THE MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 306, 4 June 1915, Page 2

THE MOTOR AND CYCLE.

NEWS AND NOTES. Now that the motor-carried machine guns are playing such an important part i in the European war, it is interesting to j note that tho first motor maxim gun , was used in 'IBB9. It was introduced l>y Major Lisle, then commanding the Mid- 1 dlesex Cyclists' Corps. The gun was 1 mounted on a light carriage, and was drawn by a 2%-h.p. Do Dion tricycle. There is a likelihood of an advance in the. price of bicycles and bicycle parts in England, which will later on probably be reflected in this country. The reason for tho suggested increase is that owing to an all-round advance in cost of production, tho existing prices—the result of keen competition in p-ospcrous times—do not leave a profitable margin for tho manufacturers. A further reason ia that a mild boom in bicycles has set in throughout England since the war | started, coupled with ' '>.ct that many of the leading fact devoted to tli& production of bic and accessories are now being employed in Government work. It is anticipated that the increase will bo in tho regio» of about 10 per cent. * » • All motorists have at times felt a certain amount of uneasiness when driving at night, right towards an approaching car with dazzling head lights. The best thing to do under these circumstances is always to check one's pace, and sedulously avoid gazing at the approaching light; instead, keep one's eyes fixed to the left-hand kerb, fence or road edge. Leave the onus on the other driver of avoiding your car, remembering that your own lamps will guide him, and that he is no more anxious to have a collision than you are. Another wise precaution is to make sure, whilst the other car is yet distant, that the intervening road space is unoccupied, and that there is no danger of overtaking and colliding with another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, when the glare, from the approaching headlights temporarily dazzles one. •Ever since the early days of the war we have heard various stories as to the scarcity of rubber, petrol and copper in Germany—stories that have been verified by the accounts of some who should be in a position to know the facts, and 'denied by others who were presumably as well informed. The recently-publish-ed French official review, however, lends 1 credence to the statements as to the dearth of various necessary commodities in the enemv's couritrv. We know

that the Germans must certainly be suffering from want of rubber, for however well stocked the country may have been in the pre-war days, no supplies are being produced to make good the inevitable wastage. Many of the military tractors and motor-cars are shod with solid rubber' tyres, and a shortage of rubber is going to have an effect on the condition of the enemy. An American official of high rank recently stated in the Press: "There were scarcely any motor-cars in Berlin when I left the city (December last), and the sale of rubber has been prohibited in every form." How Very" much more fortunate is the lot of English and French rnoto/ists, who have no difficulty in obtaining tyre supplies. When t''9 horizontally-opposed twincylinder typo of motor-cycle engine made its debut in tho modern form, there were many who cnJcised its design and foreshadowed its speedy demise. The critics, as events have proved, were entirely wrong in their predictions, and at the present time machines equipped with engines built on tho hori-zontally-opposed principle are among the most efficient and popular on the road. It is no secret that the near future has in store some interesting developments based on this type of construction. One of the chief advantages of the horizontal twin is the entire absence of engine vibration. This is noticeable at all speeds, and it adds very greatly to the comfort of the rider. It is also good for the. structural portions of the machine itself, for engine vibration where it exists is communicated to the frame and other parts, and has a marked effect upon their condition after a period of service. The phenomenal ease of starting which characterises the engine, due to its even firing and perfect balancing is a point tho importance of which cannot be well over-rated, and to many it represents the principal charm of the type and the one which acts as the decisive factory in the choice of the machine. Those who have never tried a horizontally-opposed twin probably do not realise its advantages as fully as it deserves, although from observations of the doings of others they can hardly fail to recognise the possibilities of the type. An impression existed at one time that it was difficult, if not impossible, to build a motor cycle of this class with j its engine so arranged that the cylinders . can bo removed without taking the engine as a whole out of the frame. This drawback, for so it is undoubtedly regarded by the majority, is by no means a necessary or indispensable feature of the construction. It can be avoided without unduly lengthening the wheel base, and as now designed machines of the horizontally-engined pattern are free altogether from any need for dismounting the engine when desiring to take down the cylinders. Successful efforts have, at the same time been made to render it a quite simple task to re- | move the engine from the frame en bloc when such a step .is required. This class of machine to which we are referring is perhaps the most steady of any on greasy road surfaces. This is partlydue to the even running of the engine, and partly to the excellent possibilities which exist in respect of weight distribution. Altogether there should be a promising future for the horizontallyopposed machine not only in its fourstroke form, but a two-stroke as well.