CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES

Horowhenua Chronicle, 24 February 1915, Page 4

CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES

From the Dunlop Rubber Company ot Austr&l&si&j for tlio week ending 20th February, 1915. * * * * * * * iu Liioir Keen rivalry to mako uie muaei'ii uiotuicyciii oven im/re poiiccL tuß ill it is i4i> present tnere is oue uuvious improvement Ulftt tJI6 JilltlSii

iuaumac(.urt;rs seeui to overlook, and

tuat is automatic lubrication. it is liuo tuat sumo maKeis nave siio.vu

enterprise 111 tins turection, but the laot remains that tne great, majority stm pi ovuie t<nao arc lubricated uy In Mio lianas ox poiiunctxl liaers tne present nana pump yi* cirip-ieeds are quite saoislactoiy, out tne new nuer cannot poesioiy juage tiio exact amount 01 oil required, ana consequently lie eituer under lubricates or swamps Ins crank case witii oil, "which results in worn Dealing# or a buuly-caruonised engine. Aeany every rider, including those who have owned uiacnines lor some years, over-oil merely because they want to lie on tne sate side, ami quite a numoer do not leei eonuortaiue unless tney can see blue suioKe trom tne exhaust. This is regrettable, tor the somewhat evil smelling smoke does not add to the popularity of motor cycies. It would surprise a goou many men to .know iiow sparing some expert riders are with tne luoricant. In one olticiai Jiingiisn motor cycle test, a well Known rider drove UWX) miles and. used only four quarts of oil, that is to say one quart ior every 000 miles. How many ordinary »riders of 750 c.c. twins would tiare to use so small an amount, V ery Tew, we think. iSow if the lubrication were automatic, the makers of engines would run two oa- three times as rar as they do at present before they required de-carbonising. American motor cycle makers are lavouu'ing systems of forced feed, wmch in most

cases are periectly satistactory. •••• ' • * • To refer to car practice: We iind mat tiie oil pump in wlncli a constant revel is automatically maintained is satisfactory and fool prooi, and it seems possiolo tnat a similar device might e to motor cycles..

it is surprising to note the amount of carlessness or ignorance the average motorcyclist displays in connection with me inflation of his tyros. Despite -owiiuai appeals from tyre makers to

X 7 tyres hard, an examination oi machines Mantling in streets tir a glance at.tne bulging wall of the driving tyre as a motorcyclist passes by, is ample prool that thousands of covers are being speeuily ruined for the want ol more air. The Duul-op ilub'ber Company states that the majority of motor cycle covers ol all makes that pass tli rough their hands for repairs bear signs of slack riding. Loose treads cut"beads and splits walls of covers arc seme of the troubles that result from t*"rS evil. If motor cyclists who favour riding on slack tyres would only give the matter consideration, they niust realize that a 6 lb cover of canvas and rubber has its limitations as regard strength when driven at speed under a load of from 400 lbs. and upwards The difference between proper and insunicient inflation means a big saving in tyre upkeep to the careful motorcyclist, and an absolute waste of money to the happy-go-lucky individual who does not worry about his tyres until he has to pay 1 for new covers, and then he growls at the trye people because his covers have not lasted as long as they should. In most cases the writer believes it is gross carelessness plus laziness. For these who are ignorant in the matter, it will suffice to mention the fact that with the rider in the saddle and feet on toot rests these should be no signs of depression or bulging of walls of the driving eover. \\'hen there is, there's trouble brewing.

Passenger-carrying and side-care work which js now so popular amongst motorcyclists, have intensified insufficient inflation trouble, for it can easily bo realised that with another 150 lbs of live rolling weight over the back wheel of the lateral pull and drag ol a side-car what sort of a strain is i<n-

posed 011 beads and covers of slack tyres. An inspection of tho slack heap' iu tyre repair depots tells ts own story.

•••• • • « • The strange thing 'is that motor cyclists cannot or will not see that they collectively throw thousands of pounds into the gutter annually because they will not keep their tyres pumped hard. They pay of course 1 But it does no good to the industry, <ud stories of excessive cost of upkeep stop many a would be purchaser with limit,ed means nearly doubling its life and mileage a faot that all motorcyclists must remember, if they desire to keep the running costs down.

• •••••• According to an American report* late information from Germay is to the effect that alcohol and benzol are the fuels now used almost exclusively by the government cars of all descriptions, and that the only motors that absolutely require petrol are those <n fast aeroplanes. This has released the pressure on the supply of petrol, and the embargo placed on this fuel at Hhe start of the was has been raised, so that private owners, at lea6t those who have heen able to retain their cars, find no (difficulty in getting supplies almost anywhere.. Benzol and alcohol are used either separately or mixed, and there are several carburetters in use in Germany that will handle these fuels satisfactorily.

j Owing to tlio terrible condition of most ot the roads in Nor them Franco as a result of being cut to pieces by heavy military traffic during the winter months it lias beon found well nigh impossible of late to use heavy motor vehicles or even motor cycles. The English War Authorities have consequently decided to give light cars a thorough test at the front, more particularly for carrying despatches, officers etc. One of the finest English motorcyclists at the front states that under present conditions six to eight miles an hour is now the average speed anywhere near the lighting area. «••••• • Apart from the possible usefulness of the light car for despatch work etc., there is another aspect of the business which will be of very vital importance to tiie light car movement. These cars will receive a testing such as fifty reliability trials combined would not equal. A good number of them will

break up, just as is occurring with the heavier types of oars whether of th© passenger or goods class. In various cases it will be found that a car perfect except in one perticular item, and the data thus gained by the manufacturer will be invaluable. He will have found 1 the weak part of his car at the expense of the nation, and will be- able to make the necessary steps to eradicate it in succeeeding models. This should result in vitally improving the light car, and should prove far more conclusive than any race or trial. Ihe margin of safety is not so great In these vehicles as in the larger types, and therefore it is vitally important for the rapid success of the light car that the trade should know definitely ts weak points and its limitations, and that at the earliest possible date. «#»**** It will interest cyclists to learn that an ordinary wired on Dunlop Cycle tyre has been inflated to a pressure of 160 lbs to the square inch before blowing off the rim, while a beaded edge cvcle cover withstood up to 150 lbs. #«#»*»* It seems almost incroditablc that such lightly constructed covers and their simple mode of attachment could possibly withstand .such great pressures.