MOTOR AND CYCLE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 October 1921, Page 11

MOTOR AND CYCLE.

NEWS AND NOTES. The completion of the five-millionth Ford car has lately been announced. It is said to have been placed in the Ford Museum at Detroit (U.S.A.), taking its place side by side with the first Ford, now some 20 years old.

Since the very earliest days of motoring there has been a constant striving after economy in fuel. Hundreds of devices have been inven 1 and much money has been spent on patenting, them and placing them on a market, but not very many remain and those that do are widely divergent both in , method, principle, price and construction. ■ Essentially the best apparent way to ■save money on fuel bills is to use cheap fuel, and in this connection the obvious resort to which the motorist turns is invariably paraffin. In turning to tins fuel he gets a higher calorific value, that is a greater number of thermal units per gallop, and at the same time he saves money on the cost of the fuel. Paraffin is of course, much cheaper than petrol and it actually gives a greater mileage, but at a big sacrifice. It is generally recognised that no matter how efficient the method of vaporising the paraffin may be, there is considerable condensation on the cylinder walls of an engine in which it is used with a consequent . dilution of the lubricant. This dilution can only lead to lubrication troubles in the end, and the only way to avoid it is to replenish the whole of the contents of the oil sump at very frequent intervals. Despite the fact that a fortune awaits the designer of a carburettor that is capable of properly automising paraffin and eliminating its defects, really very little advance has been made in this direction, notwithstanding that some of the cleverest engineers in the' world have been for years endeavoring to solve the problem. For years there has been a standing prize of £5OO offered bv the Peuget Co. in France, for the first cyclist who could, by his own power, fly on a mandriven machine a distance of 32 2-3 feet. The conditions call for a flight 18 inches from the ground. In the past many attempts in quaint contraptions have failed to lift the valuable prize. The latest to make an effort was the old-time sprint champion of France, G. Poulain. He had his cycle fitted up with two planes, one above the other. With the planes level Poulain rode hard until he attained a pace of 25 miles an hour, when he altered the angle of the plan es, the result being that his front wheel rose 1C inches off the ground, and the rear wheel not quite so high. He flew for IS feet at a gradually declining speed. At a fourth attempt the Frenchman did better. Riding at 30 miles an hour he brought his planes into action and flew 26 feet in 2 2-5 seconds. The officials at the test expressed the opinion that Poulain will yet win the prize. Very little appears to be done by motor cyclo manufacturers to lighten the weight of their machines. The recent English Tourist Trophy races threw some light on this subject. The minimum weights fixed for this year’s events were 155£lbs for the junior, and 187%1bs senior. Possibly the Auto Cycle Union which governs these English events regards these weights as the ideal to which manufacturers should work, but what do we find. An examination of the weights of the machines in the senior race disclosed the fact that the machines were appallingly heavy as compared to the ■ Auto Cycle Union’s ideal. There was not a machine even stripped for racing that weighed under 2001bs, in -fact the two small ‘‘A.J.S.” that raced in this event—out of their class—exceeded this weight. Many of the machines were over 3001bs and the majority nearer 300 than 2001bs. In the junior or so-called light-weight class, the weights were even more alarming. Of those machines that completed the course, one weighed 284, another 257, and a third 2481b5, and there was only one 350 C.C. machine that scaled under 2001bs. On t±. ? whole the “A.J.S.” which carried -.xi both the events, ranked amongst the lightest that competed. These facts prove that as the years go by motor cycles are getting heavier instead of lighter. This is a mistake, for economy in up-keep does not lay in that direction. For some years —as the weight has gone up—the maker has compensated the user by giving him more horse-power, but the fact remains, that for the power and weight, motor cyclists are paying a high price in the increased cost of running, plus a machine that is getting too heavy to handle with comfdrt.

The latest in motor cycle side car outfits is a totally enclosed side-car ensuring the passengers absolute protection from all kinds of weather. The top is binged at the front end, and is clipped down in position by a fastening at the back. It is intended later on to fit this fastening inside, so that the passenger can let him or herself out. The - sides of the top are made of thin ply wood, whilst the windows are made of mica. A sliding slit in the offside window can be used when the passenger and driver desire to converse. The whole of the front window hinges from the top, and can be locked in any position desired by the passenger. It is possible to use this window when opened as a prop to support the top when folded back to allow the passenger to enter the sidecar. The top adds very little weight, to the sidecar, which can be entered with as little if not less inconvenience than with the ordinary type of sidecar with windscreen.

On a working capital of about £7,800,000 the total sales of the AngloAmerican Oil Co. for their financial year amounted to over £-10,000,000. The profits amounted to £7,668,000, and the dividends to £6,862,000. Motorists might well ask when is the price of petrol coming down?

