SEPTEMBER

2gth, igio.

923

Round

the Welsh

Coast

on an

Enfield.

BY have had

the courtesy of the Enfield Cycle Co., Ltd., we an opportunity of thoroughly testing
h.p.

few turns of the pedals at intervals kept the engine up

tO'

full speed.

Royal Enfield twin-cylinder lighta 2j^ This little machine, which is particularly weight. neat in appearance and attracts the eye at once by its symmetrical proportions, was delivered tO' us by one
of the firm's riding staff with instructions tO' give the Brief engine half a charge of oil every three miles.

indeed 1 We thought at the time that the special quirements of the Enfield were limited if that was kpow in the management of tO' it was necessary
strange mount.
ever,

reall

How-

we have
was
as
all

discovered
hint
cient,

since that the

suffi-

After Ross the route lay through Monmouth, Abergavenny, and Brecon, and over the splendid surface of this fine highway the little twin-engined machine romped along without a falter at an average speed of The very steep hill about twenty miles an hour. just outside Ross on the old road (not via Kerne Bridge) was a little trying for so small an engine, but it climbed it with some help, nothing else on this day's journey being steep enough to slow it down appreciably. The road from Brecon Carto

marthen and Tenby is through Trecastle,

I-jlandovery,

during

and
En-

fortnight's

tour
embraced
whole Wales
in-

which
nearly
coastline

Llandilo ; its undulating nature just

suited the
field,
little

the of

and
it

at touring

and one or two

land deviations,

-Speeds
its
3^5-2

the

own

quite held with the

machine
trouble

gave

no

h.p. singles.

For

whatever. We cannot remember putting a spanner on any part of

bicycle or the engine except on one when it occasion, was necessary to remove the rear cylinder compression tap,
the

which

had

become
carbon

the benefit of those who may wish to follow this route to souththe most of westerly point writer Wales the would like to point out that the road surface is excellent except for a few miles on either side
of
,

coated with underneath would not

paraffin

Carmarthen,

and
allow

As there may be several readers to pass. who are contemplating the purchase of a similar mount they will be interested to know the route followed, and how the machine behaved.

The
In

Start.
riders of
3J-2

company with two

h.p.

single-

cylinder mounts a start was made from Coventry on a recent Saturday in threatening weather, the intention being to reach Ross in Herefordshire the same night.
It is

advisable to point out that the writer's weight

is

therefore expected to be com13 stones 6 lbs. pelled to make use of the pedalling gear fairly often,
but
it was not until the short sharp rise out of Strat'ord-on-Avon on the way to Evesham was reached that he machine required assistance. Nor were the pedals esorted to again until the three miles ascent near ^oss on the Gloucester-Ross road. This is a long radient averaging i in 20 with easy corners. Here a

We

it is a little loose and rough. Between St. Clears and Tenby there is a miniature mountain pass to negotiate about three miles long. Nowhere is the gradient excessively steep, but what pleased us most was the never-varying speed of the Nothing seemed engine on these long Welsh inclines. to make it overheat, and the exhaust was as sharp and clear at the top of the hills as it was at the bottom. Between Haverfordwest .and St. David's there are one in particular near Newgate Inn several real hills The preceding has an average gradient of i in 8. descent finishes within a few feet of the seashore and the ascent commences with a very sharp hairpin corner to the right. local rider informed us that many tourists fail at the corner wdth far more powerh.p., but in our opinion, if the ful machines than 2 gradient is not too severe to be pedalled up, a lowgeared, handy and light machine is sometimes more easily got round a sharp bend than a more powerful mount. There is also less risk to the rider, as the

trim, such as

we have

where

g24
Round
tlie

SEPTEMBER
Walsh Coast ol an
Enfield.

2gth, igio.

closely

bend can be taken slo^ver, and the engine speed kept fairly high owing to the comparatively low gear.

The

6%

to the

to 1 single gear approximates more low speed of a variably-geared machine.

St.

David's

a few hours. rather rough surfaced lane to within three-quarters or an hour's walk of the Head. Within a few miles radius there are several small rocky islands, of which To recline on the Ramsey Island is the largest. top of the Head, or, better still, the high rocky ground behind it, and Avatch the surf beating on these islands and rocks, is a beautiful sight, especially if the sun is shining ^a feat it accomplished at rather rare intervals during the month of August. But we digress. At Fishguard the little Enfield met its Waterloo in the shape of hills, so did the two h.p.'s which accompanied it. The hill, or rather precipice, is sufficiently steep to warrant a page in the R.A.C. route books being devoted to instructions how best to

Lovely Coast Scenery. Head is a lovely spot at which to spend Motor cycles may be ridden down a

