MOTOR-CYCLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20088, 27 October 1928, Page 14 (Supplement)

MOTOR-CYCLING.

THE SPORTS CLUB. To-morrow members of tho Sports Motor-eye)o Club will assemble at the Western Springs at 9 a.m., beforo leaving for Muriwai Beach, where a series of speed championships will bo held. Of particular interest will be the contest for tho Mattson Cup, which will bo decided over a 20-milo circuit.

PREPARATION FOR SUMMER. No niotor-cyclo can give satisfactory results unless it receives a certain amount o£ attention, and now tho days oro lengthening riders should begin to preparo lor tno summer season. First, the machino should bo cleaned thoroughly, using plenty of paraffin and a stiff brush. Tho cylinders must be removed and the carbon deposit cleared. Tho valves must bo ground with fino paste, and while they aro removed it may pay to fit uew valve springs. Tho crank-case should bo drained of all oil, washed clean, and new oil supplied. In replacing tho cylindor, caro should bo exorcised to mako a good joint between its base and tho crankcaso. Attention may now bo turned t<s tho carburettor Which must bo cleaned, and if tho needle valve is worn it must bo replaced. All supply pipes and petrol filters should bo cleaned, and if the tank shows any signs' of containing foreign matter it will pay to remove it and carefully clear any particles that may cause blockage of tho feed. With regard to tho magneto, it is advisable to take this to an expert, who will clean and examino it for a few shillings. In the caso of the gear-box, it is generally suilicient to 6ee that it is filled with tho correct quantity of suitablo lubricant, but to be on the safe side, remove tho clutch and clean tho plates. Now there comes tho innumerable bearing surfaces, hubs, /steering bead, fork spindles, fork dampers, etc. All should bo removed and examined and, where necessary, packed with greaso. The controls also call for examination, and if any wires aro frayed they should bo renewed. Brakes must not" he forgotten, and new linings may be advisable. The driving and primary chains need thorough cleansing _ after winter work and a soaking in oil will add life and also give rnort3 silent running. No tour can be enjoyable with defective tyres, so removo the outer covers, clean tho rims and apply a coat of preservative. All cold_ patches can with advantage bo vulcanised and any cuts on tho outer cover should receive attention. To complete the overhaul, examine the tool-kit and make sure all tools are packed with a supply of odd nuts, split pins, chain links, and a pune-turo-repairing outfit. SAFETY FIRST. Motor-cycles aro very simple to control and the correct methods of driving can bo learned in a few hours, but it requires many weeks' experience to acquiro tho faculty known as road sense, and that | particular ability to do tho right thing subconsciously. Safety first should bo the motto of every road user. TWO STROKES. ! _ » It is well known, for instance, that twostroke engines aro more liable to carbon deposit than are their four-stroke brethren, this being for the reason that the gaseous discharge® in* a two-stroke cylinder arc less perfectly burnt than they are in an engine working on the four-stroke principle, and also that tho partially burned oil vapour is less completely scavenged. Of course, this iart does not appreciably take away from the efficiency of the twostroke engine, and in any modern and well-designed engine of the two-stroke type this tendoncy to excessive carbon deposit is reduced to a minimum. j SPRING FRAMES. • The idea oi springing the rear part of a motor-cyclc is not new. Many years ago machines were built which ach'ioved this object in ono mannor or another, but costly or faulty dosign and sometimes manufacturing difficulties liavo driven j most of them off the market. Some failed i through over-elaboration, a multitude of j small bearings giving rise to undue wear, : while others were fitted with light springs | which, being undamped, failed to keep ; the rear wheel clinging to tho ground. i Many of the earlier designs were made I solely for comfort, as load speeds wero 1 not then high, but as engine desfg.i has i developed, designers have been forced to pay attention to rear-wheel grip on rough surfaces and so another spring frame era has begun. The latest development in 1 JEnglaod is the machine produced by Geo. Brough, an S.S. 80 Brough Siperior, which is now available with a spring frame.

•NOTES. "I'm no speedometer; I don't know how fast he was going."—A witness in an English Police Court. England produces 43 per cent, of the world's motor-cycles, and is easily tho fust on tho list." Germany comes second, and the U.S.A., with one-eighth of tho world's total, is third. I'or an engine to run slowly and pull hard it is necessary that the packing joints between the carburettor and the inlet manifold and between the manifold and tiie engine ports be» absolutely tight to prevent air leaks. With the idea of being the first motorcyclist to make an ocean-to-ocean trip across Canada, a young Englishman is to attempt tho feat on a 497 c.c. Ariel sidecar outfit. It has only been accomplished once by motor-car.