The Washington herald., 1921-06-12
MOToRCYCLNG FAST GAINING
NPOPULARITY AS ONE OF BEST
AMERICAN OUTDOOR SPORTS
Material and Workmanship Of Newest Type
May Be Compared to Auto.

8 Thefe u room In the present-day
scheme Of trans portation for all
manner OF vehicles, from the hum
pie baby-buggy TO the ponderous
nve-ton truck. each In its own al
iotteo sphere. Into this scheme the
motorcyeie has htted itself, with
the result that its numbers and
uses are Increasing at a rapid rate.
The sporting phase of motorcycline
mas increased in popularity to O
tremendous degree during the past
few years. Motorcycle touring
nnds an ever increasing number Of
devetees ~ each season passes
From utility standpoint the re-
cent crime wave served to empha-
sise the motorcycles Importance as
means Of furthering the more se-
rious interests. Of mankind. Police
motorcycles are used In civilixed
countries throughout the world
IL Hisfiy Perfected vehie,e.
In days now past the motorcycle
was looked upon by . portion Of the
GENERAL public as . means Of salts
Tying the demands of reckless dare
devils. Its riders were In some
cases as illkempt and dirty as the
machines themselves. All this was
natural enough. The motorcycle
was undergoing . course of devel-
opment and in its crude stages its
manufacturing engineers sought 10
get the maximum Of power and
speed from the confines of limited
dimensions. Whether they sought
in the wrong direction 10 q matter
which no longer concerns us-the
fact remains that the motorcycle of
today 10 a highly perfected auto
motive vehicle.
1t embodies ali the appliances
conducive to safety and comfort
which are found on q modern high
priced automobile: electric light and
horn, an efficient generator and
storage battery. double band
brakes, a multiple disc clutch.
three-speed Transmission. spring
suspension. The control Of mo-
toreycie 10 extremely simple. The
throttle and spark are operated by
turning the handlebar grips. the
clutch and brake are operated by
the left and right foot respectively,
In exactly the same manner as is
applied on most automobiles. The
gear shift lever is likewise manip-
ulated In the same manner as on
on an automobile. All Of these
things have served to remove the
motorcycle from its dangerous
stage and have made II q motor We
hicle of great merit.
In quality OF material and work
manship the motorcycle may only
be compared with the highest
priced automobile. Its eonstruc-
tion and compactness calls for the
highest-grade steel and workman
ship which will insure a perfect nt
OF all its component parts. ThE
accounts for the relatively high
price Of motorcycles as compared
with the cheaper automobiles.
From an economy standpoint the
motorcycle 10 In a class OF its own.
A gallon Of gasoline In Q motorcy-
ele tank delivers from <5 to rs
miles. and q quart Of lubrieatine
oil serves fer upwards Of 100 miles
Motorcycle tires. being smaller than
those used on automobiles. natural
iy cost less, though built Of the
same materials This identihca-
tion with economy 10 expected to
place the motorcycle more nrmly
than ever in popular favor, espe-
cially In view OF present condi-
tions.
Popular In England.
The American public, when COM
pared With the British, has been
somewhat slow to take advantage