Stabilized high speed bi-wheeled vehicle

A powered vehicle of the type which rides on front and rear primary road wheels that are in tandem relationship and located midway between the sides of the vehicle has a body with sides that are convergent in the downward direction enabling a high degree of leaning of the vehicle during turns. At least one auxiliary road wheel is carried at each side of the vehicle by sidewardly extending pivot arms which enable lowering of the auxiliary wheels during low speed travel and when the vehicle is stationary. At the raised position, the auxiliary road wheels extend from the sides of the vehicle in position to ride on the roadbed when the vehicle is tilted sidewardly to an inclination that is more horizontal than vertical. In the preferred form, the vehicle body has an inverted teardrop configuration in cross section and tapering front and back regions and has an aircraft empennage at the back end. A rudder on the empennage pivots concurrently with angling of the front primary road wheel and a spoiler flap on the empennage is actuated concurrently with application of the vehicle braking system.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to engine driven land vehicles and more particularly 
to vehicles of the type that primarily ride on front and rear road wheels 
that are disposed in tandem relationship and which are situated midway 
between the sides of the vehicle. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
A conventional four wheeled passenger automobile is not adapted for making 
turns at high speeds. Making a turn during high speed travel requires a 
substantial slowing of the vehicle as centrifugal force tends to roll the 
vehicle over towards the outside of the turn. Numerous accidents are 
caused by drivers who misjudge the degree of speed reduction that is 
needed. 
The conventional automobile is also subject to other disadvantages. Four 
wheeled cars are inherently bulky. This, in conjunction with the need to 
slow down substantially for turns, results in an undesirably low limit on 
the number of vehicles that can be accommodated on a given roadway under 
heavy traffic conditions. The bulk, weight and general configuration of 
the typical automobile require an undesirably high fuel consumption rate 
which in turn has an adverse effect on efforts to reduce air pollution. 
The conventional automobile is not designed to minimize the risk of 
collisions and does not function in a manner which minimizes occupant 
injury when a collison or rollover does occur. 
A motorcycle of traditional form is typically smaller and more maneuverable 
than an automobile and thus is less subject to some of the problems 
discussed above. For example, a motorcycle may lean sidewardly towards the 
inside of a turn. This lowers the center of gravity and provides a high 
degree of rollover resistance provided that the degree of inclination is 
matched to the vehicle speed, turn radius and the banking of the roadway. 
A given roadway can accommodate more motorcycles than automobiles and 
motorcycles typically consume less fuel. The relatively high 
maneuverability of a motorcycle allows an alert and skilled operator to 
avoid incipient accidents much more effectively then is possible in a car. 
The conventional motorcycle also has disadvantages relative to an 
automobile when it used for basic transportation rather than for sport. 
For example, the motorcycle is unstable when stationary or while traveling 
at a very low speed. The operator must place one foot on the roadway and 
exert physical effort to prevent a sideward toppling of the vehicle. This 
problem is avoided in some prior motorcycle constructions by providing a 
retractable auxiliary road wheel at each side of the vehicle. The 
auxiliary road wheels are lowered when the vehicle is stopped or traveling 
at a very low speed and are lifted from the roadway during high speed 
travel. Prior mechanisms of this type prevent leaning of the vehicle to 
the extent that is necessary for maximum stability during high speed 
turns. An undesirable slowing of the vehicle is necessary during turns 
more or less as iu the case of an automobile and prior vehicles of this 
kind can easily rollover if the operator misjudges the degree of speed 
reduction that is needed. Prior vehicles of this kind cannot duplicate the 
performance of a motorcycle that is unemcumbered by auxiliary road wheels. 
The passenger carrying capacity of the conventional motorcycle is very 
limited and many persons consider the seating arrangements to be 
uncomfortable. Cargo capacity is undesirably limited and the vehicle 
provides virtually no protection from the weather and minimal isolation 
from airborne debris, insects and the like. Two wheeled vehicles have 
heretofore been provided with cabs to resolve these problems but, again, 
the configuration of such structures has prevented operation of the 
vehicles in a manner comparable to that of an unemcumbered motorcycle. 
