MOTORING NOTES.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 28, 24 September 1920, Page 15

MOTORING NOTES.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON WINS BIG DODGE CITY RACE. Great were the honours the HarieyDavidson annexed for itself in the big Dodge City Classic which was held at Dodge City, Kansas, July 5th, and conceded by all who know to have been the biggest and fastest motor cycle race ever staged by the motor cycle world. First of all, Jim Davis on a poeket valve Har-ley-Davidson crowned himself 300-mile champion by winning first place in 3 hours 40 minutes and 4 4-5seconds, and by doing so established a new world's record for that distance on a dirt track. Not content with that, Maldwyn Jones piled up a couple more M. and A.T.A. records with his pocket valve Harley-Davidson, when he finished the first 100 miles in 1 hour 11 minutes and 12 1-5 seconds, and 200 miles in 2 hours 26 minutes and 48 seconds. By taking the 200-mile honours, Jones broke the world's record established for that distance by Ralph Hep. burn, also- on a Harley-Davidson, at Ascot Paxk, June 22; 1919. Finally, Ray Weishaar heaped more glory on the Hlir-ley-Davidson by capturing third place with his pocket valve. Davis' winning of the 300-mile championship, makes the third successiver time that the Harley-Davidson has won this much-coveted classic, and the third successive time that it has lowered the track record. In 1915, the second time the Dodge City Classic was held the HarleyDavidson took six of the first seven placeg, Otto Walker winning first place in 3 hours 55min . 45sec, and lowering the time made by Glenn Boyd the previous year by 28 minutes 43 seconds. In 1916, Irving Janke captured first place ag2fn for the HarleyDavidson, this timo in 3hr 45min 36sec. During 1917 and 1918, on account of war conditions, no race wag held, and in 1919, the Marion, Ind., race promoters got ahead of the Dodge City organisation, by securing M. and A.T.A. sanction for the 200-mile International Road Race for the sarne date that the Dodge City race nal . been planed to be held. METAL CEMENT FOR USE ON AN AUTOMOB1LE. An excellent cement for making spark plugs tight, for connecting pipes, etc., can be prepared in this way : Compound 4 part of fine iron filings, 2 parts of lime, 1-5 part of common salt, and mix to a paste with vinegar. Thes ingredients are generally at hand and only a few minutes will be required to make the cement, When carefully mixed and applied, this cement will stand compression and heat, and can he air dried. The inspeetion pit for a motor cax should be 3ft 6in wide, 4ft 6in deep, and not less than 6ft long. Particular attention must be paid to the drainage, and steps should be provided at one end, if not both. Where electric light is available, , a cable should be laid down to the pit, and two or three wall sockets placed at intervals along the side, so that a portable lamp could be conectned up with the most convenient of these. On no account should any other light except a safety lamp or one of the miner's type he used in the pit. Many people who drive their own cars neglect altogether to examine their tyres, and naturally do not get anything like the wear out of them that they should. A tyre burst will ultimately follow a small cut in the rubber. At first this is hardly noticeable, but the tension on the rubber deepens it, and the opening ultimately reaches the canvas. Water, when the car is wash. ed, or when it is run on a wet day, gets into -the cut, and soaks into the canvas, which it slowly rots, In the end the air, under high pressure in the tyre, finds the weak spot, and a blow-out follows. The trouble and expense this causes coiild be avoided if the cut were filied up with tyre cement when it was still small.