Abstract:
A stabilizing device for supporting a motorcycle in a storage and transport position inside an enclosed trailer. A support frame is attached to the ceiling trusses of the trailer. A telescopic arm extends downward from the support frame to connect to a cross arm including hooks and straps that attach to the motorcycle to secure the motorcycle in place. A strengthening brace is interconnected between the opposite side of the support frame and an intermediate position on the telescopic arm.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates generally to a stabilizer for motorcycles during transport and, more specifically, to a device for assisting a motocross competitor in the storage and transport of the motorcycle in an enclosed trailer. In particular, the device comprises a stabilizer of steel tubing that is bolted or welded together to form an adjustable support frame attached to the ceiling of an enclosed trailer and having a telescopic arm which is suspended from the support frame and which engages and supports the motorcycle in an upright, transport position while leaving the floor and areas of the trailer adjacent the motorcycle free from obstructing objects.  
           [0003]    2. Background  
           [0004]    The sport of motocross has become a well-recognized activity for many adventure seekers. Problems arise, however, in reaching racetracks or courses at far distances because motorcycles used in motocross are not typically licensed for highway use. Thus, a device for transporting the motorcycles becomes necessary. When using trailers for transporting motorcycles the owners traditionally utilize grounded devices such as wheel chocks, bike shoes, tie downs, and the like in order to stabilize the motorcycle in the trailer during travel.  
           [0005]    One drawback to the traditional means of securing motorcycles with grounding devices is that the devices used consume the floor space in the trailer. For people entering and exiting the trailer the traditional means are not easy to maneuver around nor do they provide flexibility in storing other articles. Accordingly, a need exists for a device that allows the motorcycle owner to store the motorcycle with ease while giving better flexibility for storage and better maneuverability in the trailer.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    An object of the invention comprises providing a device for stabilizing a motorcycle, where the ceiling mounted device with telescopic arm provides for better storage and maneuverability inside the enclosed trailer.  
           [0007]    These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following specifications, drawings, and claims.  
           [0008]    The present invention intends to overcome the difficulties encountered heretofore. To that end, the stabilizer for a motorcycle comprises a mounted support frame that attaches to the ceiling of a trailer. A telescopic arm is pivotally connected to and extends downwardly from a forward portion of the support frame. A cross arm is then secured at a central location to the free end of the telescopic arm, the two arms thereby forming a general “T” shape. A pair of hooked extensions are attached to the cross arm, one at each end portion thereof. A strap associated with each hooked extension is used to releasably secure each hooked extension to a corresponding end of the handlebars of the motorcycle. Finally, a brace interconnects the telescopic arm with the rearward end of the support frame at an acute angle to provide additional support. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    [0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stabilizer mounted to a ceiling of a trailer while supporting a motorcycle.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIGS. 2A and 2B are an upper perspective view of the support frame of the present invention and an enlarged view of an alternative attachment structure, respectively.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 3 is a side view of the support frame showing the brace arm, and part of the suspended telescopic arm.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 4 is a front view of the telescopic arm and base, including the hooked extensions that attach to the motorcycle.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 5A is a front view of an adapter for trailers with curved ceilings and FIG. 5B is a side view exploded to show the connection between adaptor and the support frame.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 6 is a side view of an extension of the telescopic arm for taller or shorter motorcycles.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 7 is a close-up view of a bolt block that is attached to the ends of the support frame and secure the support frame to the ceiling trusses. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0016]    In the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a motorcycle stabilizer  50  of the present invention, comprising a support frame  10  that is mounted to ceiling trusses  52  of an enclosed trailer (not shown) and used to support a motorcycle  53 . In particular, FIG. 2A illustrates the support frame  10  as an adjustable rectangular support frame  10  comprised of steel tubing and divided into two U-shaped sub-frames  96  and  98 . The U-shaped sub-frames  96  and  98  are each comprised of two side legs  12  and  14  or  18  and  20  that are connected to a third end leg  16  or  22  (respectively) to form a first U-shaped sub-frame  98  and a second U-shaped sub-frame  96 , the two sub-frames joining to form the rectangular support frame  10 . The legs  18  and  20  of the first sub-frame  98  are made of small diameter steel tubing and are intended to telescope into the larger diameter legs  12  and  14  of the second sub-frame  96 , and are inserted into the corresponding legs  12  and  14  to create a rectangle support frame  10  of adjustable length. A locking bolt  24  is located on the outside of each side leg  12  and  14  and is used to secure the connection between the corresponding side legs  12  and  18 , and  14  and  20 . The locking bolt  24  is comprised of a nut  94  welded to a hole (not shown) drilled in the steel tubing and a bolt  74  capable of turning into the nut  94  so that the bolt  74  may be tightened in order to prevent the support frame  10  from opening or closing once in position.  