1931-07-14 — Page 2

MOTORCYCLE CONTROLS.

AMERICAN AND ENGLISH: A COMPARISON.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1931.

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

It has been my experience that a-rider... unfamiliar with American controls will find himself frantically searching for a clutch pedal that has seemingly disappeared, half way through a gear change, to the Embarrassment of both himself and the gearbox. Even if the foot re- mains on the pedal one has diffi- In this Colony, where both Eng, culty in manipulating the rocker pedal with the necessary degree of delicacy.

[BY CAMSHAFT:]

are

[WITH: PROFUSE APOLOGIES | FEATURES OF A NOTABLE

TO THOMAS MOORE.]

PRODUCTION.

TYRE MAKING.

VISIT TO THE FIRESTONE

course treatment of the gear pedal THE RIDER'S LAMENT THE NEW LINCOLN THE WONDERS OF THE LIGHTER SIDE. is not transmitted to the gears, and that it is not possible to miss the gear one wishes to engage, used in conjunction with light, hand operated clutch, is an almost perfect combination. I am inclined to disbelieve that it is possible to obtain a sufficient delicacy of move. moter ment with the foot on

1

cycle to do justice to the beautiful clutches with which modern This clutch control is naturally, machines are equipped, something one must get used to an American rider would doubtless have the same dificulty with the English type of hand controlled clutch,

'lish and American machines are 40 ridden, the old controversy as the supremacy or otherwise of the English type of control over the American has a special interest.

Most riders, who have never rid den an American, machine doubtless familiar with the type of controls employed: for the beneßt. One might lightly dismiss this of those who are not I will remark subject by remarking that it is briefly that the sua American purely and simply a matter of being practice is, to une foot clutch, accustomed to one's own epatrols, usually supplemented by a long and that what is one man's meat hand lever, and fitted on the left is another man's poison, as it were, side of the machine, and a hand but at the risk of being termed gear change, of the gate type, bigotted I will ny that if my hum- fitted on the left or right, side of ble opinion the English system bas the tank. Twist grip throttle and far more to commend it to the rider ignition control are invariably used, than the American. while the foot brake is of the con- ventional pedal type, a hand lever on the left handlebar operating an

additional rear brake: it is not American practice to fit a front brake of any kind.

Of these controls the rider not familiar with them has the greatest difficulty with the foot clutch: it is a kind of rocker arrangement, and reininda one of the old Scott two-speed foot gear.. When the rocker is pivoted forward by the foe the clutch engages, while pres. "sure of the heel on the other end of the rocker will disengage it: this rocker is quite free to move, no spring having to be overcome, and it will stay in the engaged or disengaged position with the foot removed from the pedal.

11

Foot Operated Clutch,

Twist Grips.

With regard to twist grips: it is generally agreed that the old. fashioned · American type of twist grip "throttle control prevailing some years ago was really respon sible for the prejudice against twist grips which died so slowly in England: it will be recalled by all old timers in the biking game that one had to turn those old snips for a seemingly interminable time before anything happened, and that sensitive adjustment of the throttle control was out of the ques- tion. With the modern grip a quar. ter of a turn is sufficient to give one full throttle, and the degrés of delicate adjustment of the control is very great.

I feel bound to hdmit that with a hand gear control, a foot oper nted clutch is n most desirable

Now, as to front brakes. A rider thing indeed, providing it be of the positive action spring controlled no longer turtles.over the handle- type. However, all gear changing bars to an untimely, and sticky end on the application, of the front difficulties are now boing overcome by the introduction of fool proof brake; used in conjunction with the foot-controlled gear changes on the rear brake it gives one phenomenal gear box. They were put into pro- stopping power, and on those occa duction after I left England, and sions when one is forced to descend a steep and grensy slope it will be I have not therefore yet ridden a machine fitted with one. But riders found to be indispensable: a who have used the old Norton immachine lacking a front, brake lacks provised foot change will agree something vital to the safety of

me that with

a positive foot the rider. change, requiring a minimum of This matter of controls is, as I most controversial movement on the part of the rider, have said, » and foolproof to the extent that "(Continued:on next Column.)

NOW COMING

MODEL 522c!

Oft in the smelly night,

When petrol fumes surround me, Fond memory brings the light Of other bikes- around' me The miles, the fears

Of biking years, I Roars of exhaust, then spoken,/

The lamps that shone,. Naw dimmed and gone,

The faithful engines broken: Thus in the smelly night,

When petrol fumes surround Sad memory brings the light Of other bikes around me.

When I remember all

:

A fast car, a brilliant hill climber and with its marked acceleration capable of keeping up high average speed. Separate Hydraulic brakes for front and rear wheels. The four speed gear box is fitted with a silent "Third", thus eliminating one of the most annoying noises. Further a special engagement system for the third and fourth speed renders more simple the passage from one to the other of these two speeds.

