Motor vehicles – Special wheel base – Having only two wheels
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-06
2003-06-10
Morris, Lesley D. (Department: 3611)
Motor vehicles
Special wheel base
Having only two wheels
Reexamination Certificate
active
06575260
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to motorcycles, and more particularly, to a motorcycle having an intermediate shaft between the transmission power take-off and the rear wheel.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Motorcycles have been used for transportation for many years and are still popular today. A particular segment of the motorcycle market consists of high-performance motorcycles having relatively large and powerful engines. Perhaps the most well-known manufacturer of such high performance motorcycles is the Harley Davidson Company of Milwaukee, Wis. Prior art motorcycles typically include a motor and a transmission. The motor crankshaft is coupled to the input of the transmission by a chain or belt drive. The output, or power take-off, of the transmission is then coupled by a second chain or belt drive directly to a sprocket on the rear wheel of the motorcycle.
Motorcycles with wider rear tires, like those installed on cars, have become very popular. However, a rear wheel using a wide tire necessarily displaces the drive gear or sprocket laterally apart from the centerline of the motorcycle frame. In turn, the drive belt or chain that extends between the transmission power take-off and the rear wheel must also be displaced off to the side, away from the centerline of the motorcycle frame, to pass around the wider tire. Manufacturers have been dealing with this problem by shifting the motor and transmission further away from the centerline of the frame, thereby keeping the power take-off of the transmission and the sprocket of the rear wheel in approximately the same plane. However, this practice shifts the center of mass of the motorcycle away from the centerline of the motorcycle frame, and tends to make the bike unbalanced and harder to control.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a motorcycle which accommodates wide rear tires without the need to shift the center of mass of the motorcycle away from the centerline of the motorcycle frame.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a motorcycle which effectively eliminates the need to laterally displace the motor or transmission in order to accommodate a wide rear tire.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a motorcycle which accommodates a wide rear tire without impairing the handling or balance of the motorcycle.
A still further object of the present invention is to allow a motorcycle to incorporate a wide rear tire whether the motorcycle includes a so-called soft tail rear suspension or a rigid tail.
These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art as the description of the present invention proceeds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly described, and in accordance with the preferred embodiment thereof, the present invention relates to a motorcycle having a transmission system that accommodates an enlarged rear tire through the use of an intermediate shaft, or “jack shaft”. The motorcycle includes a conventional support frame for supporting a rider, an engine and a transmission mounted to such frame, and a rear wheel rotatably coupled to the rear end of the support frame. The rear wheel includes a conventional drive gear or sprocket for applying torque to the rear wheel; this rear wheel drive gear extends within a first vertical plane that is laterally spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the support frame by a first offset distance. The engine mounted generates a turning force to propel the motorcycle, and the transmission is coupled to the engine for selectively coupling the turning force generated by the engine to a transmission output gear or power take-off.
In the present invention, the transmission output gear extends substantially within a second vertical plane spaced apart from the longitudinal axis of the support frame by a second offset distance, but wherein the second offset distance is significantly smaller than the first offset distance. In other words, the power take-off gear of the transmission is significantly closer to the central longitudinal axis of the support frame than is the rear wheel drive gear. To account for the lateral spacing difference between the power take-off gear and the rear wheel drive gear, an intermediate shaft is rotatably secured to the support frame as by a bearing assembly, the intermediate shaft including a power input gear extending substantially within the same vertical plane as the power take-off gear. The intermediate shaft also includes a power output gear that rotates together with the power input gear, but the power output gear extends substantially within the same vertical plane as does the rear drive gear. A first drive belt is engaged with, and extends between, the transmission output gear and the power input gear of the intermediate shaft. A second drive belt is engaged with, and extends between, the power output gear of the intermediate shaft and the rear wheel drive gear.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second drive belts are first and second chains, respectively. In this embodiment, the transmission output gear and power input gear are sprockets that engage the first chain; the power output gear and rear wheel drive gear are also sprockets, and each engages the second chain. Alternatively, the first and second drive belts an be in the form of flexible belts each having a toothed inner surface; in this embodiment, the transmission output gear and power input gear are toothed drive belt pulleys that engage the first toothed drive belt, and the power output gear and rear wheel drive gear are also toothed drive belt pulleys that engage the second toothed drive belt.
The intermediate shaft allows the first and second drive belts to extend within spaced vertical planes, hence allowing the transmission output gear and the rear wheel drive gear to extend within such laterally spaced planes. Accordingly, there is no need to displace the center of mass of either the engine or the transmission away from the longitudinal axis of the support frame, thereby improving the handling and balance of the motorcycle.
As mentioned above, the present invention may be used with both motorcycles having oft-tail suspensions, as well as those having rigid rear suspensions. In motorcycle frames having a soft-tail suspension, the support frame includes a tail frame portion for supporting the rear wheel, wherein the tail frame portion rotatably supports the rear wheel, and is itself pivotally secured to the support frame about a tail pivot axis. The present invention may advantageously be incorporated within such a soft-tail suspension motorcycle by rotatably securing the intermediate shaft to the support frame about a rotational axis that is coincident with the tail pivot axis.
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Cahill Sutton & Thomas P.L.C.
Morris Lesley D.
Royal, Jr. Paul
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