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2A illustrates one means for mounting the support frame  10  to the ceiling trusses  52  (FIG. 1) of the trailer. This embodiment utilizes pin blocks  32   a - 32   d  welded onto the end of each side leg  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  of the support frame  10 . The pin blocks  32   a - 32   d  are formed by securing a mounting pin  90  to a block  92 , and the pin block  32  is fit into the open end of the steel tubing of the side legs  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  of the support frame  10 . The pin blocks  32  are used to mount the support frame  10  onto the ceiling trusses  52  of the trailer wherein the pins  90  are inserted into corresponding holes (not shown) drilled through the ceiling trusses  52  and are secured with cotter pins  34  that attach to protruding ends of the pin blocks  32 . A second embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2B, uses L-shaped brackets  28  for mounting the support frame  10  to the ceiling trusses  52 . The L-shaped brackets  28  are attached to each corner of the support frame  10 , in particular they are attached to the side of the steel tubes at the ends of the side legs  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 . Holes (not shown) are drilled through the ceiling trusses  52  of the trailer and the support frame  10  is mounted to the ceiling trusses  52  by connecting the support frame  10  with a bolt and nut combination  30  to the corresponding holes in the ceiling trusses  52 .  
         [0018]    A telescoping arm  36  is suspended from the second U-shaped sub-frame  96  at the front of the support frame  10 , as shown in FIG. 3. The telescoping arm  36  is assembled from two telescoping pieces of steel tubing, the pieces of tubing comprising a first tubing section  38  and a second tubing section  46 , each section having a first end and a second end. The first end of the first tubing section  38  is pivotally attached to the support frame  10  by a U-shaped bracket  76 , best illustrated in FIG. 2A, that is secured to the end leg  16  of the support frame  10 . In this instance the U-shaped bracket  76  points downward and has holes  84  that are drilled to receive a nut and bolt combination  78  in order to secure the first tubing section  38  of the telescoping arm  36  by insertion through the holes  84  of the U-shaped bracket  76  when the first tubing section  38 , having corresponding holes in the first end, is positioned in the middle of the U-shaped bracket  76 . The second end of the first tubing section  38  is releasably secured to the second end of the second tubing section  46 . The second tubing section  46  is inserted into the first tubing section  38  and the two are telescoped and secured with the use of a second locking bolt  25 . A cross arm  44  is perpendicularly attached at a central location to the free end of the telescoping arm  36 , the connection forming an inverted T-shaped end.  
         [0019]    Shown in FIG. 4, the cross arm  44  of the telescoping arm  36  has a pair of hook extensions  54  and  56 , one hook extension  54  and  56  located at each end of the cross arm  44 . The hook extensions  54  and  56  secure the motorcycle to the motorcycle stabilizer  50  and are composed of long steel tubing  58  having steel angles bent to form the hook ends  60  which are welded to each piece of long steel tubing  58 . The hook extensions  54  and  56 , with the welded hook ends  60 , slide into the ends of the cross arm  44 , and provide adjustability for different sized motorcycles by sliding the hook extensions  54  and  56  to the desired width position. A locking bolt  26  is installed on the top of each end of the cross arm  44  and is used to tighten and lock the adjustment. A strap  64 , preferably made out of hook and loop fastening material, is installed on each of the extension hooks  54  and  56  by sewing a loop into the strap  64 . These straps  64  are wrapped and self-locked around the handlebars of the motorcycle, and further wrapped around the front brake on the last rotation to lock the motorcycle into position.  
         [0020]    A brace  70  attaches the telescoping arm  36  to the support frame  10  (FIG. 3). The brace  70  is adjustable in length and extends between the end leg  22  of the support frame  10  and an intermediate location on the telescoping arm  36  for positioning the telescoping arm  36  as necessary for the varying motorcycle models and sizes. The brace  70  is formed of two pieces of steel tubing having different diameters, a large tube  66  and a small tube  68 . The small tube  68  is inserted into the large tube  66  and is secured by a wing nut  72  located on the large tube  66 , which acts like a locking bolt with an easy to use grip placed over the bolt for quickly releasing the tension in and re-positioning the brace  70 .  
