Abstract:
An engine guard for a motorcycle is made so that it will mount onto a motorcycle frame and has horizontally extending rail sections on opposite sides of the frame. Foot pegs are mounted at the outer ends of the horizontally extending sections. The foot pegs are positioned on opposite sides of the motorcycle and will pivot about a generally horizontal axis from a deployed position where they extend outwardly from the horizontal rail sections to a stowed position wherein the foot pegs are nested into a recess provided in the top of the respective horizontal rail section. The foot pegs include anti-slip surfaces. The stowed position moves the foot pegs inwardly, and provides a surface for supporting the feet of a rider. When the pegs are extended outwardly, the feet on the pegs are spaced at a greater distance from the center plane of the motorcycle than when the foot pegs are in the stowed position.

Description:
[0001]     This application refers to and claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/526,038 filed Dec. 1, 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to an engine guard that attaches to the front frame of a motorcycle and which has laterally extending generally horizontal rails on which a folding foot peg is mounted that will be usable as a foot rest in both an extended or displayed position where the foot rest extends outwardly from the engine guard, and in a folded or stowed position where the foot pegs nest into a provided receptacle on the respective engine guard rails.  
         [0003]     Various types of foot pegs for motorcycles have been advanced in the past, as well as various engine guards. One type of engine guard is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 348,422, where the engine guard is clamped to the front members of a motorcycle frame, and extend outwardly to provide a foot rest, with enlarged balls fixed at the ends of outwardly extending portions.  
         [0004]     A foot rest for a motorcycle frame that has a laterally extending guard portion and folding pedals at the outer ends is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,353. In this instance, the pedals are pivoted and will fold from a horizontal position to a vertical position. When in the vertical position, the pedals protrude upwardly from the foot rest frame and can cause interference.  
         [0005]     Another type of an engine guard and foot rest arrangement is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 270,527. The foot rests appear to be permanently fixed in place.  
         [0006]     U.S. Design Pat. No. D361,311 also shows an engine guard and foot rest with annular anti-slip rings for placing the rider&#39;s feet on horizontal portions of the foot rest.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The present invention relates to an engine guard for a motorcycle that is fixed to and extends laterally from the front end of the frame of a motorcycle to the opposite sides of the frame. The engine guard has rails or sections that are generally horizontal on which a foot of the rider can rest. At the outer ends of the horizontal sections, foot pegs are pivotally mounted. The foot pegs will pivot from a deployed position extending outwardly from the engine guard to a stowed position where they are folded inwardly and overlie portions of the generally horizontal rail. When folded inwardly, the foot pegs are received in receptacles formed in the rails of the engine guard, so that they nest in place and do not substantially enlarge the outer size of the engine guard rail when they are folded.  
         [0008]     The foot pegs of the present invention can be used as foot rests in either the stowed or folded portions or in the unfolded or deployed position. Suitable anti-slip members are provided on the surfaces of the foot pegs that are exposed for supporting a riders feet in either one of the two positions. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is a front perspective view of an engine guard made according to the present invention with a schematic representation of a motorcycle frame for illustrative purposes;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of one side of the engine guard shown in  FIG. 1  with the peg in its “stowed” or nested position;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a rear perspective view similar to  FIG. 2  with the foot peg in its deployed position;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view taken on line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken on line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken on line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 3 ; and  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 1  showing a modified combined engine guard and foot peg bracket. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0016]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a motorcycle frame is shown very fragmentarily for reference purposes at  10 , and as it can be seen, it has forward end frame members  12  that extend upwardly from lower frame pipes  13 . The forward end frame members  12  taper together toward the top and are held with a bracket  14  relative to a horizontal frame member  16 . A motor  18  that is shown only schematically, is mounted on the frame members in the lower portion of the frame, and is used for powering the motorcycle in a normal manner. A fork retainer sleeve  20  is at the front end of the horizontal frame member  14 . The motorcycle is assembled in a normal manner.  
         [0017]     A combined engine guard and folding foot peg bracket made according to the present invention is illustrated at  22 . The engine guard  22  has lower support struts  24 ,  24  on opposite sides of the frame  10 . The lower end of the struts carry brackets  26  that bolt to the frame lower pipes  13  with suitable bolts  28  as shown in  FIG. 1 . The struts  24  taper upwardly on the opposite sides of the frame, and each strut has an upwardly extending portion  30 , on which a pivot and connector support bracket  32  is mounted.  
         [0018]     The brackets  32  in turn are each connected to a separate generally horizontal rail section  34 . The rail sections  34  are connected to support pipes  36  on each side of the frame. The support pipes  36  taper upwardly toward the junction of the frame members  12 . A support plate  38  is secured to the upper ends of the support pipes  36 . The plate  38  is used to connect the upper end of the engine guard to the frame  10  with a suitable fastener  40 . This fastener arrangement for fastening plate  38  to the frame can be of any desired type, but generally, the top of the engine guard is clamped in place, or the fastener  40  can be threaded into openings on portions of the frame, or held on another type of bracket.  
         [0019]     The present invention includes a pair of pivoting, folding foot pegs  42 , one on each side of the motorcycle, and the foot pegs  42 , are each pivotally mounted about a pivot axis  44  on the opposite sides of the motorcycle to the respective connector and pivot and peg support bracket  32 . The brackets  32  are at the outer ends of the horizontal rails  34  and extend inwardly to form an open top saddle for the foot pegs. The brackets  32  are bifurcated at the outer end to provide a pair of spaced side members  46 ,  46 , as shown in  FIG. 6 . The foot pegs  42  each have a central core or bolt  52  that has an ear portion  48  that fits between the respective side members  46 , and is contoured and of size so that it will pivot about the pivot axis  44 . The pivot axis  44  is formed with a suitable pivot bolt  50 .  
