CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1122, 12 October 1911, Page 13

CYCLING AND MOTOR NOTES.

There is every probability that a motor cycle record between Melbourne and Sydney will be established this season. Up to the present time there has been no attempt at a continuous ride between the two capitals. The only motor cycle run under other than touring conditions was in conjunction with the Dunlop Motor reliability trials some years, ago, but as the journey was divided into several sections, covered in as many days, even the aggregate riding time will bear no comparison with a straightaway record ride, if it be made. The first motor cyclist to announce his intention of establishing a record is Mr. .T. Fair, of the New South Wales Motor Cycle Club, and that body has decided to award a gold medal to any motor cyclist who establishes a continuous ride from Sydney to Melbourne or vice versa. The first attempt was made on Saturday last, rather too early in the season, we think, for not only are the roads in bad condition after months of persistent rain, but the days are still fairly short, which means that the aspirant to record honours will have two or three hours fewer of daylight than if the attempt were made any time between November and February inclusive- The distance between the two cities is 577 miles, and could possibly be covered in about 25 hours. The motor cycle record for 24 hours, established in the Western district of Victoria by Mr. H. i->. James some years ago, is 460% miles, while 506 miles were covered in 26 hours. The motor car record from Melbourne to Sydney is 19hr. 47min., established by Mr. G. G. White, of Adelaide.

Notwithstanding painstaking methods of filtering petrol, both before and after it is put into the tank of the car, the fact remains that engine operation often is more or less hampered through the presence of water in the fuel. For extracting such “last drops” as accumulate when ordinary precautions fail, a motor accessories company in Connecticut, U.S.A., has brought out a little device which is suggestively termed the dry gas tube. It consists of a small, perforated metallic shell, something less than an inch in diameter and about two and a-half inches long, which is packed with a substance capable of absorbing water, but which is not saturated by other liquids- When immersed in the fuel tank therefore, the tube will absorb any particles of . water which may come in contact with it, retaining the moisture for an indefinite period. When in use, a wire from the tube is attached to the lower side of the filler cap, so that the tube may be drawn out occasionally and its “charge” of water extracted. This is accomplished by the simple expedient of baking the cartridge in a moderately hot oven. While the device is capable of retaining three ounces of water—more than would accumulate in a fair-sized tank in from four to six months’ use —filling and consuming—the manufacturers recommend that the baking process be done once every three months so that the absorbant in the tube is always ready to soak up whatever water has found its way into the tank.