GB854861A - Improvements in or relating to motor road vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

854,861. Safety wheels and supports for motor-cycles; steering. MORTON, J. A. March 26, 1958 [April 1, 1957], No. 10492/57. Classes 79(5) and 136(1). In a motor road vehicle having a body which in use substantially surrounds the driver the road wheel system comprises two main road wheels 13, 14 arranged in tandem on the longitudinal centre-line of the vehicle and two auxiliary ground-engaging support members 19, 19 disposed one on each side of the rear main wheel 14, substantially in alignment with the latter laterally of the vehicle in order to give stability to the vehicle when at rest, the support members 19, 19 being retractable. A bench type seat 9 (Fig. 1) is provided to seat persons abreast and balancing is achieved by providing two separate and laterally adjustable backs 11, 12. When the vehicle is to be occupied by only one person, one of the backs may be removed and the other adjusted to a central position. Control of the steering is effected by means of a handle-bar 26 longitudinally slidable in an eye 27. In its central position the control 26 forms a normal handle bar. When the vehicle 10 is occupied by a driver and passenger the control 26 is slid into the position shown at 26a and is connected to a tiller for steering the vehicle. As shown in Fig. 4, the movement of the supports 19 from their retracted to their lowered positions may be effected by a manually operable lever 42 (Fig. 4) or by a foot pedal 47. Alternatively the supports 19 may be automatically raised as soon as the vehicle reaches a predetermined speed, the retraction of the members 19 being performed by a pump 39 driven from the road wheel 14 (Fig. 3). When a predetermined road speed is exceeded the pressure of the pump delivery overcomes spring loading within a hydraulic cylinder 35 tending to lower the supports 19. When the road speed falls below this predetermined value the spring loading overcomes the pressure of the pump delivery and the members 19 are lowered. Wheels 20 (Fig. 3) may be fixed to the members 19 or skids 21 (Fig. 4) to the supporting members. The members 19 are mounted on radius arms 30 extending from a cross shaft. 29 which acts as a torsion bar. Alternatively, independent torsion bars may be provided for each member 19. The manually operable lever 42 of Fig. 4 may be used to override the control of the cross-shaft 29 effecfed by the hydraulic cylinder 35 and rotate the cross-shaft to cause the members 19, 19 to be lowered into their ground engaging position.