1931-06-16 — Page 2

MOTOR CYCLING IN THE TROPICS.

SOME HELPFUL POINTS.

HELPFUL

DAM SHAFT.] [Br

The modern motor-cycle is very little troubled by extremER. of climate and given good oil and petrol, and fairly intelligent driv. ing it will continue to function satisfactorily under the most ap Palling conditions."

Wherever mechanical - transport of any description is in use the motor-cycle will be found; the machine may be an old war ser-

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1931.

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

W

121.

Professor A, (in high powered sports car careering madly around. a bond): "We've got it at lust."

Professor B, G-g-g-got wh what?".

such a nature as to adversely affect THE LIGHTERSIDE. the performance of the average motor-cycle to an extent that would be noticed by the average rider. "Overheating is now a thing of the past so well are engines made nowadays that an external "tem perature well in excess of a hun dred degrens in the shade would not cause a properly lubricated engine to show any signs of oven burning up an occasional sparking plug without other contributory

causea

A rider bringing his machine from England might find it advan tageous to tune up the carburretter again, and to use a heavier grado

DRIVING IN TRAFFIC.

CREATURES ON THE ROAD THAT PERPLEX ONE.

Professor A Prepetual motion Cose relationship I can't stop this d- car.”

He! That chauffeur has nearly.

killed me- sack him.".

She: "Don't, darling, give him

abcther chance," "

"1923 (lato) 14-48 h.p.

condition."

~2.3

Advertisement in Motoring Paper,

KNOCKS IN THE CYLINDER.

SNAPPED BY MOVIE

CAMERA

a car in city traffic is on The 'bus-driver is kept in order Driving art in itself which

no very by a rigorous system, and is made ordinary answerable to his employers for

Moving pictures of combustion in motor-driving, says W. A. Darlig-ovory fault he may commit. He is a gasoline engine, which reveal the ton in the London Daily Telegraph, never allowed to presume on his

nature of longine kocking were de

A. Boyd of a giant's scribed recently by You hear again and again of skill. He is given

General Motors Research famous Facing motorists who sny strength, but only on condition the that

a car through the that he never tries to use it like Laboratories, Detroit." strests of London frightens them to a giant. (The taxi-driver, one other hand, presumes on his skill all the time, and is regarded as an outlaw, in consequence, by all other drivora)

death,

On the other hand, you often come across people who will toll you that while they dislike driving at speed in the country, trafo driving, gives them real pleasure.

I know one wonian who, whenever she is oppressed by domestic affairs or financial worries, always gots out her car and goes for a drive round Mayfair. She says it scothes

her nerves

was placed in the top of the cy- linder head. • Tho length and lock- tion of this window were such that the whole sweep of combustion, starting from the spark plug and ending at the far side of the com- bustion chamber, was visible in the.

camera.

The camera contained a very with means for focusing fast lens, with

it, and a rotating drum with a film wound once around it This drum rotated at a constant speed, and in 4 direction at right angles to the in the world. The chemists What was obtained, then, when

are millions of chemists nxis of the window.

ferred to are autogobile engines the shutter was opened was a moy

engine con detect Every single

in that

differences in chemical constitution ing picture of the fame as it dash between two fuels handed to ited across from the spark plug to more quickly and with great oer- the opposite end of the combustion char her. The picture-differed from tainty than can the best chemist present.

a reguing movie, however," the shutter remained open all the time and in that the film moved ab a constant speed, so that the image obtained was all in one piece and or detonation, Dr. Lloyd Withrow, spread out on thy film.

vice Triumph or the latest, product of oil than the manufacturers re-seater De Luxe, in unapproachable of the Brough factory; the scene commend, which are the only con- many be the arid wastes of Northerncasions to local climatic conditions Africa or the equatorial swamps of he need make so far as the engine Central America the rider may be is concerned. With regard to the a hard-up prospector or a wealthy machine generally, it will be found mine owner; there may be roads that the very humid atmosphere of or there may not aven be a path; Hong Kong is very hard on nickel yet through it all the motorcycle plating, and if the finish is to be continues to give unfailing service, preserved on the plated parts of and with a minimum of attention the machine they must be kept makes life infinitely more worth clear and covered with a thin film living for the owner. In such eit. of vaseline; this is a rather messyoration; and upon descending from ment from the life of the pare not killed outright. That is of the General Motors Researche

:

cumstances the machine is almost worth its weight in gold; the rider usually cares nothing for the state of the enamel or plating; all he requires is service of the most exacting kind; he is quite satisfied if the machine runs and keeps on running; that the machine would

way of doing things, bat short of painting the parts with one of the patent preparations marketed for the purpou nothing else can be done. Tyres generally have a bad time of it in the hot weather; they. are very prone to crack badly un- less special care is taken of them.

