470

PJ^^^IL

NOVEMBER

30th,

igi6.

Road Experiences with a 3

A

h.p.

Enfield.
a Practical Owner.

Commenlary embodying some Valuable Riding Hints by

live side,

showing auxiliary petrol tank connection to starting

in induction pipe, the latter being lagged.

jet

Note the hot

cylinder.

air intake

This view

and petrol pipe bearing against back also shows the stop for kick starter.

FOR some- weeks model

a latest

past I have ridden, almost daily, 3 h.p. twin Enfield, and as this machine belongs to a class which may be regarded as very desirable from the point of view of the solo rider, a few notes regarding its running will probably be of interest. In these days of all-round perfection, it is often very difficult to decide whether a small twin, on the lines of the Enfield, or a 3^^ h.p. " single," is the better adapted to one's requirements. On the one side we have vibvationless running, speed on the level, and extreme economy ; on the other side we have a wonderfully docile engine, power on hills, and a machine which requires an absolute minimum of attention. The tendency of design with small twin cylinders today is to produce an engine that will "rev" indefinitely, and one of the great secrets in handling such an engine lies in " keeping up the revs " particularly when using a heavy fuel. The charm of a perfectly even torque, smooth and rapid acceleration, a silent exhaust, and vibrationless running must be experienced to be appreciated.

The front tyre would almost sell as new, and cuts. the chains are perfect. The Enfield transmission system is really excellent. I have locked up the' slipping ring device, yet there is not the faintest suggestion of snag till the engine absolutely konks out. Even when the machine jogs along on one cylinder for a few yards as it often does with a heavy fuel no suggestion of solidity in the drive is conveyed to the rider. This accounts, of course, for the unusual tyre wear, while it has not a little to do with the vibrationless' running. The machine " zips " along at 37 m.p.h. without a tremor, and is good for an occasional burst of Riding 50 m.p.h. with no danger of overheating.

between London and Leeds,

it is

my

last

3^^

h.p.

single,

and that

3 m.p.h. faster than single was no

Speed and Economy.

Enfield possesses three excellent features. The first is its remarkable economy, the second its smooth running at all speeds, the third the extraordinary speeds the engine is capable of attaining and mainiaining.

The

sluggard. All things considered, the Enfield is quite a cheerful little beast. One can drive out all day without touching one's pocket or a spanner. It purrs up our interminable mountain slopes at 22 m.p.h. on low gear, taking top without a murmur immediately the gradient slackens, and withal it is absurdly cheap to run! But it requires more attention than, say, anything so monotonously reliable as a Triumph or P. and M.

As regards economy, I have not tried to achieve anything, unusual in fuel consumption. Riding in a mountainous district the consumption averages out at 88 m.p.g., but I have not the least doubt that, at a slight sacrifice of power, one could obtain 1 10-120 m.p.g. as a regular thing. I have ridden Enfields that do 140 m.p.g., but they were not remarkable for vitality. Economy in tyres and transmission interests me much more than m.p.g., for the former rests with the designer, while the latter rests chiefly with the rider or tuner. The rear tyre on my machine is very little worn after 3,000 miles. It should do 5,000 on the back and 2,000 on the front '"'t^out risk ^barring

Heavy FuelsAn Unsolved Problem. The running of the machine was perfect in every way till, from stern business necessity, heavy fuels Then the band began to became the daily order.
For a week or so the engine runs as well on the heaviest of mixtures as it does on petrol, but at the end of the week irregular and faulty running sets in. The engine never lacks power; it merely cuts out on one cylinder or fires irregularly. The most careful search has been made for air leaks, the ignition system thoroughly overhauled, and carburetter minutely examined. The fault is never cured; it merely cures
play.
itself.

Certain

fittings

were, of course, necessary ere the

satisfaction
is

machine could be run with safety and heavy mixtures. With the Enfield it

on

particularly

'

KT4.


NOVEMBER

^
ing
oil oil
is

30th,

igi6.
li.p.

