Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 2925, 6 April 1910, Page 63

Cycling and Motor Notes

BT DEMON.

Mr W. A. Moore, ittonungton, bad a fine non-stop run through Waimale and Titnaru at Easter in his Siddeley. Dr Allan's 8 li.p. Rover, after 15 montha' work, was in town last week to have the cylinder scraped and valves ground, etc. The general appearance of the gears, etc., only confirms the opinion formed from the running of Dr Fulton's Rover during the last five years—that the Rover_ oar is mado of very high-grade material.

run to Waikouaiti to the golf links. It is said that most of the oars were " looking for" one another on the road home and that Mr J. M. Ritchie's Siddelny was first into town.

1 met two of tho pioneer motor cycliste of this district in town this week. Mr W. Tisdall. formerly of Burnside, rode through from Omakau, along with Mr Lindsay, on their 3i Humber motor cycles, having an excellent run. No doubt Mr Tisdall finds the latter machine a long way ahead of the days when broken valves, crank oases, etc., were of common occurrence. Mr W. Smith, who rode ono of the first " twin" Clements landed here, was also' in town, driving a four-cylinder Ford,

. Amongst, the visiting motormen garaging at Messrs Wimpenny's during the holidays was Mr C. Bell, of Cbristchurcb. who drove down in his big slate-coloured Enfield car. Another visitor was Mr John son, of Tima.ru, in an 8-10 Dairacq. Mr Johnson is at present making _ a run through to tho lakes, via Tapa-nui. Among the French motor factories which suffered by the recent floods were Renault, Do Dion, Mors, Darracq, Charron, Brasier, Clement-Bayard, and Gnome. evening, a. motor car, while proceeding along the centre of the thoroughfare, suddenlv burst, inro flame. The driver and occupants quickly dismounted, and in a few minutes the car was reduced to a wreckage. Traffio was stopped for a time An aviator named Metrot raced an express train on ft binlane-, and. beat it

easily, at Algiers recently. During a meet- | ing 'at the Joinville Hippodrome, while Metrot was flying round the ground an express drawn, by two locomotives _ passed the enclosure. Metrot flew behind it, flew over it, flew several miles ahead of it, and, flying back to the hippodrome, grounded successfully. , i The trend of the American motor cycle can be approximately gauged by the exhibits at the recent Nov/ York # show. Out of 79 exhibits 74 Wore motor bicycles, two were side cars, two were delivery tricycles, the remaining machine being a tandem. Single cylinders led the van with 54 machines to their credit, twins coming next with 23, while the fours number a couple only. As regards transmision, belts are slightly in favour, being 47, to 25 chains and seven machines fitted with shaft drive. Magneto ignition outnumbers the battery by nearly two to one, but a slight retrograde movement compared with European praotice is seen, in the valves, the automatic inlet being 42 to 37 of the mechanical —— Long strokes are likely to be heard of again in this year's French voiturette race, as makers are, by the regulations just issued, given a free hand in this matter. For single-cylinder engines the bore must not exceed 100 mm., 80mm. being allowed in the case of a twin and 65mm. for a fourcylinder motor. The cars must weigh 14331 b at least, apart from petrol, water, or spare parts; seats for two are also required, while detachable wheels and rims may be used. The race will be run on June 19, over a course nearly 400 miles in length. No doubt, as on the two previous occasions, many of the cars will have very long strokes, since this is practically the only direction in which engine power can be increased. It is not very likely, how--ever, that the stroke will exceed two and a-half times the bore, a ratio which has not been unusual in this event. Such long strokes are of value in high-speed events, but do not assist in the evolution of practical touring cars. ' The second dinner of ohe Fv.AO. and associated clubs took place on February 3, under the presidency of Prince Alexander of Teck. Sir Henry Norman, the newly appointed l Assistant Postmastergeneral, gave some interesting information about the increasing use of motprs for carrying mails. There arc 13 long-distance services, averaging 40,000 miks a month, and savin? no less than £60,000 a year. Last March motors superseded the one remaining horse service to Oxford. There are also 13 London services, each doing 32 miles a day, and after July 1 there will be 10 .daily suburban services. In all, the Post Office "has now 60 motor services. Lord Montagu spoke of the great utility and popularity of the motor car at the recent elections, andin the absence of complaint or animosity. F. S. Hagney, the cyclist-sculler, has returned to his old love, the bicycle, and is now training daily behind an 3 h.p. motor on the Sydney Sports Crcund, with a view 1 to attacking the Australasian records from a quarter-mile onwards. Flagney is shaping rather well behind pace, and he was. to make hie re-appearane in competition at'Easter, either at Newcastle or at the Australian Club's meeting on the Sydney Sports. Ground. of an enterprising rider who ran out of lubricating oil some miks from anywhere. However, not daunted, ho proceeded to an adjacent farmhouse, and bought a pint of pure cream, which he poured into the oil tank. He then pumped some of this mixture into the engine, started up, and, in his own words, allowed the en seine to churn the cream into butter. In time the butter became oil, owing to the heat of the engine. He rode 55 miles on this hot butter mixture with no evil effect, but cleaned his engine upon arrival home. A continuous clicking, wheezing, or squeaking noise in an engine cylinder should be investigated, ps it is generally a sign of loose or worn piston, rings. It is important to attend, to this at. once, as nesrlect may result in scoring the cylinder walls. A puffin? or craekino; noise indicates that the compressed gas is escaping in'.o the air, and the leakage may be generally found to be caused by a leaky compression cock or sparking plug. If valve-grinding has not been attended to, the leak may be in the valves, which have become warped or pitted, and do not properly seat themselves. Although the modern motor car has become noted for its silence as compared with its prototype- of a few years ago, it still emits a wide range of sounds —one lnicrht also say whisnor.s of of which has, to the tvoincd ear. a distinct tone nnd meaning. The expert driver soon karns, for 'instance, that the different sneeds of the gear-box bavo each a different note, and he also quicklv becomes familiar with the cliokino? sound emitted by the valves, the puff of the fvbaasfc, a "blow" in the inlet cr exhaust pipe caused by a joint bavins - worked loose, and a plug that may have broken or short-circuited. Therefore it is advisable for the motorist to cultivate a good "ear" for the motor sounds —as with the musician for hnrmony—or discord.

