Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3214, 20 October 1915, Page 58

Cycling and Motor Notes

BY DEMON.

The Otago Motor Cycle Club’s reliability trial to Timaru and back will take place on Saturday of this week and on Monday (Labour Day). The run will be confined to motor cycles, as there have not been sufficient entries from the motor car owners. The competitors will leave the Dunedin Railway Station at about half past 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, and arc due to arrive in Timaru about 4 o clock. They will leave Timaru on the return journey'at 10 o’clock on Monday morning, and should arrive at the Dunedin Station at 4 o'clock. The well-known local rider E. Strain has taken delivery of one of the latest fixed-engine Triumphs. It is interesting to note that the Triumph Company is beginning again to ship machines to Now Zealand. One of the most amazing things about motorists is the manner in which they neglect the very first essentials of good driving. In any manual on motor driving one may learn the procedure of starting and stopping. To start, turn on petrol, switch on, wind up, release the hand brake, declutch, engage gear, and let in the clutch; to stop, declutch, apply brake, put gear bevel in neutral, put hand brake hard on, switch off, and turn off petrol. Simple enough, and a routine which, once adopted and always practised, becomes mechanical, and an assured habit. Yet one constantly hears of cars left stationary on sloping roads setting off on their own through drivers omitting to leave the hand brake hard on; and at not infrequent intervals cases are reported of cars burnt and destroyed through the petrol cap being loft open. If in the beginning of a man’s initiation into motoring the routine is rigidly observed, the hand brake always applied, the petrol always turned off, a habit is formed which, as we have said, loads to a purely mechanical performance of the duty. It is the careless and inefficient driver who has to run back to see if ho has left the brake on, or who, if nothing worse befalls, finds his petrol tank some morning halfempty through a leaking carburettor and the petrol tap left open. lt appears that allegations of “ teaming” in the American championship races have been made. The suggestion is that the little group of Australians, who are showingtremendous form, are in combination against Kramer, and it has been decided that in future only two riders shall contest the final heat. The Board of Control never thought of this, however, when the boot was on the other log, and several Americans had to meet one Australian. To-day Kramer is the only sprinter who has any chance against the Australian contingent. ln spite of the fact that a portion of Franco is still occupied by the Germans, a road race was decided by our Allies the

other clay. The course was from Paris to Lyons, and a Belgian named Jcsscrot proved the winner, his time for the 77J milcs being 4hr 34min 12sec. None of the famous French road riders appear to have compotocl in this interesting speed trial. AUXILIARY BICYCLE ENGINE. A motor attachment that will interest every cyclist is to be placed on the English market shortly. By means of this attachment any bicycle can be converted into a motor cycle for about eight guineas. Ihe motor can be fixed to the machine in 10 minutes, and as it weighs only 161 b it can be disconnected at any time in the unlikely event of a breakdown, and the machine can then be pedalled home. The newer is estimated at 1 h.p., but as a matter of fact it will develop more. This moans that on a level the motor will propel a machine at the rate of from 20 to 25 miles per hour. On steep hills a little assistance might be required from the rider. It is estimated that a gallon of petrol would bo sufficient to propel the machine 150 miles. The whole engine is so simple that any cyclist would be able to understand it in a few minutes, and, of course, there would be no difficulty in driving it. The sensation would merely be that of continually freewheeling. The motor is attached to a carrier suspended over the back wheel. A rim is fixed to the spokes of the back wheel, and a friction wheel driven by the motor engaged with this and transmits the power. It is expected that the motor will be on the market within a few months, and it is anticipated that there will bo a good demand for it. GERMANY’S AVIATION ENGINES. INTERESTING THEORIES. When Gorman racing cars made a clean sweep in the French Grand Prix a year ago, says the Motor (England), it was reported that the Kaiser telegraphed In's congratulations to the winner, and that the German Government contributed a substantial money prize; yet at the time nobody

