Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3316, 3 October 1917, Page 48

Cycling & Motor Notes

BY DEMON.

1 -am glad to see t'jat Vickers (Ltd.) have bought the goodwill, stock-in-trade, etc, of the Bosch Magneto Company, and have formed a new concern, the B 1 '!*? 6 "- Lighting and Ignition Company, to which the purchased assets will be turned over. Messrs Vickers will manufacture in England high-grade magnetos. The works of the new company are fully employed. Hundreds of magnetos are turned out weekly in an endeavour to meet the demands of the Government.- Vickers hold the whole of the capital. Under the new arrangement the magnetos will be » known as the "8.L.1.0." ' The Gore Ensign states that two young lady motorists who reside at Invercargill passed through Gore on Friday en route for Invercargill travelling on a high-powered American motor cycle and sidecar. Miss M. Wilson manipulated the machine with confidence, while her companion, Miss V. M'Lean, rode in the sidecar. The travellers went to Waikaia early in the week and experienced an enjoyable spin. Leaving- "Waikaia on Friday morning the travellers on arrival at Riversdale were informed that they would not be able to get through the water over the road adjacent to the Waimea stream. Undaunted at this, they inquired if any other road would take them through. Leaving Riversdale they proceeded over the Pyramid bridge through Otama, part of which road is of clay, and which many male motorists do hot care about negotiating. After traversing the road successfully they got on to the good gravel road through Otama, Chatton, and Knapdale, and left Gore in the afternoon for Invercargill. They aro the first lady motorists to undertake such a journey with a motor and sidecar in this district.

For 16 years Frank Kramer has held the American Cycling Championship, waning the classic honour against all-comers year after year. At last the old champion has been dethroned, the new holder being Arthur Spencer, a young Canadian sprinter, who has been showing great form this season. A. Goullet finished up second, throe points behind ,the winner, with the exchampion third. Another Australian in It. Spears finished up fourth. Six races are run to decide the championship—viz., quarter of a mile, third of a mile, half a mile, one mile, two miles, and five miles, the points awarded the placed men being as follows: —5 for a win, 3 for second, 2 for third, and 1 for fourth. Spencer won the quartermile, half mile and two miles, whilst Goullet carried off the mile and five miles. French Government merely judged a man from the soldiering point of view. Any qualifications he possessed rendering him ideal for any specialised duty was Ignored. Jean Chassagnao, one of the world's champion motor, drivers, was a gunner in the garrison artillery. His contemporary, Wagner, was a bombardier, whilst Michelat, the chief engineer of the Delage Motor Manufacturing Co., was given quite an obscure position in the fighting forces.. But now things have undergone a great change. The need for competent men for vital services has been taken to heart, and a great reshuffle has been made. Jean Chassagnao is now. working in the Sunbeam factory turning out aero engines. Louis Wagner has been removed from the trenches to the Darracq factory to build aeroplanes, and so on. The giants of mechanics who have acquired unique experience in highly - specialised fields, are now giving their countries the whole of their peculiar and invaluable knowledge. law suit that the last reduction of the price

of the Ford in the Unite?! States, cut the company's profits in half—viz., from £12,000,000 on 600,000 cars in 1915 to £6,000,000 on 750,000 cars in 1916.

One of the most useful articles a motorist can carry aboard a car —that is, the owner who does not luxuriate in electric lighting and inspection lamps—is a small electrio torch When driving ab night it comes in handy for numerous purposes--for ascertaining the time, for inspecting the oil gauge, for checking speed by a glance at the speedometer, or use when lighting up, eto.

Speaking at a luncheon given in New York in his honour, Lord Northcliffe said: "The war, which has proved the efficiency of motor transport to an almost incrediblo degree, will make a tremendous drain on tho motor industry of jour country. The great bulk of the output will have to be concentrated on motor trucks. The automobile factories will inevitably be commandeered for the manufacture of aeroplane parts and aeroplane construction generally. In tho aeroplane lies tho great hope of an Allied victory. The war has taught that the aeroplane engine of the spring may be almost useless for actual fighting next autumn, "o rapidly are developments produced by the fierce competition of" war. When America has got her full stride in the war, as surely she will get it, it will be found that there will be a tremendous demand for chauffeurs. England to-day has nearly 100,000 motor trucks -in France, and is constantly sending more; Every one of these trucks must be manned by skilled drivers. If skilled chauffeurs can be sent to operate your trucks, it will be possible to release an equal number of men for the fighting line. country to leam that the Dunlop Rubber Company, which supplies the major portion of the tyres used in Australasia, pays in salaries and wages a sum of nearly £250,000 per annum. The number of people employed in connection with the manufacturing and selling of Dunlop goods approximates about 2000. Few manufacturing concerns in Australasia have shown such a remarkable growth. —— A properly enclosed roller chain drive on a motor cycle makes little or no noise of a kind that oan be termed objectionable, and if that Avero the only point at issue one would probably hear very little about the type ot chain known as the "silent" or ."noiseless" pattern. There is, however, a far wider and more important aspect of the subject to be considered, and it concerns the capacity of such chains for transmitting power under conditions which are not altogether of the most favourable kind. A roller chain when properly designed and made is an excellent medium for its purpose on a motor cycle, and it has been proved to possess an efficiency of a high character. The tendenoy is to increase the number of machines so fitted, either in part, or in respect of the entire transmission system. There are, however, certain limita-

