Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3085, 30 April 1913, Page 56

C ycling and Motor Notes

BY DE3IOSL

The following figures are given by an English firm for the freight of motorcycles imported into New Zealand from England:—Cost of cartage in London (within four miles of the Bank of England), packing in suitable- case, dock dues, sh:pping and freight to Auckland and Wellington, £3 3s; Lyttelton and Dunedin, £3 4s 6d. The duty under the British preferential tariff is 20 per cent., and under the general tariff 30 per cent. When about to enter speed contests, hill-climbs, etc., motor cyclists not unusually tune up ” their machines, so as to obtain the'best results from it, but it lias been found inadvisable to continually use the engine at that pitch. Unless competing in some speed trial or other event, it is wise to slightly “ do-tune ” the motor. Loss trouble in the way of broken valves will result, for the last “ note ” of tuning is hardly necessary in touring. Few riders realise what a difference the (strength of the exhaust valve spring makes. A stronger one fitted once made a difference of seven miles (faster) per hour in a machine being tuned til) for a speed contest. The statement that motors are driving cyclists off the reads in England and on the Continent certainly docs not hold water as far as Franco is concerned. Some very interesting figures with regard to tho number of cyclists in that country have been published. They clearly show that the development of the motor car in Franco lias not interfered with the increasing use of the bicycle. Ton years ago Fiore was one cycle in Franco to every 20 of flic population. and one motor cur or motor cycle to every 2000. To-day there is one cycle in use to every 13 people, one motor car to every 500, and one motor cycle to every 2000. The actual figures are as follows; — Uvc-los, 2.989,985; motor cycles, 28,641; motor cars, 80,-95

The crack American sprinter, F. Kramer, the present holder of the world’s champion.-hip, recently met 1. Kllegaard in a match at Paris. Kramer won. but only by the narrowest of margins. When Kramer carried off the World's Hhte Viband in America last year Kllegaard did not compote, so the meeting of those two fine fillers was vested wbh considerable interest. What wonderfully consistent riders these two men are! Kram-'r 1 is been the undisputed Speed King of America for nearly 10 years, whilst Kllegaard has sixtimes won the world’s sprint champ ornmp —tho fir=t time as far back as 1991. when Arond (Germany) and Jacqurlin ll* ranee) ran second and thud to h in. Hs six'll success was recorded in the classic event at Rome in 1911. It will bo remembered that Kllegaard paid a racing visit to Australia some nine y ltrs back. Twenty entries have been receiv’d bv the Automobile flub of France for this vear’s Grand ITix. The entrants embrace four Sunbeams, four SchneVlers, three JUdas. three Peugeots, two Delagrs. two Excelsiors, one Opel, and one Mathis, It, will he noticed that srx of the_ cars are Get man. while five are French, four English, three Italian, and two Belgian. hold this year in Europe—one in France, over a section of the Grand Prix course, and the other in Ireland in July, over a part of the course used for tho GordonBermefct Race -in 1903. The distance of the latter ©ven.t is to be 100 miles. These two contests wdl do much to advance tho construction of these little runabouts, for such events afford manufacturers an opportunity of finding our the good and bad points in the construction of their machines, and

there is little doubt that these two contests will have an important influence on the future design, etc., of the cycle car, which is at present only in its swaddling clothes.

—— The huge sum of £1,801,420 was spent on the importation of motor cars and motor cycles into the Commonwealth during 1912, these figures showing an increase or £564,402 over those of 1911. A perusal of the official returns, issued by the Commonwealth Department of Trade and Customs, shows that New South Wales lost ground in 1912 in comparison with the previous year. The increase in the importations of chasees for New South Wales for 1912 only amounted to 9 per cent, over the previous year’s figures,, whilst the increase in Victoria was 65.5 per cent.; in Queensland. 65.5 percent; filouth Australia, 79 per cent.; and West Australia, 71 per cent. Tasmania lost ground, a.s chasscs valued at £20,059 were imported in 1911, and in 1912 the .figures were £25,927. In New South Wales £475,889 was expended in chaises, against £435,084 in 1911. The Victorian figures are £528,234 against LelO.ibt; hi Queensland, £148,831 again.-t £89,734; South Australia, £204,137 against £ll4 021; West Australia, £68,377 against £39,957; and Tasmania, £25,927 against £20,059. The figures for last year and .1911 show a big increase in the amount spent in motor cycles. They more than doubled. Of course these figures fall far short of the actual expenditure by the purchasing public, for the values given are the invoiced prices only, and not selling prices. In addition, there was to bo added the cost of bodies made in Australia, also of tvies, etc., so that, all told, very little short of £2,750.000 would bo spent in purchasing oars and motor cycles in the Commonwealth during 1912. (in top of that huge amount has also to be added the cost of upkeep, etc., of cars and motor cycles running in tins country. A conservative estimate in that direction for 1912 would he over a million and a-half sterling, which would bring, presuming that most of the goods imported into this country during 1912 were sold, the total expenditure on motors and motoring of £4.250,000 —a large sum for a population of only four and a-half millions,

