"Spots" was a fuel additive that promised wonders. In the middle of the fuel shortages of 1916, this was not a matter to be taken lightly. They advertised heavily in "The Motor Cycle" and letters to the editor seemed to offer positive testimonials. "The Motor Cycle" was extremely skeptical from the outset. The first article they ran about it they used the word "dope" to refer to it (they clarified that "dope" was an American term). Then they ran a couple of tests, affixing to bikes a small fuel tank they could measure precisely. The second test was on an Enfield 6hp sidecar rig (for which nothing was impossible). They saw no change in its stock 76 mpg. It is interesting that a similar mileage per gallon can be achieved with today's UCE Bullet. Except that it delivers almost five times the power. And the gallons in question are US gallons, not Imperial ones!
Post World War II, Whitehall Distributors, importers of the little Royal Enfield Model RE (Flying Flea) to the U.S., also marketed "Petroslips" tablets to improve your gas mileage (one tablet for five gallons of gas; just 98 cents for a box of 12). I wonder if it was the same formula?
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