MOTOR & CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 May 1919, Page 12

MOTOR & CYCLE.

PRICES OF ENGLISH CARS. A well known English motorist, in commenting 011 the high figures being charged at. present for high-grade English post-war ears states that the labor question has, no doubt, been an important factor. Various firms had previously lived approximate prices, but. when the labor troubles began these prices were raised to much higher fmures. What the eventual result will be it; is hard to say. If the workmen get w hat thev apparently are inclined to demand in the way of wages, the English manufacturers will make a very poor show indeed in competition with Continental firms and the United States, and the same would apply in many other industries. There is 'a limit, beyond which lies disaster. The prosperity of the country depends mainly on its manufactures and food products, and if the cost of these, retail, is abnormally large it must act prejudicially on the workers, no matter how high their rate of wages may be. The only way to success is to endeavor to strike a happy mean, OVER-LOADING SIDE CARS.

It seems to have become fairly well grafted on to the minds of a large proportion of those who buy and sell motor-cycles, and as much in the case of the purchasing public, that for side-car ÜBe anything loss than a 5-6 h.p. engine, that is to say one 650 c.c. upwards, is of little use for side-car work. The retailer has a genuine excuse for his belief for he knows that the average side-car user, as a rule, loads his machine with passengers and luggage without regard to its nominal h.p. rating, and appears to think that because of its being a doubletracker it ought to be able to get along under any load that the construction will support, without regard to the engine and what it is able to haul. In the circumstances it is not unexpected that the trader believes it is wise to counsel the purchase of a big twin, exerting its 8-10 h.p., as a machne so fitted cannot very easily be over loaded There is, however, another and a totally different side to the question; while the high-powered outfit fills a place which 110 other is suitable for, there exists a big demand for the lighter, less expensive, and more generally handy class of outfit, propelled by a single or twin-cylinder engine of 3A to 4 h.p., having attached to it a sidecar of reasonably proportioned size and j weight. Those who demand this style of vehicle in preference to the heavier and faster ones are content in most cases with a lower standard of speed and weight-carrying capacity, and they have, moreover, an eye to the smaller running, etc., costs of which the smaller engine permits. Wonderful results have been obtained with medium-weight side-car combinations in the way of engine power and hill-climbing, whilst economy in petrol consumption and other outlays is a marked feature of their us,e. TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS.

In discussing motor-cycle transmission systems one usually has in mind the belt and the chain, also a combination of the two, with a spare thought for shaft and bevel drive. The last of these has not hitherto figured much in British design, but has nevertheless been proved by the practice of others to be an entirely satisfactory means of converting the power output of an engine into prn- ] ulsive effort at the driving wheel. There remains another form of transmission which, applied to cycle conditions, has shown itself quite efficient and capable of transmitting power in full measure from the driving to the driven member. The use of friction discs can be conveniently achieved where, as in the case of a cyclecar or light car, suitable mounting can be planned on a three or four-wheeled chassis. In that of a motorcycle, however, that is to say a single track vehicle with its frame upstanding instead of on the flat, the problem of applying friction drive is not an easy one. Moreover, as a reverse is not wanted, some, at least, of the advantages of the system are lost. One benefit, of conveying the drive through friction discs is the easy manner in which variations in the gear ratios can be brought about. Top gear is represented by the engagements of the two discs at or quite near to the periphery; any movement of Die travelling disc in the direction of the centre of the "feed" disc naturally means a lowering of the gear, whilst beyond the centre a reverse is effected. The gear changes act, as a matter of course, on the infinitely variable principle. Then again when the moving disc is exactly on the centre line of the companion one, neutral or free engine is obtained, the whole thing being as simple as it is possible to conceive. What is [not so simple, however, is the mounting of the parts in a suitable framing with bearings for the respective shafts. One scheme is to place the engine athwart the frame and mount the other disc outside it. The inner disc is carried on a castellated or squared extension of the engine main shaft on which it is frcj to slide to and fro whilst turning, suitable mechanism being provided whereby the driver can cause the disc to assume any position between the outside edge and centre of the driven disc according to the gear ratio required. The driven disc is formed as, or has attached to it ,a belt pulley or chain sprocket by means of which the drive is conveyed to the rear wheel.

TYRE MILEAGE. For Rome unknown reason, the motorist is inclined to underrate the importance of his tyres, and the part they play in the pleasures and service his car provides.

"If motorists did the right thing, they would make as careful a study of their tyres as of their engines, since on the one almost, as much as the other depends tlie cost of running fheir cars." This is how an expert expresses himself on the question of tyre mileage. Ever since the pneumatic tyre was put on the market people have been striving to improve it,.either hy building a better tyre or hy trying to find something which would at least do away with punctures. The solution of the motorist's tvrc problem lies along two lines—first, tyre care; second, the application of such methods as are followed by the skilled repair man, or those methods which can readily be followed by the earowners. Watch your tyre inflation. That point cannot be emphasised too strongly. Remember that careless inflation is totally or partially responsible for the condition of about 90 per cent of the tyres that are returned to all tyre manufacturers for adjustment. Also, remember, that 2."> miles of driving on a tyre that shows low air pressure is often more injurious than lf>oo miles of driving oil the same tyre when it is fully inflated. Any new tyre can be started well on the road to ruin by a few miles of running when the air pressure is low.

