Patent ID: 7370670

Claim:
A pressure relief valve for use on a dampener of a motorcycle suspension system, the pressure relief valve comprising: a hollow body having an upper end having an outer surface, a lower end, and an aperture extending from the lower end to the upper end, the aperture having an entrance at the lower end; a valve cap, the valve cap having a recessed area adapted for accepting the upper end of the hollow body within the recessed area, the recessed area of the valve cap having an entrance of a first diameter and a mid-portion of a second diameter, the second diameter being larger than the first diameter; a connecting shaft, having an external surface that fits within the aperture in a spaced-apart relationship, the connecting shaft having a first end and a second end having an internal O-ring mounted on the second end of the connecting shaft; a spring, the spring being positioned against the valve cap, such that the spring urges the valve cap away from the second end of the hollow body from a first position where the mid-portion of a second diameter creates a gap between the valve cap and the outer surface of the body and a second position where the entrance of a first diameter is used to form a first seal between the valve cap and the outer surface of the body while the internal O-ring on second end of the connecting shaft is used to create a second seal between the connecting shaft and the entrance of the aperture of the hollow body, and so that when the valve cap is in the first position the movement of the O-ring on the connecting shaft creates a flow-path into the aperture through the hollow body.