Enclosed motorcycle

• US 6,637,763 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ming C. Kuo
• Original Assignee: Ming C. Kuo
• Inventors: Kuo, Ming C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Culbreth, Eric
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US10/002,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20030102657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: 280/209, 280/748, 280/756, 280/763.1, 280/767, 180/89.1, 296/78.1
• US Class Current: 280/209
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 1/12 using additional wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 17/08 Hoods protecting the rider
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 11/00 Motorcycles, engine-assisted cycles or motor scooters with one or two wheels fairings or streamlining parts not forming part of the frame B62J; transmission of drive from engines to wheels B62M
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 3/005 Recumbent-type bicycles

Abstract

An enclosed motorcycle (10) that utilizes a structural frame (14), a pair of tandem wheels (36,38), an engine (40) and a handlebar assembly (46) provides transportation for a single driver. A foot brake pedal assembly (96) is pivotally affixed to the frame for stopping the motorcycle and a bench seat (132) is rigidly attached to the frame for seating the driver. A pair of outrigger landing wheels (140) are attached to the motorcycle frame on a common axle and have automatic control to extend the wheels at a predetermined road speed, for preventing tipping at low speeds and when stopped. An enclosure (16) is disposed over and attached to the frame which includes a pair of entrance doors (172) and a pair of leg doors (170), one on each side of the motorcycle for access to the seat for minimizing the enclosure envelope and providing effortless entry into the motorcycle. A two piece external passenger seat (272) is provided over the engine with a fold down cargo compartment underneath. When the seats are hinged upward the cargo compartment mechanically unfolds providing storage space.

Claims

1. An enclosed motorcycle providing means for transporting a single driver comprising:

a structural frame, having sufficient skeletal integrity to surround the driver and provide protection of the driver and also a mounting surface for propulsion means,

a pair of tandem wheels, defined as a front steerable wheel and a rear drive wheel rotatably attached to said frame for mobility of the motorcycle, with both the front and the rear wheel further having integral brakes,

an engine for rotating said rear drive wheel, securely affixed upon said frame to provide propulsion means for the motorcycle,

a handlebar assembly attached to the front wheel on a first end and positioned in a convenient location to the driver on a second end, for steering the motorcycle,

a foot brake pedal assembly pivotally affixed to the frame and linked to the front wheel brake and rear wheel brake for stopping movement of the motorcycle,

a bench seat rigidly attached to the frame for seating the driver,

a pair of electrically actuated outrigger landing wheels, attached to the frame having a track spanning a widest portion of said frame, said landing wheels attached upon a common axle, one on each side of the motorcycle, said landing wheels having automatic control to extend both wheels simultaneously, at a predetermined road speed, so as to be in close proximity to the surface upon which the motorcycle is resting for preventing tipping at low speeds and when stopped, and

an enclosure disposed over and attached to the frame, said enclosure having a front housing and a rear housing with said front housing having pair of leg doors and said rear housing having a pair of entrance doors one on each side of the motorcycle for access to the seat and to minimize the enclosure envelope with the front housing lower than the rear housing providing easy entry into the motorcycle and to permit visibility from the rear housing over the front housing, a rear edge of said leg doors mate with a front edge of said entrance doors permitting unrestricted access into the motorcycles interior when seating.

2. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 further comprising a pair of side beams integral with the structural frame protruding beyond enclosure on front having sufficient strength to support the motorcycle weight when laying flat on its side and subjected to directional forces as encountered in a crash of the motorcycle when in operation.

3. The motorcycle as recited in claim 2 wherein each side beam further comprising a shock mount with a scraping pad of steel alloy which includes a plurality of spikes protruding therefrom for cutting into a road surface in the event of a crash when the motorcycle is laying flat, further said motorcycle having a pair of shock mounts on each longitudinal side adjacent to the rear wheel creating a three point suspension on each side such that in the event of a crash where the motorcycle is impacted and rests on its side, said motorcycle will suspend on the three shock mounts and said motorcycle will skid forward toward its direction of travel and rotate allowing impact absorption on the motorcycles rear.

4. The motorcycle as recited in claim 2 wherein each side beam further comprising at least one headlight and a turn signal indicator also said motorcycle having a pair of taillights and a plurality of bumpers on a rear portion of enclosure with said bumpers in structural communication with the structural frame.

5. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said engine is a gasoline fueled, water cooled, inclined, four stroke cycle type, having an electric starter, a mechanical drive assembly from engine to rear wheel and an automatic transmission with a reverse gear,

wherein said outrigger landing wheels extend downward when said automatic transmission is in reverse gear,

wherein said bench seat is in a fixed location and is defined as having a separate backrest and a separate seat, including safety belt means to detain the driver,

wherein said enclosure is essentially formed of fiberglass lined with acoustic insulation covered with fabric,

wherein said motorcycle further comprising a fuel tank for supplying fuel to the engine said fuel tank mounted within the frame adjacent to said seat affording protection of the structural frame in the event of a crash,

wherein said motorcycle further comprising at least one convex shaped rear view mirror inside said enclosure, and

wherein said motorcycle further comprising an audio system including a pair of speakers disposed hingeably on each side of said seat in close proximity to the drivers head such that sound may be heard above road noise and adjustment made by the driver to location the speakers in an optimum position.

6. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said handlebar assembly further comprises tilting means and pivoting means allowing the handlebar assembly to be positioned convenient to the driver, also a right handlebar grip performing as an accelerator and a brake and a left handlebar grip achieving transmission shifting, further said handlebar assembly having universal joints for changing linear alignment of the assembly.

7. The motorcycle as recited in claim 6 wherein said tilting means further comprises, a tilt releasing lever that permits the handle bar assembly to be tilted up or down and be locked in a fixed position.

8. The motorcycle as recited in claim 7 wherein said tilting means further comprises a steering shaft tilt joint mounted between a steering shaft and a handlebar shaft which is attached to a steering handlebar with both the steering shaft and the handlebar shaft communicating with the steering shaft tilt joint which consists of a fixed housing, a pivoting housing, a pair of bearings, a pair of identical spherical forks, a female spline, a male spline on the steering shaft, cap screw, and a spherical ball, said fixed housing disposed over the steering shaft and the pivoting housing disposed over the handlebar shaft each employing the pair of bearings to ensure the ends of the shafts transmit force as well as moment to their supporting housings, an end of each shaft engaging the pair of identical spherical forks with each including the female spline interfacing with the male spline on the steering shaft and the handlebar shaft with the housings seating at an outside diameter of the bearings and the forks engage with the shafts which seat in an inside diameter of the bearings and are each secured by the conventional cap screw, and the spherical ball having opposed grooves at 90 degrees apart, receive radial legs of the forks allowing the steering shaft tilt joint to pivot easily.

9. The motorcycle as recited in claim 6 wherein said pivoting means further comprises a steering bar clamping handle which permits the handle bar assembly to be oriented at a angular displacement convenient to the driver.

10. The motorcycle as recited in claim 9 wherein said pivoting means further comprises a handlebar, a handlebar shaft, a cam handle and a collar attached to the handlebar shaft allowing adjustment of the position of the handlebar by pulling the cam handle upwardly loosening the collar permitting the handlebar to rotate and reorient at any desired position.

11. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said foot brake pedal assembly further comprises an adjustment brake pedal release handle permitting the foot brake pedal assembly to be changed to an angular displacement relative to the bench seat for driver accessibility.

12. The motorcycle as recited in claim 11 wherein said foot brake pedal assembly is pivotally affixed to the frame and linked to a conventional hydraulic front and rear wheel brake for stopping the movement of the motorcycle, an adjustment brake pedal release handle permits the foot brake pedal assembly to be adjusted to an angular displacement convenient to a driver, said foot brake pedal assembly comprises a brake pedal arm, a brake pedal pad, a step shaft, a plurality of triangular teeth, a brake actuating arm, a push rod, a master brake cylinder, a side arm on said actuating arm, a first tension spring, a brake compression spring, a brake pedal link, a pivot arm, a secondary arm, a rod connecting yoke, a tension rod and a second tensioning spring the brake pedal arm includes a brake pedal pad pivotally attached on one end, with the brake pedal arm top pivots on the step shaft which slides on the motorcycle frame, the brake pedal arm contains an annular section of the radially oriented triangular teeth which engage with similar teeth on a brake actuating arm, to ensure positive braking without slippage, on each tooth one face is located in an axial direction and the other is slanted, during a braking action, only the face in the axial direction engages to transmit torque, the brake actuating arm also pivots on the step shaft and is bifurcated to attach to the push rod which interfaces with the conventional master brake cylinder, the brake pedal arm includes the side arm connected to the first tension spring which urges the pedal arm to swing toward the rear of the motorcycle, the brake compression spring resides in a radial recess adjacent to the triangular teeth in both the pedal arm and the brake actuating arm and is disposed around the step shaft, engaging sides of the triangular teeth which are in mirror image and a shoulder on the step shaft rests on the pedal arm with the opposite end of the step shaft connected to the brake pedal link which has its opposite end connected to the pivot arm, the brake pedal link, arm and shaft are in alignment when the teeth are engaged, the pivot arm includes an integral secondary arm that connects to the rod connecting yoke which in turn connects to the pedal releasing handle located inside the enclosure with the tension rod, the pivot arm also connects to the second tension spring which forces the pivot arm and brake pedal link to align with the step shaft with the rod connecting yoke resting on the brake pedal link functioning as a stop when the pedal release handle is rotated toward the rear of the motorcycle the brake pedal link and pivot arm collapse to move the shoulder of the step shaft axially away from the pedal arm which in turn is forced to disengage from the actuating arm as urged by the brake compression spring and rotates rearwardly as forced by the first tension spring, further to adjust the brake pedal to fit a driver, the release handle is pulled allowing the pedal arm to swing to the rear and stop at a desired position, when released, the brake pedal release handle automatically locks the brake pedal arm in place.

13. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said outrigger landing wheels further comprising a pair of wheels removably attached to a structurally rigid landing arm which include a pair of upwardly extending hinge arms that pivot onto the frame and are connected to an actuating arm with a landing wheel link, a middle hole on each actuating arm hinges on the frame with one end bifurcated and attached to each end of a pair of pivoting nuts which in turn engage a threaded output shaft of a pair of worm gears with an opposite end of each worm gear hinging on the frame, an electric motor drives both worm gears rotating the actuating arms when both actuating arms are rotated the landing wheel links force the landing arm and wheels to pivot.

14. The motorcycle as recited in claim 13 wherein said outrigger landing wheels further comprising height adjustment means from the surface upon which the motorcycle rests based on the drivers physical weight, said height adjustment means are defined as having a height adjusting mechanism located on the motorcycle control panel which consists of a driver weight calibrated nameplate and a pointing knob, a height adjustment control cable is attached to the height adjusting mechanism which moves a stop switch mounted on a slide bracket secured to one of the worm gear frames, the worm gear motor rotates the pivoting nut which moves along the worm gears threaded drive shaft until a pivoting pin of the pivoting nut engages the stop switch terminating the rotation of the worm gear, and when a motorcycle ignition key is removed the landing wheels automatically swing fully to the weight unloaded position for parking.

15. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said enclosure rear housing entrance doors further include a top, a bottom, a front and a rear, with the door having a plurality of hinges on the rear vertical edge, and the bottom of each door extending below the bench seat, also the top of the door extending to the housing top allowing easy access into the enclosure for the driver.

16. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said enclosure front housing leg doors further include a top, a bottom, a front and a rear, with the door having a plurality of hinges on the top horizontal edge, and the top of each door tapering toward the motorcycle front such that the doors open in a forward tapered angular relationship toward the motorcycle'"'"'s front, allowing easy access into the enclosure for the driver, appropriate interface engagement with the entrance door and a streamline housing reducing wind drag.

17. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said enclosure rear housing is defined as having a windshield in front of said driver and a pair of side windows within the entrance doors, positioned one on each side of said driver.

18. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said enclosure further having a recess behind and formed by a lower portion of each entrance door curving inward and a rearward slanting indented portion of said frame, the recess providing two air inlet openings and a location for other engine accessories also space to rest a passengers feet.

19. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said pair of enclosure entrance doors having interlinked simultaneous entrance door opening and closing means.

20. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said pair of enclosure leg doors having interlinked simultaneous leg door opening and closing means.

21. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 further comprising a keyed door lock disposed within the frame to lock and unlock said entrance doors.

22. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said enclosure leg doors further comprises an electric power door release, actuated by an electrical switch, for opening and closing said leg doors also a spring force door release actuated by a lever within said enclosure for opening both leg doors during an emergency.

23. The motorcycle as recited in claim 22 wherein said electric power door release and spring force door release further comprise, a pair of door arms, an actuating collar, a pair of door links, an elongated nut, a key, a cover plate, a motorized worm gear, a front door compression spring, a pair of door latches, a control lever, a fourth tension spring and a cable connector, each leg door hinges on its upper edge to the frame and the integral door arm extends from an upper end of each door and connects to one side of the actuating collar with the door link, the actuating collar core contains an elongated round hole which engages with the elongated nut, this nut has a longitudinal keyway that engages with a conventional key mounted on the actuating collar and is covered by the cover plate such that the actuating collar can slide downward on the nut, a threaded hole in the nut engages with the threaded output shaft of the motorized worn gear mounted on the frame, the front door compression spring rests against the collar top flange and contains sufficient compressive force to open both leg doors simultaneously, the pair of door latches are attached to and hinge from the actuating collar and catch into two tapered grooves in the elongated nut such that when the actuating latch is caught, the collar stays with the nut, the door latch is actuated remotely by the control lever mounted on the enclosure instrument control panel within easy reach of a driver, a conventional electrical control switch, also located on the instrument control panel energizes the worm gear which moves the nut and actuating collar vertically to either close or open the leg doors, during an emergency the control lever will release the door latch from the elongated nut and the front door compression spring will force the actuating collar to slide downward away from the elongated nut and spring the leg doors open, the fourth tension spring pulls the door latches to close and two cable connectors complete the assembly of the door latch.

24. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said entrance doors further comprising entrance door latching means connecting both entrance doors together with a latch link such that unlatching either door with said latching means unlatches both doors simultaneously.

25. The motorcycle as recited in claim 24 wherein said entrance door latching means further comprising of a lock plate, a spring loaded locking arm, a locking pin, a third tension spring, a latch pivoting arm, a latch arm, a connecting rod, a latch handle on each side of the motorcycle and a diagonal connecting rod, the door latches, one on each side, mount on the frame and engage a front edge of each door with each latch each having a lock plate pivoting on the frame with the plate having an integral notch engaging the spring loaded locking arm and a slot engaging the locking pin mounted on the door, each locking arm is also hinged on the frame and has the lateral pin engaging the third tension spring and the latch pivoting arm, this third tension spring forces the locking arm to tilt toward the lock plate, the latch pivoting arm also hinges on the frame and connects to the latch arm with the connecting rod, the latch arm rests on a stop of the latch handle and both latch arms and handle hinge on a integral common fixed shaft secured to the frame, when the handle is pulled the latch arm rocks the pivoting arm which raises the locking arm to disengage from the lock plate permitting the door to be pushed to open with the locking pin sliding on the open slot on the lock plate moving it out of the way, after the door is opened the lock plate remains in the open position held by the urging of the locking arm, when the door is closed the locking pin slides into the open slot of the lock plate and forces it to tilt until the locking arm engages in the notch on the lock plate completing the locking procedure, the latch arm includes a side arm that connects to a side arm of the mating latching arm on the opposite door utilizing the diagonal connecting rod.

26. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 wherein said entrance doors further comprising entrance door hinge means connecting both entrance doors together with a hinge link such that opening either door with said hinge means opens both doors simultaneously.

27. The motorcycle as recited in claim 26 wherein said entrance doors further comprising an emergency spring loaded entrance door connecting pin coupled to said hinge link to open both entrance doors simultaneously from within said enclosure, wherein said entrance doors open individually by pulling said pin during an emergency.

28. The motorcycle as recited in claim 26 wherein said entrance door hinge means further comprising a hinge link, a pair of entrance door latches, a pair of hinge compression springs, a fixed connecting rod, a door arm, an adjustable connecting rod, a safety pin swing arm assembly, a swing arm, and a diagonal connecting rod, the hinge link permits the doors to open and close in concert, this link consists of the fixed connecting rod, the adjustable connecting rod, the safety pin swing arm assembly, the swing arm hinged on the frame and the diagonal connecting rod, the safety pin swing arm assembly consists of a pin hole arm and a safety pin arm an end hole on the pin hole arm and a middle hole on the safety pin arm hinge on a common pin secured to the frame, an upper member of the safety pin arm includes a vertical housing containing a step pin loaded against a compression spring with the pin hole arm locked together with the safety pin arm with the step pin and a control cable with two handle rings, one located inside to be reached by a driver the other located outside for rescue, the connecting rod fastens the road side entrance door to the swing arm and the diagonal connecting rod connects the swing arm to the safety pin arm, the adjustable connecting rod attaches the pin hole arm to the curb side entrance door allowing both entrance doors to latch simultaneously and by pulling either handle ring the hinge link is disconnected allowing the entrance doors to be operated individually during an emergency.

29. The motorcycle as recited in claim 1 further comprising a two piece external passenger seat having a fold down cargo compartment therebeneath, such that when the passenger seats are hinged upwardly, the fold down cargo compartment mechanically unfolds providing storage for items or personal effects therein.

30. An enclosed motorcycle having a structural frame, a pair of tandem wheels, an engine and a handlebar assembly, providing means for transporting a single driver comprising:

a foot brake pedal pivotally affixed to the frame stopping movement of the motorcycle,

a bench seat rigidly attached to the frame for seating the driver,

a pair of outrigger landing wheels, attached to the frame motorcycle, on a common axle with said landing wheels having automatic control to extend the wheels, at a predetermined road speed, so as to be in close proximity to the surface upon which the motorcycle is resting for preventing tipping at low speeds and when stopped, and

an enclosure disposed over and attached to the frame, said enclosure having a pair of entrance doors and a pair of leg doors one on each side of the motorcycle for access to the seat for minimizing the enclosure envelope and providing effortless entry into the motorcycle, and rear edges of said leg doors mate with the front edge of each entrance doors.