Mr (?. Tj. Kiel, 8 Ballara* motorist, had the misfortune to collide with a woman while, travelling- at a. slow pace on the wVbt side of the road, sonic tits* aero. The woman's "injuries consisted of a broken inw, and l a wrii. for ST.SCI ha- be-n issued. The case is regarded bvt.h© Victorian A.. 0. as possessin? considerable, merit fcassistance, and Mr Kiel is being assisted to the *>xt.<nt of £35. ——Nocrloct to wear jroffirles is a grrcit ir-'stake and one that cannot help advei-selv affectinc the eyesight evcntiwllv. In winter time there are cutting win rl « to guT 1 -! against, which are necfissaT'lv intensified bv the speed of the ear when driving the wind. In summer, too, the continual impinging' on tha eyeball.-; of dust must have a very damaging effect on the delicate membranes.

finely for a short time and then th** driver realises that its action is becoming less and leiss Hvplv. With such svmploms as these it should ha noted whether the exhaust, is and smelly and whether it was always in such a condition. If it is. the most likely place to nnoly a remedv is in the muffler, the. small holes of which are oloffcrcd and may be almost closed. Exhaust back pressure works this way.

——Durine - a mote- reiiabihtv run in Texas. U.S.A.. on<» of the Dnrticipants. H.p president of a telephone comnany. carried with him. in his car. a nortablA telenhone outfit, and domonstmted in nmctical fashion the possibilities of the up-to-date combi"->-tion. Bv means of a loner nshino--r)nle. with a hoot) at the end, he was enabled, whenever he desired, to ring up any connecting-

