MOTOR CYCLING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10768, 14 May 1913, Page 3

MOTOR CYCLING.

—*- ON TRACK AND ROAD. (By SPARK.) FIXTURES. Ifay 16 —Motor-Cyclists' Club's Smoke Concert. May 24—8-Mile Scratch Haco (for machinos ■up to 3Jh.p.); 24-Milo Opeh Handicap. Brighton Beach. June 3—Reliability and Petrol Consumption Test (for machines with side-cars), Akaroa and, Return. The Motor Cyclists' Club is ending Its season well. On Friday a smoke concert will be held at the Cadona Tea Rooms at 8 p.n:\ On June 3 a side-car reliability trial will be held to Akaroa and return. J. S. Bailey, the English light-weight champion, put up a fine performance on Monday when he created a ntnv Australian record of 53£ miles an hour on a 22 h.p. Douglas. Ho is an Australian by birth, but has done most of his motor-cycling in' England. A speed-judging contest was held by the Motor-Cycle Club of New South Wales recently. Competitors drew from a hat their sot speed, and were sent away in pairs, at minute intervals, by the starters. Each pair had to do a different speed. The idea was a good one, as there was a tendency en the part of the riders to keep together. The exact distance was unknown to the competitors. They were required to ride until .they were stopped at the turning-point The judge saw that each competitor did not carry a watch, and the speedomete* was disconnected. Of thirty-nine entrants, thirty started. The distance was eight miles. The official result is-as follows:—J. A. Fair, 6 h.p. King Dick, llseo out, 1; S. Pogonowski, 3i h.p. Peerless, 28sec out, 2; J. V. Wilkinson, 3 J h.p. King Dick, - 42sec out, 3.

J. Bolger's splendid achievement in bringing the Melbourne to Sydney motor-cycle time under the twenty-four hours was specially recognised on April 30 at the Sydney Motor-Cycle Club's smoke concert. He received a gold "which and the club's gold medal. In a motor garage in Lonsdale Street, Sydney, irecently, before an audience of persons interested in various branches of engineering,' a practical demonstration was given by, its inventor of the possibilities of a new preparation called f, Lava Flux." In Lava Flux Mi-

Archibald Higgins, the inventor, claims to have discovered what engineers of the world have been seeking for half a cenV tury, namely, a method of brazing cast irbn. Small pieces of cast iron, which had been broken, and in some instances even sawn through", were united in a few minutes, so that when struck with a hammer, or bent in a vice, they broke Anywhere but at the joint. The" test ■was applied numerous times, always ftrith the same satisfactory result. Many engineering firms, as well as private people, will welcome Lava Flux if all that is claimed for it is true. Acquire the habit of controlling the speed of your machine with the throttle lever and not on the exhaust valve lifter. The more you use the latter ' the quicker will the wire 6tretch and render it inactive. On twin-cylinder engines the unions %t the inlet ports and carburetter are often leaky and cause an uneven mixture to enter the cylinders. This can be overcome by wrapping insulating tape round the unions and securing it .with a thin strand of copper wire. I hear of an original form of saddle jwitch. When the rider is in the

Baddle the switch is out of-action, but

as soon as the rider leaves the saddle, * especially in the case of a fall, the magneto is "cut out." One could, however, guess the result of traversing a bumpy road. Every Jew hundred miles the crankcase should be swilled out with paraffin and then recharged with clean oil. When going out in wet weather, grease the nigh-tension terminal of the magneto. It is not advisable to use magneto covers, as these set up internal sweating and cause more trouble than they are worth. ■* For the first time on record the speed •of 100 miles per hour has been achieved by a motor-cycle. Lee Bumiston (the American champion) mounted upon an Excelsior, has broken every ■world's motor-cycle record for speed from one to one hundred miles at Plaza del Bey motordrome. The ride ■was officially timed and, checked. The first mile was covered in 36sec, in other words, at the rate of 100 miles per hour; 10 miles were completed in 6min 18sec. The machine was fitted with a magneto; most-of the American riders use, accumulator or cells ignition.

It is inadvisable to use a leather belt unless you have an adjustable pulley, as most leather belts continue to stretch throughout their life, and you will find your gear ratio gradually decreasing. Petrol may he used as a cure for slipping metal-tc-metal clutches. In the event of a hub clutch being burnt out the rider can get home bv strapping the spokes of the clutch dram to the spokes of the bicycle wheel. There has been an outcry in England owing to the number of accidents to cyclists and others through motorists using dazzling headlights, and the subject is .now engaging the attention of the London authorities, who have made arrangements for a series of ments to be conducted at the National Physical Laboratory with the view to ascertaining what steps can he taken to remlfly the evil by new regulations. The problem is not going to be an easy one to solve, for it is practically imtxwsible to fix any definite standard of illuminating power l as there can be no uniformity in lighting unless there can also he Uniformity in speed and eyesight. Something may possibly be done with regard to the disposition of the lamps on a car, or the adoption or some device for reducing the glare of headlights when meeting another vehicle.

In addition to paving a fine of £2O. »n American " scorcher has been compelled to sign the following pledge:— " I solemnly promise this honourable Court not to touch, sit upon, ride in or manipulate any automobile or motorcycle in the city of Chicago during the next twelve months." Tho defendant in question is said to have kept the Court very active for several months past, hence tho drastic form which his fmnishment assumes. The pledge and ts consequences are novel, for it even !>recludes the "scorcher" from riding n a taxi. * A 34 h.p. machine with a side-car attached has been over 2000 miles on a belt which has never been adjusted beyond that which was needed in first fitting it. The belt is a Jin rubber one of a new make. It is probable that the rider new to motor-cycling, and with a new machine, will cover the first 1000 miles without an involuntary stop. There are, however, a few common causes of failure of which the practical rider thinks nothing, but which mn dism.iv the beginner during hi* novitiate. The sparking plue sometimes gives a little trouble through being sooted up; the spark-gap closed by carbon, due, probably, to the too fre« use of lubricating oil. _ Choking of the jet bv a small foreign substance will also cause the engine to fail, while belt breakages are not uncommon, but are easv to repair.