The Motor World

NZ Truth, Issue 579, 22 July 1916, Page 12

The Motor World

(By "Self-Starter.") ] A decision by Magistrate Bailey m the S.Ms. Court at Christchurch the other day, was important to motor cyclists, m that it largely knocked the authority out of the Christchurch City i Council's recently enacted by-law, | making pillion riding on motor-cycles an offence. The by-law prohibited persons from riding "on any part other than the part provided for the accommodation of persons intended to be carried by such vehicle," "and m the case under discussion, a man was charged, that m addition to having a passenger m the side-chair , of his buzz-bike, he also carried one on the carrier. Lawyer Johnston produced publications to show that m many cases, seats were provided at the rear of the cycle rider and were intended to carry a passenger. The S.M. said the by-law was loosely worded, and if machines were made with a back seat to carry a passenger, he could not see that such vehicles came within the by-law, and although he regarded the practice as dangerous without a side-car, he could not see that it was a danger with a side-car. The case was dismissed. • • '• ■ •■-..- Don't drive with under-inflated tyres. Don't neglect the little cuts m your tread. .', Avoid severe jolts. Go over bumps slowly. Don't ruin your tubes. Don't carry spare tubes unprotected. , Don't start or stop suddenly. • Don't drive with wheels out of alignment. Don't fail to use French talc m casin&- ... Don't run m ruta, or scrape against trie kerb. Don't allow grease, oil, or acid to remain on your tyres. , Don't allow clincher rims to become bent or rusty. Don't let rust collect on the rims. Don't fall to keep your spare tyres m a cover. • • • You might be advised that if you can't afford a Ford, dodge a Dodge; but then, on .the other hand, if you can't afford a Dodge, dodge a Ford. * • • f A record of 29,976 pneumatic motor j car tyres m one working day was the output of the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Company on Thursday, June 22, according to a cablegram received by the Adelaide manager (Mr. W. G. Kither) for that concern. • • .•■ ' ■ Sydney Stearnes, a 17-year-old Tasmanian motor cyclist, covered Til miles m 2hr. 23min. 15sec. between Hobart and Launceston, beating the previous record by 10 % mln. • • • Largo numbers of petrol motor tractors are being used on many of the farms throughout America. f • * # ■The French army la now utilising motor dental shops, which solve the problem of giving proper attention to the dental ailments of the soldiers. Some of the old Paris motor 'buses have been adapted Cor the purpose, being fitted up with all the incidentals to a deutlst'a establishment. In October last year one of these vans alone attended to some 1800 dental operations. • • • The motor salesman's job is a thankless one. Ho has to box-on under all conditions, be cuffed, and have his machine pulled to pleceg by "buyers" who know nothing of "a"hythlng on wheels except a perambulator or a go-cart; he has to study th« whims of all and sundry; and finally the manufacturer and dealer says In his beautiful art catalogue — "It's the cur that sells itself, and not the salesman* ability to sell antbing." •'Self-starter" would rather be a critic! • • ♦ When approaching a curve .the speed of the car should bo reduced gently ho that the curve may bo negotiated with the brakes off. In negotiating curves tho lyres have quite enough to do to take care of the lateral strain without any strain of pulling up. Good economical drivers rarely use the brakes for stopping. When hearing a Htopping place on level ground, they put tho gear into neutral and let the I car slow down on its own. and only I apply the brakes during the Hun Cow

yards of travel. Also, when starting, the car should move off gently instead of rapidly. * * * The great advance made m the construction of the up-to-date motor cycle has almost rendered it troubleproof m the hands of a careful driver. In this connection something like a record has been established by an English motor cyclist, who claims to have driven his machine 53,000 miles without one mechanical stop. This is a record that should take some beating. ' * * * Quite a number of motorists who returned from Trentham on Saturday took break-neck risks m passing each other. Evidently the smash that occurred to one of Wellington's prominent citizens (and who is still m bed), when returning from Otaki races, is not sufficient to warn them that there is always danger lurking about for the speed fiends. Writer noticed one car doing 60 miles compared with some of the "thirty-fivers." * . ' • . • There are probably several reasons for water being m the crank-case. When petrol is burned with the proper amount of air, the hydrogen and carbon combine with the oxygen to form water and carbon dioxide. Water is, therefore, always one of the products of combustion, and exists m the cylinders m the form of super-heated steam at high pressure at the temperature of the explosion. Leaky or ill-fitting piston-rings and scored cylinders allow more .gas to blow by, and m consequence, more water will con-

dense, and the more cylinders the more leakaga Too rich a mixture (too much petrol), results m more water as well as the formation and deposit of carbon m the cylinder. * • • Owing.to the outcry m America over the use of glaring electric head lamps by motorists, the American manufacturers are exerting' every effort to combat tho undoubted nuisance and danger of glaring headlights m main thoroughfares. ' One of the latest dimmers introduced m that country is made of pyrallne, a strong flexible and transparent material, which is made up to simply clip over tho outside rim of head-lamps. The dimmer is easily attached, and folded up when riot m use. When fitted over a lamp it: permits tho uninterrupted projection of the rays of the lamp on to the road through an opening at the bottom, but diffuses such rays as would ordinarily blind tho drivers of vehicles moving m the opposite direction.