point along the lines, without getting out of tho car. Once, while many miles from arvy station, ho thus made arrangements foi the- Governor of Texas to be entertained by the automobilists at dinner where the nightstop was made. Again, when cars broke! down, the wire along the roadside was tapped and messages for relief were promptly sent. From time to time the towns were .also kept well informed of the progress of thfe ears. As was fully expected, the motor car played an important part in the recent British elections. This is an instance of how a car was utilised: —A gentleman had a vote in Norwood, Ashford (Middlesex), Alton (Hants), Newhaven (Sussex), and Leigh-on-Sea (Essex), and as all the places had polls on the same day there was nothing else but tho motor car to meet the emergency. Driven in a Napier car, by Mr Charles Jarrott, the well-known motorist,, the voter, who is 73 years of age, comEleted the round of the polls, though not efore 344 miles were covered, deluding a ferry passage to Gravesend. At a meeting of the motor-cycle manufacturers in New York last January, a matter of some importance was discussed, j and it was decided to cast tradition to the wind, and cut loose from both algebraic* and machine-made formulas by adopting an. inflexible and readily-underetood basis of rating. The consensus of opinion seemed to be that horse-power should be relative to piston-displacement—that cylinder capacity should be the real basis. An understanding is general that 7£ cubic inches of piston displacement should be made the unife of horse-power. Thus, engines having 61 cubic inches, variously rated at from 6£ h.p. to 9 h.p., will be uniformly rated a 3 3.1 h.p.

The records of the British Patent Office for last year show that of the 30,607 applications which were filed, the majority of them dealt with motor Vehicles, flying* machines, and advertising schemes. Ag might have been expected, the motor inventions were mainly concerned with neccssories, but the- flying- patents naturally covered a large field. The total number of applications showed an increase of over 2000 over last year's figures. The chief drawback to wind screens is the back draught, which is very apt to; cause earache, neuralgia, and stiff neefc. In the caso of a two eeater the draught cap be stopped by raising the hood and, i if necessary, putting up the side curtains. • Mr' Dunlop, jun., son of the inventor of the modern air tyre, has devised a special arrangement of this kind for his Talbot ear. The side curtains are turned inwards in front, and hive celluloid oval windows, tha effect being like that of a ship's cut-water in deflecting the wind 1 to either side. This is a cheap and simple way of meeting tha difficulty, and can easily be arranged to i remain in position when the hood is down. The new Austcr wind shield, designed Specially for the rear seats, has side panels to stop the draught, which is felt even more there than in front. It is a very practical arrangement, as it folds close up against the back of the front seat, and combines a table a«d an apron. The idea should be equally useful in front, when extra protection is desired. ■ Much has been heard from time to time about Mr Edison's electric storage battery, and of the resolution it will, when perfected, cause in motor traffic, hut until the beginning of the current yea* there had been no public experiment or proof that the invention fulfilled the claims made for it. These claims, however, wero not always in Edison's words, but; rather, amplification of the little he might have sa,id, and the much he hoped for. The first public trial took place in New Jersey. U.S.A., and the battery, which was placed on a tram-car specially equipped, consisted; of 210 cell*, the odd leu being used io* lighting. The car, with a 50-h.p. motor, carried twenty-four passengers, and where put to the test ascended a. grade of 1 ire Id with seeming ease, and under perfect control. Although the many electrical engineers who witnessed the trial agreed that the battery fulfilled all that was expected of it, they, so far, have not publicly expressed their approval and their belief ire its ultimate success. If the inventor's hopes are fully realised, the battery will cheapen transit by mechanically operated vehicles enormously, and thus go far to solving the problem of swift locomotion by. both road and rail.

The failure of the IToJsman Automobile Company, of Chicago, U.S.A., the pioneer in the manufacture of the highwhecl motor-buggy, has induced a leading automobile trade journal to express tha opinion that the death-kncll of the motor buggy in its original and characteristic form has been sounded, and. although the- failure is ascribed in part to high experimental costs, incidental to the development of a new typo of motor, it is held to to a "conviction which has beer' growing stronger that the engine-driven buggy, as such, has passed the day of its great usefulness." This (remarks " Fortis," in the Australasian) is a somewhat v remarkable admission for an American motor journal to make': yet, at the same time, many experts hold that, at best, the Inch-wheeled motor buggy was but a compromise, and as such it was bound to l?e more or loss unsatisFrom the manufacturing standpoint, it presented a greater number of obstacles to successful production than any amount of theory or afterthought could hope to account for. Its most potent asset, and the reason for its very existence, in many instances, was its educational value. ' To numerous carriage and waariron builders throughout the States it afford**! an alluring short cut into the magnificent enterprise of automobile production. -; — A dairy inspector with a district of 6000 equine miles gives a most interesting account of his riding exnerieaces in Queensland. He says thai the natives describe bis machine as a "gun carriage going sideways, all same a:~ one big fellow crab," and they call him " Eoomba Boss," which. appears to bo the aboriginal .apneila+ion for O'd Nick. He has covered 12.000 miles in the la.st 12 months on his tv/o-sneeded' motor cycle. Apart from several bad tumbles on rough hush tracks, the outstanding feature of his experience is that he has never had a single - puncture; but he achieves this by promptly scraping his covers as soon as they show signs of vitail damage. He savs he finds a motor cycle 75 per cent, clieanei than a horse for doing his rounds, and that whereas in his horsey days he often worked from 5 a.m. to 9 r>.m.,' he now roaches home quite early in the day, and in very bald weather i* able to take a holiday instead of plugping on against the weather, sodden to the skin. Ho still occasionally meets with white men who rave never 'previously set eves on a motor bicycle, and are terribly afra/.d of his mount. i If there is anvthinsr that causes won- ' der and surprise with t.H». average AmerU