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems 
discussed above. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
In one aspect, the invention provides a vehicle having a body defining an 
operator's compartment, front and rear primary road wheels situated 
substantially midway between opposite sides of the body, an engine for 
driving at least one of the primary road wheels and steering means for 
selectively angling the front road wheel relative to the rear road wheel. 
The lower regions of the sides of the body are convergent enabling leaning 
of the vehicle during high speed turns. At least one pair of pivot arms 
each have an inner end pivoted to the vehicle for vertical movement about 
pivot axes that extend longitudinally relative to the vehicle, the pivot 
arms being at opposite sides of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes 
at least one pair of auxiliary road wheels carried at the outer ends of 
separate ones of the pivot arms, the axes of rotation of the auxiliary 
road wheels being substantially at right angles to the pivot axes of the 
arms. The auxiliary road wheels and pivot arms are vertically movable 
between a lowered position at which the auxiliary road wheels ride on the 
underlying roadway and a raised position at which they extend laterally 
outward at opposite sides of the vehicle in position to ride on the 
roadway when the vehicle reaches a predetermined degree of sideward 
tilting that is more horizontal than vertical. 
In another aspect, the invention provides a vehicle having a body defining 
an operator's compartment and having opposite sides which converge towards 
each other at the lower region of the body. Front and rear primary road 
wheels are disposed in tandem relationship along the center of the 
underside of the vehicle. The vehicle further includes steering means for 
selectively angling the front primary roadwheel relative to the rear 
primary road wheel, a drive transmission having at least one forward drive 
setting and at least one reverse drive setting and an engine coupled to at 
least one of the primary road wheels through the transmission. At least 
one pair of pivot arms extend laterally at opposite sides of the vehicle 
and have outer ends which can be raised and lowered. The vehicle still 
further includes at least a pair of auxiliary road wheels, each being 
carried at the outer end of a separate one of the pivot arms. Braking 
means enable concurrent braking of both auxiliary road wheels and at least 
one of the primary road wheels. The vehicle further includes means for 
selectively lowering the pivot arms to a position at which the auxiliary 
road wheels bear against the underlying roadway and maintain the vehicle 
in an upright orientation and for selectively pivoting the arms upward to 
a position at which the auxiliary road wheels extend from opposite sides 
of the vehicle body in position to contact the roadway only when the 
vehicle tilts to an inclination that is more horizontal than vertical. 
In still another aspect of the invention, the vehicle body has an inverted 
teardrop configuration when viewed from the front, a pointed forward 
region that is of progressively diminishing height and width towards the 
front end of the vehicle and a back region that is of progressively 
diminishing height and width towards the back of the vehicle. An aircraft 
empennage is situated at the back of the body and has at least one 
vertically extending vane and at least one substantially horizontally 
extending vane. A portion of the vertically extending vane is defined by a 
rudder and a portion of the horizontally extending vane is defined by at 
least one spoiler flap. The vehicle steering means angles the rudder in 
conjunction with angling of the front primary road wheel. Actuation of the 
vehicle braking means pivots the spoiler flap outward from the other 
portions of the horizontally extending vane. 
The invention provides a vehicle which is self supporting at low speeds and 
while stationary and which can be operated in the manner of an 
unencumbered motorcycle at high speeds. The vehicle may be leaned to an 
inclination that is more horizontal than vertical during high speed turns 
thereby minimizing the need for slowing during turns and maximizing 
resistance to rollover. The auxiliary road wheels serve important purposes 
while in the raised position including allowing the operator to retain 
control when the vehicle reaches an extreme inclination. In the preferred 
form, the vehicle body has an aerodynamic configuration that reduces air 
resistance and aids in control of the vehicle. This may include an 
empennage with a rudder and spoiler flaps that operate automatically in 
conjunction with the steering controls and braking system. The 
configuration is more compact in the lateral direction than a conventional 
automobile while providing comparable comfort and isolation from the 
weather. This, together with greater maneuverability, can reduce the risk 
of accidents and enables a greater number of vehicles to be accommodated 
on a given roadway. 
