GB2335894A

GB2335894A - Motor cycle accessories

Info

Publication number: GB2335894A
Application number: GB9802243A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Jonathan Norman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1998-02-03
Filing date: 1998-02-03
Publication date: 1999-10-06
Anticipated expiration: 2018-02-03
Also published as: GB9802243D0; GB2335894B

Abstract

A power take off assembly is in the form of a stand 12 with a roller 14 that is adapted to mount a motorcycle and is driven by a wheel 13 of the motorcycle to operate e.g. in water pump, generator or compressor. The power take off assembly can be built into a motorcycle side car which is suitably adapted to raise the motorcycle from ground contact while the power take off assembly is in use. The side car has front and rear seat panels, acting as hinged lids, separated by a central recess acting as a footwell. A cushioned panel can be applied to bridge the recess to provide with the seat panels a stretcher/bed.

Description

7 2335894 IMPROVEMENTS IN MOTORCYCLES AND MOTORCYCLE ACCESSORIES

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns improvements in motorcycles and motorcycle accessories and, in particular, concerns improved side cars that increase the usefulness of the motorcycle.

Backaround to the Invention

Over recent years substantial international attention has been focused on the potential of the lightweight small-engined motorcycle as an element of aid packages to the developing countries of the world. For many of the developing countries a poor or non existent transport infrastructure is holding back economic growth. In many parts of Africa, for example, a substantial proportion of the population is isolated in pockets of settlements many miles apart and with limited or non existent public transportation and very sparse private ownership of motor vehicles. Much of the daily activity including commerce is effectively lost through time spent walking within or between settlements.

As a means of transportation, the lightweight motorcycle is one of the most economical, practical and efficient. The low powered 125 cc motorcycle is, for example, perfectly capable of speeds of between 15 and 45 miles per hour on rough surfaces and carrying at least two passengers or pulling a substantial payload alongside or behind. Its usefulness for applications other than transport has not, however, been extensively explored before now.

It is, well known that inavailability of power supplies is a limiting factor in the development of settlements in many Third World countries. Away from the major towns 1 industrial activity is limited to that which can be achieved through manual labour or using beasts of burden within the hours of daylight. One of the primary goals of third world development agencies, therefore, remains the need to identify economical and practical systems for supplying power to the inhabitants of the least developed regions of the world - for electrical lighting, driving of machine tools water pumps and many other purposes.

In view of the foregoing, it is a general objective of the present invention to extend the usefulness of the lightweight motorcycle as part of Third World aid packages, and 10 exploit its potential for far more than simply transportation.

Summary of the Inmention

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a motorcycle accessory that comprises a power take off assembly adapted to be mounted to a motorcycle.

Further aspects of the present invention and preferred features will become apparent from the accompanying description and claims.

Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of side car configured to provide a two man opposed seating arrangement;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the alternate side of the side car of Figure 1 and illustrating the seat panels raised to provide access to under seat storage; 1 2 Figure 3 is a detailed end elevation view of a frictional power take off assembly of the preferred embodiment; Figure 4 is a plan view of the assembly of Figure 3; Figure 5 is an end elevation view similar to that of Figure 3 but illustrating the power take off assembly in use; and Figure 6 is a side elevation view of a motorcycle with the power take off assembly installed over the driven rear wheel of the motorcycle.

Description of the preferred Embodiment

The preferred embodiment of side car illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 has a lightweight but extremely rigid and robust easy assembly and low maintenance frame of aluminium or steel panels riveted and are welded together. The frame forms a single wheeled chassis 1 having a large preferably approximately 1 foot ground clearance and which in the illustrated form has an opposing dual seating arrangement having a central recess serving as a footwell 2 between the opposing pair of seat panels 3a, 3b.

In keeping with the philosophy of providing a multifunction facility, the seat panels 3a and 3b are suitably hinged and function as hinged lids to respective storage compartments 4a and 4b. Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 2, an intermediate cushioned panel 5 is provided to bridge the cavity between the seat panels 3a and 3b to form a stretcher/bed arrangement. This may be stowed as the bulkhead for the rear storage compartment 4b.

Since the preferred length of the side car frame is no greater than 3 to 4 feet a further panel is provided to act as a head support (not illustrated) and this is suitably hinged to 3 one end of the side car for pivoting into position when required. At the opposing end of the side car a rail 6 is provided that may be extended to provide foot support for the prone passenger.

For the convenience of both seated or prone passengers, the side car also has hand rails 7 along each side.

If required for accident and emergency purposes, the side car may be provided with fittings for mounting a pole 9 in a stowed position along the sidecar or upright to support a drip feed or floodlight or other accident or emergency facility over the side car.

A further mounting bracket 10 is provided on the outer side of the sidecar for mounting of a jerry can.

The mounting brackets 11 for mounting the sidecar to a motorcycle are at the base and one end of the inner sidewall of the sidecar. Adjustable jacks 23 are also provided at each end of the side car to enable the sidecar and motorcycle to be raised from the ground.

