MOTORS AND MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 126, 21 February 1919, Page 9

MOTORS AND MOTORING

;i)y "Clutch.") Motor-cycle Points. In discussing motor-cycle side-car design, and having an eye to the luture enormously increased demand for motorcycle combinations, it is as well to remember that, although the side-car lias been very materially improved, there remain one or two features which still require further attention ou the part ot designers and builders. One of tliem is the springing, and another tho "'cans oi connecting the car to the cycle.. The first of these is, with few exceptions, iy. no means as Satisfactory as it should be, and efforts should ho made to remove tins stigma from nn otherwise greatly bettered style of vehicle. The springing system of Hnotor-cycle and the side-ear should be such that not only the main road'shocks are daniued out, butihe irritating vibration set up when striking, smaller surface irregularities and ' corrugations" as well. Then as, regards the couplings, it would be an improvement if all loose brackets cr clips were dispensed with, and nothing but brazed joints used. Such loose fittings make it possible to "adjust" the relative positions of the machine and side-car, but in our view «mch possibility of adjustment is best done without. If the sidecar chassis is stout enough to bear con-tinued-strain, and the cycle be set truly vertical in the first instance no need should ariso for subsequent .tampering* with the connections, and the tendency for faddists to set the motor-cycle- at this or that angle, leaning towards or from the side-car, would he rendered impossible, and one potent source of danger removed. Another point is that which refers to the unsatisfactory behaviour of side-car combinations when driven ."light." Tlis wheel l.as a decided ten-, dency to lift at corners, and careless driving ,at speed is likely to result in severe damage to rider and machine. It is usually believed that the only, way to overcome this tendency is that of increasing the weight to ho carried directly by the..wheel.. It is difficult to see how. this.could be done without introduce ing "unprofitable" load, but it should be possible to minimise- the evil by superior design of the chassis as a whole. Attempts were made to improve tyro wear, and incidentally improve the tracking of. side-car wheels, some years ago. the wheel in one case being connected to tho front wheel of the cycle so that both steered together, whilst in another design the sidf-car connections were flexible instead of rigid, thus, leaving the motor-cycle; to -be balanced by its rider as when' Tiding solo. . 1 Here and There. ' Sometimes the owner of a car having a detachable head engine) after scraping out the carbon.'and getting the motor going again, finds that there is a water leak at the head, and that' the power plant does not run as well as before lie operated upon it. The- reason lor this is probably that particles of carbon havo got into , the stud holes or around the studs, Willi bits of carbon lodged here the cylinder l ; head cannot be properly tightened, with the result that there are leaks at this'point. The remedy is obvious. '

. The sizes of the wheels and tyros of a bicycle, are dependent on the class of roads.over which-the machine is used. The rougher .the roads- the larger the tyres .should be-for comfort and case of propulsion. The., size of the. tyres is correlated -to the size of wheels. It will bo found that the vibration increases as the . size of the ,wheels is reduced, ana if the latter, are reduced beyond a certain figure it becomes necessary lo increaso the size of the tyres to counteract the vibration. 'If a choice had to be made between small wheels with big tyres and larger wheels with smaller tyres, the lattor combination is preferable. A greater degree of comfort is secured by comparatively large wheels. Working about a car always means grease and dirt on the hands. There is a t;iniplo way of loosening this grime. It consists ,in rubbing a light oil, pro ferably cylinder oil, upon the hands, using it just like soap and water. This method will work all the grease loose. If the hands are then wiped on a piece of clean waste ; or cloth tiioy will be in good shape for ordinary washing. In driving in regions -where dust is tho rule rather than the exception, car owners find difficulty from tho tendency of tho dust to get into the carburettor and clog it so'that poor action results. This trouble may even become so acute that the engine will stop. It is possiblel to'obviate this difficulty by taking off the ordinary hot air tube on the carburettor and substituting' a longer one, carried through the dash, where the air drawn will be entirely free from dust. A novelty in, the way of insurance

Against accidents is proposed by- an American concern. It proposes to instal in garages a little desk arrangement", and the motorist before starting on a journey will drop a nickel (about 5d.) in the slot, then write his name, address, date, and other .particulars in the space provided. This 'automatically fills in. (the policy and leaves a duplicate .vecortl V.in tho maphine. Turning a handle delivers the completed policy for JC2OQ, effective, for. 2-1 hours, covering a. considerable range of posible troubles froni loss of life down to!loss of time... . A convenient addition to the tool box is a small packet of wire-nails of different sizes. These nails may be used to replace lost cotter pins and for many other purposes. Light ing-up tirae-.-r-To-day, 6.4J p.m. Next Friday, 6.33 p.m.