A MOTOR CYCLIST ANSWERS

Sir, As a motor-cyclist and a reader of your journal, I pen this as an answer to your Club’s News Author’s query anent pillionriding. I have had a moderate amount of experience in the transportation of ” fairies ” or two, three (sidecar) and four wheels, and have now made enquiries of said ” fairies ” as to why they favour two wheels. The general concensus of opinion is this, that owing to manceuvreability and acceleration, high average speeds are easily obtainable and there are no long monotonous delays in lines

of slow moving traffic. There is fresh air continually (despite the advice of the cold-cream wallahs and their depreciations of fresh air with its ruinous effects on complexions) with none of the draughts that are associated with fresh air in cars. Consequently it is not surprising that sidecars were also more popular than cars. One and all of the ” fairies ” said that they preferred to ride behind a none too handsome rider than to sit beside a veritable Adonis in his floating palace.

While on the subject of motor-cycles, I would like to titker.up the writer of ” Just Suggestions” on his suggested use of a dirt J.A.P. engine in a Morgan frame. Presumably in your April issue he is defending himself against Mr. Graves’s admirable and timely letter on these engines when be states that he naturally meant a detuned ‘engine. Why, oh why, spend untold gold in purchasing a highly tuned and specialised engine for the sole purpose of cte-tuning it, with results that would without doubt be extremely unsatisfactory ? I could name a dozen and more single cylinder engines of 500 c.c. capacity, some of them side-valve, that would give greater performance with reliability than any single-seater dirt engine in such a frame. Coupled with this, the dirt engine could not be run for

any length of time without a piston seizure resulting owing to the fact that for an air-cooled engine, the barrel finning is negligible. Again the writer would appear to be unacquainted with present conditions in the realm of motor-cycles. The tendency to-day is the encouragement of the use of twin and multi-cylindets in

preference to the single cylinder. This is because of the reduced engine wear and far more even loading on the transmission systems, which alas, are for the most part chains, and are very responsive to torque re-action or snatch.

Bearing these facts in mind, anyone who attempted to put a dirt engine, whether detuned or not into a Morgan frame would be iuvecting the wrath of the Gods on to his head. I am, Yours etc.,

N. JOHN MURRA.Y.

Beckenham, Kent.