Abstract:
A handlebar assembly that provides the ability to economically produce handlebars is presented. The handlebar is formed from multiple pieces. The pieces include a mounting piece that connects to two handlebar pieces that are bent to form the handlebar shape and mounts to the top tree. The mounting piece is sized to fit a particular style of tree. The pieces are permanently joined by means such as welding, bonding, brazing, etc. The handlebar pieces are rotated to a desired horizontal angle and a desired vertical angle selected by the consumer prior to being joined to the mounting piece. The mounting piece may be solid or be hollowed out with a central support member. The solid mounting piece has an internal channel for passing wire to and through the handlebar pieces.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/555,517, filed Mar. 23, 2004. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     This invention pertains to motorcycle handlebars, and more particularly, to motorcycle handlebars with the electrical wiring disposed within the handlebars.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0003]     Many biker enthusiasts upgrade various components of their motorcycle. One such component is the handlebar. The handgrip areas of a handlebar are almost universally used for mounting controls including electrical switches for operating lights, horns and directional signals. The manual operating controls such as throttles and brakes usually have external cables. However, the electrical switches, which usually are small gauged wires that are relatively fragile, often have their insulated wires protected by running through the interior of the handlebar tube from the handgrip regions and exit the handlebar somewhere near the tree.  
         [0004]     Typically, the handlebars are formed from a single tube of tubular steel and bent in a suitable shape to provide the mounting location for the handgrips. The central section of the handlebar is secured to the top tree of the motorcycle with fasteners or via risers. The risers and associated clamps can loosen during operation, which results in the handlebar rotating if it is not properly secured. A better method to produce and install handlebars is needed.  
         [0005]     The invention provides such a method to produce and install handlebars. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The invention provides a handlebar assembly that provides the ability to economically produce handlebars. The handlebar is formed from multiple pieces. The pieces include a mounting piece that connects to two handlebar pieces that are bent to form the handlebar shape and mounts to the top tree. The mounting piece is sized to fit a particular style of tree. The pieces are permanently joined by means such as welding, bonding, brazing, etc.  
         [0007]     The handlebar pieces are rotated to a desired horizontal angle and a desired vertical angle prior to being joined to the mounting piece. The handlebar pieces may be rotated or otherwise formed to a wide range of angles and configurations based upon the desired position of the rider. The mounting piece may be solid or be hollowed out with support members. The solid mounting piece has an internal channel for passing wire to and through the handlebar pieces.  
         [0008]     Other aspects and features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view showing the handlebar of the invention installed on a motorcycle;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the pieces of handlebar of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the handgrip area of the handlebar of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4   a  is a bottom view of an embodiment of the mounting piece in accordance with the teachings of the invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 4   b  is a bottom view of an alternate embodiment of the mounting piece;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4   c  is an end view of the mounting piece of  FIG. 4   a  along line  4   c;    
         [0015]      FIGS. 4   d - 4   h  illustrate various tops of the mounting piece and is a cross-sectional view of the mounting piece of  FIG. 4   a  along line  4   d - h;    
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view of the handlebar of the invention installed on a top tree of a motorcycle;  
         [0017]      FIG. 6  is an isometric view of the handlebar of  FIG. 5  illustrating electrical wires running through the handlebar assembly;  
         [0018]      FIGS. 7-8  illustrate various embodiments of the handlebar assembly of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 9  illustrates an alternate embodiment of the handlebar in accordance with the invention;  
         [0020]      FIG. 10   a  illustrates an embodiment of the handlebar having a mount for a tachometer and/or other instrumentation; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 10   b  is a cross sectional view of the handlebar of  FIG. 10   a  illustrating the pre-drilled slot section. 
     
    
       [0022]     While the invention will be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to those embodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0023]     The invention provides a method to build handlebars that allows standard parts to be put together to produce numerous styles of handlebars. The method eliminates the need for risers and clamps and streamlines and simplifies the installation process by having a single unit to install. In one embodiment, the handlebars when installed create the illusion that the fork tubes continue through the tree and become the actual handlebar. Turning to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements, the invention is illustrated as being implemented in a suitable motorcycle. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other motorcycle configurations.  
         [0024]      FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a suitable motorcycle  20  on which the invention may be implemented. The handlebar  22  mounts on the tree  24  of the motorcycle  20 . In one embodiment, the handlebars create the illusion that the fork tubes continue through the tree and become the actual handlebar. This embodiment is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The handlebar  22  has a mounting piece  26  that is mounted to the tree  24  and handlebar sections  28 . Equipment and accessories (generally designated by  30 ), such as grips  32 , clutch lever  34 , brake lever  36 , mirror  38  and switches  40 , are attached to the handlebar sections  28  and grip tubes (as shown in  FIG. 2 ).  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  shows the handle bar sections. The handlebar  22  has a mounting piece  26 , handlebar tube  50 , grip tube  52 , and bushing  54 . The grip tube  52  is inserted into opening  56  of bushing  54  and is attached to handlebar tube  50 . The tube  52  and bushing  54  may be welded, brazed, bonded, etc. to handlebar tube  50 . The material of tubes  50 ,  52 , and bushing  54  is metal, aluminum, or other durable material. The bushing  54  has opening  58  (see  FIG. 3 ) for enabling electrical wire to be run through the tube  50  to connect to electrical components such as a throttle, horn, turn signal, and the like. Note that the size and location of opening  58  will vary, depending on model and manufacturer.  
