CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES

Horowhenua Chronicle, 21 March 1916, Page 3

CYCLING AND MOTORING NOTES

W I'ram the Dunlop .Rubber Compan of Australasia lor the week endin 10th to 11th March, 1916. An interesting point in conncctao with the Motor Cycle Record betwee Hobart and Launceston has arisen. J is statedi thitt when the present hole , er W. H. King, registered his 2 houi 331 minutes tor 121 miles across 'fas mania, during the ride he change machines. Wince then E. Bayles th previous holder of the record negotiant cl the distance in 2 hours 3-1 minute uO seconds riding the one maehin throughout. The Tasmania Moto Cycle Club is investigating the matter and in the event of Kink having oliang eel mounts during his ride, will dccidi whether this is permissible in a rui of this dc6crii)tioii, and in the circum stance, which of the two riders, Jiinj or Bayles, is oflicially entitled to t Tasimmian record. A very tine piece of dirt track rid ing was recently accomplished in Aev Zealand by Mr A. "Woodman, who rodj 8 miles from scratch in i minutes -11 3. secontta: His mount was a 4 h.p Dunlop shod "Triumph." A 10 per cent rise in motor car anc motor cycle tyres is announced by tin leading American tyre manufacturers Increased cost of materials and pro ductioh have accounted for the rise. The lite ot a motor car depend* on the men at the wheel. ' Alinosl any person of average intelligence cai lea,rii to drive a car—'that is he can steer it, increase its speed, a tow ll down, and stop it fairly well. So particular gift is required to master the various controls; in fact, the large increase in . motor car accidents may bajilie to this very ease with which a modern motor car may be made to obey its masters. But simple as may be the essentials of driving, the controi of a car in its most perlect form—that which will save the meofiauism, re dueo the danger of Occidents to a minimum, and which wil result in a smootl steady flow of power without jolt oi jar—is only to be obtained! alter f thorough study of the car and an experience bused on a practical knowledge of its mechanism. There maj he two kinds of driving; that whicl: saves the car and its mechanism, and tlba/t, which, by l its very conservatism, possibilities ol misha,ps u(j a minimum. The two should go hand in hand. The driver wiio is caretul of his mechanism should be equally . careful of human life. But such ia not always the case; the driver woulu have brought it to a stop with less danger to the occupants ancl j£ss wear and tare on the mechanism"." When the ntwly-invented driver operates a car, he feels that the first point to remember is the operation of the braKes, so that it may be brought to a stop quickly. It may seem to be, a simple matter to follow the instructions oi ih|is teacher and "push" with botn feet, and grab the emergency brake lover," and doubtless some of the expected results will b<s accomplished. But, as in all other departments of motor car driving, there is a right and a wrong way to operate the control.* and to time the relative actions wit.In bringing a car to a stop in this manner the amateur driver is not only inducing undue wear on the breaik linings, but is losing a most' valuable a,l The motor itself when allowed to sAnv down, of its own accord, as it will do when the foot is removed from Uie accelerator and is placedi on the brake, will serve as a drag on the car that, without the creation of undue friction, will materially assist in bringing the vehicle to a stop. Therefore, tjiie expert driver will not push out Ins (Mutch until the car has oecn brought down, to the speed at which it could be driven with the motor running at its throttled condition. With the majority of cars such a speed will be in the neighbourhood of five or six miles «n hour. 'Below this speed continued application of the brake without TVlease of'the cliutoll would stop tiie Motor and would represent tlie clevl '.line at which the driver would dem u-t.'ii" • his r.experience raflior than hi 3 e»pertness. The man who can ope.'r.;e his car principally with the wheel and throttle using the brakes and clutch only for usual conditions sucij as sudden stop, shifting gears, and the like, is the man who not only will receive the longest service trom his car, but who will have the smallest number of accidents recordied against him. If the throttle is closed in time', the oar may coast to a stop in about double the distance thai would be required to bring it to a standstill were the brakes jammed on. fine fifty or a hundred feet gained by maintaining the speed of the car unci necessary to amply the brak(#*iKlideu>. Tvill be more than offset by the -weai on brake bands, gears and other moving parts of the motor. An all steel battleplane was recently 'tested in America ana gave sa,tibiaetot y results. The new machine may be generally described as a biplane with a wing spread of 65 feet. Vanadium steel replaces the usual wooden framework. resulting in a flving machine oi unusual strength. Ail the parts have open standardised and stamped- u. by machinery, insuring perfect interohangealbility and l ready repairing, iu fact, the construction follows the una system throughout; the planes being made ug Jn sections, the of which can Ibe altered to meet the requirements of the "Service •for which the machine is intended. Then, again, if a section of the planes has been clnniayeu in use, it becomes a simple matter^to remove the damaged portion and replace it with a new unit. Ineident•al'ly, this form of construction is mex'pensive. Equipped with a 140 h.p. engine and a propeller mounted in front, the new aeroplane is capable or a speed of 90 to 95 miles pea- liour. Its <||uel tanks give a capacity sufficient for a flight of 800 miiles. The Freno.li war department has ;s----sued an order prohibiting French motor 'manufacturers From selling motor cars, chassis, or motor parts for ;tivate use, without first obtaining tlie sanction of the authorities for each in dividual transaction. The now regulation has caused consternation in the x renoh motor trade—and an effort is made to have the Tmvtter reopened. As masters at present stand, imported cars or parts can be freely sold in France, but not local made oars, etc. This naturally will have a serious effect on the French industry. According to an American writer a single gallon of petrol will do wonders almost anywhere, but nowhere has it been anp^M-tr'better purposethan on the farm. It will milk HO cows, bale 4 tons of hay, mix 3o cubic yards of cement. m6ve a 1-ton motor waggon 11 miles, or a motor car zU miles, plough three-fifths of an acre of land or generate sufficient electncitv to illuminate the farm house for 3b hours.