MOTOR CYCLING

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19215, 2 January 1926, Page 11 (Supplement)

MOTOR CYCLING

OF'OTIK! RACES. The motor-cycle races -at Opotiki on Boxing Day proved a victory for the lighter machines, Norton and Douglas having the best of the meeting. Bray was successful with his Douglas, which showed improved fo;:'m on its Takapuna showing, McCready'a Harley also showing speed. The big event of the day, the 600 c.c. New Zealand Championship, was won by H. Moller, whose Norton was too fast for McCready's Douglas. The time was exceptionally fist, especially foi the course, but. does not approach a world's record for grass tracks, as both the 3ah.p. Douglas ami the 3i h.p. Indian have considerably bettered this time in Australia. BALLOONS V. HIGH PRESSURE. A test was recently conducted ou Brooklands track with the object of ascertaining whether a motor-cycle side-car outfit faster, shod with standard high-pres-sure tvres or with balloon tyres fitted. With balloons, the outfit gave a mean speed of 50.36 m.p.h. Sin. tyres of standard type were then fitted, and the mean time recorded nnder exactly the same conditions as tho first test was 48.16 m.p.h., a difference of over 2 miles per hour til favour of tho balloon tyres. The pressures employed were 201b. per srpiare inch on the front wheel, and 251b. on the '.rear with balloons, and 351 b. and 451b. respectively with tho ordinary tyres. Brooklands is not at all a billiard table surface,, and it is probably on this account that tho balloons shower] to advantage. It is generally admitted that, oil a perfectly smooth surface, hardbio wn tyres would have the advantage. ■R. COLEMAN'S REAPPEARANCE. T. Coleman who was absent, at the last Takapuna melting was racing agttia »»> Boxing Day at Otaki. He secured a first and also tied for the fastest time of tne day. His mount, a comparative stranger to New Zealand, was a British machine, the P. and M. Panther. NOTES. A 100 c.c. motor-cycle has exceeded a speed ot sixty mile:; per hour. The latest statistics show that over half a million motor-cycle licenses, were issued in England during tho first nine months of 192:5. V. Horsmari (750 c.c. Triumph), has raised the world's record for class D for tiie flying mile to 1C4.65 m.p.h. At an important annual hill climb field recently on. the occasion of tho Oakland Motor-cycle Club's " Diamond Jubilee," there were no fewer than 80,000 spectators. During Paul Anderson's phenomenal run on the Arpagon course (France), where he was credited until doing 159 m.p.h., his Indian pulled a gear of 2.58 to 1 and his engine ran 5800 revolutions per minute. A well-known American motor-cvcle company is now building three-wfieel motor-cycle tasicabs, and will inaugurate a service with '.hem in New York as soon as tests have been completed.

One of the machines which took part in the recent " Old Crocks" trial, arranged by an English motor-cycle club, was a ISOB h.p. Centaur, with foot-controlled 2-speed hub gears.

A St. Louis, U.S.A., rider was recently fined 30D dollars (approximately £6O, for riding a machine with an open exhaust in that town, and his license was suspended for iiix months. The fact' that there were several previous convictions renders the severity of the punishment 3 littlo less surprising.

Among the many interesting items mentioned it! his annual report to tha iioma Office, the Commissioner of tha London Metropolitan Police states that during the past year .1.05 motoir-cyclea, valued at £5337. were stolen in the district under his charge. Of these 49, or not quite 5G per cent., were recovered!.

Probably few motor-cyclists realise that, although "handls-bar design- has passed through many stages, the popular presentday type of sports bar is almost exactly similar to the shape of bar in use more than twenty years ago! In fa,ct, the pedal-cycle style of bar, to be seen on many modern machines, was beginning to bo out of date in 1905!

The circuit, which encircles the city of Spezia and measures 8 kilometres (5 miles), embraces; pretty well everything in the way of road difficulties. It includes three kilometres of stiff climbing, two kilometres of down gradient with a lull complement of " jazz" corners, and three kilometres of dead straight level. All three races were 160 km. in length.

Imports of motor-cycles into England for September amounted to £863, as against £982 far tho previous month, and £4.566 for tho month of September, 1924. The year'si total exports (nine months) are £2,209,702, which is £380,752 more than tho corresponding nine months' total in 1924. Following are export returns for September, 1923, 1924, 1925:—Motorcycles and paits 1923. £111.792; 1924, £170,456; 1925, £197,315.

Some fast motor-cycle speed work was seen in the recent Irish Grand Prix. Eighty-six riders took part in the 205 miles" handicap contest, including many rotable speed men. The event was won by J. W. Shaw (9 min. 45 sees, start), on a 490 c.c. Norton, in 2 hours 53 min. 25 sees. The fastest time was registered by tho Irish crack, J. Craig, who has won this honour in the last three events. He finished up second in tho remarkable time of 2 hours 50 nriins. 44 sees., equal to an average speed of over 72 rn.p.h. for the full journey. This performance is one of tho finest yet recorded on tho road on a motor-cycle. Craig also rode a 490 c.c. Norton.