Motoring.

Southland Times, Issue 18840, 5 June 1920, Page 9

Motoring.

(By “Headlight.’’) If the motor cycle side-car is to retain ds value as a selling proposition in this country- and there am no indications as yet of its failing to interest the public—'hen prc.at.er attention must be given to the -■pnnging systems employed. Not that sidecar- in which the springing leaves little or not Inns to be desired cannot be found, for -sviral design- ime noteworthy in this re--p'd, hut, as a genera! rule, instead of mer.-iv in exceptional ceres, improvements are needed in this direction. Some of the springing systems employed appear to be af.'miraiile when the car is new, that is before it ha- come under the influence of the inevitable overloading which is the lot

sooner or later of every "attachment,” Jtut after a too brief .-■■ pell of satisfactory service it is found that the side-car has lost its early virtues and is suffering damage to the body through "bumping” or swaying action, Alternatively the springing is too stiff and remains so after the car has been run in, during which Litter process the occupant has most likely gone through a bad tune whilst the machine has been traversing rough roads, and ii is indeed true in fitly relatively few cases that the springing is carried out on correct, scientific lines, with proper resiliency fiom the start, absence of undue stiffness or, as an alternative, bounce, and the ability to afford permanent satisfaction under a variety of con* lit ions. What some des'gners appear to lose sight of altogether is that the springing must be so arranged that vibrations and shocks in both the vertical and horizontal directions must be provided against; the car body must be capable of a swinging but not a swaying motion, and this within certain limits only. "Soppiness” is not a very elegant term, but it rightly describes a class of movement- that is very undesirable and mint be avoided in the suspension of sidecar body, and initial stiffness, even though pronounced, is to be preferred. The zigzag loading stage, or platform, may he of no little interest to many users of motor traction vehicles. Stages of this type ware sometimes erected in France, especially at the base depots during the latter part of the war, and might have been eventually adopted specifically by the War Office had the war lasted long enough. Any builder should be able to erect the zigzag stage, either in timber or concrete. One of its advantages is that it does not necessitate vehicles to commence turning cither in the right or left when they first commence to poll away from the platform, thus saving the engine and mechanism from considerable stresses. Also, by adopting the zigzag platform, loading or unloading takes dace ~vrr one side as well as over the tailhoard of each vehicle.

! (Ire at are the possibilities of the motorcycle and strange and varied have been tha i uses to which it has been put. But possibly | there is no occasion under which greater cirj eunn-pcction is needed titan when it is used to ■•follow the hounds.” If one cannot ride across country and experience the exhilara•ion of taking the ditches and fences, it is nobble, with the aid of the motor cycle, to slip along the by-lane*, and when in luck | !, e in at the kill. Although the utility of I it.c machine in this spent is obvious, the | Motor-cycle points eiut that it is very easy to cause great annoyance, and every con--■deralion slioulu be shown for the held and in running in the vicindy of the horses at the meet, when moving off, or, indeed, at any time’when the noise may be objectionable. In national interest —perhaps even In national possibility —the motor truck exceed' ;d! the many modern transport mediums. In importance it is second to none, i-'h.i.ps and shipping can travel only over highly restricted* routes; railroads can serve well defined and established areas, but motor trucks penetrate every nook and corner of the country and the hum of their engines is heard everywhere. Once a month, or eveiy thousand miles, the oil in the crank case should be drained off and a fresh supply poured in. The oil may be drained by removing the drain plug at the bottom of the oil pan. After draining flush the crank case with kerosene through the breather pipe, replace drain plug and put in clean oil to the level of the lower pit cock in the crank case. Turn the engine over for five or ten minutes. Remove drain plug and drain again. Then refill with new oil. Half filling the case is to make absolutely sure that all the kerosene is drained off, for otherwise it would mix with the fresh oil and cut down ,ts lubricating qualities