CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

Otago Witness, Issue 3518, 16 August 1921, Page 43

CYCLING & MOTOR NOTES

By

DEMON

——- Near the petrol locker of a London garage is posted: "Don’t smoke near this. If your life isn’t "north anything petrol is.” “Many of the motorists agree to pay a tyre tax,” said Mr 1,. A. Edwards at a meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerce. “They want to know how much, and are prepared to dump it down, for they believe that as they are wearing out the roads they should pay for them; but I think the other way about. I hold that the ratepayers’ money is being wrongfully used in bad construction, and as it is poor construction that causes potholes, which wear out a oar, the car owners should be compensated rather than taxed by the local bodv.” — — It. is a well-known fact that dogs are particularly fond of motor riding, but in Napier a black spaniel, apparently without any fixed address, has taken a particular liking to this form of amusement. The dog has become well known to the taxi drivers of Napier, but the animal is cunning enough to evade their vigilance. As soon as a car commences to move the dog hop- on to the runnintr board on the side furthest from the driver, and his presence is not known until he barks in his excitement and the joy of another ride. Private cars are also utilised by the canine, which travels all over the city, going by one car and returning by another. Trips to the port and hospital arc frequent, and the dog keeps up his pastime as long into the night as a free ride can he secured. the Autocar is doing some campaigning in favour of better protection for the rear seats of the ear. In pointing out that the problem is not so easy of solution as at first appears, the Autocar mentions that not only must the occupants ho protected from front, side and hack draughts,

but that it is essential that the apparatus must not be unsightly, and that it must not interfere with free access to the seats. One of the most attractive ideas is to provide the rear seats with a scuttle and screen exactly similar to that in front, ’there are certainly attractive possibilities in such a design. The best way for a garage to deserve custom is to be constant in supervising the activities of the junior mechanic. The surest way of losing custom is to allow this immature person to practice” on the cars in for repair. \\ e have all experienced treatment of this latter kind. More and more is “service” becoming the essential motto of the garage which wants to prosper aind retain its clients. The cheap utility motor cycle machine, which for the sake of clarity of expression is often referred to as the "Ford of motor cycles,” is a long time making its appearance. What is wanted is a motor cycle which will be to the cycle what a lord cu" is to the horse and trap. First the price wants to be in the region of £SO, and the weight about 1001 b. A simple single cylinder developing about 3 h.p., fitted with two speeds, is all that, is wanted by the average man who desires a machine for utility purposes and week-end runs. In the early days of motor cycling a first-class machine was obtainable from between £SO and £SO, and wonderfully efficient outfits they were. The craze and demand for big powered twins have to an extent pushed the single cyclinder machine into the background, but there is little doubt that in time the pendulum will swing in the other direction, and the efficient lightweight “single” again come into its own can Automobile Association it was resolved to urge officially upon national and State agencies and organisations the importance of launching a national campaign for roadside “treatment,” by which term is implied the planting of trees, sodding, the planting of slopes, removal of objectionable signs, etc. This is exactly the plea which “Focus” has been constant in makingin this column. Whilst England failed to secure a place in the Grand Prix car race she scored a success in the important International Motor Cycle event held over the same circuit over a distance of 189 miles on the previous day. The race was won by Bennett. in 3hrs 14min 30seo, the first, four places being filled by English-made machines. ——The keenest contested cycling road-con-test of the vear in New South Wales is the annual Dunlop Inter-dub Premiershi P. The deciding test for the premiership was run off last Saturday over a 30-mile course, the contesting teams being Dulwich Hill and Bur wood. The former club carried off the event, with 14 points against, the other’s 22 points. Time. Ihr 35min 42 3-ssec.

BRAKING TEST. An interesting and instructive test of the comparative effectiveness of the four wheel and two wheel systems of motor car braking was recently carried out in France. 1 he car used was a powerful eight-cylinder Darracq, the total weight being 43cwt. of which 22041 b was carried by I he front axle and 26231 b on the back. The machine was equipped with brakes on all four wheels, the band:; being two inches wide lined with “Perodo.” and applied simultaneously by means of the brake pedal. A wet day

was intentionally chosen for the first trial on a deserted stretch of macadam highway. At 30 ni.p.li. the Darracq was pulled up in 65J. feet, at 40 m.p.h. in 98 feet four inches, at 50 m.p.h. in 147 feet, arid 60 m.p.h. it took 239| feet before the car came to a dead stop. A few days later the test, was repeated over the same road in a perfectly dry condition, the results were:—-At 30 m.p.h. the car stopped in 544 feet, at 50 m.p.h. 1374 feet, and 60 m.p.h." 2291, feet Surprising little difference considering the different road conditions.

With the front two brakes slackened off so as to be ineffective it took the car 123 feet to stop when travelling 30 m.p.h., or S 3 feet mere than when all four brakes were operating. At 40 m.p.h. it took 2424 feet. 144 feet more, at 50 m.p.h. 3191 feet, a difference of IS2J, feet, whilst at 60 m.p.h. the car came to re t at 430 feet, as against 245 feet with four brakes. As previously mentioned in these note all the contestant,-' in the recent French Grand Prix race used cars braked on all wheels.