Festiniog, Port Madoc, Criccieth, Pwllheli, Carnarvor., and Bangor. At the last mentioned town we turned inland, and had a little trouble with belt slipping in pouring rain in the Nant Ffrancon Pass, but this was because we were using a rubber belt. No doubt if we had carried a leather belt to change for the rubber one when it rained the former would not have slipped. This was the only possible point with which we could find fault, viz., that heavy rain caused the belt to slip on hills, due to the small diameter of the engine The storm pulley and narrow section of the belt. that afternoon and evening was no ordinary shower. The wind blew the rain into every crevice and vulnerable point of the engine and magneto, but the motor never missed an explosion, and the magneto continued
.

sparks as if they defied to give its full tale of the elements. It was on the night following the afternoon on which we rode through the pass that two

3^

men, father and son, were found dead from exposure

near Moel Siabod.
It
is,

therefore,

easy to realise

avoid it, and it occurs between Fishguard and Dinas, a recent survey showing that it is as steep as i in 4^^ places. The road is the only way out of Fishguard unless one makes a detour of several miles. We had heard overnight that without a variable gear it was practically unclimbable on account of the sudden turn over a narrow bridge at the bottom, but decided to try it, hoping that pedalling would do what the engine could not do alone. However, the hill proved too steep, the only one in 800 miles of give and take roads throughout the tour. A group, of grinning boys on the steepest portion who were ready to push the machines to the top for a few coppers showed that the Enfield and its two travelling companions were not the first motor cycles or cars that had failed on the hill at Fishguard. Continuing to Cardigan we rode all up the coast to AberystAvyth, including the hilly road to Devil's Bridge from the latter town. The round was completed via Machynlleth, Aberdovey, Towyn, Dolgelly, Blaenau
in

The that the weather conditions were of the worst. last day of the tour was occupied in riding from Llangollen to Coventry, via Oswestry, Bishops Castle,
Ludlow, Tenbury, Droitwich, and Stratford-on-Avon 130 miles. The hilly nature of the country round Bishops Castle and Tenbury tried the belt, which pulled through twice, the second time owing to being adjusted too tightly, but this and one puncture were the only troubles experienced during a fortnight's cruise. The exact total weight of the machine, including Of petrol, lubricating oil, and horn, was 119 lbs. this weight 4 lbs. were made up of tools and a spare rubber belt.' A luggage bag packed with clothing In carried on the rear carrier weighed about 10 lbs. conclusion we can thoroughly recommend the Enfield to any reader who is contemplating the purchase of a light machine and who is not avftse to pedalling occaIf the purchaser is under sionally on steep hills. The engine is 12 stones weight so much the better. one of the easiest running and best balanced we have sat over for some time, and we returned it to its makers with the keenest pangs of regret. -<

about

^-'OO

A DOUBLE-SEATED SIDECAR.
be remenibered that in our issue of September page 895, a double-seated sidecar was illustrated, the production of Mr. John Davis, Bamsbury Grove, N. Mr. Davis recently brought the machine to our offices, and in it we enjoyed a short ride. We detail some particulars of the machine. The motive power is a 76 x 90 mm. J. A. P. engine with automatic inlet valves. The propelling motor bicycle has no saddle, and is provided with tiller

IT

will

On
fixed

the steering

tiller

are three le\ers; the throttle,

15th,

and two other control levers, one of, which operates the spark advance and the other thiB';i
by
itself,

cut-out. The cut-out consists of a rotating disc whicKs. serves the purpose of opening the exhaust, of closingit completely, or of placing a whistle over the main orifice to serve as a warning.

steering instead of a handle-bar. The spring forks are so designed that should

one

spring break the machine can still be driven ; if both break the forks will act as if they were of the rigid type. The change-speed gear is the Nala, controlled in the usual manner by a ratchet lever, conveniently fixed near the driver's right hand. The transmission is by means of chains from the engine to the nickel steel counter-shaft, which runs on three Hoffmann ball bearings, and thence to the back wheel. These chains are entirely enclosed in a chain case, to remove which only two nuts need be unscrewed. One pedal is retained for starting.

The body is provided with a high side door, win4J Cape cart hood, and sufficient room for tw| persons to sit side by side. It is suspended on." C-springs at the back, which extend right under the' body, and by light springs in front, pivoted on the centre of the crossbar. The spring system is most efficient, and renders the combination more comfort^ able than many small cars in which we have ridden. The machine is amply protected by wide mudguards, and has a substantial luggage carrier. The foot brake acts on the belt rim, while the low, speed of the gear also serves as a brake. One of the advantages claimed for this vehicle is that a motor cycle tax suffices. It is easily controllable
screen;
'

in the thickest traffic.