—-Thf! rules for this year’s lourtst Trophy Motor Cycle Road Race, the premier event of its kind in the world, have now been issued. The e\r-nt is to he held ui tin l Isle <d Man on June 4 and 6, the machines bmitg locked up on the intermediate date. Two elae.ses are again adopted tho ‘‘ Senior ” (engine oapac ty not exceedh;g SCO cubic centimetres) and tho “Junior” 1 350 c.e.), the bigger powered machines having to cover seven circuits of tho ee.uree, totalling 262 miles, and the ‘ Junior” hv circuits, or 225 miles: all machines to ciuirv efficient silencers and proper touring nmdrjuards. A peculiar condition is that no competitor is to be allowed to practise or start in the race if wearing melal-studdfd boots, presumably on account of conte-t----anis tipping up the road surface on the corners bv using their feet ais brakes. r ! he “ .Senior ” machines cover five laps on the first day and two on the final, whilst the “Juniors” have to negotiate four on the first day and two on the final dav. Hot It classes being run together on tho 4th June hut srp vab'lv on the final dav. One of the most unpleasant grievances of the motorist is the occurrence of it burst or puncture when he is without any •resources in the way of spares. hen, under sm• ’i '' : rcu TT ' c *'aneei ; . an inner tube is punctured, tho following will be found a useful tri'-tbod of temporary repair. I* irst ascertain if the puncture is on one side of the tube, or if both sides are perforated. Next, a careful examination should bo made to determine whether the part of the article v -v, fi.fi caused the puncture has lodged inside tho tube. “Then select a red para patch,” says a recent Michelin instruction hook, “considerably larger on all sides than the injury io be repaired, anti e’ean the patch carefully on its flat or unhcvelled side with emery paper. Now lay tho tube on a convenient flat surface such as the dash or step, and with emery- paper clean a space around the puncture dightlv larger than the patch to be used. Coat both the cleaned surfaces with solution, and after this has dried apply a second coat. In