tions which cannot very well be exceeded, end it is in these circumstances that the noiseless ' type of chain may be used to advantage. The speed of a chain running between the engine and countershaft is very high, and the propensity for wear is thereby increased. The advantage of the noiseless chain under these conditions is that the type is more flexible than the roller chain, and therefore in itself absorbs some of the fluctuations in the loads from the engine, which are more apparent at low speeds. Rust on tyre-rims can always be detected by the appearance of the beads of the shoes. When the beads show a marked yellowish stain it is evident that they have not been properly cared for. This stain is nothing else than rust, which forms on the rims and is deposited on the beads of the tyre. If it is allowed to remain it will destroy the tyre, as it slowly but surely eats away the fabric. Moreover, the edges of rusted rims become more uneven every day, and when a rim is rusted it is impossible to maintain the close and regular contact which should exist between rim and head. Water will soon find its way into the tyre, with the usual disastrous results. After being out in bad weather, if the motorist is careful to sponge tyres and rims clean and wipe them dry, especially along the beads, he will do much to prevent the formation of rust. It is possiblg, however, that in spite of the exercise of reasonable care tho rims may suffer a little damage. In any case it is essential that they be examined from time to time. — — A suggestion by the Auckland Automobile Association that the Government should undertake the manufacture of alcohol from waste products has been referred to the Department of Agriculture. The Commonwealth Advisory Council of the Science of Industry is strongly favourable to the manufacture of alcohol from waste products for commercial purposes. The committee of the Auckland Association reported at its last meeting that it considered that the Government should be urged to take the matter up promptly, and it was decided do again write emphasising the urgency of the matter, in view of the present great scarcity of benzine, and to ask the Government to either undertake the industry or authorise private industry to do so. In the meantime the association proposes to gather' as much data as possible regarding the quantity of waste products which would be available for this purpose. Members with experience considered that, with the adjustment of the carburettor, equally good results could be obtained from alcohol as from benzine. It was pointed out also that the addition of a slight percentage of benzol rendered the spirit unfit- for human consumption. / fully the tube you are going to use. It may have lain in the car for several months and got oil or grease on it, making a weak spot, which will readily blow out when pumped up. Look especially for worn spots where the tube has been chafed. They should bo covered with a patch or some tyre putty. When a spare tube is placed in the car it should be in a bag or have a cloth wrapped in* such a way that it cannot chafe. SMITH FORM-A-TRUCK. A very interesting demonstration of what is known as the Smith Form-a-Truck was given by Mr W. J. P. M'Culloch on Saturday afternoon, some 16 commercial men accompanying him on a trial run over the Peninsula roads. The prime importance of this haulage innovation lies in the fact that it is an ' attachment which can be fitted at small cost to any car of standard make —such as a Ford, a Buick, or a Chevrolet, —the truck formed by assembling the attachment upon the body of the car providing a vehicle guaranteed to haul merchandise, produce, etc., aggregating a oneton load, over any road in New Zealand. Examination showed that the attachment was securely riveted to the Ford frame right up to the front of the radiator, the main weight of the load thus bearing not upon the light-weight Ford chassis, but upon the heavy frame which is specially designed to support deadweight loads. Mr M'Culloch showed, indeed, that 90 per cent, of the load is carried on therear end attachment, which makes the strain on the Ford front end actually less than when it is used as a touring car. In fact, the narrow original Ford Frame is merely used_ as a sub-frame, serving a useful purpose in providing for the carriage of an overload. The rear axle and wheels on the attachment, which replace those on the car, are of regular standard truck equipment, and the net result is the conversion of a light car into a permanent one-ton truck, with a big factor of strength to provide for overloading. The new .truck seems to provide assurance of a rapid and economical hauling and delivery service. THINGS TO AVOID. " So many people are now taking up motoring who know comparatively little about cars or tyres," remarks an American expert, "that "it is not surprising that merciless abuse is heaped upon them. Hardly one motorist in a hundred appreciates the terrific strain placed on tyres when travelling at high speed over ordinary roads. Your tyres may withstand a shock equal' to 10 tons weight while running at a speed of 25 miles an hour over country roads, and a little later you have a blowout while running over a perfectly smooth, street. Something happened. What was it?. This is what happened: The terrific compact of the tyre and the stone imbedded in

the road did not visibly affect tho exterior of tho tyre, but on the inside a break in the tyro fabric was started. Perhaps only ono layer of fabric was injured. Tho other layers soon followed suit, and the blow-out resulted. It is common practico for carowners to bump front wheels against the kerbstone when parking their cars, especially if the brakes do not hold properly. Many drivers make no pretence of slowing ud for street car tracks or bridgeThere is much fraternising •with ruts and fetones in the road. All of these make- for fabrio breaks, which rob the tyro of many miles that were built into it at tho factory. With these points in mind it should be easier for drivers to obviate tho losses that come from breaks in the tyre fabric." LOW-COST MOTORING. Discussing low-cost motoring the Light Car observes that the movement must aim at real economy and real motoring, and not thtir substitutes. The future £IOO car must, in its opinion, be an orthodox car, evolved from the conventional practices proved to bo efficient, and tho price brought down to tho above-named figure by the elimination of the unnecessary. Before the war there wero a few light oars of foreign manufacture which sold at a. figure near the £IOO mark; but British motor experts emphatically declared that such ears did not generally advance the evolution of the cheaper light car. In this typo of vehicle jbhe reduced-price was obtained by lowering the standard of quality to that point where low cost is not value. The type, however, serves as an object-lesson; some of these vehicles in the land of origin sold at a figuro approximating £7O. and were not produced on a quantity basis. While advocating a system of specialised manufacture for the oroduction of tho low-priced car, the Light Car considers that it is incumbent on unit manufacturers to secure low prices by simplified design, improved methods •of production, and, of course, large output. But no reduction in price justifies poor material and workmanship; hence it may bo argued that the low-priced and light car of the future will be of a type that is fully equipped with good but plain fittings, in which every conceivable unnecessary part is eliminated, and in which good design and sound mechanics are embodied.