Rotatable control lever mount

Abstract

A control lever mount assembly suitable for use in connection with an off-road motorcycle. The lever mount assembly includes a lever-supporting portion, or perch, which is configured to rotatably support a control lever. A sleeve is secured to the handlebar and supports the perch for rotation about an axis of the handlebar. A detent assembly secures the perch in a desired angular orientation relative to the sleeve and the handlebar. The detent assembly is configured to permit rotation of the perch in response to a force being imparted to the lever and / or perch during a crash or fall to protect the perch and lever from damage. Preferably, one or more clamp members are configured to apply a clamping force to the sleeve over a relatively large surface area to prevent damage to the handlebar. A slot may be provided in the sleeve to permit the sleeve to be compressed around the handlebar for a secure fit.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 138,933, filed May 3, 2002, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of the present disclosure.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to control lever assemblies for operating a control system of a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a rotatable control lever mount to inhibit breakage of the control lever, especially suited for use with a front brake or a manual clutch system of an off-road motorcycle. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Motorcycle control levers are commonly mounted to the motorcycle's handlebar to permit a rider to operate a control system of the motorcycle, such as a manual clutch system or a front brake system. Typically, the control lever is rotatably supported by a lever mount, which is clamped to the handlebar on an ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013] A preferred embodiment is a control lever mount for mounting a control lever to a handlebar. The handlebar defines a handlebar axis and an outer end portion comprising a control lever mount location and a hand grip portion. The mount includes a sleeve, an internal surface of the sleeve defining a first diameter. The first diameter is sized such that the sleeve may be positioned around the handlebar at the mount location. The sleeve includes a slot configured to permit the first diameter to be reduced such that the sleeve may be secured to the handlebar. At least one clamp portion secures the sleeve to the handlebar. A body portion has a lever support portion configured to pivotally support a control lever for rotation about a pivot axis. The body portion is supported by the sleeve and is rotatable about the handlebar axis. A detent arrangement is configured to releasably secure the body portion in an angular orientation with respect to the handlebar axis and permits the body portion to move from the angular orientation in response to a moment above a predetermined threshold being applied to the body portion. A first stop portion is arranged to contact the body portion to prevent movement of the body portion along the handlebar axis beyond the first stop in a first direction and a second stop portion is arranged to contact the body portion to prevent movement of the body portion along the handlebar axis beyond the second stop in a second direction opposite the first direction.

Problems solved by technology

While offering some protection to the lever 2 and the lever mount assembly 1, the lever mount 1 of the Myers patent is undesirable in that it allows axial movement of the perch 3.

When the perch 3 moves axially, it may damage other components mounted on the handlebar, such as an engine stop button, for example.

Particularly in the context of racing events, the time necessary to reposition or “reset” the lever perch 3 onto the sleeve 4 renders the Myers lever mount arrangement 1 undesirable.

Further, the sleeve 4 arrangement of the Myers lever mount 1 is likely to be unstable when mounted on a handlebar.

Furthermore, the pressure applied to the handlebar due to the small area of the set screws 6 may damage relatively thin, aluminum handlebars that are presently preferred in motorcycle racing and may render the Myers lever mount 1 unusable with handlebars constructed from other materials, such as composites, for example.

However, this method also has a number of disadvantages.

For example, because the lever mount must be loosely clamped to the handlebar in order to ensure it can move when necessary, the lever mount may move at times when it is undesirable.

Accordingly, lever damage may occur if this frictional force is too high.

Further, repositioning of the lever is difficult due to such frictional force between the lever mount and the sleeve.

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