MOTOR & CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 March 1920, Page 10

MOTOR & CYCLE.

NEWS AND NOTES. A DIFFERENCE LN ENGINES. What a difference there is at the present time in the respective service rendered by the motor car engine and aeroplane engine. Thousands of car engines in this country run month after month —sometimes a full year or so without being taken down for an overhaul. An aeroplane engine is due for a general overhaul after a hundred hours flying. The former has to put up with all the vibration incidental to bumping over bfid roads, the latter is free from the troubles brought about from this cause. The (".;"• -once is so marked that it make,- T ,,f why the stresses on the aprr jjigine are so much more tSan with ,t)if. uitomobile power unit- Of course the aviation engine is cut in weight to the barest minimum to ensure lightness, but against that the heavier made car engine has to put up with continual jarring and working in an atmosphere of dust and grit: The question arises if an aero engine were fitted into a car chassis how long would it niti without overhauling under road conditions? Leaving the safety factor out of consideration—why should an aeroplane engine call for such frequent attention at the hands of skilled mechanics when the conditions under which it works appear to be infinitely easier than those which the car engine has to perform its duties. We know that the nero power unit is run at high speed, .Tint only in exceptional circumstances for more than a few hours at a time. Many a car engine appears to get far more brutal treatment week after week under a mid summer sun, Without the slightest thought of attention, only petrol and oil being necessary. Is it that efficiency and durability have been sacrificed to war necessities, and that the really durable aero engine suitable for commercial aviation has yet to le evolved 1 A THIEF-PROOF DEVICE. _ The story is told of a London motorist who, in despair of finding a suitable mechanical thief-proof device, purchased a savage dog which he had trained to sit at attention in his car whilst ho was absent. One day he left the car, with the dog on guard, in Pall Mall, but when he returned found that someone had stolen—the dog! AN INTERESTING FEATURE. One of the most interesting features of the recent Londdn Motor Cycle Exhibition was seen in the greater tendency to render the engines of motorcycles clean in appearance, particularly where the crrgikcase and other of the ' larger surfaces are concerned. It was formerly considered good practice to embellish tho erankcase with designs in raised and sunk portions or characters setting forth the name of the makers, or otherwise constituting distinctive markings, all of which provided nooks and corners where mud nnd oil could accumulate and in time give the engine a very untidy and neglected appearance- The work entailed in keeping the parts free from such accumulates at times amounted to something considerable, and the present day tendency to provide smooth crankcases, gearboxes, etc., is a move in the right direction. Several English firms have now adopted this practice, and it is one that should become general in the interests' of both trade and public. ADJUSTABLE DRIVING SEAT. A well-known English manufacturer advertises the fact that the driving seat of his car is adjustable. This is a move in the right direction, for nothing is More uncomfortable than to be either jammed up behind the steering wheel, with insufficient room, or drive with the pedals and steering wheel too tar away- ' On a long journey it means all the difference between comfort and never-end- : ing discomfort. Body builders in this country might well give this matter their consideration, for even when a car body is built to an owner's personal requirements, it eventually passes into i other peoples' hands, when in many i eases it means additional cushions, or i driving discomfort. No doubt it would ! mean an additional few pounds for ex- 1 tra work, but it would be well worth I the outlay. c PILLION RIDING. '" T " The popularity of "pillion" riding on motor-cycles at the present time, and j the almost universal practice of making E a machine built for one rider serve for « the conveyance of two, brings to our i minds once again the question of the t tadem motor-cycle, and whether it would f be likely to meet with favor if re-in- i troduced in a modem form. It is easy c to sketch out the details of such a teachine, equipped as it would be with a 4 or 5 h.p. engine, three-speed gear, clutch and kick-starter, and minus the pedalling gear that formerly was considered indispensable. Such a machine, so far as propulsion is concerned, would! be sufficiently powerful to go anywhere and convey two heavy riders up the steepest hills without difficulty, and it would doubtless be employed on innumerable occasions for the transport of a third rider on the earner- The engine b would even then have an easier task s than if a side-car were attached, and ' propulsive effort being in a straight S' line and the whole of the load support- b ed on two wheels. The main objection p would probably be that the increased ii length, and for a single track vehicle the f< greater weight as compared with the or- tl dinary machine used for pillion riding b whilst it is sometimes urged that tan- ci dems are more prone to skid than other si machines. 0 : PETROL PRICES. " A , T The result of the British enquiry into is the retail price of petrol, which" costs in about £7 Is to produce, and sells at gi £23, draws attention to the fact that t< the ultimate solution is home produc- cc tion from alcohol or coal. From an T Australasian point of view the qnesiion t< of reasonably cheap motor fuel is of Tr paramount importance to the advance pi and welfare of this country, for the tl automobile is destined to play an ira- te portant part in the development of tbe hi Commonwealth. In Australasia we can tl produce our own alcohol and our own oi benzole, yet nothing tangible is at- w tempted; in fact, cold water has been ec thrown on any proposals that motor fuel sc should be locally produced. In Taranaki pi we have profitable oil fiels only waiting tc development. f r The recent 10,000 miles benzole trial e\ in England demonstrated the absolute lu superiority of this coal product over pi petrol, the long tost proving that ben- to zole has absolutely ho bad effects on in any part of the mechanism of an in- tl ternal combustion engine, if the right a quality or «radp of this ,fisel is used. d«

