Abstract:
An apparatus for supporting a motorcycle on all terrains, and more particularly, a means of supporting the tire of a motorcycle in an upright position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]    Two-wheeled vehicles, such as bicycles or motorcycles, tend to be unstable when they are not in motion. Without some additional support means, such as a kick stand, gravity causes a stationary two-wheeled vehicle to fall over. People who own, transport or service a two-wheeled vehicle often have a need to maintain the vehicle in a substantially vertical position. While a kickstand generally suffices to support the vehicle at rest, the use of a kickstand alone is often inadequate where the vehicle is subject to other forces, such as on uneven or slopping ground. A stationary two-wheeled vehicle on solid ground may even be subjected to external forces by gusting winds or flowing water, for example. 
       DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART  
       [0002]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,651,996 to Allemang discloses a support device is provided for supporting a wheeled vehicle, such as a motorcycle, in a substantially upright position on a supporting surface. The support device comprises a wheel engaging section to contact and hold a wheel of the vehicle. The wheel engaging section is coupled to a lateral support beam which contacts the supporting surface to resist tilting of the wheeled vehicle. In one embodiment, the lateral support beam is removable from the wheel engaging section to facilitate storing or transporting the support device 
         [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,410 to Kallstrom discloses a stand for locking the front wheel of a vehicle, such as a motorcycle, in a stable position. The stand has front and rear support mechanisms which, in a preferred embodiment, are actuated by a ramp so that the weight of the front wheel of the motorcycle as it is rolled onto the ramp will actuate the front and rear supports to engage the tire at locations forward and rearward of the wheel axis of rotation. 
         [0004]    Neither of these references disclose a simple, easy to use, support for a motorcycle that may be used on various terrains. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]    The present invention is an apparatus for supporting a motorcycle consisting of at least one pair of support arms for receiving a tire of the motorcycle which connect to a horizontal crosspiece for receiving the support arms. A vertical support member is affixed to the horizontal crosspiece which supports the tire. A horizontal support means affixed to the vertical support member is sized for receipt in a trailer hitch. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  discloses a side view of a motorcycle tire supported by the apparatus of the invention. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an overhead view of the apparatus of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a overhead view of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  discloses a side view of the invention  10  supporting the rear tire of a motor cycle.  FIGS. 1 and 2  disclose the simplest embodiment of the invention  10  wherein support arms  30  are mounted on crosspiece  20 . Crosspiece  20  may be affixed by means of boltholes (not shown) to any structure, such as the frame of a garage. However, in other applications, additional structure is required. Referring again to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , horizontal support means  50  is attached directly to crosspiece  20 . The distal end of horizontal support means  50  is sized to be nestingly received in a trailer hitch mounted on any vehicle. In this embodiment, crosspiece  20  is a 1½ inch solid steel bar of approximately 11 inches in length. Support arms  30  are 1½ inch solid steel bars, and are sized to be permanently mounted on crosspiece  20  such that support arms extend about 11 inches from crosspiece  20 . Support arms  30  angle slightly from the perpendicular to crosspiece  20 , being mounted approximately 4½ inches at the point of attachment and being about 6½ inches apart at their distal end. The means of mounting support arms  30  to crosspiece  20  is not a limitation of the invention. They may be either welded or bolted to crosspiece  20 . Although cross piece  20  and support arms  30  have been described and solid steel bars, they may be constructed of hollow tubing in the interests of reducing weight. 
         [0010]    In order to accommodate a variety of vehicles whose trailer hitches may be at differing distances to the ground, vertical support means  55  is permanently affixed to horizontal support  50  to adjustable receive vertical support member  40 . Vertical support means  55  is a hollow cylinder of about 6 inches in length which slideably receives vertical support member  40  which moves vertically through vertical support means  55 . Vertical support means  40  may also serve as an abutment to tire  1 , restraining the motorcycle from rolling. Vertical support means  55  has a through hole  58  drilled perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of horizontal support  50  to receive a 2 inch locking pin  15 . Vertical support member  40  is permanently affixed to crosspiece  20 , with a plurality of through holes  48  drilled on opposing sides of vertical support member  40  along its vertical axis, parallel to crosspiece  20 , and positioned to be aligned with through hole  58 . Vertical support member  40  may then be adjusted to any height above the ground by matching through hole  58  to any of the various through holes  48 , and inserting lock pin  15 . 
         [0011]    Motorcycle tire  1  is locked to apparatus  10  by locking means consisting of chain  35  extending through motorcycle tire  1 , and attached at either end at eyehooks  32  attached at opposing sides of support arms  30 . Alternatively, locking means could consist of a solid bar removably and adjustably mounted between the support arms  30 , or by any other means readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the arts, including locking means attached to crosspiece  20 . 
         [0012]    A second embodiment of the invention is disclosed in  FIG. 3 , wherein two sets of support arms  30  are mounted on crosspiece  20  in order to simultaneously support two motorcycles. In this embodiment, crosspiece  20  is approximately 42 inches in length, with approximately 30 inches between each pair of support arms  30 . The number of pairs is not a limitation of the invention, and the crosspiece  20  could easily support three pairs of support arms. As with the first embodiment of the invention, vertical support means  55  is permanently affixed to horizontal support  50  to adjustable receive vertical support member  40 . Vertical support means  55  is a hollow cylinder of about 6 inches in length which slideably receives vertical support member  40  which moves vertically through vertical support means  55 . Vertical support means  40  may also serve as an abutment to tire  1 , restraining the motorcycle from rolling. Vertical support means  55  has a through hole  58  drilled perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of horizontal support  50  to receive a 2 inch locking pin  15 . Vertical support member  40  is permanently affixed to crosspiece  20 , with a plurality of through holes  48  drilled on opposing sides of vertical support member  40  along its vertical axis, parallel to crosspiece  20 , and positioned to be aligned with through hole  58 . Vertical support member  40  may then be adjusted to any height above the ground by matching through hole  58  to any of the various through holes  48 , and inserting lock pin  15 . Concomitantly, each pair of support arms  30  has a means of locking tire  1  to the support of the invention. 
         [0013]    While the present description contains much specificity, this should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention, but rather as examples of some preferred embodiments thereof. For example, the apparatus has been described as constructed from generally rectangular or square cross-sectional steel. The cross-sectional shape should not be a limitation on the invention. Thus, cylindrical cross-sectional shapes are also contemplated to be within the scope of the invention. And, although welding is considered to produce a more sturdy structure, the parts of the invention could easily be designed by one of ordinary skill in the mechanical arts to be bolted tog ether. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not be determined by the specific embodiments illustrated herein. The full scope of the invention is further illustrated by the claims appended hereto.