MOTOR-CYCLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20130, 15 December 1928, Page 14 (Supplement)

MOTOR-CYCLING.

WHANGARE! ACTIVITIES. The Motor-cycling Club at Whangarei is alive to tho popularity of motor-cycle racing, and a proposal is afoot to hold a race meeting in Whangarei late in February. Races have been arranged for Auckland and Hamilton on following Saturdays, and a fixture at tho northern centre on tho intervening Thursday should prove very popular with the riders from tho South who will be in tho North for tho two premier meetings.

WORLD'S FASTEST MOTOR-CYCLE.

Riding a 996 c.c. Zenith Jap, 0. M. Baldwin has covered tho flying kilometer at 124.6 miles per hour. This is tho fastest speed a two-wheeler has ever travelled, and it improves the previous record by 4 m.p.h. Other records created recently on tho Arpajon track fell to C. W. G. Lacoy, riding a 500 c.c. and a 350 c.c. Grindlay-Peerless J.A.P. Tho records aro:—soo c.c., 112.15 m.p.h. (108.69 m.p.h., old record); 350 c.c., 104.14 m.p.h. (102.24 m.p.h.; old record). MULTI-CYLINDER TROPHY.

Due to its high thermal efficiency tho single-cylinder type of engine holds nearly all the "world speed records, and no real effort has been expended on the design of multi-cylinder engines for record breaking. In order to encourage the multi-cylin-der and with the object of fostering the design the " Motor-cycle" is offering a special trophy to tho rider of a multicylinder motor-cycle of not more than 500 c.c., who first covers one hundred miles per hour on a British racing track. 200 MILES IN TWO HOURS. .Not so long ago' the motor-cycle world was astonished at the performance of a 500 c.c. machine in covering 100 miles in one hour.?. Now comes the hitherto -unattained of 200 miles in two hours—a truly remarkable feat. The Tremendous strain imposed on the rider and on all parts of ; of his machine calls for personal stamina and extraordinary sturc]i,nqss and,, reliaj bility in the construction of the motorcycle. The, feat is, even more meritorious as it was performed pp Brooklands track, which is now recognised as being much slower than several of the newer' continental "speedways". ' G. "E, No'tt,'riding a 499 c.c. Rudge Whitworth, was tho successful rider, and he has raised the previous • records of 94.8 m.p.h. to 100.23 m.p.h. AMERICAN COMMENT. growing popularity of Britishmade motor-cycles throughout the world is apparent from tho following extract from the U.S.A. Commerce Eeports:— " Exports of American motor-cycles were well maintained, but declined 677 units, valued at £12,000. Germany, Sweden, and Canada were the leading markets of importance during tho first half-year, but Australia, which was our premier consumer in 1927, has declined to. sixth,place. = —This is due partly to the renewed' energy of British agents, and a .growing desire for British productions." India is another country where the demand for motor-cycles is steadily increasing. This year 507 machines were imported, as against a total of 430 for 1927. Of this-number no fewer than 423 were of British manufacture. Bengal, too, is importing more motorcycles, tho number for the year 1927-8 being 815. ' Of this total 78 per cent, were made in Britain. NOTES. The experiment of using motor-cycles instead of horses in the bull-ring is being tried at Madrid. A feature of the recent British motorcycle show was. the increased number of machines adopting pressed steel frames. As evidence that a woman defendant at a Scottish police fcourt was tho worse for drink a policeman stated that she was kneeling in the middle of the road trying to pick up the white line. Motor-cycles polo is the latest English sport to become popular in the U.S.A., and every Friday night the Starlight Stadium in Bronx (the New York suburb) is filled with enthusiasts watching the game under the glare of floodlights.

South Africa now has its " Brooklands" in use, for the new speedway on the Clairwood race course, Durham, was opened recently. About 4000 people witnessed the opening meeting, which included races between motor-cycles and aeroplanes.

The brightness of polished steel articles, after they have been cleaned with emery cloth, can be preserved by coating them with wax floor polish and rubbing with a clean duster. The wax fills up the fine grain of the metal so that dampness does not affect the steel and it will keep its brightness for many weeks.

An excellent cushion for sidecar or pillion use can be made from an inner tube. First inflate this to a suitable pressure and tie it roughly into a square with string or tape, leaving the valve at, ono corner. Sow round the tube an ordinary cushion cover, of course leaving the valve poking out. The advantage of this type of cushion cover is that a spare inner is always available when needed.