MOTOR-CYCLING

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 493, 30 June 1932, Page 9

MOTOR-CYCLING

BY

MAGNETO.

RIDING ABILITY. Club Events an Education. A large number of motor-cyclists are not as expert in the handling of their machines as they think. Competition is the greatest educator, and there is no doubt that the safest and. best riders are to be found among those who undertake some form of motor-cycle competiIt is noticeable that motor-cyclists who are competitors in motor-cycle com- ' petitions are the finest road riders—to J use the words of a local traffic inspector, t “ track champions are not by-law breakers.” This is certainly a fact. If doubters of the accuracy of these remarks could have seen the riders in the . •’ Star's ” trial they would have marvelled at the skill displayed by what were ordinary road riders over a seemingly impossible course. These competi- , lions at speed over difficult, rough courses serve to educate the rider in ] the finest points of riding. Tie learns • to judge the speed at which his machine will corner with safety, the right time to apply his brakes at different speeds, and a hundred and one things, including a complete understanding of his machine, which is an invaluable ' asset when engaged in ordinary traffic riding. There is growing in the motorcycling community the class of rider that is regarded as reckless and a danger to general road users. The public can 1 rest assured that representatives of this i class are not competition riders, or, if i they are, then only novices. The ex- I perienced competition rider is not neces- j sarily cautious, but be is safe. Long j ( - association with speed has taught him 2 when it is safe and when it is not. j c OVER-HEATING. Crankcase Sometimes Affected. v It sometimes happens that the crank- I 1-

case is found to be in an over-heated condition. Naturally it is subject to some heat due to its proximity to the cylinder, but this should not be excessive. When over-heating is detected, U is usually found to be due to leakage past the piston rings. The first thing to do is to remove the cylinder and examine the rings. Should they not be bright for the whole of their circumferences, fit new ones. If, however, the rings appear to be in perfect order, insert them truly in the cylinder-barrel and, by means of a set of feeler gauges check the gaps between their ends. Those rings which have gaps greater than .02in should be discarded. A hot crankcase may be due to overheating of the cylinder owing to the mixture being either too rich or too weak, to a faulty sparking plug, to unsuitable oil, to incorrect timing of the valves or of the ignition, or to the engine being in need of decarbonisation. Another possible cause is a bearing which has partially seized through lack of lubricant. Notes. The paperchase last Saturday had to be abandoned on account of lack of entries. A number of the officials, too, were not available that day. Mr A. H. Haden is at present travelling in Southland and Otago. ITe will return to Christchurch in the course of a few days. The annual meeting of the Pioneer Club’s motor section will be held on July 23. A large attendance of members is desired. The Ashburton Club’s “smoko,” which was to have taken place last Saturday, has been postponed indefinitely.