         [0026]     The handlebar section  28 , which consists of handlebar tube  50 , grip tube  52 , and bushing  54 , is attached by welding, brazing, bonding, etc. to mounting piece  26  at a desired horizontal and vertical angle. For example, the handlebar section  28  can be such that section  60  is straight up with respect to mounting piece  26  (i.e., angle θ=0 and angle δ=0 where θ is the angle from the vertical axis “z” towards the “xy” plane and δ is the angle from the horizontal axis “x” towards the “yz” plane) or at any other angles.  
         [0027]     Turning now to  FIG. 4   a,  the mounting piece  26  has threaded holes  70  for mounting the mounting piece  26  to tree  24  from the bottom so that the top  72  of the mounting piece is continuous (see  FIG. 4   c ). The mounting piece  26  is sized based on the tree being used. In one embodiment, the mounting piece is forged, machined, stamped, or extruded barstock and is chrome plated after assembly. A logo may be placed on the mounting piece  26 . A channel  74  for routing electrical wire  62  (see  FIG. 2 ) is provided along one side of the mounting piece  26 . While  FIGS. 4   a - h  show the channel  74  along one side, those skilled in the art will recognize that the channel may be placed on the opposite side shown. The mounting piece  26  has an opening  76  that fits over the opening on the tree  24  for passing wire (see  FIG. 6 ). The mounting piece may be a solid piece as shown in  FIG. 4   a  or it may have a solid section  78  as shown in  FIG. 4   b  that results in less material being used in mounting piece  26 . Solid section  78  may be welded or bonded to mounting piece  26  or it may be part of the mounting piece when the mounting piece is forged, machines, or stamped. The top  72  of the mounting piece  26  may comprise various radii.  FIGS. 4   d - 4   h  illustrate various radii  72   1  to  72   5 . Note that any other desirable profile or contour can be used.  
         [0028]      FIG. 5  illustrates the handlebar  22  mounted to a tree  24 . The standard stock fork tube plug nut (not shown) on the tree is covered by handlebar section  28 . A replacement plug or a modified plug is used if the stock plug interferes with the handlebar installation.  FIG. 6  illustrates electrical wires  62   1 ,  62   2  routed through the opening  76 , channel  74  and handlebar tube  50 .  FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate various styles of handlebar tubes  50   1  to  50   29  attached to mounting piece  26 . The mounting piece is selected based on the style of handlebar tubes and the style of bike (e.g., motorcycle type).  
         [0029]     Turning now to  FIG. 9 , an alternate embodiment of the handlebar of the invention is shown. The handlebar has mounting piece  26 , handlebar tube  50 , grip tube  52 , and riser  80 . The riser is welded, brazed, or otherwise attached to mounting piece  26 . In this embodiment, only one handlebar tube  50  is required. The handlebar tube  50  is attached to riser  80 .  
         [0030]     Turning now to  FIG. 10   a,  the mounting piece  26  may also have a slot  90  pre-drilled through a portion of the mounting piece  26  (see  FIG. 10   b ) such that a consumer can finish drilling out the slot to mount instrumentation  92  (e.g., a tachometer) to the mounting piece. A mounting bracket  94  that has a mounting through-hole for the tachometer wiring and tachometer (or multiple through-holes) and a threaded hole (not shown) for mounting the bracket  94  to the mounting piece  26  is used. The instrumentation wiring is fed through the through-hole and tree to the appropriate location in the motorcycle.  
         [0031]     The handlebar is manufactured by receiving customer parameters and manufacturing the handlebar to meet the customer parameters. The customer parameters include a desired handlebar style, a desired handlebar horizontal angle, a desired handlebar vertical angle, and a bike type. The desired handlebar style includes the various styles of handlebar tubes illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  as well as custom styles. The bike type indicates the type of motorcycle (e.g., Harley Davidson cruiser) from which the tree configuration and size can be determined. The mounting piece is selected from the bike type. The handlebar tubes are selected based on the desired handlebar style and are bent to the desired configuration (e.g., horizontal and vertical angles). The grip tube and bushing is connected to the handlebar tubes. The handlebar tube is mounted to the mounting piece and integrally attached therewith as previously described.  
         [0032]     The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.  
         [0033]     Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.