RIĜA HAS FEW CARS.
· Riga, the capital of Latvia, has 1498 motor cars travelling its stracts A year ago, the total was 1381. An American car, the Chevrolet, heads the list with 327.
PLAN BIG DUŞ LINE.
Plans are under way for the] formation of a $7,000,000 Inter national motor bus line operating Uhrough eastern United States and Canada. The company, it is stated, is backed entirely by American capital.
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. MOTORING - SUPPLEMENT.
TO ROUT GREASE.
Morely dampen a cloth with gaso line to remove grease from the body. of a car. Never uso, a generous supply of the cleansing fluid or it will spoll the finish.
ISSUES MOTOR LIBRARY,
́ ́A world transport library, printed In four languages, will be Issued by the National Chamber of Commerce: The library wilt consist of a series of pamphlets dealing with fundamentals motor trade and transport.
Homeward Bound Motorists
OUR BUY BACK GUARANTER
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The car you select, new or second-hand, ta handed over to you registered and insured, and in all respecta ready for the road.. ON YOUR DEPARTURE: You return the car to ds and get outr cheque for the pre-arranged buy-back price. ANY MAKE
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of
HISTORY OF THE FREE WHEEL,
The Inventor of the Universal Ratchet Type.
[By C. M. Linley.]
The term "free wheel" is used; to-day in connexion with bicycles for motorcars to describe any form
SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1929.
Clutch Incompleto Success.
NEW STOP LIGIFT,
CUTOUTS OUT.
This clutch did not prove a com- A now stop light on the mar Sinca Jan. 1 muffler cutouts plete success, as, owing to the fact ket now in placed in a direct line have been illegal in California. of vision for the approaching They must be scaled-in such a way driver. The light is mounted in
that the rollers always jammed on the same spot on the cams, à dant or hollow soon formed there, when the clutch became Inoperative. It, however, appears to have bo improved, owing to tho better steel available to-day, and, with certain modifications, forms tho ucleus of practically all the free wheels which are being applied to motorcars, excepting the Humfrey- Sandberg, which acts on an entire The Orgin of the Differential.
ly different principle. Even on the By mounting ratches in each of bicycle the Cheylesmore principle of unddirectional drive, excepting the wheels of a tricycle, both has practically been abandoned.
From the late 'seventies to the perhaps the common ratchet and wheels wore enabled to drive so
was early nineties nothing was done in Pawl mechanism, although in se long as a straight course don they are synonymous, mean-maintained, but when cornering, the way of popularising the uni- the outer wheel over-ran the Innor directional drive on either bicyclos ing something that will Induca a revolving member to carry with it one, the fatter being the only one or tricycles, the reason for this another member mounted on the to drive. This at the time was being in all probability, that ridors enme simit whilst revolving in one thought to be a bad feature, the were not inclined to be entirely direction only, but will permit public demanding a machine that dependent on the brakes of the freedom between the two members would dzive both wheels whether time, which were very unreliable, when the direction of rotation is fulaning straight or cornering, acting generally on the tyres, reversed. It in to-day essentially! It is somewhat strange that we which before the pneumatic, used applied to some device that is silent are now being told that driving by to come off their rims, and after in action when running free and two free wheels instead of by the pneumatic came were more un« which will grip instantly and is differential is the correct method. reliabol than ever, as should the without positive teeth, but is not Although ratches were tried for tyre puncture the rider was left applied to the common ratchet and the driving of both wheels in place belpless.
of a differential, they were found pawl.
to be noisy, and were
80011 A
Accusation Refated.
I have been accused of inventing the free wheel as applied to the modern bicycle, but I am quite in- nocent; what really happened is as follows:
In earlier days such devices abandoned in favour of some wero known in engineering sa øllent and instantaneously grip- "friction ratchets,” whilst in the ping device, so their use was soon tricycles, popular in the late confined solely to tradesmen's 'seventies and early 'pightles, they carriers where the boy sat in front were known as "free cranks" or of his load. A loud clicking noise
About 1893 I introduced a vari- "free pedale." About this time from the retchets could always be able gear for bicycles which took they werd introduced into heard as soon as the driver ceased the form of an expanding chain tricycles, not that they were con to drive his machine by pedalling. wheel, the operation of expanding sidered any advantage, but to In the inte "seventies the Chey- and contracting being performed avoid paying royalty to James legmore clutch appeared. This by the rider reversing the direction Starley who brought out a patent was fitted to a tricycle made by the of revolution of his podals, a jockey which was then called the "balance Coventry Machinista Co. (now pulley taking up the stack chain gear," now known as the differen- Swifts of Coventry) and took its when the wheel was in its smaller tial, the older namo being more pame from Cheylesmore, a part of form. This necessitated the use correct. It is vory doubtful whe Coventry. The inner member was of a free wheel at the hub of the ther Starley's patent would have the driver, whilst the outer was bicycle, I soon found that the been upheld, as the same dayice, driven by the rollers which jam brakes of the day were not good had been used on traction engines med on the cam when it revolved enough to rely upon, so I made for many years by John Fowler, of in one direction, but allowed free the first rim brake, and exhibited Leeds, and many others, long be- movement when the outer member, it at the Stanley Show in, I be- fore Starley applied it to his revolved, thus allowing the pedals lieve, 1894. The expanding chain tricycle.
to remain still
wheel did not catch on, but the free wheel and brake did, and spread like wildfire all over the world.
Studebaker
BUILDER OF CHAMPIONS
announces a new and finer
COMMANDER EIGHT
HE Commander-the world's most sought after fine car-is now still finer...an Eight at the price of a six!
