Cycling and Motoring Notes

Horowhenua Chronicle, 3 October 1916, Page 3

Cycling and Motoring Notes

From illg Dunlop Rubber Company ul Australasia, Limited, for the week 23rd September, 1916.

.Some motor cyclists prefer a single

cylinder engine, others a twin, and each can usually give excellent reason lor his 0110100. Those who have tried both are divided in their views, but the majority, it k sate to say. prefer the multiple cylinder principle and would not, unless they were compelled, go back to the single once they had tried the twin. The power of a- twincyl:'iidei' engine •« more evenly exerted owing to the fact that there is n-hvaiys a piston favourably disposed. witJiiin the cylinder tor taking power, whereas with the single it is one or nothing, and at low speeds, just when the moment arrives that a quick pick-up is wantedl, the crank may be at an unfavourable angle and the piston at the wrong period of the stroke. Motorcycle engines run at a high speed and any loss of time between the power strokes is .smaOl even with a fourstroke single, but whatever there may be in it the twin or the two-stroke always shows to greater advantage when it comes at the point of aceelleration or running at low engine aind road speeds without knocking and pounding. Those who advocate the slin.gile are usually found' to put their claims on the greater simplicity and economy of the typo, and they are prepared as n rule to sacrifice smoother running and more rapid acceleration for thsi feature. Many single engines are wonderfully efficient in the rcspects named, but, say what they may. such an engine can never really equal the twin rei'jiirding them. A mail changes from a | 6 H.P. twin to a U lI.P. single, and as a rule he gears the last-named model a hit lower than was his previous mount so as to "allow something for the fact of the engine having loss power." and ai'so because it is a one cylinder instead of a. two and therefore at some disadvantage in picking up its load from a standstill. If the gear were the same in both cases, the twin would show to even greater advantage. that is to s:iy. if the standard set were the one best suited to this type, and one can afford, where there is a second piston at work to gear even higher in proportion to the power than where only one cylinder is employed. The long-stroke big s'li'jde —thint abused type where the unprnctisedl are concerned—is really more to be desired than any 3} "standard" engine. Its greater power, and big crank effort at st'irtnig are points m its favor, and with skill in designing the cylinder and other parts, and above all in balancing the engine, there is obtained: a type of cover unit that compares very well with the twin of the same or slightly higher power. These with experience of smaller single engines alone, —that is, the 499 c.c. community —■ cannot be expected to know of these tilings. Their experience is based on another sot of conditions altogether, and they are comparing an engine of much lower rating with one which has more than horsepower rating in its favor in any case. There is. of course, another way of looking si t the matter. The two engines, one a single the other a twin, may be-tif the same rating, and it then becomes a matter of choice entirely depending upon individual preference, ft will he based upon experience or the wish to try something different. From a petrol point of view, there is a considerable difference, in that the fi-li.p.-twin runs about lo m.p.g.. and the single averages over 60 to the gallon, which means a substantial increase in economy. For hill-climl) iu'jr. with a straight run, there is not much difference, but after any check ' the twin is infinitely superior, in the "pick-up." There is very little difference. from a speed point of view, undier favorable conditions, on the. level. Milch less work is involved when taking the engine down for cleaning purposes in the case of a single cylinder especially when it comes to be a matter of valve grinding and various adjustments, but the average rider is content to remember that this after all is a point that does not weigh very heavily in the matter of selection, as "it is only finfrequentilv that the task has to be undertiiken with modern engines—twice or at most three times in a year's full ridingsay seven thousand miles or more. Stiill/ it is a point to be remembered and if time presses at all when the overhauling is taken in hand it .makes >»ll the difference whether there arc two cylinders or only one to be dealt with. The most comfortable machine to ride in many respects is the fourcylinder, for nothing can equal the delightful smoothness of the fonr-crank engine under any condition of running. but then aaa.in, the involved in adjusting and cleaning are further multiplied, and many otherwise interested and potential buyers rcfri'in from purchasing because of the fear of letting themselves in for a lot of extra work when it comes to the time for taking the engine down. The man who wants the maximum of simplicity, reasonable smoothness of running. and plenty of power for all ordinary needs of a side-car, cannot do better than invest in a. long-stroke, or, indeed, any "bis" single. Tf ho ha<= not tried one before, he will be astonished at its general performance, and will probably reverse some of bis erstwhile notions which were antagonistic to the type

Recent AVar cables container! an iteni to. the effect that 200 moil wore to bp selected from the Anzac Contingents 011 the fiomiiio Front, for training as aviators, as their adaptability for this class of work was highly appreciated by the war authorities. A private communication from a well-known. Now South Wales motorist, who, for some time, has held a commission in the Royal Flying Corps, states that the British Miir service has assumed large proportions and that this crack corps comprises a largo number of Australians, Canadians and South Africans. The motorist in question, who hails from the Riverina district, is now a second! pilot (the ambition of all flying men) aboard a fast high seated fighter. The machine develops 120 h.p., carrier quarter of a ton of petrol (allowing a flight of six hours') can fly at 15.000' feet-land is exceptionally fast.