Adjustable Motorcycle Fender Clearance via Frictional Screw Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorcycle wheel designs have a fixed clearance between the tire and fender, which is inadequate for both on-road and off-road use, as it either allows mud and sand to catch, reducing safety off-road or fails to prevent spray on-road, limiting the motorcycle's flexibility and performance.
Innovation Solution
A wheel design with adjustable connecting means that allows the fender to be set to different distances from the tire, enabling optimal clearance for both on-road and off-road use by selectively adjusting screws to maintain desired spacing through frictional engagement with threaded rings and slots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the clearance between the tire and fender is increased for off-road use, then the risk of mud and sand catching is reduced, but the ability to prevent spray on-road is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The fender clearance is made dynamically adjustable through connecting means (screws, slots, threaded rings) that allow the fender position to be changed relative to the tire. This enables the system to adapt between two clearance values: a first value for off-road use and a second value for on-road use, resolving the contradiction between preventing mud/sand accumulation and preventing spray.
Solution Approach 2:
The clearance parameter between the fender and tire is made variable rather than fixed. By adjusting the connecting means, the clearance can be set to different values depending on the operating conditions (on-road or off-road), allowing optimization of both safety off-road and spray prevention on-road.
2Device complexity
If a fixed clearance design is used, then the structure is simple, but the motorcycle cannot be optimized for both on-road and off-road use
Solution Approach 1:
The fender connecting system transitions from a fixed design to a dynamically adjustable one. The connecting means include screws that can be selectively positioned in slots, allowing the fender to be adjusted to different clearances. This added complexity enables dual-mode operation (on-road and off-road optimization) while maintaining relatively simple implementation through frictional engagement and threaded connections.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adjustable design enhances safety by reducing mud and sand interference off-road while preventing spray on-road, increasing the motorcycle's flexibility and performance across various terrains.
Implementation Method 1
The screw (35) is forced parallel to axis D through the slot (36) and against the contour of the bush (37)... the friction between heads 40, 40' and the contour of relative bushes 37, 37' maintains fender 15 at the desired distance d from tire 10
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
There is described a wheel (3, 4) for a motorcycle (1), comprising: a rim (9) rotatable about an axis (A) and supporting a tire (10); a fender (15) covering in part tire (10) on the opposite side of axis (A); a stationary structure (11; 6, 25), which is stationary with respect to first axis (A) and is adapted to be fixed to a body (2) of motorcycle (1); and connecting means (20) for connecting fender (15) to stationary structure (11); connecting means (20) can be selectively set: either in a first configuration, at which a distance (d) between given points of fender (15) and tire (10) assumes a first value; or in a second configuration, at which distance (d) between given points of fender (15) and tire (10) assumes a second value different from first value.