ON TWO WHEELS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 248, 10 January 1928, Page 7

ON TWO WHEELS

NEWS AND NOTES

H ARLEY-DAVIDSON CLUB The following meetings and outings have been arranged: Tuesday, January 10. —Committee meeting, Merson’s Garage, 8 p.m. January 16.—General meeting, Merson’s Garage,^.4s. SUNDAY RUNS FOR JANUARY Sunday, January B.—Run to Orewa; assemble vehicular ferry, 9.15 a.m. Sunday, January 15.—Run to Waiuku; assemble Merson’s Garage, 10 a.m. or Harp of Erin 10.23 a.m. SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 and SUNDAY 29. 24 Hours Trial.—Those members who wish to enter kindly forward their entrance fee (10s) to the treasurer, Mr. Atkinson, c/o Merson Bros., Glenside Crescent, Symonds Street, as soon as possible. Members are also reminded that the secretary leaves top of Symonds Street one hour after all these runs are scheduled to leave the starting place. GUARANTEED A motor-cycle which is guaranteed to attain a speed of 80 miles an hour was a feature of the Raleigh exhibit at the Olympia Show in London. It was the Raleigh 3.48 O.H.V. SuperSports machine, every part of which is specially selected and viewed in a separate department under the personal supervision of the company’s expert, Mr. D. R. O’Donovan. After erection the engines are run in under “their own power on the brake. When this is completed they are taken down, examined, re-erected and tested for horse-power. Experience has shown that ordinary horse-power is useless for a machine which is going to reach 80 miles an hour on the road. Exhaustive tests have shown that 17 to 18 brake horsepower is necessary and therefore 18 b.h.p. has been fixed as the minimum standard and any machine not reaching this is rejected. Though nominally 3.48 h.p., this Raleigh will develop 18 brake horse-power—a wonderful instance of the high efficiency now reached by British motor-cycle engineering. Every engine is tested on its own carburettor as sold to the purchaser. After “final” test it is again examined and when new valves are ground in and new valve springs fitted it is ready for the owner. There is then a really final test by Mr. O’Donovan and no machine leaves the works till it has the great expert’s warranty, so that every such Raleigh will carry this guarantee to do its 80 miles an hour on a British road—the speed of the fastest cars. Among the many new machines exhibited at the recent British MotorCycle Show, quite a few new and novel designs were featured. Among some of interest to local motor-cyclists are: ’The historical exhibit of motor-cycles; Triumphs with black and blue tanks; New 174 c.c. Raleigh, with separate threespeed gear-box; a two-stroke 8.5. A., of 174 c.c., with pin-jointed frame: Duplex steering on certain O.E.C. models: the German D.G.W. and the Belgian Gillet: the Francis Barnett twin two-stroke; a British four-cylinder machine—the Brough Superior. CLEANING THE EXHAUST The operation of scraping clean the bore of an exhaust pipe presents so many difficulties that the job is seldom undertaken by the average rider. But there is quite a simple way of doing it, and it should not be neglected. A piece of ordinary file card should be obtained, and secured firmly round a fairly heavy flexible cane, so that it is a tight fit in the exhaust pipe. A few minute’s work with this “ramrod” will make a perfect job of the dirtiest pipe, the flexibility of the cane enabling it to foliow quite sharp bends.

“Jack fell out of his car the other day and broke his peninsula.” "His what?” "Peninsula! A long neck stretching out to see.” According to Sir Herbert Austin the Austin programme of 192 S provides for a production of nearly 70.0U0 cars. The largest business among Austin agents for 1929-27 was done by Rootes, Ltd., of London, who sold cars to the value of £1,135.000. “He certainly gets a lot of fun out of that old car of his." "You are perfectly correct. He doesn t get much in it." The King and Queen of Spain have both chosen Cadillac cars lor their personal use. Recently Kmg Altcnso took his Cadillac on a hunting expedition into the heart of Avila, a \ ery mountainous district of Spain. A dance is a place where you go with vour girl pav 10s for a good floor and the best music in town—and then sit outside all night a can Xew York Pedestrians' Association functions about the same strength as the Bartenders' Union of America. When about to pass another car one should glance in the rear view muioi fo see Ua car behind is trying to pass.