RELIABILITY TRIAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20058, 22 September 1928, Page 12 (Supplement)

RELIABILITY TRIAL.

SPORTS CLUB FIXTURE. 240 MILE TEST TO-DAY, The 240 mile Reliability Trial to be run undor the auspices of the Sports Motor Cycle Club will start to-day at 2 p.m. from the Civic Square. Competitors will travel as far as Cambridge who-c their machines will be locked away for the night. Starting early the following morning, the route will pass through Matamato, Te Aroha, Paeroa and tho Hauraki Plains, returning, to the City via the Great South Road, Tho finish is timed for 2 o'clock at the War Memorial in the Domain, and, as there are no adverse road conditions competitors should arrive on time. The 'highest average speed allowed is 25 miles per hour, this being reduced in certain localities. A total of 35 competitors have entered. HISTORIC ROAD RECORDS, Tho End to End route in Great Britain was a favourite sceno for road records in tho early daySj before speeds were fierce enough to attract the eye of the law. Motor-cycling history began on this course in 1802, when E. Arnott took a belt-driven Werner over the distance in 65 hours 45 minutes. His average speed was obviously miserable, but it was a great feat, for the physical strain was tremendous, roads were bad and incessant pedalling was necessary on the long slopes. In 1903 the Quadrant Company produced a reliable machine and despatched T. Silver to attack the record. After meeting adverso conditions, he staggered to a finish utterly exhausted, having mduced the time by one hour 16 minutes. Not long afterward the Raleigh Company' engaged G. P Mills, and this veteran, who had coverec. the course on a push cycle in 77 hours in 1894, immediately set out to scheme a means of saving the physical labour entailed by pedalling a motor-cycle. A two speed gear which embodied two separate chains was evolved, and Mills finished in 50 hours 46 minutes. This record, however, did not last long, for H. Williamson, mounted on a Rex.. clip ped off a couple of hours a month later. The Rex figures were unbeaten for some time, until A. Bentlev, a brother of the man behind the Bentley car, essayed tho task on a Triumph. Being an amateur, ho lacked the trade backing and organisation of the earlier holders, and after losing his way, the strain became so great that he turned light headed and was extremely lucky to finish. He reduced the time to hours, only to be beaten a year later by another Rex rider, T. Peek, "who clipped off another hour. Numerous attempts were made by trade and amateur riders, but it was not until 1909 that any success was gained. It was then that I. Hart-Davies, one of Britain's greatest long-distance riders came into the limelight, and forsaking the ferries, he chose to ride longer ais tances to save the delay caused by ferrying. Riding a Triumph, he covered the 880 miles in" 32 hours 13 minutes. A wait - in" his chance, and becoming familiar with everv bend, he made another dash in 1911 "and established the existing record of 29 hours 12 miuutes. It is likely that these figures will stand as the British road 3 are now so crowded with traffic that no such attempt would be allowed. NOTES. Always treat pedestrians with respect. Don't drive blindly over cross-roads. At the end of March of this year there were 3004 motor-cycles in use iu Ceylon. Tho 1929 designs of at least one firm will be influenced by experience gained on tho dirt tracks this year. Convey your intentions to other road uscr3 by means of the recognised signals, given 30ft. before turning or stopping. Exports of motor-cycles from the U.S.A. during the first four months of this year were 1037 fewer than in the corresponding period of 1927. In addition to the usual import duty a luxury tax of 5 per cent. is. now being imposed on all motor-cycles and sidecars imported into Hungary. If a motorist in the London Metropolitan Area commits a minor driving offence, he will not, in future,., be summoned, but meroly cautioned. This privilege, which applies only to first offenders, will be immediately withdrawn if abused. Although the exports of motor-cars from Austria far exceeds the imports, there is a large surplus of imports over exports in the case of motor-cycles. This is mainly due to the number of British machines imported into the country. When a man was sentenced at North London Police Court recently to 21 days' hard labour for begging, it was stated that since he had been collecting in London he had bought a motor-cycie to faciliato visits to his family in Yorkshire ! With tho object of creating greater interest in Canadian motor-cycling in general, and in particular of securing an influx of members, the Motor-cycle Club of Toronto recently fixed up a two wheel trailer, on which was mounted a small house bearing the notice " Join the Toronto Motor-cycle Club," and sent it out on a tour of tho district.