SPEED OF MOTOR-CYCLISTS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18233, 18 November 1924, Page 6

SPEED OF MOTOR-CYCLISTS.

There is probably no topic of discussion amongst motor-Cyclists more, stimulating to the imagination than' that of speeds attained on the road with standard machines. Periodically it finds vent in the correspondence columns of the technical Press,, and these days readers of such journals are being, treated to a plethora of experiences which would pass unnoticed but for the fact that at the present juncture, when so many potential recruits to the pastime are considering the pros and cons of various. makes with a view to purchase in the early spring, there is a danger of such matters being accorded a'credence to which they are far from entitled (states an, English journal): Lest the initiate may be misled into expecting more from any machine than it is designed, or ever likely, to gr£e, it is as well to point out that while a mile a minute on the road is not. an impracticable pace for many h.p. sporting mounts, it is emphatically •so for ' all but thoroughly skilled and experienced, riders. Those who talk glibly of 80 miles an hour and more may possess machines capable of such speeds on Brooklands, but where is there a_ road, in this country that affords conditions for these speeds? The older school of riders accepts these claims, and especially those relating to high average speeds, at their true value, but _ in these days when a pace of 100 miles an hour has become a commonplace on the track, the novice might reasonably imagine that 60 m.p.h. on the road is easily obtainable from a similar powered machine. From our own experience, we have no hesitation in stating that the standard touring machine up to 500 c.c. which can exceed 50 miles an hour on the level is a rara avis, and to average, anything over 25 m.p.li. on a' long distance run with a machine having a maximum speed of double that figure is an accomplishment that requires special conditions such as the traffic-free roads of the early morning. Enough details of speedmaking exploits on the road have been published lately to convey the impression that motor-cyclists generally deserve all the police persecution that i 3 going. The Teal culprits axe the irresponsible few.