The invention, together with additional aspects and advantages thereof, may 
be further understood by reference to the following description of a 
preferred embodiment and by reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a vehicle 11 embodying the invention 
includes a body 12 which rides on front and rear primary road wheels 13 
and 14 respectively when traveling at moderate or high speeds. The body 
defines an operator or driver compartment 17 provided with a seat 18 and 
may include one or more additional compartments 19 for one or more 
passengers or for carrying cargo. The vehicle 11 may, if desired, be 
designed for carrying only one person. 
Referring jointly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the primary road wheels 13 and 14 
are disposed in tandem relationship and are located midway between 
opposite sides 16 of the vehicle 11. The front primary road wheel 13 is 
journalled to the lower end of a front fork assembly 21 which preferably 
includes a road shock absorbing suspension cylinder 22 and which is 
turnable about its axis to angle the front primary road wheel relative to 
the rear primary road wheel in order to steer the vehicle 11. While a 
steering wheel can also be employed. The steering means 23 preferably 
includes a handlebar 24 secured to the top of fork assembly 21 and 
situated at the front region of operators compartment 17. With reference 
to FIGS. 2 and 4, fork assembly 21 is coupled to the front end of a high 
strength framing member 26 which forms the vehicle frame. Framing member 
26 extends sidewardly from each side of the fork assembly 21, then 
downward at each side of the vehicle 11 and then backward along the 
underside 27 of the vehicle. The fork assembly 21, including suspension 
22, may be of the known form commonly employed in motorcycles and thus 
will not be further described. 
The rear primary roadwheel 14 is journalled at the back end of a swing arm 
28 which has a forward end pivoted to framing member 26. Coil springs 30 
are coupled between arm 28 and an overhead rear extension 35 of framing 
member 26 to provide a resilient suspension at the back of the vehicle 11. 
This mounting of the rear primary roadwheel 14 by means of a pivotable arm 
28 and suspension springs 30 may have a detailed construction similar to 
that employed in motorcycles and thus will also not be further described. 
The rear primary roadwheel 14 is driven by an engine 29 which is coupled 
to the roadwheel through a transmission 31. Transmission 31 is itself 
coupled to rear primary roadwheel 14 through a pivotable drive line 32 and 
rear gearing 33 which components may also be of the known construction. 
Transmission 31 is preferably one which has a reverse drive setting in 
addition to providing a plurality of forward drive ratios. 
Referring to FIG. 4, the lower portions 34 of the opposite sides 16 of the 
vehicle are convergent in the downward direction enabling the vehicle to 
be leaned during high speed turns, as depicted in FIG. 5, preferably to 
the same extent as a conventional motorcycle. A conventional motorcycle, 
unequipped with auxiliary road wheels, can typically lean to inclinations 
up to 50.degree. to 55.degree. from vertical during high speed turns 
without loss of stability or operator control. The convergency of sides 16 
of the present vehicle is preferably sufficient to accommodate to a 
similar degree of sideward tilting. 
The body 12 of the vehicle 11 may otherwise take any of a variety of forms 
or the exterior shell of the body may be omitted thereby providing a 
vehicle which appears more like a conventional motorcycle. With reference 
to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 in conjunction, the vehicle 11 is preferably provided 
with a body 12 which has an aerodynamic configuration that reduces air 
resistance, increases stability, enhances control and which has safety 
features which will hereinafter be described. 
In particular, the body 12 preferably has an inverted teardrop shape when 
viewed from the front. The forward region 36 of body 12 has a pointed 
configuration and is of progressively diminishing height and width towards 
the front end of the vehicle. The back region 37 of body 12 is of 
progressively diminishing height and width towards the back of the 
vehicle. A curved transparent windshield 38 is situated in front of the 
upper region of operators compartment 17 and the sides of the upper region 
are formed by transparent panels 39 having a curvature conforming with the 
inverted teardrop shape of the body 12. Hinges 41 attach the top edges of 
panels 39 to a strut 42 which extends along the center of the top of body 
12 and latches 43 at the lower edges engage with the lower portion of the 
body. Thus the panels 39 may be pivoted outwardly and upwardly to provide 
for access to the operators compartment 17 and passengers compartment 19. 
