ON THE WHEEL

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume IX, Issue 663, 20 November 1902, Page 6

ON THE WHEEL

There is a movement afoot on the Continent agitating for a law to restrict manufacturers from building motor vehicles capable of going at a higher rate than 20 to 22 miles per hour, the object of which is the prevention of accidents. _ Automobilism has suffered a good deal in popular opinion from the numerous and serious accidents that have occurred, 90 per cent, of which are directly traceable to the great speed attained. It is also sought, io prevent cars from foreign lands entering the countries interested should ! hey be capable of a higher rate of speed. Curiously enough, any vehicles intended for military purposes are to be exempted. A law cr regulation like the above could be made very irksome to manufacturersand drivers

Users of the new pattern vulcanised tyres are very well satisfied with their running aualities, the resiliency being increased i?y leir lightness and neatness. The Dunlup Company state that the demand for this class of tyre is enormous, and although the mills are working day and night shifts, it it found difficult to keep abreast of the Orders.

There is a tremendous amount of money spent annually in the production of .a< ing motors, and year after year one ranker vies with another in the strength and fpced Of the cars. Two or three years ago automobiles of 20 h.p. were considered prodigious, but last year 70 h.p. cars were not uncommon. For the next season on the Continent a French firm contemplates a motor carrying 100 h.p., which has been responded to by a German concern with a promise of a 120 h.p. car. One may well wonder as to where the power of the automobile vehicles is going to end. No one can forsee finality any more than he can prove the utility of these monster motors. The money, perhaps, would be better spent in improving and cheapening really useful vehicles.

" Major ” Taylor, the great American sprinter, is a great stickler for Sunday observance. No infraction of the rules he has laid down for that day will be tolerated by him, no matter how urgent the case may appear to be. This feeling was strikingly shown at Mahattan Beach track recently. Taylor had just punctured his third racing tyre, and had scarcely a good one left. He was booked to ride at Pitts burg on Monday night, and his trainer, who was gathering the damaged tyres together, happened to drop a remark about repairing them the next day. “ Don't do anything with them to-morrow.” exclaimed Taylor, turning to him s’ .uenly. “You will wait until Monday else do them to-night.” And the much against his will, was obliged to make other arrangements. Yet Taylor isn’t a bit unlucky !

Many cycle repairers have remarked (says an exchange) that more than half of the machines brought in have bearings running without oil. Scarcely a day goes by

but what they find in taking the machine apart, a perfectly dry bearing. It is due more to luck than to good management that so many riders escape without trouble to their wheels. They never seem to think that a bearing requires oil at intervals, or, if ’ they do, they never follow up the thought and inject a few drops of the lubricant that is the life of the bearing. Years ago, riders were advised to oil “ early and often,” and perhaps we did so too frequently. But if we did we were the sufferers, not the machines, as the overplus of oil came out and gave us a little trouble and inconvenience by getting OE our clothes. The bearings nowadays are run too dry, and until it becomes absolutely necessary little attention is paid them. If there is good material in them no harm may be done, but it is more than anyone ought to ask of a piece of metal to require it to run without lubrication.

The explanation given why petrol motors are more popular than those requiring steam or electric power is that the petrol or explosion motor weighs only from 81b to 131 b per horse power, as against up to 1121 b for electric motors. /These figures refer to the actual weight of the motor itself as applied to motor-cars.

The gears now in use by the crack pace followers of the Continent and England have grown to enormous proportions, as evidenced by that of A. A. Chase, who, in his recent successful attempt on the world’s record for a mile (in Imin 20 4-5 sec) used 137 in. It is remarked.that although the increase in gears is great, the crank lengths remain about the same — rarely exceeding 6Ain. .

An American motorist, A. A. Hansen, recently covered 634 f miles in 24 hours on tne Garfield track, Chicago. The intermediate hundreds were reeled off as follows :—lOO in 3hr 15min, 200 in 6hr 52 min, 300 in llhr 35min, 400 in 16hr, 500 in 19hr 35min, and 600 in 22hr 57min.

The secretary of the Melbourne 8.C., Mr R. M'Cullagh, states that the nominatioiig for the various events at the Austral meeting are, much better than last year, and compare very favourably with thofe® of 1899. They are as follows :—M.B.C. Plate, 141; Austral Wheel Race, 177 ; Victoria Mile, 153; Flying Stakes, 150; One Mil® Scratch, 37 ; Ten Miles Scratch, 40 j Five Miles Scratch, 42.