Intended for solo or sidecar use, the new touring 348 c.c. New Imperial follows the general lines of the current 293 c.c. model.
The 348 c.c. New Imperial outfit is as fully equipped as any of the 500 c.c. type.
348 c.c. Touring Double purpose Machine. Few Changes to the other Lightweights.
CONSIDERING the numerous successes of New Imperial lightweights this year in competition on road and track, it is not surprising that practically no changes have been found necessary for 1923.
On the 293 c.c. Light Tourist model a larger silencer has been fitted, but since the exhaust pipe curves have been improved an actual gain in power should accompany the greater silence thus obtained. Positive adjustment for the primary chain, by means of a draw bolt, is the second and last innovation in this case.
Two Sports Models.
The 248 c.c. and 348 c.c. sports models also have been fitted with this means of facilitating chain adjustment, and again the question of silence has received attention. In the straight through fish-tailed exhaust pipe, a neat silencer is introduced in the neighbourhood of the chain stays. Also a rear carrier is supplied, fixed independently of the rear mudguard to allow easy removal for participation in speed events.
These three machines comprised the complete New Imperial range of lightweights during 1922, but for next year an addition has been made in the shape of a 348 c.c. touring machine for solo or sidecar use.
In general specification it follows the same lines as the others, a loop frame, carrying engine and New Imperial three-speed gear box, internal expanding brakes front and rear, shock absorber on engine shaft, etc., being salient features. The engine, however, is of the touring type, and the gear box has a kick-starter and a wider range of ratios than the sports type.
Touring handle-bars, footboards, wide mudguards, neat leg-shields, and other details as on the Light Tourist also distinguish it from the sports machine.
A special sidecar has been designed which is remarkable for its roominess and comfort compared with the average attachment hauled by 350 c.c. engines. It has a large door, and even an aluminium step.
The chassis is of simple triangular construction, having three point connections, "cantilever C " springs - a coined term that aptly describes the system - in the rear, and a single C spring in front, carry the body.
Finished in New Imperial green the outfit is most attractive in appearance.
Several changes are also being made to the 975 c.c. twin, including a new loop frame similar to the lightweights, and the most efficient looking internal expanding brakes we have yet seen on a motor cycle. More details will be published next week.
The Motor Cycle November 9th, 1922. Page 667
Rear brake and method of chain adjustment on the latest big twin.
Loop Frame and Engine-gear Unit Assembly. Sports Solo and Touring Sidecar Models.
Internal Expanding Brakes.
As forecasted in our last issue, two New Imperial big twins will be available next year, one a 976 c.c. sports model and the other a touring model of similar capacity. Both are fitted with J. A. P. engines.
In both cases, also, the engine and gear box are built up so as to form a unit which is held at three points in a sturdy loop frame, thus following the lines of the smaller New Imperial productions. Internal expanding brakes are fitted to both front and rear wheels, the latter having exceptionally wide shoes, while the anchorage for the brake is so arranged that it does not interfere with the quick detachment of the rear wheel. On the side of the plate is formed a heavy forked member which engages with a specially shaped stud head lying on the inside of the frame thus, when the wheel is withdrawn, the fork merely slides off its stop and can be easily replaced. Even this amount of trouble, however, should seldom be necessary, for, on the sidecar machine, the rear portion of the mudguard, complete with carrier, is quickly detachable by means of shouldered nuts locking into recesses in the carrier ends. The unit is self-contained and comes clear away from the machine, leaving three-quarters of the tyre fully exposed.. A three-speed Burman box provides the necessary changes in ratio, chain-drive being employed throughout; a positive adjustment for the front chain is provided.
Grease-gun Lubrication.
Another most important detail is that forks, brakes, sidecar shackles, and practically every part of the machine is fitted with special nipples to take a screw-on grease gun. Timken roller hubs are fitted throughout, and a new sidecar chassis having five points of attachment evenly distributed over the frame is particularly sound in design.
When a Lucas magdyno is fitted it is carried behind the engine, and the specification of the touring model is very complete. Wide domed guards with guttered edges have been standardised, and knee shields can be fitted in addition.
In the case of the sports model somewhat lighter guards are, of course, fitted.
The Motor Cycle November 16th, 1922. page 710
Medium weight 293 c.c four-stroke in the big range of New Imperial models.
Much improved since last Show, the New Imperial big solo mount is not the least attractive of the several 976 c.c. sports twins shown at Olympia
The 1922 Olympia Show.
NEW IMPERIAL. (Stand 94.)
Solo Lightweights - Big Twin Sidecars.
2½ H.P. Model.
70x76 mm. (293 c.c.); single cyl. four-stroke; side valves; drip feed lubrication; B. and B carb.; chain-driven mag.; 3-sp. gear; clutch and kick starter; chain drive; 26x 2¼in. tyres. Price £65.
NEW IMPERIAL CYCLES, Ltd., Princip Street, Birmingham.
On the New Imperial stand are shown models designed to meet all tastes. From a light sporting machine of 248 c.c. with J.A.P. engine, the range extends up to a very complete and substantial outfit with 976 c.c. twin-cylinder J.A.P. engine. Interest centres round the standard 293 c.c. light touring machine which, with complete equipment, is marketed at an attractive price. This model has leg guards which are arranged in such a way as completely to protect the rider from any mud splashes that the front guard has failed to intercept, and so plated as to offer the minimum amount of wind resistance. In addition to the model with standard equipment, there is shown a machine fitted with the M-L Maglita set, which, with its accumulator and head lamp both clipped to the handle-bar, presents an appearance neat and by no means cumbersome.
8 H.P. Model.
85.5x85 mm. (976 c.c); V-twin cyls. four-stroke; side valves; drip feed lubrication B. and B. carb.; chain-driven mag.; 3-sp. gear; clutch and kick-starter; chain drive; 28x3in. tyres. Price: Solo (super-sports) model, £117; (standard) with Side-car, £125.
Many features of special interest are presented by the big sidecar machine. Brakes, for instance, are internal expanding car type on both front and real wheels, and the hubs are fitted with Timkin roller bearings. The silencer is of remarkable dimensions, and will attract those who are specially desirous of a quiet machine.
The carrier and back half of the rear mudguard are arranged so as to be very easily and quickly removable when access to the back tyre is desired. Amongst many other features, the provision of special grease lubricating caps at all vital points on the machine is notable. These caps are closed by spring loaded balls, and provided for the purpose, which screws on to them. The grease is forced in, and are filled by means of a special grease gun there can be no doubt whatever about its reaching the point at which it is required. Of course the chief change on this model, as already recorded in The Motor Cycle, is the new loop frame.
Mention should also be made of the substantial and practical light sidecar outfit fitted with a 350 c.c. J.A.P. single-cylinder engine and three-speed gear.
Olympia Show. The Motor Cycle, November 30th, 1922. Page 848
