The Coming of the Light Motor.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 5, 1 March 1907, Page 174

The Coming of the Light Motor.

How different ib the piesent-clay heavy motor cycle liom oui eaily ch earns When the novelty of c\ cling began to wane we po c sessed far-oft dreams of a motoi attachment which would nego-

tiate the hills or battle against the wind, which was alwa-ys a head one. The motor cycle came, but was it what we looked for ? The weight, vibration, noise, lack of real efficiency, and general clumsiness resembled more an infant locomotive than a bicycle Youth could forgive all these drawbacks and inconveniences in his chase after speed and excitement, but the generation who dreamed of their ideal attachment waited, so far unsatisfied But the infant locomotives did not satisfy their riders, and being inefficient on the hills more power was called for and more powei was given , but the increased power was practically neutralised by the increased weight The old generation still waited perhaps a tufle more hopelessly Then from the land " where the watches come fiom," Switzerland, where mechanics are born, came the Motosacoche (the motor in a handbag), an attachment foi ordinary Roadster Bicycles , its total weight is 32 lb with 1} h p , simple light, efficient The old generation looked inteiested the motor cycle world looked uneasily Could it climb hills ? It surely is not possible that this toy can daie to compete with the real motor cycle • The manufacturers, Messis Dufaux & Co. entered their invention in the great Continental reliability trials, and against 102 competitors from all countries were awaided first and second prizes on all counts Success attended them not in one trial only but in dozens Could it climb hills ? The Dufaux Bros, undertook to climb that maiestic mountain, the Grand Saleve and m the presence of the citizens of Geneva lose 4000 ft up the unloaded mountain side This was in June 1904, and this lecoid climb still remains unchallenged The motor woild now realised that the pimciple of the heavy motor cycle was wanting, and the feat in es of the last Stanley Show weie the low-poweied light weight motoi cycles exhibited, led b\ the maivellous Motosacoche

The old generation now cry "Eureka ! " and the orders placed in the hands of the manufacturers of the Motosacoche amount to many thousands. In fourteen days at the Milan Show 2800 cash orders for Motosacoche attachments were received by the manufacturers. New Zealand is not behind the times, and the Cycle & Motor Supplies Ltd., successors to Herbert H. Smith, who are N Z representatives for the Motosacoche, report that the demand for the hillclimbmg Motosacoche is nothing short of amazing.