The preceding improvements to the design of the side car generally enhance its versatility as a means of transport. A yet more fundamental and radical adaptation of the design is illustrated in Figure 2 and in more detail in Figures 3 to 6. Here the side car is not simply an accessory to the motorcycle to enhance its transportation capacity instead it is harnessing the motorcycle engines power for diverse other purposes - to drive water pumps, compressors, electric generators or other 4 equipment.

As can perhaps best be seen in Figure 5, the modification comprises a power take off facility 12 that is operatively coupled to the engine driven rear wheel 13 of the motorcycle.

Figure 2 provides a schematic illustration of the location of the power take off unit 12 relative to the side car toward the rear end of the inner side of the sidecar. in this schematic depiction the power take off unit 12 has a pair of rollers 14a, b generally horizontally mounted within a rectangular frame 15 that generally rests upon the ground in use. Extending upwardly from the frame 15 is a mounting bar 16 that rigidly connects the roller assembly 14, 15 to the side car, detachably to enable the power takeoff unit 12 to be detached and stowed when not required.

In the more detailed illustrations of Figures 3 to 5 the roller assembly 14, 15 is slightly different from the figure 2 embodiment and comprises a single roller 14 mounted in self aligning bearings 25 within the rectangular framework 15 and the framework 15 has additional upstanding struts 17a, b on the opposing sides of the framework 15, each strut having a terminal upper bracket 18a, b for fastening to the respective opposing motorcycle rear wheel 13 mounting forks or the ends of rear wheel axle 19. The brackets 18 a, b are suitably "U"-shaped to allow the motorcycle to be dropped down into them enabling the motorcycle to settle into position for firm engagement between tyre 13 and roller 14.

By using the rear wheel 13 of a motor cycle to turn the roller 14 of the power take off assembly 12 by friction with the tyre of the rear wheel 13 rather than tapping into an earlier point in the motorcycle's transmission the mounting of the power take off assembly 12 to the motor cycle is greatly simplified and risk of damage to the motorcycle's drive train when mounting and demounting is minimised. Furthermore, a relatively convenient gearing ratio can be obtained for driving of units such as electrical generators, water pumps or compressors. The generator, pump or other driven utility unit 20 may conveniently be housed in the under seat storage space 4b of the side car.

The torque is transmitted from the revolving roller 14 to the generator, pump or other unit 20 most suitably by a drive belt 21 and particularly a toothed drive belt, as illustrated in Figure 5, which passes around a pulley 22 at one end of the roller 14 and a further pulley 27 on the axle of the unit 20. As with the Figure 2 embodiment, the power take off assembly is detachably mounted by a bracket 28 to the sidecar for removal when it is not in use.

Incorporating the power take-off assembly 12 by a detachable mounting 16 onto the sidecar provides for an efficient, compact auxiliary power system for powering utilities.

The low cost and low maintenance power take-off assembly may alternatively, however, be housed in its own framework which may be a static framework onto which the rear wheel 13 of a motorcycle may be placed.

Whether part of a sidecar or not the power take-off assembly 12 suitably generally comprises means for holding the driven wheel of the motorcycle in a stable manner for co-operative engagement with the driven member roller- of the power take-off assembly 12. In the Figures 3 to 6 embodiment additional stabilisation of the power take-off assembly 12 relative to the motorcycle is provided by a torque arm 26.

6 In further developments of the present invention the sidecar design may be adapted to be modular, having a low-sided chassis base unit onto which a wide range of different body units may be mounted.

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Claims

1 A motorcycle accessory that comprises a power take off assembly adapted to be mounted to a motorcycle.

2. A power take off assembly for a motorcycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the assembly is adapted to be driven by a wheel of the motorcycle.

3. A power take off assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the assembly comprises a roller mounted within a bracket that is in turn mounted, in use, to the motorcycle frame or motorcycle sidecar.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the assembly mounts to the motorcycle frame on each opposing side of the driven wheel at or near the driven wheel axle.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the assembly further comprises a drive belt transmission assembly to transmit torque from the roller when driven to a utility such as a liquid pump, compressor or generator.

6. A side car with an opposed seating arrangement of seating panels having a further panel insertable between the opposed seating panels to form a bed to carry a prone passenger.

7. A side car as claimed in claim 6 which further comprises a head panel mounted or mountable to one end of the side car.

8 8. A side car as claimed in claim 6 and 7, wherein the side car further has extendible rails at front andior rear of the side car to support the head andlor feet of a prone passenger lying upon the bed.

9. A side car as claimed in any of claims 6, 7 or 8, wherein each of the seating panels functions as a lid to a respective under-seating storage compartment.

10. A side car as claimed in claim 9, wherein one of the under seat storage compartments houses a dynamo, pump or other utility arranged to be driven by a power take off from a motorcycle.

11. A side car having integrally formed or assembled thereon a strut to raise at least the rear end of the side car from the ground.

12. A side car as claimed in claim 11, wherein a pair of said struts are provided, one toward each end of the side car.

13. A side car carrying a power take-off assembly which may be operatively installed against the driven wheel of a motorcycle to be driven by the motor cycle.

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