1 In this country, we have unlimited sup- ** plies of coal and shale, and the opportunity of establishing an industry capable of supplying all our demands for motor fuel, yet nothing is done. It's worth remembering that America has alone nearly 8.000,000 cars and trucks running on petrol, and at present we get some of her petrol because she can spare it, but what of the time when in,g_ creased automobile iisp in the United n . States calls for all ho,. m riiior fuel being 0 . needed'for home use? The war demones strated the absolute need of a country f ], being self-contained as regards motor a (. fuels: in fact, the Allies would have lost Lll the war if their petrol supplies had a ] failed. It therefore 'behoves this coun- „ try that steps be taken that will render New Zealand and Australia independent er of imported motor fuel. Here's a key i,,, industry that calls for immediate devel;o opment. ,„ SPORTING EVENTS. 3f An effort has been made in England i n to revive some of the pre-war autoraore bile sporting events, hut the motor trade er has only made lukewarm offers of sup-' Ij, port, and the prospect of any motor car t_ road races before 1021 is not protnisB . ing. The fact of the matter is that the ~5 factories in which British cars are proit duced are still engaged in the process of n . settling down, the transition period from jt war to peace-time activity having been 0 _ rendered unexpectedly difficult by matj.. orial shortage, labor trouble, and lat- (,. terly, the moulders' strike. Even when ;t the moulders return to work, the time Ln jost would be difficult to recover, and r . for many weeks to come the factories ie would be hard pressed to overtake their A arrears. The strike, coupled with the B g immense number of orders now on e manufacturers' books, represents an iny! fluence altogether against participation ,j- in sporting events that must involve le a considerable expenditure of time and l v energy in the preparation of competing it chassis. Upon the whole, therefore, the m prospect of a motor car road race during jj thiß year is practically non-existent, but \ e the failure of such a competition to )e materialise will not, it is anticipated, prevent the successful organisation of the more important hill-climbs and also of race meetings on Brooklands track. r . NO FINALITY IN DESIGN. le I id All cars are capable of improvement, :0 though they may be admirable enougn is as examples of automdbile excellence n when studied in relation to the epoch it in which they have their being. In car I , e design there is no finality, and the period is strictly limited during which any good model may command a universal sale. At present the cry is for production, and although the fjrst law of s economical production is to adhere to :- one model and avoid modification, yet i- in this country the public taste is fickle ■- and inclined to favor the individual car y rather than the motor for the masses. e Wberefore all keen automobile manus facturers show wisdom if they pay close - heed, not only to the cry of the motor n user for his ideal in car service and s equipment, and to the progress of their r immediate industrial competitors, but - also to the work that is being done in I other allied branches of engineering; . foremost lamongdt which is aviation. f All Britishers wish to see Great Britain i m 4 leader in the motor industries of s the world, if not at first in quantity, s then in quality. During the war the J British car manufacturers went largely ; into the aeroplane industry, land to t many of these there came a unique op--1 (i>rtunity to absorb, in fact, some were 3 compelled to learn, modern engineering - methods of obtaining interchangeability i and of working to fine limits, the use of high-grade material, and the disposal thereof to good advantage, as exemplified in aeroplane and aero design. Competitive events will in due course en- • able the English makers to demonstrate ; the advancement made in automobile en- . gineering practice based on war experfi eace, and they are wise in first endea- ■ voting to perfect their post-war models , before rushing them into competition i work. In fact, very few really post-war cars have yet "been evolved, most of those now being marketed being war models plus slight modifications. A TANK RACE. An interesting and unique sporting ] event is to be held at Lyons in France , this month. A race between various types and makes of military tanks, over , a circuit full of natural difficulties, was j being arranged. Such an event should \ be full of incidents and draw a big , crowd. ' i A PARIS "BROOKLANDS." ) Paris is to have its "Brooklands," for r a big automobile racing track is to be erected near Villeparisis, some nine miles , *roih the French capital. The speedway ( is to be a five kilometre circuit (31 -10 j miles), whilst the width will be SS'/j feet. The track is to be utilised for j motor car and motor cycle racing and j car testing. j

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