Rear window members 44 at the back of passengers compartment 19 also have 
a curved configuration conforming with the above described aerodynamic 
shape of the body 12. The hinged panels 39 may, if desired, be replaced 
with a sliding transparent canopy of the type found on some aircraft or 
with doors which pivot about a vertical axis in the manner of an 
automobile door. A sliding canopy enables the vehicle to be driven in the 
manner of a convertible automobile. 
The vehicle 11 is equipped with headlights 46 and tail lights 47 in the 
manner of a conventional automobile. 
Although it is not essential in all instances, the high speed performance 
of the vehicle 11 can be enhanced by providing an aircraft type of 
empennage 48 at the back of the vehicle. Such an empennage 48 may take 
different forms but includes at least one vertically extending stabilizer 
or vane 49 and at least one stabilizer or vane 51 that extends 
horizontally or at a slight upward angle relative to horizontal. This 
embodiment has a single vertical vane 49 that is coplanar with the primary 
road wheels 13 and 14 and a pair of horizontal vanes 51 that extend 
sidewardly from opposite sides of the vertical vane at a location above 
the back region 37 of body 12. 
A portion of the vertical vane 49, situated at the back of the vane and 
below horizontal vanes 51, is sidewardly pivotable relative to other 
portions of the vertical vane in order to function as a rudder 52 which 
assists steering of the vehicle at high speeds. Rudder 52 is fastened to 
other portions of vane 49 by pivot couplings 53 and a pair of cables 54 
are connected to opposite sides of the rudder to link the rudder to the 
front fork assembly 21 as will hereinafter be further described. Turning 
handlebars 24 to steer the vehicle 11 to the right pivots rudder 52 
outwardly to the right and a left turn angling of the handlebars and front 
primary road wheel 13 is accompanied by an outward pivoting of rudder 52 
at the left side of the vehicle. 
A portion of each horizontal vane 51 is defined by upper and lower spoiler 
flaps 56 and 57 respectively which are situated at the back region of the 
vane 51 at locations which are outboard from the path of the pivotable 
rudder 52. The forward edges of spoiler flaps 56 and 57 are fastened to 
the adjoining portions of the vanes 51 by pivot couplings 58. This enables 
the upper flaps 56 to be pivoted upward and the lower flaps 57 to be 
pivoted downward to assist in braking of the vehicle 11 at high speeds. 
The flaps 56 and 57 are pivoted by hydraulic actuators 59 mounted within 
the vanes 51 as will hereinafter be further described. 
The vehicle 11 is stabilized when at rest and while moving at low speeds by 
auxiliary road wheels 61 which also serve important purposes during high 
speed travel. At least one auxiliary road wheel 61 is disposed at each 
side 16 of the vehicle 11 and preferably there is a pair of such wheels at 
each side of the vehicle, one being spaced to the rear of the other. In 
the present embodiment, the forward ones of the pairs of auxiliary road 
wheels 61 are situated behind the front primary road wheel 13 and the 
rearward ones of the pair are immediately in front of the rear primary 
road wheel 14. The auxiliary road wheels 61 are preferably located more or 
less midway between the primary road wheels 13 and 14 in instances where 
there is only one auxiliary road wheel at each side of the vehicle 11. 
Referring jointly to FIGS. 1 and 6, the auxiliary road wheels 61 at each 
side of the vehicle 11 are carried at the outer ends of a pair of pivot 
arms 62 which extend laterally outward from each side of the vehicle. The 
inner ends of the pivot arms 62 are attached to the vehicle by pivot 
couplings 63 which enable upward and downward pivoting of the arms about 
pivot axes that extend longitudinally relative to the vehicle. In the 
preferred arrangement, a rotatable torsion bar 64 extends along each side 
16 of the vehicle and is coupled to framing member 26 by three roller 
bearings 66 a pair of which are situated near the ends of the torsion bar 
with the third bearing being near the center of the bar. The inner ends of 
the pivot arms 62 are secured to the ends of the torsion bar 64 at 
locations adjacent the ones of the bearings 66 that are near the ends of 
the bar. Thus the torsion bars 64 synchronize upward and downward pivoting 
of the two pivot arms 62 at each side of the vehicle 11. The torsion bars 
64 are preferably formed of a high strength material that exhibits some 
elasticity, such as steel, to provide a roadshock absorbing resilient 
suspension effect. 
