MOTOR AND CYCLE

Taranaki Daily News, 1 November 1917, Page 2

MOTOR AND CYCLE

NEWS AND NOTES. Tlio recent world's record for the full day's motor-cycle ride on a track, viz., ISBl> l-4 ; by 15. G. Baker ('U.S.A.)-, on the /Cincinnati has already gone by the board and a substantial increase put up. The new holder is L. Parkhurst and his performance is a particularly line 011 c, for he negotiated the remarkable mileage of 1452% miles j# 24 hours, some CBA miles better than Baker's record. The ride took place at New York on the Shee-pshead Bay,-Speejfofay. The most important jntermesate figures were 500 miles in 7 hpurs 35 ..minutes 17 seconds as against Baker's # hours 30 minutes, and 1000 miles in 17 hourft 8 [minutes 28 seconds. Parkhurat's mount was a "Harley-Davidson," and he would have added at least another 60 miles to his total only for the fact that he was oft the track owing to rain, for nearly an hour on one occasion. The merit, of this great ride will -be appreciated when it is-pointed out that Parkhurst averaged over a mile a minute for consecutive hours. The motor-cycle side car record wag also tackled at the same time, and 1158 miles covered in the full day by Walker. .

In the early days of the war the French Government merely judged a, man from the soldiering point of view; any qualifications he possessed rendering him Ideal for any specialised duty was ignored. Jean Ohasaagnae, ono ; of the world's champion motor drivers, was a gunner in the garrison artillery. His contemporary, Wagner, was a bombardier, whilst Michelat, the chief engineer of the Delage Motor Manufacturing iCo„ was given quite ail obscure position in the fighting forces. But now things have undergone a great change. The need for competent men for vital services has been taken to heart, and a great reshuffle has been made. Jean Chassagnae >b now working in the Sunbeam factory turning out aero engines, aB is also Joseph Christianens. Jules <3eux is an officer in a tank ; Louis Wagner has been removed from the trenches to the Darracq factory to build aeroplanes; Nazzaro anij Lanoia are back in their old shops; their compatriots, Cagno, Scales and Fagnano, are busy in the F.I.A.T. factory; Henry Fournier, of De Dion quad fame, i s turn-, ing out munitions; whilst tho Sizaire brothers are doing big things in a similar line. And so it is going on. The giants I of mechanics who have acquired unique experience in highly-specialised fields, are i now giving their countries the whole of their peculiar and invaluable knowledge. It was stated in a recent law suit that the last reduction of the price of the "Ford" in the United States cut the companyU profits in 5 * half, viz., from £512,000,000 on 500,000 cars in 1915 to £6,000,000 on 750,000 caTs in 191<i, One of the most useful articles a motorist can carry aboard a car—that is, the owner who does not luxuriate in electric lighting and inspection lampsis a small electric torch. When driving at night it comes ie handy for numerous purposes, for ascertaining the time, for inspecting the oil gauge, for checking speed by a glance at the speedomotcr, for use when lighting up, etc. If there is no pocket beside the driver, a crossed strap arrangement placed in some handy position will hold the torch or lamp set curely, so that it is always close at hand. If it happens that any engine adjustment has to be made on the road after nightfall, these small electric lamps are invaluable, for it is not always safe or expedient to bring a kerosene lamp close -enough to enable such work to be done easily. We advise every driver whose car is not electrically equipped in the way of lighting, to carry one of these small lamps. They cost only a few shillings, and batteries for renewal pur. poses can be obtained in almost in any store for a couple of shillings. It will surprise'most motorists in this country to learn that the Dunlop Rubber Company, which supplies the major por. tion of the tyres used in Australasia, pays in salaries and wages, a sum of ■nearly £250,000 per annum. The number of people employed in connection with the manufacturing and selling of Dunlop tyres and rubber goods approximates about 2000. Few manufacturing concerns in Australasia have shown such a remarkable growth. A properly enclosed roller chain drive on a motor-cycle makes little or no noise of a kind that can be termed objectionable, and if that were the only point at issue one would probably hear very little about the type of chain known as the "silent" or "noiseless" pattern. • There is, however, a far wider and more import--1 ant aspect of the subject to be considered, and it concern's -the capacity of suclv chains for transmitting power under conditions which are not altogether of the most, favorable kind. A roller chain when properly designed and made is an excellent ipedium for its purpose on a motor-cycle and it has been proved to possess an efficiency of a high character. The tendency is to increase the number of machines so fitted either in part or in respect of the entire transmission system. There are, however, certain limi*. ations which cannot very well be exceeded and it is in these circumstances that the noiseless type of chain may be used to advantage. The speed of a chain running between the engine and countershaft is very high and the propensity for wear is thereby increased. The advantage Of the noiseless chain under these conditions is that the type fa more flexible than the roller chain and therefore in itself absorbs some of tho fluctuations in the loads from the engine which are more apparent at low speeds. At the same time the noiseless chain, as its name implies, can be run at the high chain speeds usual with this form of transmission without creating noiae, whilst it is to a certain extent self-ad-justing, more especially as the centres of tho first motion, viz, the engina and countershaft, are usually spaced somewhat closely. A necessary point in designing chains of this sort is to obtain aj large an area as possible for the rivots, in order to minimise wear, A chain destined to run at a high speed over short centres and in which the load varies considerably must have ample flexibility, strength, and the ability to become to some extent self-adjusting. Those attributes are justly claimed for-, the noiseless type of chain and we anticipate that in due course its adoption, under tlie circumstances named, will become fairly general.