit of the island, and includes steep grades, goose-neck bends, and humpbacked bridges, and the sensational average was secured by the most daredevil riding, 100 miles air hour down the mountain gradient being the rule. Handley’s machine leapt 60 feet at each circuit, taking off from the Ballig bridge, a notorious hump-hack. Swarms of flies, and chickens, with the roadcrossing habit, added to the already amazing risks taken’by the riders, but the quality of the men and the machines is indicated by the fact that there were no. serious accidents.

The prime causes of the overheating of engines are bearing friction, preignition, too rich or too weak a mixture and defective cooling. Running a brand new engine at high speed before the hearings have been properly run in will almost certainly produce overheating, to the detriment- of the hearings, and may even cause a seizure. The hearings are usually lined with white metal, which melts at a comparatively low' temperature, so that it is very easy to damage the bigend. Never “rev. up” an engine when cold, but ru n it very slowly after starting up, until the lubricating oil has had time to become warm and circulates- freely. Many an engine has been ruined this way in cold weather by the impatient driver endeavouring to get it sufficiently hot to run without back-firing into the carburetter.

NEW MODELS, DEVELOPMENT IDEAS. MOPE SIX SYLINDEPS * What are the novelties in store for us in the coming summer? asks a writer in a London paper. Well, he says, the six-cylinder engine is going to come much more fully into its own next season—and there are some surprises in' “eights.” For the first time in our. history wo shall have a good sprinkling of such engines in the inexpensive car class. The problem with, six-cylinder engines ha» not been to reproduce the theoretic .advantages over- the four in practice, hut to obtain them at a reasonable cost. But a good deal has been learnt in the 'last year or two, and it is now possible to reproduce a. really good six economically. We already have ample evidence of this fact in several of the American amt Canadian cars on the market. We shall also see several improvements in regard to four-wheel brake design. New methods of operation will he found on several leading makes, and . the tendency is to use direct mechanical , power o n the. better care. In some . oases vacuum is employed to operate these' brakes; in others hydraulic power; and- in others compressed air. In all. four-wheel brake designs, simplified and improved adjustment is aimed at; and* in.the power-operated types a minimum of readjustment attention is assured. In this way the most common is overcome.

HAMILTON MOTORISTS. ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION. THE YEAR IN REVIEW. Commencing the year with 59 members, the growth of membership of the Hamilton branch of the Auckland Automobile Association has been gradu. al and the association now consists of 231 members. This record of progress was shown by the report submitted at the- annual meeting of tli© association. There was a good attendance of members at the Masonic Hall, Hamilton, over which the retiring president, Dr. A. S. Brewis, presided. Following the annual meeting a smoke concert was held, at which, a- number of toasts were honoured and 1 .an entertaining musical programme was provided. The annual report stated; Last summer three motor runs were held —to Arapuni Falls, Raglan-by-the-Sea, and Waingaro Hot Springs, which were en. joyable and popularised the branch. Tire convalescent patients at the Waikato Hospital were also taken for a run into* the country one day lost spring. The executive was greatly indebted to several local bodies and the Railway Department for their response to. the association’s representations regarding the need 1 for amending bylaws, easing dangerous bends, approaches to crossings, and other matters that made for the safety and com. fort of motorists. Reference was also made to the establishment- of classes fo r the benefit of motor-car owners at the Hamilton Technical School. Thanks were due to the Motor Olympia Committee for their courtesy in granting free space at the Hamilton Winter ■ Show for the benefit of the association, and for allowing the association’s service officer, Mr. R. E. Champtaloup, to conduct a demonstration of headlight testing and adjusting. Gratification was expressed in the report at the completion of the new Rangiriri deviation, which was officially opened on May 2. The association also placed on‘record its appreciation of the work of th e Highways Board on the manner in which it had approached road-making problems coming within its jurisdiction. Hamilton members on tour could enjoy letters of introduction and privileges enjoyed by Automobile Associations' of’ Great' Britain, with which the Auckland Association was affiliated. During the past twelve months good work had been done in keeping members supplied with information as to the condition of the main roads in the South Auckland district-. The service had been very widely availed of. The district engineers of the Public Works Department and County, Council engineers had also supplied very useful information to the association. Provincial road maps were issued during the year, and a copy was made available to every . financial . member. The arrangement by which members of the association receive concessions at certain recommended hotels was largely availed of. Motorists’ camps have also been established in several districts, either by local authorities or Chambers of Commerce. Three conference were held between the Auckland! Association and- the Hamilton branch during the year, and at one in Hamilton it was resolved to affiliate with tile Auckland body. At the other conferences, which were held at Auckland, the branch was repre- Y sented by the secretary, Mr. J. Gil- C sbert, who reported that the result was a clearer understanding of mutual interests between the two bodies. A number of -roadi and school signs were distributed within the borough and throughout the Waikato. The action of the association in-urging the council to enforce the by-law requiring cyclists to carry a rear light or reflector on their 'cycles was referred to. It was also reported that acting on representations from the branch, the Borough -Council had extended its night parking area to Bryce Street and Hood Street. The report was adopted..

SPEEDY CYCLES. A DIFFERENCE. It is surprising how few motor cyclists realise that ■ a xn!achine; having an exceedingly high maxiimium speed_ is not necessarily a fast touring machine (e&yisi a motoring journal). One often hears a rider remark that he must have ai mount capable of 60 m.p.li., not that lie often wamfcst ■to attain that, speed, hut because he has a good deal of long distance riding to do.One of the fastest touring machines the writer ever possessed was physically incapable of exceeding 48 m.p.h., but the difference lay in the fact that there was a very narrow margin hetween its, comfortable and natural road speed and its maximum speed. It would purr along at over 40 ni.p.h. all day and with perfect comfort for the rider. Its cornering was good, also its balance, and its brakes excellent. On the other band, I have known ridens possessed of machines capable of 60 V-*-m.p.h. or thereabouts; but in the or-. s dinary course of touring they have been less speedy than the mount just referred to on an average road. The high compression engine which fittiaius its maximum through sheer force of revolutions renders it uncomfortable for long distances by road, and the same applies to some extent with regard to h.p. High power does not necessarily mean high, speed, and generally speaking the 2-5 to' 3 h.p. road machine is quite fast enough for ordinary isolo work. We.think it unquestionable boat one of the most vital factors in the_ further development of motoring in this, counry is bound up in tlie word service. In saying that, we do not for a moment suggest that the oar of to-day is less reliable than the ear of yesterday. On the contrary we all know that the high grade motor car of to-day is a wonder of reliability. But the word Service does no* necessarily mean the putting right of anything that has failed. That As only a 'part interpretation ot its full incidence. To the car owner it stands for very much more than that.

POINTS WORTH KNOWING. Don’t- use the brakes more than is necessary. Keep the necessary braking down to a minimum. A good driver in ordinary running uses his brakes hut little, and that little gently. Loose suspension spring clips are a productive cause of leaf-spring breakages. Armed with a few spanners, take an occasional journey under the chassis of your car and tighten up all loose nuts. v Keep a mental cheek on the number that are loose and probably you wi.l lie surprised. It is a wise plan to drain the crank case after every 750 to 1000 miles or running and replenish with fresh oil. petrol gets past the piston' rings and dilute s the oil. Dust enters the engine • way of the air intake of the carburetter and the .crankcase ‘‘breather ’ and mixes with the oil. The remedy is systematic changing of the lubricant.