MOTORING CAR and CYCLE NOTES

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12081, 9 August 1917, Page 3

MOTORING CAR and CYCLE NOTES

By p "SP^EJT'

Lighting Up Timep.m. Thursday, August 9 . Friday, August 10 . . ■}••><_> Saturday, August 11 . 'j-3i Sunday, August 12 . • 3-3S Monday, August 13 . 0.3!) Tuesday, August 14 . {>.4o "Wednesday, August, lo . 3.41 The registration of ears in Christchurch does lint slacken, and in the first six days of the present month, the total reached nineteen. * * •'* Motorists will he gratified to learn that the pros]>ects tor the proposed new-lay-out of tram rails in Cathedral Square are not considered bright in inner circles, and it* is prnliablo 111 111- tlio Tramway Boarfl will have to content itself with renewing the points at their present angle. ». • Motor traps will he plentiful during Grand National time, and motorists tvo.ild do well to note that thorp will he rnovr- rijrkl <'uiitrol all round in tlio inture, not oniv in regard to speeding, hut also in regard to many other abuses of prtVil There will lie special vigilance on the. Riccartou I'oad. « * * There are a few road-burners who badly require a caution, in the interests nf motoring generally. Last. Sunday two men on Indian cycles traversed Victoria Street from Salisbury Street to [lie bridge at a speed which must have (Seen close on sixty miles an houi in out 1 rase. I'",very pedestrian on the route turned to look at this road hog, "uliose hardihood was absolutely amazing in the citv.

The annual meeting of the Automobile Association will be held on September -I', at * p.m., in the. Chamber i.f Commerce I!all, purely as a business meeting, without the usual accompanying social. The final meeting of the outgoing council will be held on September "i. 'l'h'' president-elecl for 1918 is .Mr H. Tisdall.

Tn view of the nice*, it might be well to note that motorists going to Ashburhin might save a lot of trouble by going through Kllesmere and Springston. The road for a quarter of a mile on this side of the Selwvn Hirer is undergoing considerable repairs. The surface is all ploughed up, and dirt is being scooped oil', preparatory to a heavy metalling-

The state- of the main Selwvn ford is also worth noting, as the notice posted at Soeklmrn :.s to its iordability seems to be a bit unreliable. On Sunday it said ' r fordabb," but a motorist tvlio went out found it unfordable, and enly got through by a bit of luck Ingoing fifty yards higher up. Only tho higher-powered cars should taeklo it, as there is about L'ft or 3ft of water running across it.

Sixty road signs are being prepared iy the Automobile Association',* Roads Committee, in response to the request of tho "West-land branch, for erection on the West Coast. The posts will be supplied on the ground. Good workhas been put into the plan by the West-land branch, which has a good grip of the needs of motorists on the Doast. In response to its request for the improvements of th p Lake Kanieri Road, tho Minister has informed the pounc.il that ho is considering tho mailer. »

The Automobile! Pierrots put np a great performance at T/oburn, where they appeared as an ordinary concert partv, netting over £lO. Cars were lent "by Messrs J. S. Bawkes, F. I>. Kestcvcn, O. AY. Hervey and Pracy \Vil:-on. There was a record, attendjuco. and a return visit would bo weliomed.

Tbo "Wellington City Council hn. s led the way in New Zealand by setting aside Mercer Street, between the Working .Men's Club and tbo Public Library, for the parking of cars. The American principle is to be followed, and cars must be placed rear wheals to tlio kerb. A street near Parliament House is to be allotted to tbo same purpose. A proper place allotted to cars dops away with much ot the traffic blocking by cars standing in front of a business place hour after hour, although this nuisance of garaging cars in the street has been overcome in tjbristehurch by a neat by-law.

Although the report of the Canterbun - delegates to the annual meeting r>F the Motor I'nion was not presented to the association last, night in the absence of Mr K. W. Johnston, tin l president, (Mr A. S. C'larle-nn) marie it clear that the. meeting had done good. The whole trouble in the past. he, said, was that there bad been poolattendances, but the president and secretary had done a wonderful lot of work, quietly with Ministers. It bad been arranged that each association should appoint its delegate. avlio would supply a monthly report, on the meetings. In reply to his request, the secretary bad written to him recommending as a resident Canterbury delegate. Captain "W. Pryor. of the Motor Reserve, Corps, a very active member, who was well known as secretary of the Employers' Association. He thought, that Mr I'ryor was a very suitable man. The apointment was confirmed.