suggested an interconnection between th< Mercedes victory and the German military organisation. Rut it existed nevertheless Not many English motorists have had ai opportunity of examining at close quarter* the engines used in recent successful Ger man racing cars, and fewer still have beer brought in touch with the motors fitted it German war aeroplanes. This fact is estab lishod: that the Mercedes motor which woi the Grand Prix at Lyons in July, 1914, i.' identical with the motors employed on 9( per cent, of Germany’s war aeroplanes. After the Grand Prix race at Dieppe ii 1903 —in which, incidentally, Germany cap tured all the spoils—the various Frond road races failed to interest the big motor car firms to the oast of the Rhine. Tha' 1908 race represented the motor car tendon cies of the time, and has little retrospectivi interest. There followed a period of three years, during which the loading French firms were lukewarm in racing. When tin revival came in 1912 Germany refused t( bo enticed. The 1913 race was announced but no German cars appeared at Amiens In the autumn of that same year a pro vincial club decided to hold a road rac* over a fast course near Lo Mans. A' Peugeot refused to start, considering tha'. the winning of two Grand Prix races wasufficient justification of its superiority, tin event appeared to be likely to arouse mino interest, for a walk-over by Delage wa: almost inevitable. At the last momem Mercedes put in a team of four cars; hm ns the firm had not raced in Franco fo? five years, it was the popular opinion tha these machines could not bo full-bloodcr speedsters. The night before the ran Delage discovered that he had against bin four special racing cars, brought direct fron Germany, and on which the Mannhein Factory had expended all its science an< skill. They proved to be formidable com petitors, for, although Delage won, the pac was hot and the margin was narrow What had happened that, after being in different to- road racing for five years Mercedes should consider it necessary tmake unusual efforts to win a sccoridar; race organised by a provincial French club About 1912 the Gorman War Ministers ha>

been forced to the conclusion that their giant Zeppelins were not likely, in actual ■warfare, to justify the faith that had been placed in them. The history of the past 12 months has proved the accuracy of that conclusion. The order went forth that a mighty effort must be made to put Germany in possession of a fleet of aeroplanes and aeroplane pilots superior to that of every rival nation. The movement was a popular one; but it was controlled and directed by the War Lords of the nation. That the need was urgent and that the direct object was war is now clearly seen. Among the requirements were German construction of both aeroplane and motor; the fitting of a silencer (thus eliminating French revolving motors); complete visibility; simplicity and ease of mounting and dismounting; a minimum speed of 55 miles an hour; good climbing ability; and facilities for putting the machine on a lorry or railroad truck with rapidity. The movement was engineered witn typical German thoroughness. Orders for aeroplanes were placed in such numbers that many of the leading firms were unable to take part in the Prince Henry competition of 1914 owing to lack of men and the time necessary to prepare. Special prizes were offered for aviation motors. Officers were encouraged to make lengthy flights under all weather conditions. This encouragement was so efficacious that practically all German pilots were military men. Their value as pilots could not bo doubted. The fact that they successfully made flights of 18, 22, and more than 24* hours is proof of their ability and testimony to the intelligence of the German array authorities in forecasting war requirements. The problem of providing Germany with reliable aeroplane motors was one of the most important features of this movement. Three years ago Germany had no aeroplane motors, while Franco was well provided with engines, mostly of the rotating cylinder type, or of the multi-cylinder type radiating from a circular crankcase. In France the task of providing aeroplane motors had, with one exception, been loft to engineering firms outside the motor oar industry, which is doubtless one of the reasons why what may bo termed the motor car typo of engine has been little used in that country. Germany turned to Mercedes for her supply of aeroplane engines, and, as might have been expected, that firm produed an engine for aerial work having the same general features as its car motors. The Mercedes production, indeed, was a motor car engine developed with a view to low weight in relation to power. It was so decidedly a car motor for aerial service that, after having secured fairly good results aloft the Company decided to put their now engine to tho supreme test of a road race. Hence the sudden appearance of a fleet of special and mysterious Gorman cars in a provincial French road race of secondary importance. To anyone acquainted with tho Mercedes policy there was nothing inconsistent in such a move. Tho firm’s engineers have always recognised the value of racing as a supreme teat of engines and chassis, and have not, like some leading firms, foregone

the advantages of racing by reason of the fear of being defeated by some secondary or newly-established rival. Participation in that race with the new aviation motors convinced the Mercedes engineers that they had not sufficient knowledge of the problems to bo solved in the construction of high-speed motors. From the slow-. 1 joed engines, used at Dieppe in 1908, to the high-speed racnig motors of 1912 developed under the French limited cylinder rules is the passage from one chapter to another in the history of engine construction. It is not sufficient to take a good motor built for speeds of 1200 or 1500 revolutions a minute and speed it up to 2000 or more by such expedients as bigger valves, special cams, and larger gas passages. The apparently simple speeding-up process involves complicated problems of engine balance, and entails redesigning of the entire motor. The aviation motors sent to the Lc Mans race were subject to periodic vibration to such a degree that when Lautcnschlager finished his race his hands were raw to the bone, and called for immediate medical attention. Yet Lautcnschlager is ono_ of the most hardened and toughest race drivers in Europe. One of these special cars was sold to Mr Patterson, of Now York, and given to Ralph do Palma to drive in the 1914 Indianapolis race. The first time De Palma drove the car at speed on the track he was convinced that something was radically wrong. The car vibrated to such an extent that, experienced driver as ho was, De Palma could not hold it for any lengthy period, and the car threatened to shako itself to pieces if the throttle was kept open. Having almost unlimited confidence in anything carrying the name Mercedes, a cable was sent to Germany asking for advice. The reply was a monument of bland innocence. It stated that the alignment of road wheels should be tested, steering column braced, frame members trussed, shock absorbers fitted, and tyre pressure verified. De Palma appealed to the European drivers who had raced against the car in Franco the previous year. They explained that it was a bad case of periodic vibration accentuated by running on a brick track. As a failure to start would have entailed disqualication in all American speed contests. Do Palma, called together the Speedway Technical Committee, explained his situation, then made a few laps, and asked them to examine the condition of his car. The experts were convinced that such a car could not finish the race, and that its presence on the track would bo a great danger to other competitors. Thus Do Palma was excused and watched the race from the pits to the great disappointment of the American public. Another year was spent on the development and improvement of the Mercedes aviation motor, and when the 1914 Grand Prix was announced the firm decided to put their engine to the supremo test. How the German cars comported themselves is now a matter of history. Again one _ of the racers was sold to America, and driven by De Palma; but this time, Instead of him asking to bo excused, the driver carried