It would be a gracious act on their part if motorists adopted as their slogan, "Pedestrians should be seen and not hurt.”

He had just finished an economic

the platform was seized by some avvies and placed shoulder high.

"Thank you, gentlemen, I prefer to walk to my car."

"Car be blowed. You're going into the river."

I am something of her way of thinking. To me, traffic-driving has a fascination all its own. It introduces you to a new London.

As a passenger in buscs, taxis, cr other people's cars I had been rccustomed to seek my entertain

ments, just as a passenger on a river stoamer amuses himself by

The result is than the bus driver is accepted on all hands as Chief Sheep. It is almost on axiom that if you are involved in any kind of accident with a bus, the fault is your own. Only the other day I was talking to a man who had just recovered from injuries received when he was knocked down by a Londen 'bus. He said he had only the driver's presence of mind and clever to thank that he was testimonial worth having.

The private chauffeur is with honourable exceptions, a goat in sheep's clothing. See him cut with

If the composition of the fuel is not what it ought to be, the en- gine announces the fact decisively, in the form of the complaint called "knock.'"

#

In studying the nature of knock,

Laboratories, photographed the in- side of a gasoline engine during gee, satisfactory performance and dur, ing diecking

* "You will appreciate the fact,' Mr. Boyd continued, that making the combustion reaction in an en gine sit for its photograph is not

From the pictures of normal or non-knocking combustion, it could be seen, first, that the flame moves at a definite but not at a uni form velocity; and, second, that it takes about 40 degrees of engine revolution to cross the chamber.

This means that, for a car run-

observing the life that goes on along the bunks. But now I was a passenger no more. 1 was an cwner-driver, and as such, u mem-employers, and there is a positive ber of quits a new community, halo round his sheeply hond But

No longer had the life of the ter, you would say, could not melt pavements any interest for me, ex in his gear box. an delicately does cept in so far as it provided me he prceced. But watch him when with a succession of landmarks he is alone, or taking the house whereby to direct my course. All maid for a jaunt, and the essen- an easy thing to do. In fact, com- escape recognition by the tester They should never be run under- machine is not fitted with one my attention was for the rond, tial goatliness, of his nature, 1s soon bustion won't sit at all, but has toning 20 miles per hour, the com- who passed it out of the works, inflated, whilst parking the machine would do well to remedy the de-it. which now, seen from a now apparent. Horns and, hoofs are

angle, seemed so oddly unfamiliar.manifest. He presunes on his skill be caught on the fly. and on appearances alone would with the sun full on the tyres is a ficiency, as Hong Kong dust is re-

I began to classify my fellows shamelessly as the taxi-driver, not fetch five pounds in the Eng-practice that will rapidly ruin them.markably abrasive, and modern re-being, not according to their posi. and is as great a nuisance. And Hish market, matters nothing to

tion in the accial scale nor even in the average van-driver is cne de him; it serves its purpose, that of

the animal kingdom, but simply gree worse than these, having all according to their merits-or de their presumption without a quar transporting its owner, over miles

merits as road-users. Broadly, ter of their silt I began to separate them into cato. gorias of sheep and goats, which worked out something like this;

Sheep in decreasing order of

morit.),

of indescribable country where no other form of mechanical convey- ance would last a week, and if the blazing sun peels off the enamel in a couple of months, and shortens the life of the tyres by thousands

of miles, he writes no letters to the makers about it, unless it be a eulogy of the merits of the machine.

I

An excellent preparation is mar keted by a well known firm that, painted on the tyres every five hundred miles or so, will do much to prevent those troublesome cracks from appearing, and will lengthen the life of the tyres considerably.

It is advisable, whenever a run

in the heavy rain is contemplated,

search has shown that the biggest part of eylinder wear is due to the abrasive effect of dust sucked into the combustion chamber through the air intake." //

All these precautions I have men- tioned are very elementary, and are of such a nature as to make

it worth a rider's while to observe

thom anywhere; failure to do it will not, however, result in a wreck-

to waterproof the machine to somo extent; one can put in some good work on the magneto with plaste, cine, closing all means of ingreased engine in a few months; the to the water.

modern motor-cycle is a wonderful

Air Filter.

A

In Hong Kong, Although Hong Kong is just within the Tropic of Cancer, the An air filter is becoming a stan.production, and, as I remarked climate is only what one might dard. fitting ол most modern earlier in these notes, if it is given term aggressively tropical in the machines, and rider whose good oil and petrol, and fairly in- summer, and at no time is it of 1 (Continued at foot of next colume.)

telligent

driving, it will give long and faithful service.