         [0020]     The foot pegs  42  are configured as desired and generally are so that they will pivot from an open or deployed position shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3  to a stowed position as shown in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0021]     The pivot ears  48  of the foot pegs  42  are part of a respective cylindrical core or bolt  52  of the foot peg, as shown in  FIG. 5 . The core has a threaded end and can support first foot peg sections  53  at end walls formed on section  53 . The section  53  can be of a suitable material, such as die cast metal. A longitudinally extending cap  54  is also attached to the core or bolt  52 . The cap  54  may be made of hard rubber and will be on the upper side of the rail when the foot peg is in its stowed position as shown in  FIG. 2 . The foot peg assembly can be made in any desired manner, length and style. When the foot peg  42  is in its deployed position, the section  53  has a part cylindrical surface facing upwardly. This part cylindrical surface and the wall having the surface have a plurality of longitudinal anti-slip grooves  56  formed in the surface.  
         [0022]     When the foot peg  42  is deployed, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 3 , there will be an irregular surface on the foot peg on which the rider&#39;s feet can rest.  
         [0023]     Each of the caps  54  on the foot pegs has a number of ribs  60  that extend longitudinally along the foot peg to provide for an anti-slip surface when the foot pegs are in the stowed or folded position.  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  shows a modified form of the anti-slip or anti-skid surface on the foot peg, comprising part annular grooves  64  on the side that is up when the foot peg is deployed as shown in  FIG. 1 , and part annular ribs  66  on the cap  54 , that would be on the top when the foot peg is pivoted to its stowed position.  
         [0025]     It can be see in  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  4  and  5  that each of the brackets  32  at the outer ends of the horizontal rails  34  forms a pocket or a recess  62  that extends from the outer end inwardly for a sufficient length to receive the respective foot peg  42  when the foot peg is stowed. The cap  54  is on the top of the foot peg in the stowed position and is about the same size as the rail  34 . The recess  62  in each bracket  32  is formed by a part cylindrical lower wall  68  joining the wall of the rail  34 . The inner end of the recess is closed with an end wall  70  that blends in with the respective rail  34  and the wall  70  at the inner ends of brackets  32  can be bolted to fittings to join it to the rail.  
         [0026]     It is important to note therefore that the foot peg is usable, and is positioned generally horizontally (or at suitable angles) in both its deployed and stowed positions, and the two positions result in the feet being farther away from the frame in the deployed position. Nonetheless, the feet are supportable in the deployed position as well as in the stowed position of the foot pegs.  
         [0027]     The tubes or pipes used to make the engine guard can be all chrome plated. The foot pegs themselves can be made in other variations, but include a pivot ear that is pivotally mounted on a suitable pivot axis, and will nest into a receptacle in the horizontal rail section or portion of the engine guard.  
         [0028]     The support for the engine guard to the frame also can be of any desired type. Separate side members comprising horizontal rail portions  34  and strut portions  24  can be supported on one side of frame  10  independently of the rail and strut on the other side of the frame.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , a modified engine guard and folding foot peg support or bracket  80  is shown on a schematically illustrated motorcycle frame  82 . The engine guard  80  is made of several components, including a central mounting bracket  84  that can be forged or otherwise formed separately.  
         [0030]     The bracket  84  has an opening at the top for a fastener  86 , to secure it to the frame  82  in a known manner. The bracket  84  has divurging tube sections  88  piloted thereon and welded in place. The tube sections  88  join downwardly extending curved tubes  90 .  
         [0031]     The curved tubes  90  are joined to horizontal foot peg support rails  92  through elbow brackets  94 . The elbow brackets are separately formed, and welded to the tubes. The foot peg support rails  92  have connector brackets  95  at outer ends thereof which have spaced pivot flanges  96  to which foot pegs  98  are pivoted. Foot pegs  98  are pivoted to the flange with pivot pins  100 .  
         [0032]     The brackets  95  have downwardly extending portions that join lower bent tubes  102  that in turn join inwardly extending tube sections  104 . The inner ends of the tube sections  104  are joined to lower members of the motorcycle frame  82 , and suitably bolted or otherwise fastened in place.  
         [0033]     The horizontal rail sections  92  are provided with upwardly open, part cylindrical pockets  108 . The foot pegs  98  are shown pivoted outwardly from the rail sections  92  to a stopped position to be used in a wide foot position. The support ears  110  on the foot pegs  98  positioned between the flanges  96  will engage a cross surface at the base of the flanges, which acts as a stop for the foot pegs.  
         [0034]     The foot pegs fold into the respective pockets or receptacles  108  for use in a more narrow foot position. The foot pegs remain exposed on the open top of the receptacles for use as foot rests. The foot pegs can thus be used in two positions by quickly moving them between the inner and outer positions about the pivot pin.  
         [0035]     The horizontal rails  92  also can be used for supporting lights  112 , if desired. Other accessories can be mounted on the engine guard and foot peg support, so long as the accessories do not interfere with foot peg folding and use.  
         [0036]     The second form of the invention shows a modified design, with the same functions as folding foot pegs. The engine guard and foot peg supports can be tube sections welded together or formed in fewer parts than those shown, as desired.  
         [0037]     Different curves and curvature designs can be utilized. Lights can be supported on the horizontal rail portions if desired, as well.  
         [0038]     A very neat appearing engine guard is provided, and the engine guard supports foot pegs that will fold to a completely stowed and substantially unobtrusive position in a recess or receptacle in a horizontal rail portion of the engine guard. The foot pegs will pivot to extend outwardly from the engine guard. The foot pegs will pivot to extend outwardly from the engine guard for supporting the feet of a motorcycle rider. The incorporation of foot pegs into an engine guard places the use in either a wide spacing or a reduced width.  
         [0039]     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.