An idea of the popularity of cycling in France can be gathered -from the fact that there are now 4,308,000 cycle*'registered in that country. These figures show an increase of nearly 750,000 machines over pre-war registrations. It is rather surprising to learn that the manufacturers find it easier to produce a sparking plug that will withstand tests on Brooklands or other speedways than it is to devise one to stand up to all kinds of road work. On the track heat is the chief, if not the only, trouble to be overcome, and that is already accomplished. On the road a hilly district not only provokes temperatures equal to those attained on the trac-K, .but also subjects the plug to occasional oil-baths, especially when the sump is full, the piston rings a poor fit, and the engine utilised as a brake when descending long grades. The severest test ot a plug occurs in the big road races when oil and heat must both be coped with, and prolonged running without the semblance of a misfire is essential.

The practice of carrying a passenger on the carrier of a motor cycle has of recent years become increasingly popular until it is almost as common as a motor cycle ridden solo. This is especially the case at week-ends, and at these times the sex and age of the most

usual passenger have led to the carrier being termed the “flapper-bracket.” That the practice involves some risk can hardly be denied, and in some instances a ban has been placed upon it by insurance companies. There are, however, many degrees of risk, but it is possible that pillion riding does not entail a greater degree o-f risk than is always present in many other sports and pastimes.

Accidents have happened to motor cycles carrying two riders which might not have happened had only one rider been mounted at the time when it Occurred. Often this can be but a matter of surmise, and it might be asserted that the accident would have taken place in any ease, but one person less would have been involved in the damage. Occasionally it is quite evident that the presence of the passenger on the carrier has been responsible for the mishap. There is no doubt that some motor cycles are not well suited for carrying the extra passenger, either because the weight is already too far to the rear, or because the machine lacks the necessary staunchness and rigidity. Sometimes, also, the position of the saddle (too far back) forces the extra passenger to sit beyond the wheelbase. All these factors tend towards unsteadiness in the steering and balance, especially when negotiating sharp corners. It need hardly he asserted that a spring seat on the carrier is a desideratum, although many passengers are content to dispense with it and can make themselves sufficiently comfortable on a cushion or pad. A spring seat also relieves the wheel and carrier of a certain amount of strain. It must, however, be so constructed that it will maintain a fairly level position at all times, -for if it tends to drop the passenger to one side,, steering or balance will be more or less affected. Each successive day of motoring brings home to the driver the prime need of the car being adequately tyred. Australia is a land containing as great a variety of roads as any other in the world. We have very good and very bad road surfaces, and we often sample all kinds in a lengthy day’s outing. Hence comes the need for fitting tyres of a size that will comfortably carry the laden ear over all inequalities met with. It is true that almost all kinds of tyres will do that—for a time, that is. What is more important is that the loaded ear and the rough road surfaces will not rapidly break down the walls of the cover and prematurely lacerate the tread. Yet it is done almost every day because so many of the cars, and motor cycles, too, are under-tyred. The wiser class of drivers, however, minimise the damage and add to driving comfort by fitting what are known as over-size tyres, thus providing ample air cushioning between the rim and the road. The Dunlop Rubber Co. has made a speciality of over-size tyres, and they can be fitted to almost any size of rim in ordinary use. If the motorist will give the dealer particulars of his rim sizes, he can learn and obtain the correct type of cover in the special Dunlop over-size tyres.

A very big percentage of the difference between the theoretical efficiency ratio of the internal combustion engine and that met with on the average motor working day after day is directly traceable to inferior piston rings, for a faulty piston ring checks power at the very source. Too tight, or badly shaped, it sets up deteriorating stresses on the cylinders, reduces the revolutions per minute, interferes with lubrication, and causes undue wear; if too loose, or badly jointed, it reduces compression and permits oil leakage with the attendant evils of dirty plugs, excessive carbonisation and fuel wastage. It is possible to overstate the importance of the piston ring, and, perhaps, it has been done, but it is infinitely easier to underrate its value, and consequently this is the more often done. Carburetter, plugs, the magneto and valves all come under critical review in times of stress; very few of us think of the inside of the cylinder save in the event of an actual breakage, or when the engine is known to be an old one and much worn.

In a July number of the Autocar, it is mentioned that there was good reason for believing that in the near future motor taxation would be levied in Great Britain on a more equitable basis than it was at present. Trade representatives had again moved in favor of a tax on petrol instead of on horse power, and had submitted schemes to fTie Ministry of Transport showing that the amount of money required by the Treasury could be raised thereby. That aspect of the question would naturally appeal to the Transport Minister; he was also much impressed by the evidence that the present weight of taxation was responsible to some extent for the depression in the motor industry. A tax on petrol means that the more the motorist uses the roads the more he pays for their maintenance.