         [0021]    The first end of the large tube  66  is pivotally attached to a U-shaped bracket  77  on the end leg  22  of the support frame  10 . The first end of the large tube  66  is positioned in the middle of the U-shaped bracket  76  and pivotally secured by inserting a bolt  75  through the corresponding holes  85  of the U-shaped bracket  76  and the first end of the large tube  66 , thus forming a pivot point. The second end of the large tube  66  accepts the first end of the small tube  68 , the connection allowing for telescoping of the brace  70 . The free end of the small tube  68  is pivotally attached to the telescoping arm  36  by inserting a bolt  78  through aligned holes in an attachment bracket  80  having spaced-apart ears between which the second end of the small tube  68  is received. The bracket  80  is piece welded at an intermediate position to each side of the first large tubing section  38  of the telescoping arm  36 . The two pivotal attachments of the brace  70  and the telescoping movement of the large tube  66  and the small tube  68  form an angle of support that is adjusted by telescoping the large and small tubes  66  and  68  of the brace  70  as necessary for the motorcycle to be properly stabilized.  
         [0022]    Changes may be made to the preferred embodiment described above, making it available to a wider variety of potential users owning different types of trailers or motorcycles of different heights. FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an alternative embodiment of an adapter for a curved ceiling. In the standard mounting support frame  10 , each end of the main support frame  10  is attached to the flat trailer ceiling by bolt blocks  32  acting like pins inserted into holes drilled on the inner sides of the ceiling trusses  52 . In an alternative embodiment for use with trailers having curved ceilings, two backing plate assemblies  102  are attached to the ceiling trusses  52  for mounting opposite ends of the support frame  10 . The tubing assemblies  102  each include a plate  106  having a curved upper side portion and a flat lower side portion. A pair of stub legs  112  are secured by weldments or the like at the outer corners of the plate  106  adjacent the flat lower side portion and extend laterally away from the plate  106 . The stub legs  112  are formed of square tubing that is sized to be received in the open end portions of the side legs  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20 . The motorcycle stabilizer  50  is mounted to the ceiling trusses  52  by a nut and bolt combination  108 . Alternatively, a strap  110  may be used to strengthen the attachment of the stabilizer to the ceiling trusses  52  wherein three nut and bolt combinations are used to secure the strap  110  to the trusses  52 . If desired, the upper curved portion of the plate  106  could be cut to match the ceiling curvature of an enclosed trailer.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the device. An extension  128  is provided to the telescoping arm  36  to accommodate motorcycles or trailers of different heights. The extension  128  comprises a first unit  130  having a larger diameter and a second unit  132  having a smaller diameter and inserted into the first unit  130 , the two units  130  and  132  welded together. A locking bolt  134  is located at the end of the first unit  130  for telescoping with the second tubing section  46 . To use the extension  128 , the second tubing section  46  is removed from the first tubing section  38  and the second unit  132  of the extension  128  is telescoped into the first tubing section  38  of the telescoping arm  36 . The second tubing section  46  is inserted into the first unit  130  of the extension  128 , allowing the telescoping arm  36  to have a greater length to use with different sized motorcycles or with trailers of different heights.  
         [0024]    An alternative to the pin blocks  32  (FIG. 2A) is illustrated generally at  132  in FIG. 7. Instead of a pin  90 , a bolt  190  is used and a nut (not shown) is threaded on the bolt  190  to secure the frame  10  to the ceiling trusses  52 .  
         [0025]    Typically, ceiling trusses  52  of a trailer run transversely of the trailer (FIG. 1) and permit positioning of the stabilizer  50  at any desired position transversely of the trailer between any pair of trusses. A further alternative embodiment of the present invention comprises the use of a pair of parallel tracks mounted on the ceiling of the trailer perpendicular to the ceiling trusses  52 . The tracks are spaced apart by the width of the frame  10 . Clamps or other suitable means are used to attach the frame to the tracks at any desired position along the tracks. The tracks, accordingly, provide unlimited longitudinal adjustability of the position of the stabilizer  50  in the trailer within the length of the tracks.  