Plans for improving the main road to Cheviot at the Greta are still a matter of much concern, and it is obvious that something will have to be done soon. The Automobile Association rereived a letter from the "Waipara County Council last night, endorsing the Roads Committee's recommendations with nne exception. This was to bridge the first crossing of the middle Greta, and divert the stream on the left hand side The object of diverting the stream instead of the road was that, it would thou be possible to improve Foster's Butting. If the road was diverted, and n bridge placed at the bottom of Foster's cutting, it would do away for all time with the possibility of improving the grade of th<> cutting. The cost of Coal Creek would be £3OO. for the middle Greta. £I3OO and for tho last £990, a. total of £2849, allowing £259 for contingencies. The association was invited to say how far it would contribute financially to the undertaking. The Inst clause of the letter was read amidst hearty laughter, and the matter was referred to the Roads Committee.

A curious danger from an unexpected cause "was recently described by a. /vHTespondent of "The Light Car an'l Cycle Car." In a traffic block, when the right-foot should have moved instinctively from the accelerator to the foothreak. the foot would not leai'o the accelerator, and after a moment of Banic it was wrenched free just in time. hi a iomr: Jtmrney the frictlion of the fjcdals hat! worn through an already thin sole, and the small nodal had slipped ]mder the worn leather, imprisoning the foot. Tt is not a bad plan, says the journal, to have ;i. magneto cut out on the steering wheel for other emergencies with the accelerator pedal, such as when the control rod Sticks in its soiid*.

Mr Walter Scott, who is at present in training in the artillery reinforcements, wii! be in Christchurch next Thursday on short leave. His departuro from Now Zealand is still in tho not very near future.

Municipal garage? hare been established in Glasgow, the home of municipal enterprise.

There are nearly 70.000 motor-cyclists in tho British Army, according to Staff-Captain L. Kccne : 40,000 of these are despatch riders, the remaining 25,000 or 30.000 motor-cyclists aro m machine-gun batteries, signal corps, and convov service.

At tho rate at wlu'eh the price of high-grado cotton is advancing, almost immediate rises in the cost of motor ,and cycle tyres aro threatened. Latest advices from America show a further hardening in the cotton market, and canvas is" now more than double the price it was a few months back.

A rider with a fondness for figures, estimates that a motor-cycle will travel 50.000 miles, or twice around the earth, without serious wear and tear on tho engine. In that distance each v/heel would revolve 33.612.732 times. The magneto would produce over 84 million sparks and the petrol consumption would bo well over 500 gallons.

Tlio Tnited States Oovornmejit recently called for tenders for the supply of .a,"largo uuniber of touring oars for the -.iso of her army in Franco. As illustrating iho immense output of so mo of tlir: big American car makers, it is interesting to note, lion' some of the. concerns are prepared to deliver. The Overland Compmv, 110 cars a. day; Dodge, 200 a, day ; SUidebaker, 950 ]>or niontli; Scripps-Booth, 100 per week; Saxon. -10 pr-r day, etc. .Most of tlio manufacturers quoted the Government 2-j per cent off list price.

Practically all the leading British motor-cycle factories are at the present time turning out machines on a largo Russian miliary order. It is worth while noting that the motor-cycles are all of tho heavy twin typo, indicative of the fact that Avh'ie light-weight military models predominate on tho western fronts, the heavy-weight machine evidently comes into its own in thei eastern war-held- Franco has now mounted all hrr military motor-cyclists on British machines.

The subject of dazzling headlights on motor-cars was mentioned at the annual meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association. The secretary reported that he. had received communications from the Automobile Club of America and the Royal Automobile Club of England. Both bodies stated that satisfactory methods of legislating for tho control of dazzling headlights had not been arrived at. The Royal Automobile Club had set up a committor, of experts to make. «■ thorough investigation of the matter, and its decisions were -sot out in a lengthy report which was forwarded. The experts found that the downward cant of headlights increased tho dazzling effect. The secretary pointed out that this decision was extremely important, as the Auckland' City Council recently had brought in ;i by-law, the effect of which was to compel motorists to cant their Jamps downward.