The arms 62 are raised and lowered by a hydraulic actuator 67 and linkage 
68 which are coupled to the torsion bars 64. The actuator and linkage 
arrangement may take any of a variety of forms but is preferably of the 
type depicted in FIG. 7 as it requires only a single actuator 67 and 
minimizes the height of the mechanism. With reference to FIG. 7, linkage 
68 includes a pair of links 69 each coupled to a separate one of the 
torsion bars 64 by a spline connection 71 which constrains each link to 
turn with the torsion bar on which it is mounted. Links 69 extend for 
distance above the torsion bars 64 and for a smaller distance below the 
torsion bars. A first cross-link 72 interconnects a point on a first of 
the links 69 that is above the torsion bars 64 with a point on the other 
link 69 that is a similar distance below the torsion bars. A second 
cross-link 73 is similarly interconnected between the other link 69 and 
the first link. The connections between links 69 and cross-links 72 and 73 
are pivot couplings 74. Thus the cross-links 72 and 73 constrain links 69 
and torsion bars 64 to turn in opposite directions and by equal amounts. 
Opposite ends of the hydraulic actuator 67 are connected to the upper end 
of separate ones of the links 69 by additional pivot couplings 76. Thus, 
with reference to both FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, extension of actuator 67 turns 
the upper ends of links 69 outward thereby turning the torsion bars 64 in 
opposite directions and pivoting arms 62 downward. Actuator 67 and linkage 
68 are proportioned to cause the auxiliary road wheels 61 to be in contact 
with the underlying roadway when the actuator bottoms out at its maximum 
extension. 
Contraction of actuator 67 draws the upper ends of links 69 towards each 
other thereby pivoting the arms 69 and auxiliary road wheels 61 upward and 
away from the roadway. The actuator 67 and linkage 68 are also 
proportioned to pivot the arm 62 and auxiliary road wheels 61 upward at 
least to the point where the wheels 61 extend laterally outward from the 
sides of the vehicle with an orientation that is more horizontal than 
vertical, as depicted in FIG. 4, at which point the actuator reaches its 
state of maximum contraction. 
Referring to FIG. 5, the mechanism is preferably proportioned to pivot 
auxiliary road wheels 61 upward to a level which enables the vehicle 11 to 
lean at least 50.degree. away from vertical before the auxiliary road 
wheels 61 at that side of the vehicle contact the roadway. This enables 
the vehicle 11 to execute high speed turns in a manner comparable to a 
conventional motorcycle that has no auxiliary road wheels but also 
provides a much greater degree of safety and assurance of retaining 
control. The auxiliary road wheels 61 prevent extreme leaning of the 
vehicle 11 that could result in a loss of traction and skidding of one 
side of the vehicle along the roadway. The location of the center of 
gravity of the vehicle 11, designated by cross 77 in FIG. 5, may be 
somewhat variable under different loading conditions but is lowered by the 
leaning of the vehicle and remains well inboard of the roadway contacting 
auxiliary road wheel 61. This makes the vehicle 11 highly resistant to 
rollover when in the extreme inclination shown in FIG. 5. In the unlikely 
event that a rollover should occur, the laterally protruding horizontal 
vanes 51 and vertical vane 49 of empennage 48 contribute to rollover 
protection of the occupants of the vehicle 11. 
Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2, raising of the auxiliary road wheels 61 
to the degree described above may require that portions of such wheels 
extend into the vehicle body 12. This is accommodated by indentations or 
openings 78 in the vehicle sides 16 shaped to receive those portions of 
the wheels 61 and to seat arms 62. 
In embodiments such as the present one that have two or more auxiliary road 
wheels 61 at each side of the vehicle 11, maneuverability is improved if 
the forward auxiliary road wheel 61 at each side is steerable. For this 
purpose, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, each forward auxiliary road 
wheel 61 is coupled to its pivot arm 62 by a steering knuckle 79 which may 
be of the known type and which has a rearwardly extending lever 81 that 
may be used to change the angling of the wheel 61 relative to the 
direction of travel of the vehicle. A slight cambering of the wheels 61 as 
shown in FIG. 4 can be advantageous. 