         [0026]    Further, while the motorcycle stabilizer  50  has been described as including a frame that is rectangular, having a pair of parallel sides, an alternative embodiment comprises only a single mounting element, secured at either end to the ceiling trusses  52  and which supports the telescoping arm  36  in the same manner described above.  
         [0027]    In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A, side legs  12  and  14  of support frame  10  consist of steel tubing of 1″ width and cut to a length of 16″. These arms are welded to the end leg  16 , which is composed of 1″ width steel tubing of 6″ length, forming the fist half of the U-shaped sub-frame  96 . The support frame  10  also includes the second U-shaped sub-frame  98 , with side legs  18  and  20  consisting of steel tubing of ¾″ width and 12″ length, and the end leg  22  of 1″ width steel tubing, 6″ in length. The support frame  10  creates a rectangle of adjustable length measuring 8″×18″ closed, with an overlap of 13″. The support frame  10  can be opened to the maximum position of 8″×28″ to hold a motorcycle of approximately 225 to 300 lbs without bending the ceiling trusses  52  or collapsing the support frame  10 . The ceiling trusses  52  of the trailer, however, limit the weight support capability.  
         [0028]    With the main support frame  10  complete, the bolt blocks  32   a - 32   d  attached to the ends of the side legs  12 ,  14 ,  18 , and  20  slip into a ⅜″ hole on the inner sides of the trusses  52 . On the end leg  16  the steel arms of the U-shaped bracket  76  are each 1½″×1″ and welded 1″ apart on center. The other second U-shaped bracket  76  on the end leg  22  also has steel arms sized at 1½″×1″ and welded 1″ apart on center.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 3, the telescoping arm  36  is composed of the second tubing section  40 , the tubing measuring ¾″×12″ and the first tubing section  38  tubing measuring 1″×12.″ The nut  94  at the end of the 1″ diameter tubing is either ¼″ or ⅜″ in size The cross arm  44  is composed of a 16″ length piece of 1″ diameter steel tubing. The holes drilled on the ends of the cross arm  44  tubing are drilled halfway and ¼″ nuts  94  are welded to these holes.  
         [0030]    Holes are drilled completely through ½″ on center on top of the 1″×12″ end of the large tube  66  of the brace  70 . The pivotal attachment is created by inserting a ⅜″ bolt  78  through the U-shaped bracket  76 . The two pieces of bent stock  80  are welded approximately 2½″ down from the angle of support hinge  82  on the telescoping arm  36 . The bend in the two pieces of bent stock  80  goes from a 1″ tube to a ¾″ tube in the hinge area. The small tube  68  of the brace  70  is composed of ¾″×16″ steel tubing and the large tube  66  is composed of 1″×16″ steel tubing.  
         [0031]    In FIG. 4, the extension arms  54  and  56  are comprised of extension tubes  58  each being ¾″×8″ lengths of steel tubing and hooks  60  which are made from ½″ steel angles. The set bolts  62  installed into the welded nuts  94  on each end of the extension arms  54  and  56  are the size ¼″ or ⅜″.  
         [0032]    In FIG. 5, for the alternative embodiment of the adapter, the two backing plates  102  and  104  are measured at ⅛″×12″×1″ and the legs  112  and  114  are composed of ¾″ width and 4″ length steel tubing. Similarly, legs  118  and  120  are composed of ½″ width and 4″ length steel tubing. A ⅜″ bolt  74  with nut and washer combination is utilized to mount  106  and  108  to the backing plates  102  and  104 .  
         [0033]    In FIG. 6, for the alternative embodiment of the extension  128  the first unit  130  is composed of 1″ diameter steel tubing at a length of 12″, and the second unit  132  is composed of ¾″ diameter steel tubing at a length of 12″. Thus, the extension  128  gives an actual increase in length of 20″ to the motorcycle stabilizer  50 . The extension  128  can actually be produced to give an actual increase in length of 10″ by replacing the first unit  130  and the second unit  132  with 6″ lengths of steel tubing, using the same method of assembly.  
         [0034]    The foregoing description and drawing comprises an illustrative embodiment of the present invention. The foregoing embodiments and the methods described herein may vary based on the ability, experience, and preference of those of ordinary skill in the art. Merely listing the steps of the method in a certain order does not constitute any limitation on the order of the steps of the method. The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not limited thereto except insofar as the claims are so limited. It is anticipated that those of ordinary skill in the art with this disclosure before them will be able to make modifications in variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.