Road Experiences with a 3

Enfield.

proved by the rapid discolouration

fuel is used.

of

the

necessary to guard against bad carburation, for the oil is circulated through the engine by means of pumps, Neglect of the surplus being returned to the oil tank. obvious rules would lead to the oil becoming thinned, with resultant worn bearings, and probably a seized piston. The obvious rules are Fit an efficient hot air intake ; if the induction pipe is of any length, lag it to prevent the escape of heat ; if possible, warm the fuel before it reaches the float chamber, and keep it warm while it rests in the float chamber. The hot air intake was made out of the bend of an Nothing better could have old double twist horn. been arrived at, the bend being wider at one end than at the other, so that the hot air is drawn from an ample surface. The end of the pipe which 6ts up against the cylinder is deeply gropved, so that it draws The bend is lagged air actually from between the fins.
:

After circulating a few times it becomes a deep brown almost black whereas,' with petrol as the fuel, the oil in the tank retains its greenish tinge till the tank is drained. But there are no indications that wear in the engine is taking place.

when a heavy

Eniield Lubrication System.

machines have hesitated to on account of the lubricating system. If bad carburation occurred the fuel would escape past the piston rings and gain the oil in the crank case, and, since the oil is constantly circulating, it would absorb more and more of the fuel, thus becoming
riders of, Enfield
fuels

Many

adopt heavy

with insulation tape, it being made of such thin stuff This arrangethat it is not capable of retaining heat. ment, I find, is
quite
sufficient

dangerously thinned. Perfect carburation is, of course, the only safeguard against this, and if the fitments described be adopted, I do not think there is the least danger in using heavy fuels on the machine under review. So far as starting goes, an injection of petrol is all that is required, but to avoid the nuisance of carrying an injector, which is apt to run dry, I have
fitted my machine with a small petrol tank, which is connected up to a pilot jet fitted into the induction pipe. By turning on the tap under the small tank

to

the carburetter,

warm

whole and it

may
that

be
the

"

added

function of a hot air intake is not merely to

supply warm air, but to warm up the whole of the carburetter body. Copper clip for warming float chamber. Unless it does this it cannot be regarded as efficient, as the carburetter is a massive piece of metal, which will absorb the warmth of the vaporised fuel if the metal be at atmospheric temperature or below.

Warming
The
fuel pipe

the Float Chamber.

from the tank was next shaped so

that it bore hard against the back cylinder for the greater part of its length, and by this means the fuel is brought well above atmospheric temperature ere it reaches the float chamber. It remains there, however, quite long enough to cool down, and the next problem To was to warm the float chamber by some means. effect this a copper clip was made to fasten round the float chamber as shown in the sketch, its ends bearing Normally, the clip is hard against the back cylinder. too hot to hold at A, and quite perceptibly above the When the machine temperature of one's hand at B. is stationary, or after much low gear work, it is quite hot at C, and thus it cannot be doubted that it imparts an appreciable degree of warmth to the float

thus possible to flood the induction pipe with and a very easy start is made. Returning to the lubricating system, this is much preferable to the ordinary drip feed, as it is economical and requires no attention while on the road. But just as in the case of the drip feed the absent-minded rider forgets to push down the plunger and thus starves his engine, so, in the case of the Enfield system, he forgets to turn off the oil on reaching his garage, and next morning the contents of his oil tank have percolated through into the engine. The engine then remains filthy e.xternally till next cleaned, though, when started up, the pump returns the oil to the tank in a few seconds. Still the system would be much improved if it were not necessary to turn off the oil when garaging the machine. The gravity feed to the wall of the front cylinder is a necessity, and I find that if I omit to turn this on, the top. piston ring of the front cylinder gums up I have removed the bottom ring from in 500 miles. the front piston, and this has also helped to cure the sticking of the top ring.
it

is

petrol,

chamber.

