NEW HUDSON, No. 75.
The New Hudson Cycle Co., Ltd., Summerhill Works, Birmingham, – The most interesting model on this stand is the Colonial machine fitted with a petrol tank to hold two gallons. It is shown fitted to a Montgomery sidecar. The combination, finished in French grey, is a particularly attractive one. The new type of New Hudson engine and a number of interesting detail improvements are incorporated in this model, e.g., there are as few movable clips as possible on the machine. Whenever a bracket or a fulcrum has to be attached it is fastened on to a lug brazed on the machine. The luggage carrier is riveted on to the mudguard, the mudguard clip is riveted on to the guard itself, so as to do away with screws as much as possible. This mudguard has a fork attachment, so that if the nut be loosened, and also the nuts on the carrier stays, both mudguard and carrier may be lifted clear away, and the back tyre is rendered accessible. This model has 10-gauge spokes and very heavy rims are fitted. The N.H. engine is a splendid piece of workmanship; the radiator fins are a very fine example of foundry work. Every part of this model has been strengthened and specially made to stand rough usage. The magneto is h.b. controlled, the Bowden operating mechanism being carried on a neat pillar attached to the magneto, bed plate. The pedal crank axle is made to work stiffly, so that there is no possibility of the cranks spinning round when the rider desires to mount the machine. In this model ample crank case clearance is provided.
The 3½ h.p. standard model is very similar to the above, except for such small details as the fitting of a smaller tank. To either of these machines the J.A.P. engine may be fitted if desired.
This machine is fitted with the 2½ h.p. J.A.P. engine, the magneto of which is carried behind. It is interesting to note that the magneto is carried behind in the case of this model, and that fitted with the New Hudson engine. Other special features of the New Hudson machines are the careful locking of the back axle nuts on the spindle to prevent their working loose, gauze filters for petrol and oil, and the special method of bolting the pannier bars [sic] to the back carrier. These panniers or toolbags are strengthened by steel strips inside, which are fastened by means of screws to clips brazed on the carrier stay. The method of adjusting the magneto chain is also clever. The finish of the New Hudson is particularly good, and to show that the firm is a thoroughly practical one, we mention the fact that the exhaust pipes are finished in black.
3½ h.p. Three-speed New Hudson.
The design of these successful machines has not been altered in any vital manner for next year, as they are already quite up to date. In consequence, the alterations are chiefly in connection with details. For example, the rear mudguard and carrier can now be detached complete, leaving nearly the whole of the rear tyre accessible for repairs. The method of detachment is to unscrew two or three turns a nut on the mudguard bridge, when a slot in the clip allows for its removal. The same method is followed where the carrier stays are attached to the frame, the stay ends being slotted, thereby obviating the complete removal of the nut. The carrier and rear guard are riveted together and come away as one unit.
The method of carrying the pannier bags has been strengthened, and the interior of each bag is now provided with a metal framework which encircles the bag inside, thus strengthening it and preventing sagging; the fastening is a strong spring hook, and compares most favourably with the flimsy locks fitted to some bags, and the screws for attachment enter the metal band in the bag. and do not protrude inside, as in many cases. On the rear of the carrier is a special bag in which is carried a Lucas force feed oiler for lubricating the three-speed gear and other parts where oil should be injected.
The method of locking the axle of the Armstrong hub to the back fork ends is as follows: The jaw of the back fork is made from a very strong steel stamping. The axle is provided with flats which prevent it turning in the jaw, and, in addition, a shouldered washer with a square hole fits inside the fork end. The face of the washer has holes which register with similar holes in the locking nut, and when all is screwed up firmly a grub screw passes through the nut and the washer, thus obviating the bursting strain on the jaw of the fork end, and relieving the axle of part of the stress to which it is subjected when the high and low gears are in operation.
The engine lug at the extremity of the down tube is now extended to take the clutch pedal, so that all strain is removed from the foot rests, and the pedal is not likely to be damaged in case of a fall. Where possible the lugs to which the engine is attached are brazed to the frame and not merely bolted. This has been found particularly necessary in the case of the variable speed geared machines where there is a heavy torque passing through the transmission and frame when the gears are in use.