In town, owing to the silent running, the third gear may be kept almost continually engaged thus affording a lightning acceleration.

On the open road the silent third speed which is easily engaged in the high engine speed affords the most pleasant possibility of driving on bills, on curves and when overtaking.

FIAT

522C

For Service

FIAT GARAGE: a. Hennessy Road,

AGENTS:

A. GOEKE & CO.

SPARE PART DEPARTMENT:

CHINA BUILDING,

The miles we did together, Not accident nor fall:

Nor marred by wintry weather, I feel as one

Who rides alone Some vast expanee deserted,

Whose lights are fled, Whose bikes are dead,

The new bodies are luxuricusly upholstered and equipped and many improvements, have been made.

FACTORY.

"Look here, waiter,'!" he said at last, bring me a coffee, and while you're away don't forget to drop me a line occasionally, just to let me know how you're getting on."

rooks,"",

Sho was BO

sudden

ninterest

Indignant Diners": "-You

bite

you might 'ave been superstitious,

air,"

A new Lincoln automobile is an ucunced by the Lincoln Motor About 10 years ago, during a Company. An outstanding feature visit to the United States, the *** One day Lord Tennyson took is the free-whooling transmission. writer first came into contact within to dinner a nervous young lady, The lines of "the now Lincoln the name of Firestone Tyres, the who was also an aspiring writer. bodies give an aspect of nation, pecasion being a dirt-track meeting | After the bard had slowly par. flowing freely from the sweep of the which was one of the side shows" taken of Bah and soup, feeling more pointed radiator through the long at the annual Michigan State Fair genial, he turned to the young lady hood and cowl, the rakish wind in Detroit. The "start" driver and mid, 'Well, my dear, what do shield and the long, low body was the famous Barney Oldfield, you do for a living The wheelbase is nine inches | with a 200 h.p. front drive Christie, startled at this me,onger than in the previous Lin. It was painted in flaming red and shown in her by the great man

con and particular attention has along the bonnet, emblazoned, in that she stammered on been paid to the convenience of the large white letters, was the sigui- driver,

ficant notice, "My 'only life' insur- once-Firestone tyres. Significant! because it was said that no insure this bill fourteen shillings. Why,

it only adds up to thirteen," ance company would take such ni

Waiter: "Yes, sir; but I thought risk. In recent years Oldfield him-i An outstanding feature of the self went into the tyre business, but new Lincoln is the new silent free not with great success, and it is wheling transmission. It incor after him that the Oldfield tyre, porates the over-running clutch a'cheaper grade manufactured by principle, which permits silent the Firestone concern, that this gear shifting back and forth be cover is named." tween second and high without dis-To-day the ramifications of the "A wire to Chicago," said the engaging the "clutch.

concern extend all over the world, | clerk,"

Zenk, will cost you five cents 'a Free-wheeling gives to Lincoln and for nearly 31 years Firestone, word for ten words. There would motoring a new exhilaration. There tyres and tubes have been produced be no charge for the signature," is no sensation of drug when the in a magnificent, factory which no The Scotsman thought for a engine is throttled. Furthermore, traveller on the Great West Road moment" Well," he suggested, greatly reduced wear-because the can have missed seeing, especially engine runs at idling speed during at night, when the entire facade

- And increased is flood-lighted. one; but I think that with, the in-free-wheeling

This factory, which was erected troduction of positive foot operated economy of operation because of gear changes, sensitive twist grip decreased fuel consumption during in the remarkably short time of 22 control, and light, easily operated periods of free-wheeling are cb weeks, and has since been extended, is a model one in every respect, the hand clutches we have arrived attained.

Provision is made for neutralis | tyres are produced by all-British the nearest point to perfection in control that the existing engine ing the free-wheeling eluteh, en- machinery, the personnel, with but and gearbox design will permit.abling the driver to utilize the very few exceptions, are English After all that is what the TT. braking effect of the engine when men, the majority of the crude riders use, and THEY ought to desired, such as in descending rubber is grown in British r

sharp grades. A button, at the sions and the cord comes from top of the gear shift lever, when North Country mills. pressed, accomplishes this.

And all but he departed. Thus in the smelly night

When petrol fumes surround me Sad memory brings the light Ol other bikes, around me.

CAMSHAFT.

know !

FIAT GARAGE:

Hennessy Road:

The Only Tyre Factory, in London, The smoothness of operation of

Ideally situated, the works are the new Lincoln is enhanced by use unique in being the only tyre

A

A Scotsman entered a telegraph office in New York and asked the clerk behind the counter, how much a telegram to Chicago would cost,.

suppose you just rend my signa- ture 1" The clerk 7080 to the joke. "Alright," he said, "I'll do that for you. What's your name "Well," replied the Seet, I may not look it, but I'm a Red Indian, and my name is I-want- be-Home-Till Friday

14

K

The motor salesman was the proud father of another young son, He could scarcely wait until his eight-year-old son arrived home from school to break the good news of the stork's arrival.

