CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIV, Issue 33, 2 October 1912, Page 3

CYCLE AND MOTOR NOTES.

During recent years remarkable advance lias been made in the flexibility of the petrol motor engine. Nowadays, a motorist can travel for hours at a time over undulating country without having to touch the change gear lever. A general all-round improvement in the engine—magneto and carburetter, has brought about this result. No better evidence of the flexibility of the present day car can be cited than the recent wonderful performance established in England on a 6-cylinder car, which was driven from London down to Land’s End—the southern most point in England—thence up to John-0 Groat’s—northern most point in Scotland—and back to London via Edinburgh, a total distance of 1928 miles, without once getting off the top gear. The route included some of the hilliest country in Great Britain. The petrol consumption for the run was practically 2-1 miles to the gallon. The same car at the completion of the test attained a-speed of 77 miles an hour on Brookhinds Track.' 1 This ’test was officially checked, and observed by the Royal Automobile Club of England. The Tour de France, the longest and most strenuous cycle road race held in .the world, resulted '-ting- year inga win for a young Belgian rider, named Glide Defraye, who earned a sum of nearly £BOO, including prizes and bonuses, by his hard riding for the month, over which the race was spread. This great contest attracted all the leading long distance road cracks of Europe. The gate money at the Parc de Princes Track, Paris, where the race finished, amounted to £ll2O, which conveys an idea of the hold road racing has on the French people. As far hack as 1900 things were predicted for an auxiliary motor for nso as an attachment to the present-day bicycle. Difficulties in construction, which have prevented this device, known as the “Auto Wheel,” from be-

, ing marketed, are now said to bo over- | come, and this auxiliary attachment is now for sale in'England. The autowlieel, which is 20 inches in diameter, is fitted close up to the right-hand side of the back wheel, two robs being clamped to the back fork and chain stay, allowing of easy detachment when required. 1 When the bicycle is inclined, as when turning a corner, the attachment takes same angle with the ground, and the planes of the back wheel and the .auto-wheel are always parallel to one another. In its latest ! form no difficulty is round in making ' it hold the road continuously and secure sufficient grip of the surface. An experimental model, weighing only 231 b., was found to bo too light, and the attachment in its present form weighs about 341 b. Even on wet asphalt there was no sign of slip. Two controls only are necessary, the throttle, mounted on the right handlebar, and the exhaust valve lifter, mounted on the left. Both operate through Bowden wires. Petrol is carried in a tank mounted above the mud-guard. / The engine gives 1 h.p. An automatic inlet valve is used, and though : adopted chiefly on the score of con- , veuience in design, seems to give quite satisfactory results. The carburcttei is of original design, the product of long experience, and is controlled entirely by one lever. The lubricatoi is automatic. The auto-wheel is no! | intended for racing work, but will propel a 12 stone rider at an average 1 speed of 16 miles an hour, whilst i speed of 20 miles an hour can be atj tained on the level. The motor is easily started by. the rider pedalling 1 the bicycle. The cost in London is £l6 16s. * Particulars are to hand from Acv 3 York of a 21 hours’ motor cycle teams j race, which was won by Messrs Lockne: I and Shields of Syracuse with a scon of 1374 miles for the full clay. Tin conditions of the race were that mem bers of each team could relieve eacl other on the same lines as adopted ii the six days’ bicycle team races. Th 5 average speed of the winning team wa j? 67V miles an hour. Whilst the per formanca of the Syracuse team is flu© one, it is a long way behind S. E js Edge’s 21 hours’ motor car record, et I* ta Wished at Brook lands (Eng.), in 1901 On that occasion, Edge drove throng! out the full 24 hours, and register©

1581 miles, 1310 yards. C. Spencer, an American motor cyclist, lias ridden 1093 miles in 24 flours by himself, on the track, a performance that compares very favourably with the dual ride now recoryded by Messrs Lockner and Shields, in competition.

Mi’ Charles Jarrott, the well-known English motorist, who in the early days of motoring took a prominent and successful part in the big motor car races held in Europe, has written to the English press, suggesting that a “heavy fuel” race should be held by the Royal Automobile Club of England, with a view to encouraging and furthering the use of paraffin in place of petrol. Mr Jarrott suggests that the regulations should provide for the use of a maximum bore and stroke, and for the use of a. standard-type engine to be fitted with a carburetter that would enable the car to run on a heavy grade of paraffin. For the purposes of encouragement, bo suggests that the conditions for the first race should bo made as easy as posible. If necessary, the competitors should be allowed to start up on petrol, and the quantity ol paraffin should not bo too severely restricted. The attention of the public would bo drawn to the possibilities of a heavier fuel, and, if special tests were arranged later on, dealing with smell and visible exhaust, it is to be expected that many users would discover that the results obtained from the use of paraffin were good enough for their requirements. Some recent tests made by Mr Jarrott, at Brooklands Track, Eng., on a mixture of paraffin and petrol, demonstrated that there is no special difficulty in adapting almost any make of car to the nso of heavier fuel. It is suggested that the race should be held on the Isle of hum, which affords a splendid course, only a few hours from London. The proposal is a good one, for nothing will bring along the perfect paraffin (Carburetter, so surely and speedily as an event such as suggested by Mr Jarrott. According to Lord Montague, editor of “The Car,” England, there are 717,000 motor cars in the United States and 30,000 in Canada. During a recent visit to the States, he says that lie learned to respect the Americanmade motor car more than he had before, and he calls upon English manufacturers to wake' up and consider the advisability of making cars which are both cheap and good to meet the needs of the man of very moderate ;means. At the present time a very largo nUmbr of cheap American cars arc being landed in England, and unless some protective duty is levied, the manufacturers of the cheaper class of'English automobiles will be “up against” feoripus and strenudus''opposition, 'American car manufacturers havq, a; protective duty of 45< percent., whilst English makers have;only the' protection afforded by the over-sea freight - and charges, which is practically not worth considering. 'lt 'is 1 mooted 1 in England that a revenue “tax will shortly bo imposed by the British Government to protect the home industry from the influxrafi cheap' American' bars;'arid from present indications it will be needed, for during the past three years, American cars, Valued 'at £2,143,000 have been imported ill td' England, and judging from the prostrate the! American cheap car is pouring into England, tide year’s importatii&iis"' will easily total a million sterling: v ■ ‘ ;