Referring jointly to FIGS. 6 and 8, angling of the front auxiliary road 
wheels 61 is coordinated with the angling of the front primary road wheel 
by a turnable member 82 which is situated midway between the front wheels 
61 and supported on an extension 26a of framing member 26. Member 82 has 
upper arms 83 which extend laterally outward towards opposite sides of the 
vehicle 11 and also has lower arms 84 which extend downward and outward to 
locations which are directly in front of the centers of torsion bars 64 
when the front auxiliary road wheels 61 are unangled. A first pair of tie 
rods 86 connects the outer ends of upper arms 83 with opposite sides of 
the front fork assembly 21, the connections to both arms 83 and fork 
assembly 21 being made by ball and socket joints 87. Thus turning of the 
handlebars 24 is accompanied by a corresponding turning of the member 82. 
A second pair of tie rods 88 connects the ends of the lower arms 84 with 
the levers 81 of steering knuckles 79 through additional ball and socket 
joints 90. Thus the rotary motion of member 82 which accompanies turning 
of the handle bar 24 results in an angling of the front auxiliary road 
wheels 61 that coordinates with the angling of the front primary road 
wheel 13. Turnbuckles 89 in the tie rods 86 and 88 enable adjustment of 
the linkage to match the angling of the front auxiliary road wheels 61 
with that of the front primary road wheel 13. The turnbuckles 89 may also 
be adjusted to cancel out any looseness in the associated linkage. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 6, the previously described rudder control cables 
54 may also connect to the front fork assembly 21 at the uppermost of the 
ball and socket joints 87 as in this embodiment or, alternately, may be 
linked to the turnable member 82. Thus turning of handlebars 24 is 
accompanied by angling of rudder 52 to assist steering at high speeds. 
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 8, it is advantageous if at least a pair and 
preferably all of the auxiliary road wheels are equipped with brakes 91 
that are actuated in conjunction with the brakes 92 of the primary road 
wheels 13 and 14, which brakes are preferably of the known hydraulic form 
Except as herein described, the vehicles 11 controls such as an accelerator 
control, clutch control, gear shifting control and the like may be of the 
known forms used in motorcycles or in automobiles. Specialized aspects of 
the vehicle 11 control system are depicted in FIG. 9. These include a pump 
93 driven by the vehicle engine 29 which draws hydraulic fluid from a 
reservoir 94 and which supplies pressurized fluid for operating the 
previously described hydraulic actuator 67 that raises and lowers the 
auxiliary road wheels and the hydraulic actuator 59 that operates spoiler 
flaps 56 and 57. 
A three position manually operated auxiliary wheel control valve 96 is 
actuated by the operator when it is desired to raise or lower the 
auxiliary road wheels. Valve 96 is spring biased to a center position at 
which the valve seals both the head end and rod end ports of actuator 67 
to hold the auxiliary road wheels at the raised or lowered positions. 
Shifting of valve 96 to a second position applies fluid from pump 93 to 
the head end of actuator 67 and vents the rod end of the actuator to 
reservoir 94 causing extension of the actuator and lowering of the 
auxiliary road wheels. At the third position, valve 96 pressurizes the rod 
end of actuator 67 and vents the head end to contract the actuator and 
raise the auxiliary road wheels. 
The spring biasing of valve 96 holds the valve at the center position which 
immobilizes actuator 67 except at times when the operator is actuating the 
valve. The pressurized fluid outlet conduit 97 from pump 93 is 
communicated with an accumulator 98. This speeds the response of the 
actuator 67 to operation of valve 96 as it makes a sizable supply of 
pressurized fluid instantly available. Another accumulator 99 can be 
communicated with the head end of actuator 67 to provide a road shock 
absorbing resilient suspension effect at the auxiliary wheels in vehicles 
which have only one pair of such wheels and therefore do not have the 
previously described lengthy torsion bars 64. 
Actuator 59 which pivots the spoiler flaps 56 and 57 is controlled by a two 
position valve 101 that is responsive to the vehicle braking system 102. 