One more word of advice I would like to offer for what it may be worth; one's eyes are one's most valuable possessions, and deserve all the protection one can give them; therefore, WEAR GOGOLES; the dust from local roads is pro ductive of a very troublesome type of inflammation known as "Hong Kong Eye," and a motorcyclist is taking a bigger chance of picking up some of this dust in his eyes than anyone else; goggles may be uncomfortably hot in the summer, but they are really worth while, and the measure of safety they accord one in ample compensation for the slight discomfort their wear ing entails.

INTERNATIONAL AUTOMOBILE CLEANING Co.

No. 33, Queen's Road Central, 2nd Floor EXPERT AUTOMObile cleaners AND POLISHERS.

We clean, polish and service your car during. your office hours without removing the car. from the parking space.

All work done by careful and experienced men under the supervision of experienced toreman, at reasonable prices.

Fill in the blanks and we will do the rest

Address

NAME

Parking Space

No. of Car

Type of Service

Service commencing from.......

Ratos Daily cleaning and polishing Daily oiling, greasing, cleaning

.84 per month

polishing...$6 per month

'Bus drivers-especially the Gon:

eral men.

Experienced owner drivers, Chauffeurs, when driving their

employers.

Pedestrians, in the main.

The more intelligent kinds

dog.

of

Goats (in increasing order

demerit.)

of

Taxi drivers

Chauffeurs with empty care,

Inexperienced, evil-minded;

female orner-drivers. Vans.

Unsupervised children. The basor varieties of dog Cats.

'Old womën. ---

or

But it is the Silly Goats that I most defeat-all those classes which I have bracketed last on my list, They have neither sonse: por skill.. They leave that entirely to other people.

Between the varicua “kinds of Silly Goats there is no differentia tion. They vary in kind, but not in degree. They are all equal to he feared. E

The children one, can forgive. They will know better some day-- those who survive, that is. Mean while, it is nn abiding wonder that the race does not die out, I happened to be in Lambeth-road the other day when Archbishop Tait's Infant School was dispersing, after the day's toil. In spite of a strong bodyguard of parents and guardians, and the fir paternal- ministrations of a large policeman. the roadway became black with Archbishop Tait's infants, dash- ing for the further pavement on unsteady short legs, for the most part with their eyes tight shut.

I have marked the spot down for future reference as a place where the wise motorist will proceed with all the caution at his command. There are several such places in. my mortal map of London. I know them as Streets of the Un- holy Innocente.

This is my own list. I do not expect all other owner-drivers to agree with it in detail. I shall certainly be told that by lumping the women drivers all together among the goats. I am displaying the Worst kind of sex bias. I can not help that. I am speaking of traffic-driving and I speak a

Cata, now There is simply no find. Women are just as clever Encwing what a cat will do once drivers as men, but they tend tot gets on the roadway. Unlike be a nuisance in traffic, because dogs, which for the most part, un they are impatient and contemp-derstand and follow the traffic re tuous of disciplineregulations, your cat has no idea that Discipline that is the key word, the roadway has not been laid cut Look at my lists once more, and specially for it. It crosses the road you will find that sheep differ in front of your wheels with d trom, goats simply in their willing magnificent detachment ness or ability to submit themselves. You hoot at it, and what happens to a code. Undoubtedly the two next is a matter of how the cat cleverost classes of drivers in happend to be, feeling at the mo traffs are the men in charge of the men Sometimes it just sneers "buses and the taxis. Both classes and walks on. Sometimes it utters are put through a strict training a shrick and bolts," running up hire on the road. But there the the rocf, down the other side, and before they are allowed to ply for ono side of the nearest, houso, over finishing with an attack of hysterics in the back garden. Sometimes, it takes, no notice at all

likeness ends,”

INDIA SUPER TIRES

THE RED RING IS YOUR

GUARANTEE.

W. R. LOXLEY & CO

AGENTS HONG KONG,

I once pulled up for a phlegama tic animal of this kind, which promptly came and rubbed itself confidingly against my front tyres. I notice that the new Traffe Act, takes into consideration this un- accountability of the ral. It gives a long list of the kinds of animali over which you may not drive your car, but the list makes no mer tion of "chta It is a welcomes touch, revealing that somewhorej behind the legal phraseology of cestha Act, are human beings whe

kndw the rondley went

IT As for old women-but here words @fai}'men (There are, after all, limits to the things-that-may be printed in, a journal for genara), consuimd. tion mush koop to myself what I think fold women-zn-traffic..! The ana e ones are the worst wa

*" À ̈narrow quartz window ex-]

bustion of the charge takes only tending

across the combustion about four one-thousandths chamber, for the full length of it, second to complete itself.”

ri

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WISE BIRD

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