A new Commander Eight by Stude- baker, builder of champions! Worthy heir to the laurels of its gallant pred ecessor-The Commander which traveled 25,000 miles in less than 23,000 minutes!
excellent body lines into effects of arresting beauty. Colour, harmonies, new to motordom, add to its beauty. A Studebaker Eight- at the price of a Six Expect, when you take the wheel of the new Commander Eight, to find a still greater measure of brilliant per formance, for all that made the former The new Commander Eight rides Commander a champion six has been
brought still closer to perfection. more easily-seats its passengers more comfortably-clings to the road at high. It is a Studebaker Eight and a cham- speed even more steadily. Artists in ploni There are no finer motor car coachcraft have deftly re-directed its credentials than these,
Studebaker's Four Lines
Bundebaker basida fost grant face of cars-The Fruldane Night (30,000 miles la 26, 926 mlasted; The Companga (3) poo miles in 22,950 mlautep); The Director, (3000 miles in 4733 minuten). The Bridles (1099 false la på å mistes) lach li backed by Brudebaker'a 12-monda gepraat.
Prices range from H. K, $2,320 to U, K. $6,140
Adding
New Fame to this Famous Car
powerful straight-8 motorl ball bearing spring chackles! hydraulic shock absorbers! wider doors!
wider rear seatt new, longer, lower lines! double-drop franje! safety steel steering wheel! non-shatterable windscreen! adjustable driver's seat!
THE HONG KONG HOTEL GARAGE
25 Queen's Road Central
Tel. Central 4759;
The next stop was to make a reliable free wheel that was silent. Naturally I tried the Cheyleṣmore' plan, but found. It wanting, so I adopted ratches, but was faced with the problem of making them silent, so I reversed mattera, put- ting the pawl Inside the internal. ratchet wheel, relying partly on centrifugal force and partly on springs made from mandoline wire to start their engagement with | the tooth of the wheel, the angle being auch that once entered they would find their way to full ́en- ragement before taking up the drive., Ball bearings were found necessary, otherwise the worn metal would clog the "pawls and grovent them from acting with certainty. In 1900 I designed a pre-selective gearbox which was subsequently used on thousands of Commer lorries; I would then have employed a free wheel had the brakes of the day been more sale.
When Free-wheel Bicycles were Condemned.
,
It is amusing now to look back at the opinions expressed by those who at the time posed as experts in cycling matters. If I remem- |ber rightly, these gentlemen were unanimous In their condemnation of both free wheel ald rim brake; one learned professor propounded the astonishing theory that the act of, retarding a bicycle whilst descending a hill, by means of backpedalling, actually stored up energy in the rider, whilst another self-appointed expert prophesied that the rim would be worn through by the brakes In a few weeks. However, despite the critics, both devices have lived.
About 1908 the Mero gear up peared, the patents relating to it, seven in number, being dated 1905-7. This was a free wheel, much on the lines of those that have been recently introduced, combined with a locking device which enabled the engine to be used as a brake, the principle be- ing that of the Cheyleamore clutch. I made a thorough trial of this device and was much im- pressed with the case with which gears could be changed, and have often, wondered why It was dropped. Probably it was before its time.
TUNNEL IS PROFITABLE.
The Holland vehicular tunnel under the Hudson river was used by 7,650,000 motor. cars and 1,750,000 trucks during the past year. A profit of $5,200,000 was realized during 12 months.
FREE SPENDERS.
The 6000 motor touring parties which went abroad in 1928 repro-. sonted an increase of 45 per cent, over 1927, according to the for- [eign travol division of the Ameri- cau. Automobile Association, The. amount of money spent by these parties in foreign countries totals close to $40,000,000,
the rear window of a closed car that they cannot be used, or the and uses a neat electric tuba driver is Nable to arrest. " which, it is reported, can be seen for two miles and can penetrato fog, dust or oxhaust gases.
INFANTRY MOTORIVED.
The Thirty-fourth Infantry at Fort Eustis, Va., is the first regi- ment in the United States army to be completely motorizad
CLAMPING ON THE LID,
In a recent safety drive, hìgh.... way officials of Massachusetts re- voked the licenses of 1100 motor- fats In one week. The causen ranged from faulty brakes to im properly focused headlights.
A mighty tough test of Goodrich Silvertowns
Public buses can show you the facts about Goodrich Silvertowns, They give-
added mileage, ylälding more deliveries from a single sets of tires -continuousmileage, freed from trouble, which gets deliveries to customers în
Goodrich time
-sturdy mileage, caring
Silvertowns ittle for rough going and
Best in the long `Run"
heavy loads.
SOLE AGENTS:
UNIVERSAL MOTOR & SUPPLY CO.
23, Quesa's Road, Central, * Phons. C. 4915.
All sorts of Automotive Accessories alsó in stock,
One GILLET entered, ONE GOLD MEDAL Some SUCOESSES obtained in 1928 by Mr. OLARK an amateur with. his GIL
5000.c. two port
LONDON-EXETER
LONDON-GLOUCESTER
LONDON-EDINBURGH
COLMORE CUP
LONDON-LAND'S END
SCOTTISH 6 DAYS
INTERNATIONAL 6 DAYS' TRIALS
7 Trials Entered, 7 Gold Medals · GILLET, D'HERSTAL ·
Holders of 82 WORLD'S RECORDS
Sola Agent:TM
THE FRENCH MOTOR CYCLE Co.
46, Nathan Road, KOWLOON,
MOTOR UNION
INSURANCE C? 17?
Incorporatedin ogland
(Under the auspices of the Automobile Association)
"PROMPT, AND LIBERAL CLAIM SETTLEMENTS,
LOCAL AGENTS.
THE UNION TRADING Co., Ltd
Phone C. 578.
York Building
RIDE CONTENTEDLY
ON MICHELINS
A. GOEKE & CO.
4th
China Building.
Depot FIAT GARAGE ́
Tel. 0. 2221. Tel. 0. 4821.
MICHELIN