NOVEMBER

PJ^^^IL

470

Road Experiences with a 3

A

showing auxiliary petrol tank connection to starting

live side,

jet

Note the hot

in induction pipe, the latter being lagged.

cylinder.

FOR some- weeks

model

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.

a latest

Speed and Economy.

The

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.

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

'

KT4.

h.p.

Commenlary embodying some Valuable Riding Hints by

air intake

This view

30th,

igi6.

Enfield.
a Practical Owner.

and petrol pipe bearing against back

also shows the stop for kick starter.

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,

my

last

3^^

h.p.

single,

it is

3 m.p.h. faster than

single was no

and that

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.

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

machine could be run with safety and

heavy mixtures. With the Enfield it

satisfaction
is

on

particularly

NOVEMBER

30th,

Road Experiences with a 3

igi6.
li.p.

Enfield.

ing

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.
:

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

warm

to

the
carburetter,

whole
and it

may

added

be

"

function
of a hot air intake
is
not merely to
that

the

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

oil

is

proved by the rapid discolouration

when a heavy

of

the

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.
oil

fuel is used.

Eniield Lubrication System.

Many

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

adopt heavy

fuels

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

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

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

^.

clear that bad carburation was not the fault ; condensation was the culprit, and accordingly the induction
pipe was heavily lagged with asbestos twine, wrapped

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.

NOVEMBER

472
Road Experiences with a 3

h.p.

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.
driver, the latter being quite

Enfield.

when

Ignition System.

The Thomson-Bennett magneto

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.

;.nd

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

which

plates,

draw up
magnets

against

the

^Badjoinrj-

v^

is

evidently

spring
enough
the aluminium plates

just
in

to cause the joints to

gape open at the top.

This
fitting

a screw has

become rusted

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

at either end,

but there

the usual method.

KicK=starter.

have cured by

The

simple clip,

which serves

to

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

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.

30th, igi6.

kick-starter

is

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
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

Clip for binding joints of

to exclude water.

magneto

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 screw-

H.M.B.

Ji

Well-designed Sidecar.
A

family sidecar turnout, assembled by the owner,

on the machine.
Some details

seen mounted
app'^nded.
is

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

'

A,l6

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.