THE STANLEY BICYCLE SHOW,

Otago Witness, Issue 2810, 22 January 1908, Page 68

THE STANLEY BICYCLE SHOW,

(Fbom O'xtr Own Cobbespondent.) This month has been a round of motor -and cycle shows, and many interesting -^points were to be picked up from a careful study of the various exhibits. It would not make good reading to go through the points of all the exhibits, but a few of the principal ones should be interesting. I Taking first the Stanley show, of course the exhibits that interested me most were the motor cycles_and tricars. The print cipal tendencies " oti ' these machines seem to be in the direction of replacing accumulators by magnetos, lowering frames, and doing away with pedale. Many / motor cycles are shown fitted with. multiple gears, and 'practically every cycle maker showed a machine with some form of 3-speed gear, the Sunbeam even going so far as to fit four. This was rather cleverly done by using a two-speed back hub and also an epicyclic gear in the crank bracket • One of the nicest tricars shown was the Advance, of Northampton, made in six h.p. and nine h.p. sizes, Chater Lea fittings being used. i The Bat people showed . com« nice

machines, very like the J.A.P.'s that came to Dunedin some time ago. They use tho Jap engine. The midget bi-car was a neat little thing, something on the lines of the Zenith, and using the same engine — viz., the Fafair. .of 3£ h.p. .Two curious machines with a great deal to" be said for them were the Douglas and tho Fairy, both, of which have double opposed engines laid lengthwise of the machine just under tho petrol tank. A rery neat machine is the result, and it has, of course, been shown by the "Reo" and. other American' ears that an engine of this tyDaTias high efficiency. The.MotK&tJooohe. nog&K4nalce a twin-cylin--dered engine which should give a very pleasant machine. -They also show a ladies* machine. _ - > The Max motor cycle is a strange looking machine. It has a 2i h.p. engine^ but the road wheels are only 18in high.i and the ■> rider -stands with one^fooftf on a small plate on each side. As nice c twin-cylfndered machine as there was in the show was the Minerva 4£ h.p. It> ,had a torpedo-shaped brass tank, -wide mudguards, foot-rests, and the ignition controlled by Bowden wire from the handlebar. Another _ machine that- -I liked the ioofc of was the Dot, of about 34 h.p., fitteff with a twin Pengeot engine. It had /a very business-like Jook about it. The Rex people have made a considerable advance in bringing-'-cufc their "Lifeette" tricar. It has a 6 njx twin ,V watercooled engine and the Roo two-speed- gear and free engine. The cooling is on the therkno-syphon principle and seems very satisfactory. "* • The ; Griffon ' people showed, amongothers, a lg h.p. weighing only 901b and priceS at only £30: . They use the Zed el engine. The Triumph has been > improved in email details only, its record for the past season being quite good .enough to " let well alone." ~- ~_ \ I have had the pleasure of a run on a Zenith bi.-car with two-sp^eed; gear, and $t As ali a " pleasaaat ? machine to " handley- I ", ' The single .-Cylinder machines have I;he Fafnir engine, but their tricajes use the Jap. The tricar de luxe, with twin .-water-cooled Jap engine of 7 h.p.~, twospeed gear and free engine, wheel steering - and 'bucket seat for the driver, is a very fine sample of a tricar. - '_ -These machines have. ; taken so much "space ~to describe that I v must leave the "Olyrftpia^show -for a~ later 'atter, and also the accessory sections.