(ten wheelman or cycle dealer who happens . oa a visit to Great Britain it is the Solidity of cycling as a pastime there. chart outings and tours of all lengths are carried out regularly; early morning "constitutionals" are indulged in; rounds of paid; to say nothing of the perenSnial shopping excursions made by the "softer sex, and all done on the übiquitous bicycle. A still greater cause for wonder Xo the Yankee is the complete equipment of Jfche machines for their several purposes, jwhioli is made the butt of ma!ny a joke by (the visitors. The American cannot understand the necessity for two brakes in any ffciroumstances, nor can he appreciate any /brake other than the back-pedalling i'.varietj; and the result is that the free .wheel is not nearly so popular in the /States as in the United Kingdom, where, ipractically, it is general. Neither has the loanable gear made any great advance in not even so much as it has done an this country. The heavy duty keeps out *he British devices, while those produced §n the States have not reached the perefcIpkm of the English article, and, conseJaueafcly, the results are not so satisfactory. uknother feature of cycling in which Great Britain _ stands alone is the comparative popularity of tandem-riding, which is participated in to a large extent by the laches. Four large manufacturing firms Snake a specialty of building tandems, one baving no fewer than seven different designs, comprising machines for two gentlefaen, for two ladies, for a lady on the ront seat, and the most popular type of the "mixed" pattern—the "lady-back" tandem. A recent number of an English, (cycling paper, in an article on the practical points in the selection of a feandem, graced It with cuts of no fewer than 12 different patterns of the double machine. The manner in which the subject was treated Showed in an unmistakable way how favourably the machine is .regarded in England, and, inter alia. • remarked tbait '"there is a fascination about tandem-

' riding that is peculiarly its own; a steady swing, an absence of vibraltion, and a 1 greater capacity for mileage than can be found in a single machine." So far as tandem-riding here is . concerned, the I chief drawback was the adoption of a gear too high for comfort and pleasure. It it exceeded 80in there was always present that dragginess uphill. The introduction of the three-speed gear has evidently made a great difference to the tandem, for numerous references are made in the English papers to the advantages it confers; and my comparatively short experience of it goes to prove the encomiums to be well founded. INCREASING MAGNETO SPEED. Who has not witnessed at some th o or other the strenuous exertions of a motor cyclist in the endeavour to start up the engine, to gather enough way that the magneto may produce a spark ? Compared with the battery ignition, it was found more difficult with the magneto to effect a| start, the reason for this being that the armature-shaft did not revolve 'fast enough to generate current until the motorist was frequently on the verge of exhaustion from his great efforts, besides attracting a deal of undesired attention to himself. • Of course, some magnetos are better _ than cithers, and produce current more quickly; but practically all are driven at cam-shaft and that this gear ratio is irtadewas demonstrated to a prominent ijLKUi.afacturer in a rather striking way recently. A motor oyclist, disgusted at having to ''use himself tip" in order to start his engine, which was fitted with a magneto of standard make, driven at camshaft speed, put in a new driving train, which increased' the speed of the armatureshaft to that of the crank-shaft. The result was startling; so much so, in fact, that the makers of the magneto sent a man to the motor cycle factory to find out what miracle had been wrought in the instrument. This, it is said, has effected a

