Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3380, 25 December 1918, Page 44

Cycling & Motor Notes

BY DEMON

Timely advice to motorists is given in a recent circular issued by. the Dunlop Rubber Company respecting not _ only the treatment of tyres, but also their inspection, because of the near approach of hot weather, a few samples—isolated days, truly—of which we lately have had. There are many motorists who, so long as their tyres do duty, fail to periodically inspect them for latent weaknesses. Not having had the blissful experience of repairing a puncture, perhaps for several months, the condition of the cover is quite unknown, and so long as the tyre gives service the driver is disinclined to disturb matters. Some day there comes a blowout —the penalty of freedom from tyre troubles, — • and if nothing else follows —nothing of a more serious nature as a result of the burst cover —the motorist may perhaps regard himself fortunate. Careful periodical inspection of the tyres after almost every outing often repays the driver, for although the cover may be sound and may not reveal any defect whatever, he may find a nail or -stone or other foreign substance embedded in the tread, which only need time and use of the car on the road to find its way right through the coyer, which might eventually result in more than a mere puncture. A. number of Sydney traders interested in the importation of English cars met at the rooms of the Motor Traders' Association recently to discuss the question of the importation of cars from Britain when conditions are normal, and the manufacturers there get going again. A scheme was drawn up for submission to the British Minister of Munitions, giving the approximate requirement of chassis parts, acCGSsonos etc The much-travelled New Zealander, Mr J. B. Olarkson, arrived in Sydney from New Zealand by the Biverina, and is in quarantine. He is on a hurried visit to all the States of the Commonwealth on business, and will leave Sydney at an early date for another trip rpund the world, which will be his thirteenth glove-trot. -: Considering the enormous scope for the sidecar for fight. delivery work, motor cycle manufacturers really have done very little to cater for this coming requirement. It is hardly sufficient to attach a box sidecar to a "machine designed for passenger purposes; there is room for a special design of chassis, very durable, and weatherproof—in fact, a machine built throughout for utility purposes. .'...' —An English motor-cycle designer, who has experimented extensively with spring frames, declares that, unless he can provide something very much better than has hitherto been evolved, he will commend his company to fit larger tyres and larger diameter wheels. It seems.that the roughened roads now prevailing in the Old Country are having the same effect on design as had the poorer roads of the United States, where almost without exception the manufacturers fit wheels at least 2in larger than the British maker. Naturally the smaller the wheel and its tyre the greater the number of holes they will fall into, instead of their being bridged to some extent The marvellous development and success of the > aeroplane engine, which,, of course, is air-cooled, should first led to definite improvement of the motor cycle engine, as against that of the car, which latter is water-cooled; and it appears to be generally agreed that when designers seriously set to work on the post-war models the many lessons obtained in the production of aeroplane engines and parts will be reflected in the motor-cycles. During the war many firms learnt how to use the lighter metals successfully. Now alloys and new ways to vise light sheet-steel have been discovered; hence it is probable that the new machines will be lighter; but where the weight reduction will be obtained is difficult to say, thought it might be --cm general lines. Aluminium may be used more extensively, and different alloys, composed largely of this metal, may be used for connecting rods, pistons, cylinders, and even for valves. Before the war aluminium was largely being experimented with by motor manufacturers.

Engineers have estimated that it will take £40,000.000 to restore the English roads to their previous condition. During the past four years the roads in the Old Country have practically- been starved. They have fallen into a bad state of disrepair under the traffic conditions.

RAILWAY ROADS V. MOTOR ROADS. It is extraordinary that, while many nonpaying railways have been built and others sanctioned for construction, money cannot be found for building crood roads,_ which are more necessary, and upon which the success of the railways ultimately depends. There are numbers of lines upon which the whole of the passenger and goods traffic could have been easily accommodated with good roads and motors at about half the cost, while the highways would have been available for all other classes of vehicles. When people deprecate roads as against railways for the transport of heavy lines of (roods —and they have mentioned timber, where the logs run into tons in weight—they have forgotten, if they ever knew, that on the fields of battle, and sometimes over the mountainous country, motor vehicles have carried or hauled huge guns weighing- up to 20 tons and more. How it can be advanced, in the face of this, that motor tractors could not be relied upon to move heavy goods _ is not clear. Railways, it is conceded, will always be needed, with steam or electric traction, for the haulage of huge quantities of goods over long distances, such as wheat crops from the back-blocks, and the carriage of i passengers over short services, as to be 1 found in metropolitan areas; but for the

transport of passengers and goods over distances up to 150 or 200 miles can easily be accomplished by the motor, given reasonably good roadways OTACO MOTOR CLUB. The ordinary meeting of the Gtago Motor dub was held on the 17th. \ The president (Mr A. E. Ansell) occupied the chair. The Chairman congratulated members on the successful conclusion of the* war, and paid a special tribute to the British navy and the great performances of the French soldiers at Verdun and the second battle of the Marne. His remarks were received with applause. A letter was received from the Clutha County Council stating that the blinding of the Waipahi-Pukerau road was being attended to. —The Chairman stated that the letter was dated November 6, and no doubt the work had now been completed. The Chairman said a deputation from the Green Island Borough Council was to be heard (respecting some improvements it desired on the Main South road. —Mr Lindsay (Mayor of Green Island) said he thought they must all recognise that the state of the road as regards motor traffio especially required more attention than it had received in bygone days, and that some very dangerous corners ought to be improved before top-dressing,' etc.,- was carried out. There were two very dangerous corners in Green Island, these being Gunn's corner, going on to the Brighton road, and Ross's corner. He thought that for the benefit of motorists, the safety of pedestrians and the public generally these two corners should be widened, and the council would be very pleased if the club could see its way to give some financial assistance towards the cost of carrying out the alterations. The road might be perfectly safe for vehicular traffic, but it was not for motor traffic— Mr F J. Williams (engineer to the Borough Council) showed plans illustrating the alterations which it was deemed advisable to make.—The deputation received a very sympathetic hearing, and it was decided to leave the matter in the hands of the General Committee, with power to act. A letter was received from the secretary of the Good Roads Association of New Zealand asking the club to form an Otago branch of the association.—lt was decided that a denization, consisting of Messrs Ansell J K Roberts, and H. Reid. wait on the' Expansion League to consider what could be done to prosecute the work in OtagO. , v, TIT A A letter was received from the West Harbour Borough Council offering a portion of road in the district for the purpose of conducting- experiments in improved road-making.—Mr Wright explained that the' club's engineer (Mr Couston) had not yet been able to visit the Taranaki district to see at first hand what was being done there in road-making. He would move that when the engineer's report was available the council's ' offer should receive careful consideration. —The motion was carried. It was decided to instruct the Cycle Committee to go into the question of holding motor cycle races on the Warrington Beach earlv next year. Forty-two new members were elected.