Cyling and Motoring Notes

Levin Daily Chronicle, 25 January 1917, Page 4

Cyling and Motoring Notes

❖ i_ From the Dunlop Rubber Company zi |; Australasia- Limited, for the week :i 20th January, 1917. .i Germany is already making exten- ; sive preparations for peace, sayft tlio i "Motar Age" (Chicago). This holds good for every department of national life, but it is the motor car industry that is of most interest to American makers and exporters of cars. The Gccrccy which sutounds all data oi direct ot indirect military importance makes it impossible to obtain official figures as to tho number of motor cars in Germany at present, but it is believed thiat there 'are . about 160,000 cai's now, in uec. One half of theso cars are on the western front, one fifth along tlie Rumanian and Saloniki -front. In addition, tho Government has about 50,Gb0 vehicles for carrying officials and industrial products within the empire, and perhaps the same number is in private service. While there are between 250,000 and 300,000 motor vehicles in Germany just-now, the number does not grow, because those on hand are sufficient for German requirements and tho raw materials are needed more urgently for munitions. The -number will -not be considered sufficient- when the war is over, however, and for this reason it is safe to predict that 'after the war twothirds of tho motor cars will keep the cars commandeered during the war to he rebuilt and used, either for -jtt'i-m-- ! works or to be sold prai-Hcnhv rt •- "<i to smnll fniii)-"!.- .-.r c<v cms t.. facilitate ' re.i'■ 'a- •be o!"' --n-nm i U'e oars v. il! i-*-r-.-■..> ;i --idy | of f.-nin !•'• "i i-i ,1 ki>-. ;-! ■!■ ihe. j pilT'-il.-.Se of motif >-a :>• f. Oeiiinuiy along ! >nio iind a.pprovci! in their .-p-M-ihcntions liy the imperial government. Thus. Germany will have a sure demand for about 200.000 cars after the war. The American Automobile Racing Season has now terminated. Fifteen long distances events from 100 to 403 miles in length, were decided, points being awarded to the successful drivers in each. The driver scoring the highest point to be entitled to the. American Motor Racing Championship for 10]fi. The honor was won by Dario Rest a on liis Peugeot. Out of eleven starts Rcsba was first six times winning every event- in which he finished. In 129-1 milcis of driving totalling just over 11 hours 1 minute 2.5 seconds he netted in prize money alone £8,880 in addition to some thousands of pounds wo'rth o-f valuable trophies, and rich retaining fees from the trade, and big appearance money. J. ■ Aitken, also on a Peugeot, finished a good second while Rickenbaoher was third and DoPlamo fourth. All told £-18,800 was distributed in prize money during the season on the Motor -Racing Circuit, as against £50,400 last year. Out of this season's prize money the Peugeot was instrumental in carrying off just a few pounds short of £17,976. During the Season's racing, Franco's premier racing car, the ' Peugeot" was easily the most successful, this make carrying off 14 im-port-ant events, a German make, viz. the "Mercedes", being second on the list with 5 wins. Tho largest aeroplanes in the world are now being built- in G'reat Britain. Heretofore Russia has led the way in this respect. The latest seaplane weighs up to about three-tons when fully loaded with oil, fuel, pilot, obsereer, and bombs. The engines are fitted with compressed air starters.

Soiine 1,220 women are now engaged serving as conductresses on the motor Omnibuses in London. Most people are agreed that the average motor-cycle engine is much', noisier than it should be. Apart from the question of the exhaust, in which respect the majority of engines are offenders in a larger or smaller degree, there is tho noise created by the valve mechanism, and this is esfpeciaily noticcaible in overhead valve engines where the precaution is not taken to encase the working parts outside the cylinder. It is one of the penalties of the retention of air cool-

ing, the practice of which makes it obligatory to a large extent to leave the cylinder and oJ'cr parts open to receive the air currents and without any eovcri.ig to keep the imrva muffled. I in a lew cases the de-s g'.iers have en- , 1 the valve springs and tappets sv.ul thi- has helped to a small measure to <<ii.eten -the engine and if the plan is comlv'ied with adequate silenc- \ ing ar: auuements for the exhaust we get what, in the e ire •nil'; lances amount to io:n"liable (juiciness. . Breaking ii)> of Ih'.:i vy |ii;wer impulses and violent explosions, such as occur in a huge single-cylinder engine, by the method cf multiplying the number oT cylinders and thus i educing the fe'r c exerted in each individual unit has the effect of materially reducing 'he noise created by the engine, but unless there were other important advantage; to he gainled In- this multiplying of the parts and adding to the cost' of imanufacture, we should not expect anyone to go to i the trouble or risk of marketing n ii four-cylinder machine. The time has •' assuredly arrived when there should

be a more concentrated effort oil the part of motor cycle designers to obtain im:re silent working in an all round sense, not only where ill' l engine alone is concerned, but in the transmission and the gears as well. To some it almost amounts to a punishment- to drive a motor-cycle of the noisier kind, and there is certainly a strong ease to lie made ::nt against- such e:v!i'nrs. The problem having solved to the parti:'!] ,satisfaction at least r.f collie the met critical and expert motor cyclists of the present time, it seems a pity that a larger number of manufacturers are not using more earnest denonvGU-rs in the same direction. Many an otherwise highly successful de-iign is spoiled, and undoubtedly lacks the po-pivlarity it might achieve because of the fact that whilst every attention has been giiyen to the other detail*, that of the noise created by the engine and other parts whilst the machine- is in motion has not been dealt with on equally thorough lines.