change in the speed-gearing of this particular make of magneto. PROGRESS OF THE TAXI-CAB IN PARIS. The motor-cab 'has made enormous progress in all the cities where introduced; x J aris, for instance, has 3320 in public service, of which 285 are tbo property of the drivers; the remainder belong to some 12 or more companies. Parisian drivers must submit themselves to a special test, known ajs the coachman's examination, which bc-ia:rs mainly on the geography of Paris, and, of course, must hold a regular driver's license in common with other motorists. The fares charged art not uniform, however; they vary according to the type of vehicle used, the numbs* of fares earned, and the distances traversed. The receipts consist solely of the payments made by the customers of the company, and which average between 3d and 6d per kilom. The outlay for fuel and .oil is proportional to the daily mileage, and amounts to about Id per kilom. covered. i-ho driver, who is made this allowance, is free to choose whatever class of fuel he pleases, which costs him an average price of Is 3d per gallon. The tips paid to drivers ore theirs, . in addition to their commission, which varies between ]5 per cent, and 35 per cent, of the total receipts, according to the amount of the latter. The drivers earn from 8s to 12s per day.

PORT NICHOLSON CYCLING CLUB mu *t - WELLINGTON, April 3. The New Zealand Professional Cycling Championships were held on the Basin reserve on Saturday afternoon, under the auspices of the Port Nicholson Cycling Club. The management of the meeting was not too good, the offioiale lacking- experience. The racing, however, was excellent, 1 and every finish was close and exciting. The following are the results of the cham-. pionship events: —" Half-mile.—A. E. Parkes (Taranaki), 1; R. J. Jones" (Palmerston North), 2; A. G. Jaoobsen (Nelson), 3. Also started: -P. Gillespie (Temuka), A. C. Walker (Wellington), and P. Hill (Christchurch). Time, lmin 21 2-ssec. There was a false. start through Parkes losing his chain. When the field' at last got going Parkes soon went to the front and won easily.: One Mile.—First heat: A. E. Parkes (Taranaki) 1, A, C. Walker-(Wellington) 3, P. Gillespie (Temuka) 3. Also" started: H. Thomas (Wellington). Time, 2min 47sec. Second heat: A. G. Donald (Palmerston North) 1, R. J. Jones (Palmerston North) 2, A; R. Jaoobsen (Nelson) 3. Also started: P. Hill (Christchurch). Time, 2min 46sec. Final: A. T. Parkes (Taranaki) 1, R. J. Jones (Palmerston North) 2, A. C. Walker (Wellington) 3. AH qualified started. Time, 2min 52 2-ssec. There was a most exciting finish. Three Miles.—A. G Donald (Palmerston North) 1, R. J. Jones: (Palmerston North) 2, A. E. Parkes (Taranaki) 3. Also started: H, Thomas (Wellington), A. C. Walker (Wellington), P. Gillespie (Temuka), A. R. Jaoobsen (Nelson), and P. Hill (Christchurch). Time, Bmin 46 4-ssee. Donald rode a splendid race. He broke away- in tho last lap, and established a long lead, Jones and Walker just failing to catch Five Miles.—A. E. Parkes (Taranaki) 1, A. G. Donald. (Palmerston North) 2, R. J. Jones (Palmerston North) and P. Hill (Christchurch) (read heat) 3. Also started: H. Thomas (Wellington), P. Gillespie (Temuka), and A. R. Jaoobsen (Nelson) Time, 13min 3sec. Donald again broke away, but was caught in the straight by Parkes. The other events resulted:— ■ Half-mile Handicap (Amateurs).— J. L. Foubister (Auckland), syds, 1; B Gosling (Wellington), 50yds, 2; H. Edwards (Wellinaton), scr., 3 Also started: J. Sutherland (Wellington) 10 yards F. S. Hetherington (Wellington) 20 J. Lyons (Wellington) 25, F. C. Ambridge (Wellington) 40. Time, lmin 13 l-sseo. Mile Handicap (Amateur).—H. Edward, scr 1; J. L. Foubister, 10yds, 2; A. J. M'Pherson, 70yds-, 3. Also started: JSutherland 20 yards, F. S Hetherington 30, J. Lyons 50, W. Turner 60, F. C. Ambridge 90. Time, 2min 33sec.