Come in and look at the new baby your mother and I have bought," he told the Jad as soon as ho walked in.

The lad looked at the newcomer of a two-plate dry clutch which is factory in Greater London. The for a few moments and then re- unusually soft and positive in railway runs into the place, goods in now, Dad."

marked: "I suppose I'll be traded" operation. It is equipped with being unloaded right inside, whila twelve small coiled springs that artesian wells of immenes depth, suften engagement and cushion enable a plentiful, and cheap water and passes on to the assembling.de- backlash.

supply to be obtained. “

be.

The assembler's next operation is

partment, where it is built up into. The new engine, of the 8-cylinder The actual manufacturing operas-ply or G-ply tyres, as the case may y type, is rated at 120 HP as tion is naturally similar to that The medium-sized covers are made compared with 90 HP in the employed by other concerns, al up by hand on rollers, while the former Lincoln. At the same time though on the other hand, there are larger sizes are built up on cores the weight of the car has been inprocesses exclusive to Firestone former method, where the plies are |||One of our illustrations shows the creased approximately 100 lbs. give products. The outstanding one is made up singly and turned over the ing a more favorable ratio of horas the method of gum-dipping the bead, which contains strands of power to weight and resulting in carcass, so that every cord is im high-tensile wire, each one of which is impregnated and therefore materially more alert performance, pregnated and saturated with pure isolated-with rubber.

A now carburetor of the downrubber, providing increased re- draft double-throat type is suppli silience and cutting down internal ed with gasoline by a fuel pump. A combination air cleaner and silencer is attached to the carburo. tor intake. Lubrication is by full force ferd. Oil filtered con tinuously by an oil cleaner...

The chassis frame is exceptional ly rigid, an important safety fac tor, which also contributes to the absence of body noises. Steel spoko wheels are standard equipment, The springs are exceptionally long hightening riding comfort. The axle treated is two inches wider. then formeris

to affix the cushion or tread, which has been automatically cut off to friction and heat to a minimum the requisite length and weighed to Rigid tents of crude materials and within one sixty-fourth of an

ounce!.. the product in every stage of manu: fracture are an important feature

The Finish

Other minor process follow and of the Firestone organization, and the built-up green cover embarks on even employees are subjected to athe ouring stage. First of all, an severe medical examination before

airbag-which for the purposes of easy explanation may be described. they are taken on the pay-roll. 86. & very strong tube is inserted

The Process.S

under pressure, and the cover ia tbon placed, in the mould, which, Briefly, the manufacturing pro after passing along" a. conveyer, cess is as follows, as space does not descends into a pit in company with permit of a detailed description of then exerts considerable pressure

other mould A hydraulic ram

the various intricate processes on the split moulds, and on the The bales of crude crepe, or smoked air-bage being inflated the green de cover is forced into the recesses rubber, are first split up under which form the tread and well pat The lowering of the centre of powerful guillotine. The splits are terns. The length of the caring sravity makes the car safe, at high next washed, and after being treat operation depends chiefly on the spooda. The brakes are of the two ed in other ways pass into a mixing

site of the tyre.

Y Emerging from the curing pits, shoe type, cf large surface, quick machine, which consists of two huge the tyre mould is forced apart hy acting, highly effective, and silent internall water-cooled, rollers run something particularly hefty in the in operation. They are internatning at different speeds.

way of men and crowbars After trimming, and polishing it is thom expanding on all four wheels and After mixing, it

it passes into a ready for the dispatch department,

The

The tube process is equally inter- esting. Here there is battery of [machines which automatically vul canize the tubes, inflate them and

may be operated eitner by the foot calender machine, from which it where a machine envelops the cover pedal or hand brake lever,

i with paper at the rate of 110 por eventually emerges with gum-dip

Phour fu hand brake lever can be used to ped fabrio on each side of it. Cou. supplement pressure on the foot pedal or to apply the brakes in-nual tests of the thickness of the dependent of it. When the hand rubber is made in this process, for brake lever “ig' firmly set it may be accuracy in required to one-thou eject them when the operation in released easily by applying pres and parts of an inch. fuse to the foot pedals Are

Although linked together the two p

completed

Goku impresion formed after the

tour of the factory is that, : con-

braking, systems are independent facings, passen inso a bias cutter, (sidering the amount of manual, Brakes can be applied either with:

the handlever or Icot pedal even which, as its name implies, cuts apart from mechanical, operation that is required to produce a tyre, though any part in the linkage of the material into strips on the bias the wonder is that tyres to-day are either should fail to function... Jin (Confüived, on nezi Column.)

so cheap The Mefor