about 10 minutes, when the surfaces arc still •’tacky,” press the patch firmly in place, talc .eg- care that the edges do not curl. If tne patch is bevel-edged, little difficulty will be experienced. Now tap the patch lightly all over its surface with some round, smooth object like the end of a tool handle. if done carefully this will exclude every particle of uir, and the solutioned surfaces will adhere pericctiy. Put a smooth, flat-surfaced weight on the patch and leave the repair thus us long as practicable.” It is, of course, understood that, this temporary remedy should be superseded as soon as possible by a properly-vulcanised repair, because a patch stuck on as above indicated may loosen and come otf in a short time. Most men will have noticed that when a blacksmith sots about nailing on a horseshoe he places within his reach his box, containing rasp, hammer, knife, nails, and any other tools ho may require during the operation. Motor engineers, as a rule, are not so tidy. They put their tools on the door, or running boards, or in their pockets, or some other place where it is not so easy to find them, and where they are occasionally left after the job is done. A shallow box about 20m long, 12in wide, and Sin deop, with a handie in a division board like a knife-box, will hold most of the tools required for jobs about a cur. Screwdrivers, spanners, hammer, tile, hand-drill, etc., would fit at one side of the handle, while for such tools as box spanners, punches, etc., special fittings could bo made to hold them vertical. One method of doing this would be the provision of wooden plugs nailed to the bottom of tiie box. Three or four shallow tin trays (the tops of biscuit boxes, for instance) would hold balls, washers, nuts, split pins, etc., which might otherwise be lost. The box should bo strong, but light. The ends, sides, and handle might be, say, of Jin deal, and the bottom Jun thick. cannot be turned - off without danger of twisting the bolt or cracking the nun, do not pound it with a hammer or use a long lever on the wrench. Either of these hasty methods is almost sure to destroy the uireacls of the bolt. Few motorists appreciate the penetrating and rust-loosening qualities of ordinary kerosene. If a tow cirops be poured over the nut and bolt, and are allowed to remain tor a short time, the most obstinate nut will almost invariably be loosened, so that it can be turned olf without effort. • An extraordinary vehicle recently appeared on the streets of Berlin, Germany (says the Scientific American). Resembling a railroad freight car, it rumbled along the pavements on wcodcn w bee’s with wide steel tyres, and few of the passers-by could imagine for what purpose' it was intended. It stopped at a corner where paving was being'none, and there it resolved itsed into a combination motor truck and pneumatic tamping machine specially designed for street paving with Belgian blocks. The motor is an 18 horse-power benzol motor, which drives the truck itself, and also a compressed air apparatus for the use of the pneumatic tamping tools. Instead of lifting and dropping tne heavy old mauls by hand at the rate of about 15 a minute, the workmen place the pneumatic tampers on the stone, and the motor “does the rest.” It delivers 90 blows per minute under pressure of six atmospheres, and enables one man to tamp 130 square yards in a day of eight hours. By hand the same man could accomplish only about 30 square yards. Five hundred motor car owners are said to reside in Wellington and suburbs, and the same area is said to house between 700 and 800 owners of motor cycles. WARRXAMBOOL ROAD RACE. The future of Australia’s greatest road event, the Dunlop Hoad Race, from Warrnambool to Melbourne, is endangered. It will bo remembered that this great longdistance road contest was last year abandoned owing to governing troubles in Victoria. A Road Racing Board was subsequently formed which it was hoped would satisfactorily settle the ousting differences: but some of the oid grievances are still existent, and the Victorian Interclub Cycling Association, which is at loggerheads with the Road Board, lias now carrie‘d the trouble into South Australian circles. The Dunlop Rubber Company, which has spent many thousands of pounds in fostering long-distance road-racing in the Commonwealth and New Zealand, is greatly disappointed with the way matters are going. So much so, that not only the Warrnambool, but also the other long-distance road races that this company organises, may be all abandoned, in wlrch case the Dunlop Company will probably withdraw from promoting any further road events. BICYCLE QUICK-FIRERS. For tlie past six months the French army lias been making practical tests of a quickfiring gun carried on bicycles. These trials are now being brought to a close, and if, as is generally supposed, the official report s satisfactory, all the infantry regiments will be eqirppcd with bicycle quickfirers in place of the horse or mule teams. The company being tested consists of 22 men, each one having a bicycle. The firing section of each company comprises a lieutenant, a sergeant carrying 800 cartridges on his machine, two corporals each carrying £OO cartridges, two gunners with bicycles carrying the weapon, two with the 'stand for the gun, two more assistants carrying the pivoting support and 500 cartridges, and two privates, one of whom carries 800 cartridges. The firing section thus consists of 12 men and 12 bicycles, while the ammunition section is made up of 10 men and 10 bicycles. The cycles were built bv a leading French firm, and are strong but light machines, having a gunmc;:ir finish, and wheels of 23in diameter. Thev are geared very low, and the riders sit f’o that they can easily put loot to the ground to maintain equilibrium. As the men generally wear heavy army boots, a special type of rat-trap pedal with toeclips is employed. The weight of each machine is 26!1>. and as the gun weighs 1321 b, and the weight of the man may bo between 1301 b and 1501 b, the total load is considerable. According to the information obtainable, the results are superior to those obtained with horses. Under the old system it was necessary for the guns to he taken off the horses, and carried by the man wh.cn going into action. Very little cover is obtainable when animals are used, whereas, with the bicycle, the men can advance to u;o meet advantageous position?, while keeping under cover. To get the gun into action requires only 19scc, whicJi is a great gain.