The valve 101 is spring biased to a first position at which fluid from 
pump 93 is applied to the rod end of actuator 59 and the head end of the 
actuator is vented to reservoir 94 thereby holding the actuator in a 
contracted condition. Links 103 extend from a pivot coupling 104 at the 
end of rod 106 of actuator 59 and one of the links is pivoted to upper 
flap 56 while the other link is pivoted to the lower flap 57. The links 
103 hold the flaps 56 and 57 in the inactive position when actuator 59 is 
in the contracted condition. Extension of actuator 59 causes the links 103 
to pivot flaps 56 and 57 upward and downward respectively to the active 
position at which the flaps create air resistance which aids in braking 
the vehicle 11 and in maintaining the vehicle in a nose forward 
orientation. 
The vehicle braking system 102 includes a master cylinder 107 which can be 
manually actuated by the vehicle operator with a foot pedal 100 or the 
like to apply pressurized fluid to the front and rear primary road wheel 
brakes 92 and auxiliary road wheel brakes 91 through a brake fluid flow 
line 108. The pilot of valve 101 is communicated with line 108 and is 
automatically shifted to a second position in response to the 
pressurization of line 108 that occurs when the operator actuates the 
master cylinder 107. At the second position, valve 101 applies pressurized 
fluid from pump 93 to the head end of actuator 59 and vents the rod end of 
the actuator to reservoir 94. This extends actuator 59 and thereby pivots 
the upper and lower flaps 56 and 57 into the active positions as described 
above. The spring biasing returns valve 101 to the first position when the 
operator deactuates the brakes. This restores flaps 56 and 57 to their 
inactive positions. Actuator 59 is itself spring biased to the contracted 
position. This holds the flaps 56 and 57 at their inactive positions when 
engine 29 is shut down and pump 93 is no longer operating. 
In addition to the conventional automobile style tail and stop light 47 
shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 11 is preferably equipped with additional 
means 109, shown in FIG. 9, for visually signaling braking of the vehicle 
to occupants of following vehicles. For this purpose, the inside surfaces 
111 of one or both spoiler flaps 56 and 57 can be coated with red 
preferably light reflective material or be otherwise colored or 
illuminated in a manner which attracts the attention of persons behind the 
vehicle when the flaps open. A stop light 112 may also be situated between 
the flaps 56 and 57 where it is concealed when the flaps are in the 
inactive position but exposed to view when the flaps open. Stop light 112 
is connected to the vehicle battery 113 through a normally open fluid 
pressure operated switch 114 that is piloted to a closed condition by 
fluid pressure from brake line 108 during periods when the brakes are 
being applied. 
The auxiliary road wheels 61 of the above described embodiment of the 
invention have a fixed camber angle relative to pivot arms 62. It is 
preferable although not essential, particularly in the case of vehicles 
having only a single pair of auxiliary road wheels 61, that linkage be 
provided to increase the camber when the pivot arms 62 are in the raised 
position. FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 depict one form of linkage 116 which 
provides this effect. 
In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, the single 
pair of pivot arms 62a are coupled directly to framing member 26a by pivot 
couplings 117. One of a pair of camber knuckle links 118 is pivoted to the 
outer end of each pivot arm 62a by additional pivot couplings 119. The 
auxiliary road wheels 61a and steering knuckles 79a are secured to the 
camber knuckle links 118. Thus pivoting of the links 118 relative to pivot 
arms 62a changes the camber angle of the auxiliary road wheels 61a 
relative to the pivot arms. 
The change of camber is brought about automatically during raising and 
lowering of pivot arms 62a by a pair of tie rods 121. Tie rods 121 have 
inner ends pivoted to framing member 26a by a pivot coupling 122 situated 
below and in front of pivot couplings 117, coupling 122 being equidistant 
from the two couplings 117. The outer ends of tie rods 121 are pivoted to 
the camber knuckle links 118 by additional pivot couplings 123 which are 
situated below pivot couplings 119. Thus the pivot arms 62a, framing 
member 26a, tie rods 121 and camber knuckle links 118 jointly form a 
parallelogram linkage which acts to draw the lower portions of auxiliary 
road wheels 61a closer together as the arms 62a are pivoted upwards and to 
spread the lower portions of the auxiliary road wheels further apart when 
the pivot arms are lowered. 