On the New Hudson engine, which, by the way, is being made with extreme accuracy, the magneto drive is now provided with a chain adjustment, the magneto machine sliding upwards at an angle. Slots are provided on the magneto table on the crank case, the drive being by means of an ordinary roller chain, the silent chain being discarded. The makers thought that in the event of a chain breakage (a remote possibility), riders would be able to obtain an ordinary link of ½in. chain anywhere, whereas difficulty would be experienced in obtaining a link of silent chain, which is not always stocked at garages. The new clutch-operating mechanism, which we illustrate, is now provided with an improved system of leverage, enabling the clutch to be operated with less pressure. The gear control bracket on the top tube is brazed to the frame. Nail catchers are fitted to both wheels, magneto control from handle-bar, and a front wheel stand.
Sidecar Self-aligning Stand.
A novelty in the form of a self-aligning stand for sidecars will be exhibited by the New Hudson Co. The ordinary stand when in use with a sidecar causes the machine to tilt at an angle owing to the sidecar wheel not being raised at the same time as the rear wheel of the bicycle. This new stand enables the back wheel to be jacked up off the ground without the base of the stand assuming a slanting position in relation to the sidecar. All parts of the New Hudson 3½ h.p. engine are made to Government limit gauges which are within one-thousandth part of an inch. We recently examined the engine parts which were going through the works and came to the conclusion that greater accuracy is not employed in any factory where motor cycle engines are manufactured. Next year's New Hudson should give even a better account of itself than it has done during 1911.
3½ h.p. Sidecar New Hudson.
The New Hudson Company have decided to market a 3½ h.p. bicycle specially suitable for sidecar work.
At first sight the new model does not appear to differ greatly from this year's 3½ h.p. type, but on examination one sees that the machine has been greatly strengthened in many parts, so as to withstand the severe strains imposed by passenger attachments.
The frame tubes and handle-bars are of large diameter, the spokes of heavier gauge and the rear wheel is fitted with the new sidecar model, Armstrong three-speed and clutch, the latter containing double the original number of plates. This clutch is now actuated through a simple form of compound leverage which enables one to de-clutch with quite a light pressure of the foot.
The brake pedal is mounted on a special lug and is quite independent of the foot-rests, while the shoe itself is carried on an eccentric pin which passes, through a lug brazed to the fixture. By rotating this pin the shoe can be set nearer or further from the brake rim, thus. obviating the undue wear oh one corner of the shoe, which is so frequently found , even on modern motor cycles. One other small refinement which is worthy of notice is that the carrier is brazed into one piece, and is attached by pins to special lugs on the frame, there being no clips of any sort in the construction.
Altogether the cycle has been thoroughly well thought out, and from a short spin in the sidecar in thick traffic, we were convinced of the hill-climbing and braking powers and general handiness of the machine as a passenger mount. 1911 Olympia Show in The Motor Cycle
New Hudson Engine.
Mr. Roy Walker called at our offices last week with the experimental New Hudson 3½ h.p. engine fitted to a three-speed motor bicycle and sidecar. We append a line sketch of this new power unit, which is on standard lines and does not present any novel features. The bore and stroke are 85x88 mm. = 499 c.c, and a silent chain is used for the magneto drive; the cylinder is a particularly clean casting. The tappets are provided with springs to keep them in close contact with the valve stems. A short run with the new model, which had already covered several thousand miles, including 1,500 miles in Yorkshire, convinced us that the three-speed Armstrong sidecar gear and 1912 3½ h.p. New Hudson engine are a really excellent combination. A new belt caused a certain amount of slipping on the low gear, but the first time it ascended Stoneleigh Hill it took the combined weight of 25 stones with plenty of reserve power on the low gear, the top gear being 5 to 1.
Mr. Walker told us that the machine had taken two passengers, combined weight 20 stones, up Sutton Bank, also Farlow Bank, which he claims to be a record for a 3½ h.p. engine and sidecar.
1911 Olympia Show - The Motor Cycle October 12th, 1911. Page 1068D
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