Stone bruises aw liio least understood injuries that can happen to a tyre. They are always followed sooner or later by blowouts. When the inevitable blow-out occurs, the ear-owner almost invariably blames the manufacturer for making a defective tvre. The principal reason is that the blow-out generally oceurs miles away from the place when the injury ocoisrred. a;nd maybe days and even weeks afterwards. It may even occur when the car is standing still. The inside plies of fabric may break, even if there is not the slightest mark on the tread. Tyres are constantly encountering sharp obstacles. Evidences are the tread cuts which appear on tyres after they have been in service for some. time. If these cuts are deep enough to reach the fabric, dirt, and water are sure to work in between the tread and fabric, and cause trouble. Should they be too large to repair with tyre putty, have them vulcanised by some practical re-pair-man. Jf the front wheels get out of tune, adjustment is a very simple matter. Rear i wheels present greater difficulties, hut fortunately they are less liable to get out of tune. Whenever this condition exists tyres wear down rapidly. If wheels are badly out of line, new tyres may wear down to the fabric in 200 miles of running. Wheels should be regularly measures to be assured of nominal tyre wear.

Watch the average car stop suddenly, and the rear wheel often locks while tlie other keeps on turning. That means that the brakes are operating nostlv 011 cne wheel. The tyre on that wheel is largely responsible for stopping the car, and it shows excessive tread wear. If you have all-weather tread tyres on your rear wheels, do not blame one tyre for excessive tread wear without a little examination. The chances are the brakes are not working evenly. The safest way is to prevent trouble by having your brakes overhauled every now and then.

Tubes do not wear out—they burn out. If tubes could be kept absolutely cool, they woidd last longer, but that condition is impossible. An inferior tube, even if it costs less, is poor economy. It not only gives shorter service, but often results in a ruined caisng. A tube costs 011 an average about one-fifth of the cost of the casing. You can readily see what a poor investment an inferior tube is.

Very often, after a tyro has been in ujc for some time, the* fabric has become weakened in spots, due to road conditions and other causes. Enough of the tread remains to withstand considerable wear and the car-owner does not wish to throw the tyre away. A reliner or an inside tyre protector, as we call it, will strengthen up the fabric, and often give the car-owner 1000 or more additional miles that he could not hope to get without the use of the inside tyro protector. These protectors also lessen the danger of punctures, especially in winter.

Every car-owner has use for several emergency articles, because misfortunes have a way of refusing to some simply. With four new tyres on the wheels and a new spare, most motorists feel comparatively secure. But even five new tyres are insufficient protection against a succession of punctures.

A couple of fabric patches for casing injuries, several tube patches, a tyre tester, a little friction tape, a little putty, and a tube of Tale., in addition to a spare tyre, are all that a motorist needs to give him full protection against accidents to his tyres.

PETROLEUM IN NEW ZEALAND.

While there has not so far been much suecicss attaining the exploitation of New Zealand's oil bearing regions, news lias come to hand, says the Petroleum Review, that there are immense possibilitis of obtaining petroleum products from other, and as yet quite undeveloped sources. The process of extracting crude oil from kauri peat gum swamps is not being energetically pushed forward, and according to a report just received, there seems to be an almost unlimited source of petroleum supply. It is stated that one company has the rights over 40,000 acres of these old swamp lands, though this large area is only a fraction of the swamps which await commercial development. The yield of crude oil is said to range from 70 gallons per ton from the gum grit to 100 gallons per ton from gummy timber. As yet large quantities of the crude oil have been refined, while the actual commercial value has not been definitely established; but it is estimated that the business may become a very profitable industry. Today New Zealand imports practically all her petroleum, so that the development of the swamps is a project of great importance. AEROPLANE ENGINES. Wonderful improvements have been made in the aero engine as regards advance of power and reduction of weight, _ The latest "Liberty" (aeroplane engine, which is now being rushed out in large numbers in America, develops 450 horsepower, yet the power unit weighs only R2slbs., so that one horsepower is obtainable from 1.831b of metal. This is 50 per cent, more powerful and 25 per cent, lighter per h.p. than the average aero engine in service to-day. What a difference from the time when the first man-carrying aeroplane flights were made in 1 <lO3 with the Wright brothers' engine developing 12 h.p. and weighing 152)b or 12.71b per horse-pow-er! In 1010 (seven years later), the average horse-power of aeroplane engines had increased to 54, and the weights decreased to 5.71b per horse-power. In the following seven years (1017) the average power output had advanced to 243 h.p. and the weight decreased to 2.S lb per horsepower. Again in IMS. the horsepower advanced with the perfection of the Liberty engine (the outcome of (he brains of the cleverest English and American motor experts) to 450 h.p. for a weight of 8251b, or 1.83 per horsepower.

MOTOR TRACTORS INT PERU. The growth of the motor tractor movement is further evidenced by the fact that these motors are now being used in Peru. One landowner is using three tractors, which number will be augmented by an additional nine tractors, with which he intends to keep his entire .'IO,OOO acres in cultivation. The initial three tractors are being operated by Japanese drivers. It was impossible to teaeli native Peruvians to handle the tractor, but it took only two or three hours to teach the Japanese, so that within a. few days they handled the outfits perfectly. The tractors rn-e pulling Min. two-plough gangs. The owner expects to keep his 30..000 acres in cultivation when his battery of 12 tractors is complete, because a. vast area is in sugar cane, which he will replant in anywhere from 10 to 15 years. The preparation, seeding and cultivation of his cotton fields and such areas as he sets aside for corn will be the principal work for the tractors beyond adapting them to the cultivation of th« cane as rapidly as possible,