In order to orient the auxiliary wheels 61a of this embodiment in the most 
optimum manner at the both the raised and lowered positions of the wheels. 
An additional pair of tie rods 130 have outer ends connected to steering 
knuckles 79a by ball and socket joints 131 and inner ends pivoted to 
framing member 26a at a pivot coupling 132 which is situated below and to 
the rear of couplings 117 and which is equidistant from the two couplings 
117. The tie rods 130 impart a slight toe-in to the auxiliary wheels 61a 
at the lowered position and cause a toe-out of the wheels at the raised 
position. Turnbuckles 133 in tie rods 130 enable adjustment of this 
relationship of the auxiliary wheels 61a to each other. The previously 
described camber tie rods 121 also preferably include turnbuckles 134 to 
enable adjustment. 
Referring jointly to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12, raising and lowering of pivot 
arms 62a in this embodiment is accomplished by an upright hydraulic 
actuator 124 having a head end rigidly secured to framing member 26a. The 
actuator 124 positions pivot arms 62a by means of two pairs of links 126, 
the pairs of links being at opposite sides of the actuator and having 
lower ends pivotably coupled to separate ones of the pivot arms. The upper 
ends of the links 126 are pivotably coupled to the extensible rod 128 of 
actuator 124. Thus extension of actuator 124 raises the arms 62a and 
auxiliary road wheels 61a and contraction of the actuator lowers the pivot 
arms and auxiliary road wheels. Actuator rod 128 extends through a support 
bearing 127, secured to frame extension 26b, which maintains the rod 
upright while enabling axial movement of the rod. 
The camber control mechanism 116 has been described above with reference to 
an embodiment of the invention which has only a single pair of auxiliary 
road wheels 61a. Such mechanism is equally adaptable to vehicles having 
both front and rear pairs of auxiliary road wheels as in the earlier 
described embodiment of the invention. In such vehicles, the camber 
control mechanism 116 for the front pair of auxiliary road wheels may be 
similar to that described above with reference to FIGS. 10, 11 and 12. 
Referring now to FIG. 13, the camber control mechanism 116a for the rear 
pair of auxiliary road wheels 61a may be essentially similar except that 
the steering knuckles 79a and toe control links 130 of FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 
are not needed at the rear auxiliary road wheels. 
FIG. 13 diagrammatically depicts the angular orientation of the auxiliary 
road wheels 61a relative to the roadway 129 when the wheels are lowered 
and also when the wheels are raised but are in contact with the roadway 
due to extreme leaning of the vehicle during a high speed turn. It may be 
seen that the above described linkage 116a causes the auxiliary road 
wheels 61a to assume the same optimized camber relative to the roadway 129 
under both conditions. 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 9, in operation the vehicle driver shifts valve 96 
to raise the auxiliary road wheels 61 after the vehicle has attained a 
speed of several miles per hour and again shifts the valve to lower the 
auxiliary wheels when the vehicle is to be slowed to a very low speed and 
prior to stopping the vehicle. If the vehicle 11 should be in the state of 
extreme inclination depicted in FIG. 5 and is stopped or lacks sufficient 
momentum to restore itself to an upright orientation at the completion of 
a turn, the auxiliary wheels 61 can be lowered to force the vehicle into 
an upright orientation. The auxiliary wheels 61 may also be lowered at the 
beginning of an emergency stop to provide increased braking power. 
The narrow cross section and pointed configuration of the front of the 
vehicle 11 reduce the chances of a collision. In the event that a 
collision does occur, the long pointed front end of the vehicles can 
absorb a substantial amount of energy in the process of crushing and 
thereby provides a high degree of protection to occupants of the vehicle. 
The raised auxiliary road wheels 61 are in a position to deflect another 
vehicle in the event of a side swiping type of collision. 
Thus, in contrast to the prior art, the auxiliary road wheels 61 and 
associated structure serve a number of very important functions while in 
the raised position and while traveling and turning at high speeds. 
While the invention has been disclosed with reference to a single preferred 
embodiment for purposes of example, many modifications and variations of 
the construction are possible and it is not intended to limit the 
invention except as defined in the following claims.