The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-26

surmounted did he have a chance 10
straighten his beck and look about hin.
The motorcyclist sits erect. A hun
dred miles on his swift wheel 'eaTrs
him less tired than ten miles pumping
at the pedals used to. ON the motor
cycle the days ride is one long coast
run of a hundred miles costs only
few cents and brings a fortune in
the way of enjoyment,
Thu. motorcycle has been found III
dispensable by inspectors of ~oaIs, OF
telephone and telegraph lines. Inc
country doctor gets call over the
telephone from a patient a dozen miles
away and is at his side in less IMAM
half an hour. The rural mail carrier
on his motorcycle distributes his let
ters along the countryside as rapidly
as the city postman makes deliveries
in a single block.
Commercial travellers are taking
more and more to the motorcycle. for
it widens UNNECESSARILY the field of
their usefulness and activity. A Soc
ton of the police department OF every
city is mounted on motorcycles. In
fact, there Is hardly branch of BUSH
ness which. having begun by expert
mentfnc with the motorcycle, has not
adopted it.
In the army the swift. compact ard
powerful motorcycle has become eN-
fremely important. In this country and
Europe there are corps OF express
riders mounted upon motorcycles. Mtii-
tary scouts and despatch bearers race
at high speeds along roads and lanes
and footpaths. hopelessly outdistanc-
ing the couriers mounted on horse
back.
In cases Of emergency ii has been
found possible to transfer substantial
e-enforCements to points fifty ana
even a hundred miles distant at spec
scarcely equnlled by that OF rail-
road train The battles of the future
may be won or lost and the fate of ma
tons decided by the motor driven bicy-
Gle. The motorcycles importance and
it's sphere of usefulness are widening
continually and no one can predict
what it's limits are
The motorcycle OF today IL cheaTer.
more comfortable cleaner, quieter G nd
easier to start and to operate thar
any of its predecessors One ob1ectiu
that the man of moderate means has
found against the motorcycle has been
its cost. This is rapidly disappearing.
Motorcycles cost on an average s23 less
this year than last. Nearly every man
ufacfurer has lowered his prices.
In soma cases the reduction has been
SO S2n ana IN others ITS h4utN as
$50 or $40. owing to the first cost OF
materials and workmanship it ls hard
X likely that the motorcycle ever VIII
he as cheap as the bicycle. but it Is
probable that II VIII not be- long be-
fore the thousands of people who have
been riding bicycles viii be able to
afford to discard them for the speedier
and more powerful machine
Another fault that has been remedled
in the motorcycle Of today is the seat.
In travelling at "a high rate OF speed the
ordinary bicycle saddle and the for
mcr notifications Of 1t have been found
to be uncomfortable and firing. The
experience of the automobile manu-
facturers has been drawn upon TO cor
rect this and 1t has been accom-
nlished 10y the use Of the floating or
spring seat one type Of this seat
is suspended on a Yong spring plum
ger working in the rear diagonal
: frame tube There are two springs
! one lakeS care OF the riders WeIgni
ana the other absorbs the road shocks.
i This Improvement IN especially i'm
( portant because in going over rough
+ roads the bouncing Up and down of the
| rider sometimes comes dangerously
near unseatiug him. Another way OF
attaining The same comfort in the sad