Patent ID: 8128111

Claim:
An improved two wheeled reciprocating pedal driven scooter having a frame including a steering assembly attached to the frame, a front steering wheel attached to a front axle attached to the steering assembly at the frame, a rear drive wheel attached to a rear axle attached to a rear portion of the frame and a drive mechanism for rotating the rear drive wheel, the drive mechanism having a pair of reciprocating foot pedals, one foot pedal straddling each side of the frame, attached to and extending to a forward proximal hinged attachment location on the frame, the drive mechanism further having a drive sprocket positioned rearward of the forward proximal hinged attachment location and attached to a drive axle in a bottom bracket assembly on the frame, a pair of linkage connections attaching each foot pedal to the drive axle of the drive sprocket, one pair of linkage connections being adjacent to drive sprocket, the other pair of linkage connections connected on an opposite side of the frame to an end of the drive axle, each pair of linkage connections includes a crank link and a coupling link, a chain is attached to the drive sprocket and extends rearward to a rear wheel drive sprocket attached to a rear drive axle in a rear hub of the rear wheel, reciprocation movement of the foot pedals drives the rear wheel, the improvements to the two wheeled reciprocating pedal driven scooter characterized by: each of the foot pedals having a short portion and an intersecting long portion forming a bend at the intersection wherein an included angle θ between the short and long portions is 90 degrees or greater, the attachment location of the foot pedal to the coupling link being near or adjacent to the intersection forming the bend of the short and long portions of each foot pedal, the proximal hinge location being vertically located on a step down portion of the frame a distance “Y” at or above the center of the drive axle, the short portion of the pedal extending a distance from the proximal hinged location to the intersection of the long portion of the foot pedal to form the bend wherein the bend is located at or below the frame when the foot pedal is at the bottom of the stroke, wherein in use, when the long portion of one foot pedal is at the bottom of the foot pedal stroke it is substantially horizontal while the long portion of the other pedal is at the top of the stroke and is inclined to a maximum stroke angle α of less than 35 degrees relative to the horizontal.