Record-breaking is; the order in motor-cycling circles in America, and by the. iriiiil conic--* word of a ioninrkablo record by A. T. Bedell on a fnurcylindor Henderson, who covered HI2OO miles between Los Angeles sind Now York in 7 days HI hours nnd 1(5 minutes, beating a rerord which lias stood since 1011 by nearly four days. Ho also broke tlip automobile record hold by A. Stutz by over four days. Tlio merit of ibis performance lie.s in the fact that it lay through tbo passes of tbo Pockies, and through a ■jcniS deal of desert country. Tlip ride was wpII lipralded. and at St T/Oiiis the rider was escorted through town nt fifty miles an liour by the motor police themselves. Bedell is jusii twenty. Ho rode a stock Henderson fitted with 3J- gallon tanks and reinforced forks.

The great racing driver, Pario Ppsta. winner of the world's championship last year, has definitely decided to retire. Two reasons arc advanced for Resta's retirement. It is .said that ho is not satisfied with bis contract with Alfonso Kaufman, owner of the Peugeot, in which Dnrio scored bis American triumphs, and also tbat ?>1 is Rest a, a sister of the late Spencer "Wisbart. fear.-; that he,will meet the same fa.te a-s her brother, who was killed at Elgin in. IDlo. Although Rpsta has been offered a position for tlio Hudson and .Mercer teams, he will not accept either. Ho is said to be seek inn a position a-S n consulting engineer or an opportunity to invest L'SOOO. his share of the purses be has won in America, in a business less hazardous than driving racing cars. The prize money that Pesta has won in America in two years totals £20.000. Of this sum £10,">00 was contributed by the management of the Chicago speedway, where he proved invincible, and took" six races out of as many starts

Thin sheet-rubber, when under air pressure, is- more or less porous. although the interstices tiro very minute; but they exist, and largely account for the frequent roinflation of tyres necessary in oino cases in i lit* entire absence of leaks that are capable of repair or even detection. It is notable that within the past few years air-tubes for motor tyres- have been made bonvier than formerly. Very naturally, says an exchange-, the thicker the tube the less leakage will there be. since (lie minute passages through which the air may pass are more tortuous. As the air escapes from the tube in this way the residual oxygen causes- the rubber to oxidise and harden, with a consequent loss in elasticity. Hence, not only does a thick tube need lew frequent inflation, but it retains its elasticity much longer, is less liable to puncture or to be nipped against the rim, and altogether is much superior to a thin tube.

A writer in the "Autocar" sounds a note of warning in respect of the dangers involved in starting up from cold on an over rich mixture. every motorist .starts his engine in this manner, the subject is of interest. The writer was conducting some experiments which necessitated starting from cold, and running the engine slowly for two or three minutes. After doing this several times he noticed that it became increasingly difficult to turn the engine over, and a partial seizure resulted. Upon removing the cylinders he was astonished to find the pistons absolutely dry of oil. and in places signs of rust were showing. Thinking the oil diopers on the conncctng rod,*, were too short, he lengthened them, but the same trouble resulted. It was then discovered that the trouble was due to nothing but. the over rich mixture. The unvaporised petrol had washed the oil from the" cvliruW "-.alls nu ([ pistons,

and left them absolutely dry. There would have been no trouble, of course, il the engine after starling had been run normally, and not stopped repeatedly. The writer hud slightly enlarged the starting jet. to provide easier starting, owing" to tho poor quality of the petrol now used in England, and consequently more suction quantities of unvaponsed spirit were drawn into tho cylinder than usual. It is always a good plan alter starting up from cold to race tho engine a little to warm it up. This ensures vaporisation, and proper lubrication of the cylinder walls. The leading American motor-cycle factories have signed the following clauses of a non-racing agreement:— (a) That the factories will not support or use racing men in their racing capacity. (b) That the factories l will not use or supply any special racing machine, such as eight- vaive or short coupled machines.

(c) That the factories will not supply short coupled roadster models. (d) That no special engines of stock design will be supplied, except in standard motor-cycics or as separate units. (e) That the factories will not advertise the winnings ol races of any sort, in tho trade papers.

How manv motorists change their engine oil every one thousand nulos.' This course is advocated by all manufacturers, and attention drawn to it in the booklet, which gener•dlv rroos with tbe new car. After a penod of use on high speed friction sur-f-ice" oil loses some of its body, and becomes dirty. Small particles of metal from the friction surfaces also gett mixed, with it. Tt is advisable to chango the oil frequently, but there is no necessity to throw th e old lubricant away. It can be filtered by placing it in a. dish and running wicks from it to another pan below it. In this way tho oil siphons off and leaves the accumulated impurities behind. Tt can then be used for lubricating parts where hifiji h»ced friction is absent