all before him. Viewed at this distance, the amazing secrecy which surrounded the German engines at Lyons is not so surprising. It was permissible to examine any chassis feature in detail, but beyond the boro and. stroke, not an item of information could bo obtained regarding the engine. Friend and stranger alike were kept at arm's length. Inside a 12ft wall was a double locked garage with the mechanic sleeping by the side of the car, having chain and padlock round its bonnet. The precautions wore not unreasonable, for the winning of that race meant more than the cantof the French Grand Prix. It is tangible proof that Germany had an engine superior to anytidng produced by rival European firms, and Germany knew that the engine was intended to do its greatest work on war aeroplanes. It is not surprising that the Kaiser should have taken a personal interest in that race. This story of the development of Germany’s aviation motor has more than an abstract interest to ourselves and our Allies at this moment. Franco has specialised in rotating cylinder motors, and motors radiating from a central crankcase ; in other words, in motors of the “non-car” typo. Germany has developed the pure car type of motor for aviation purposes. England has been largely dependent on France for her aeroplane motors, and has bec««, and still is v an important consumer of the rotation cylinder type. Changes are so drastic and development so rapid when a nation is at war that the writer will venture to predict that, before peace is declared, the rotating cylinder motor will have practically ceased to exist, and Franco and England will be using almost exclusively car types of motors, as represented by such engines as the 12cylinder Sunbeam and the 12-cylinder Green. It is not maintained that they will all have 12 cylinders; there will probably bo a few fours, more sixes, and still more eights. But the point- is that the war has already justified what wo have termed the car typo of motor for aviation purposes, and that it will witness its complete .triumph. This is important, for it moans that our motor car firms arc those best fitted for producing the thousands of aeroplane motors which will be required before the war has been fought to a _ successful finish. It is important, too. in view of the remarkable movement towards eight and 12-cylindcr motors, already well developed in America, and having engaged the attention of European engineers. The experience gained in eight and 12-cylindcr motors for aviation purposes will be immediately available for car motors with this number of cylinders. Whereas the motor ear made the ‘aeroplane possible by providing the motive power, it is likely that the aeroplane wifi repay some of the debt by helping the development of eight and 12-oylindor oars. Until the outbreak of the war Renault was the only French car manufacturer building big quantities of aviation motors. Although air-cooled, they are of the same general design as motor car engines. It cannot bo claimed that they have an unusually high efficiency, but they have proved so reliable in war service that not

a single aeroplane has been captured by the enemy owing to the breakdown of a .Renault motor. Some clever pilots are in Germany now owing to the stoppage of other types of motors. Do Dion Bouton, Panhard, Bayard-Clement, and others dabbled in the car typo of aviation motors, but for somo reason or other their efforts were not continued. It is doubtless safe to attribute this lapse to the lack of military'-support. In England car manufacturers were encouraged oven less to build a reliable, simple, and sturdy aviation motor. During the sporting boom there were a few feeble attempts, but they were forgotten when aviation became purely an instrument of war. Sunbeam alone persisted, for which persistence there is reason to be thankful at the present time. It is not suggested that the Allies are seriously handicapped by a shortage of aviation motors, but it is maintained that it has required the war to prove to them that the most satisfactory typo is the fixed cylinder engine with six, eight, or 12 cylinders, similar in all essentials to those developed on the road. Instead of one well-defined typo giving general satisfaction, we have a variety of types, some of them good, some of them indifferent, and somo of them recognised as bad. In consequence, wo are having to reform our aeroplane engine while engaged in fighting tno enemy. Germany had one typo, and that a well-tried and entirely successful typo. But Germany had the advantage of knowing two or three years ago that she was out for war and would get it by a certain date.