With these fitments the machine was subjected to a practical road test on a fuel a good deal heavier than it was ever intended to use, but there were distinct symptoms of imperfect carburation. It was then pretty
clear that bad carburation was not the fault ; condensation was the culprit, and accordingly the induction pipe was heavily lagged with asbestos twine, wrapped

,j^.=gg-3r".wMii;..,;.^.

^.

\,
,.

over with insulation tape. This made all the difference in the world, and, except for the occasional fits already alluded to, the heavy fuel problem is mastered. That the heavy fuel does have some effect upon the lubricat-

^...f.

..!..

..

Forcing grease into the EnBeld gear by the use of a grease gun. This is a more permanent way of oiling than the usual method.

472
Road Experiences with a 3
h.p.

NOVEMBER
Enfield.
driver, the latter being quite

30th, igi6.

Ignition System.
;.nd
is a well designed remarkably accessible little instrument which any lovice can take to pieces and replace without difficulty It 3ut the one on my machine possesses one fault.

when

The Thomson-Bennett magneto

an inadequate instrument in. If this were done the key provided for contact breaker adjustment would be the only tool required to take the magneto apart.
a screw has

become rusted

s not waterproof.

With the usual thoroughness of workmanship manithroughout the design of the instrument, thin packings are inset round the edges of the aluminium
fest

end

plates,

which
the

draw up
magnets
just
in

against
is

^Badjoinrj-

v^

at either end,

but there

evidently

spring enough the aluminium plates

to cause the joints to gape open at the top.

Two=speed Gear. At first I was not. particularly in love with the gear, though I found it a vast improvement on the simple dog-clutch mechanism of my last semi-lightweight. It has, however, improved immensely with running, and now leaves nothing to be desired unless possibly a combination (hand and foot) control. I can start off with perfect smoothness on a i in 5 gradient, and such feats were impossible when the gear was new. I have ceased using oil for this gear and now use vaseline or gear grease, which is forced in by the use of a grease pump having a screw-down plunger. I find this way of lubricating far more permanent than

the usual method.

This
fitting

have cured by
a

KicK=starter.
rather apt to stick, automatically releasing itself at the exact moment when one's left shin is in its direct line of travel. I have improved it very considerably by fitting a stop. This prevents the crank from attaining a position from which the necessary push forward can be given only after manoeuvring
kick-starter
is

simple clip,
to

The

which serves

draw

the joints well home. should, of There course, be no necessity for such gadgets, but before the addition of the clip I was troubled by water getting in and rusting the armature and magnets.

the crank over dead centre. All things considered, the 3 h.p. Enfield is a very desirable solo mount. It is cheaper to run and less
magneto
Clip for binding joints of to exclude water.

often It has occurred to me how much more handy it would be if hexagon-headed setscrews were used throughout in magneto construction instead of the countersunk screws, which require the use of a screwJi

ride than most 3^^ h.p. singles I have possessed, and for speed it is distinctly superior to the average "big single." That it periodically objects to heavy fuels is no criticism of the machine, itself, as any aristocratic mount would object to some of the obnoxious mixtures to-day sold as motor fuel.
tiring -to

H.M.B.

Well-designed Sidecar.
A
is

seen mounted app'^nded.

family sidecar turnout, assembled by the owner, on the machine. Some details

THE

well-equipped motor cycle and sidecar we was built by C. Edwards, Gorton, Manchester. The sidecar especially is designed on exceptionally pleasing lines. At the back of it is a box arrangement, which opens and forms a dickey seat, and the lid being upholstered forms a padding for the back. When not used for a passenger, it forms a luggage carrier of good dimensions. The small running board, continuing from a sensible mudguard,
illustrate
'

swings over when repairs are being done to the wheel, and it also adds to the appearance of the turn-out. A point of interest in connection with the motor cycle is the mudshield of ample size, which keeps the engine The seat on. the luggage carrier is perfectly clean. sprung, and is also home-made. Mr. Edwards informs us that his outfit has been running eighteen months, during which period it has given him entire satisfaction.

A,l6