Motor & Cycle

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7847, 8 July 1911, Page 15

Motor & Cycle

Rapid. “I took a girl out in my machine yesterday, and held her hand, proposed, was accepted, and kissed her threo times all inside of forty-two minutes."

“You ought to bo put in gaol for exceeding the speed limit.”

The Australian amateur track champion E. W. Schneider, made his second appearance on English racing tracks at tno Festival of Empire gathering at the Crystal Palace track (Loudon), and again showed fair form, although ho did not succeed in winning any of the several events ho competed in. The New South Wales crack linished a close third in a five miles scratch race (after defeating Loon Meredith, world’s champion, and other crack riders in a qualifying fioati, and fourth in a one-lay) race, but his host ride was in a ouo mile handicap, ho starting from scratch, and being only beaten by a small margin by a rider to whom he was conceding 160 yards start, in tho good timo of 2min. S 4-ssec. Schneider, with a bit more racing, should soon be holding his own witii tho best of tho English amateur cracks.

Tho cable told us ou Monday that Solmeiuor again tilled third place m tie ten miles championship at the Festival of Empire sports behind tho British representatives Kingsbury and Denny. ,Ho evidently put up a good fight, as ho was only three and a-half lengths behind the winner.

Now that wire motor wheels are becoming popular, the ono principal objection—difficulty in keeping clean —becomes more apparent. The man who cleans his own car linds wire wheel cleaning a nuisance that he would like to avoid—a remark equally applicable to chauffeurs—and any device that will remedy this objection will no doubt readily become ijopulair with motorists who prefer wire wheels. Ono suggestion made is that aluminium discs should bo fitted to both . the inside and dutsido of wheels in such a way as to prevent mud and grit working through. The idea appears feasible, at all events. Any device that will overcome the tediousness of cleaning the interstices of a wire wheel will be appreciated by those who have experienced the nuisance.

P. D. Walcott, one of the best road riders in New South Wales, has announced his intention of trying to win the .£2O and £5 5s gold medal offered by tbe Dunlop Rubber Co. to the first Australasian road rider who betters Leon Meredith's English out-and-homo impaced 100 miles road record of 4hr. 52min. 51 4-sseo. Walcott has been recently showing very good form on the road.

: Particulars .of a very fine endurance motor cycle record are to hand England, where a motor cyclist named A. E. Cutt has ridden 2557 miles on the road in six consecutive days. Despite a deal of wet weather, 401 miles were covered the first day, 412 the second, 428 the third, 407 the fourth, 423 tho fifth, and 426 on the sixth day. A wonderful piece of consistent riding. The new figures aro 657 miles better than, the previous record.

The Goulhurn-Syduey road race, which is aniiuady promoted by tbe Dunlop Rubber Co. for the purpose, of selecting the New South Wales accredited representative for the ' ‘ Warrnambppl” will this year probably be held on Saturday, September 23rd. ; The Saturday following, September 30th, will be set apart for ,tho Victorian Cycle. Traders’ 100 miles annual road race, followed two weeks later by Australia’s premier event, the “Warrnambool.” ;•

From recent investigations made amongst 26 of the leading British motor car firms, as regards replacements and repairs— it appears that the mechanical parts of a car that require the most frequent attention and. consequently give more or ie*ss trouble, are gear wheels (particularly the second speed of threespeed cars), brake blocks or liners, brake drums, ball bearings and piston tings. Of course those are the portions of a car that have to do the major part of the work, and it is apparently in these directions that car manufacturers will have now to set about and endeavour to improve and remedy. The present day motor car is without doubt a wonderful piece of mechanism, but any improvements that can be brought about to eliminate the occasional troubles in the direction mentioned will tend to make motoring oven more reliable and more economical than it is to-day.