ON TWO WHEELS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1024, 15 July 1930, Page 6

ON TWO WHEELS

MOTOR CYCLING FIXTURES Saturday.—Dinner and annual prize night of North Shore Club. July 20. —Run by North Shore Club to Manly, leaving Hall’s Corner, Takapuna, at 10 a.m. . July 27.—Social run by Sports Club to Sharpe’s Bush, Henderson; leaving Western Springs at 10 a.m. . August 16 and 17.— Sports Club s annual 250-mile reliability trial for Pascoe Cup. WHITEWASH TRAIL GOOD SPORTING RUN UNOFFICIAL HILL CLIMB Nineteen riders and a party of three in a motor-car turned out for the whitewash trail sporting run arranged by the Sports Motor-Cycle Club, which | was held last Sunday. Several Xortn j Shore Club members joined in the run. , The trail was laid by W. Dingle and j Percy Fletcher, the latter controlling j the flow of Whitewash from an eight- j gallon drum in the sidecar. The j splashes led from Epsom through Kcmuera to Panmure and then over a “colonial section” to Pigeon Mountain. L. McLaren (A.J.S.) was first to catch the sidecar, which had run out of whitewash. After lunch at Howick the party returned to the mountain for a series of hill-climbing events, both j slow and fast. Three competitors, C. J. W alkcr j (Velocette), L. Williams (B.S.A. and sidecar), and S. Brookes lost the trail i and finally arrived at Waikato Heads, j Other riders were: —D. McLaren (Francis Barnett), G. Leonard (Velocette), A. Sutherland (A.K.D-L A. Bough twood (Rex Acme), Crouch (Royal Enfield), W. Marett (8.5. A.), G. Howlett (Sun). A. R. Myers (Velocette), L. Perry (Velocette), J. Parker (Velocette), C. E. Alexander (Excelsior), J. Brunsden (8.5. A.), Alf Christie (Big X and sidecar), and Alston Christie (Norton). PETROL ECONOMY NO LOSS THROUGH COLD THEORY AND PRACTICE Riders who find their engines hard to start this weather often consider that the weaker mixture which is reaching the engine owing to lower j temperatures Is actually giving them 1 more miles to each gallon. If the mixture were adjusted to be richer and give easier starting the consumption would certainly be greater, but the fact is, if adjustments are the same, there is practically no difference between winter and summer m.p.g. averages. Theoretically, a petrol engine runs most efficiently at the highest temperature made possible by the lubricating oil and the cooling arrangements. It should, therefore, run more economically in hot weather than in cold. In practice, however, it is difficult to note any marked improvement although riders imagine their engines to be running more economically in warm weather, because the carburet- | ter air control can be opened more fully, hut the amount of petrol consumed remains substantially the same. This is accounted for by the fact that the volumetric efficiency of the engine is somewhat affected by the temperature at which the mixture enters the cylinder, so that the higher the temperature the less dense the gas charge becomes. It is not possible to lay down a definite rule on this matter, as the variation in consumption, if any, will differ greatly with various engines, depending mostly on the valve timing, cam shape and intake pipe design. Auckland trials officials have not yet turned th’lr attention to petrol economy te' is, but when this type of contest does arrive, riders will doubtj less learn the truth of these statements. With the ease of access to i the carburetter “tickler” and the air attachment fitted to all English machines, it Is certainly not necessary to adjust for winter running, in New Zealand at least, j REPAIRS TO CHAIN DIRTY BUT NOT DIFFICULT On the road the job of repairing a chain is a dirty one, but if approached in the proper manner is far from difficult. A suitable rivet extractor is essential for this job, and one of these tools should be carried by every rider of a chain-driven machine. First, the damaged link must be removed by pushing its rivets out ! with the extractor. In this operation j it is important that the screw punch is centred accurately on the rivet, otherwise it might slip and damage one of the side plates. If one’s kit can supply a spring, or other type connecting link, the chain can be replaced and connected up. If an old link be used it should be slipped into place and the ends of the rivets carefully burred over. The flat of a large spanner can be used as a block. In replacing the chain it usually pays to run it on round the gear box sprocket from above, with the help of the kick starter. Both ends of the chain then are brought on to the rear sprocket, and the connecting link inserted, with the open end of (he clip to the rear. To do this the chain adjuster may need slackening slightly. The chain can now be readjusted so that not more than one inch of movement can be felt in the slackest part. If the spring portion of a connecting link is lost, a couple of pieces of wire, bent after the fashion of a K.L.G. spark plug terminal, may be used as an emergency fitting on each rivet head. HUGE ORDER FOR HUDSONS Hudson motor-car officials have been notified by the State of California that the strictly stock model Hudson Great Eight has passed every test without a single mark against it, and that the company has been awarded the con tract for T 5 cars to be used by the California State Highway Control. The tests, which were confined to a field cut down to eight by preliminary tests, were more severe than ever before, and the industry has always regarded the standards demanded by the State of California as the maximum on almost every count. The test this year included acceleration, speed, brakes, front wheel shimmy, steering action, slowest speed before and after the speed tests, vibration, jerking economy and reliability.