Honda With A Hinge In It?
HONDA WITH A HINGE IN IT?
A STUDY OF RECENT patents taken by Honda suggests that the Japanese engineering giant may be on the verge of something big. The Honda patents, some of which date from 1987, cover a variety of inventions that amount to a fundamental redesign of the motorcycle.
They point toward three new concepts of the motorcycle chassis. The most likely of these would use a lay-down engine located under the rider’s butt, and front suspension comprised of automotive-style unequal-length A-arms. The most revolutionary factor of this design is a rotary link in the center of the chassis that would allow the front of the chassis to lean in corners while allowing the back of the chassis to remain upright. This would permit use of a very wide, flat-profiled rear tire and would provide a very large rear contact patch.
Other patent applications involve two-wheeled steering and a bike body that leans while the front and rear wheels remain upright.
“Assuming it works, it gives Honda-and only Honda-the right to take motorcycling down an exclusive direction, leap-frogging around other forkless motorcycles,” said patent attorney Kirk MacLean. “They’ve had six years to develop this beyond what you see. This is not infant technology, they’ve worked it out pretty thoroughly. Just look how they do things: This is the same company that designed and built three different Formula One engines in one racing season. They could certainly be very near production,” added MacLean, a motorcycle enthusiast and a partner in an Irvine, California, firm that specializes in patents.
MacLean said patent numbers have been assigned Honda’s hinged technology in Japan and America. But American Honda PR spokesman Jim Bates said, “We’ve queried Japan, and they say they know nothing about this. We’re unable to get anything. Definitely, the people at American Honda don’t know about this.” MacLean said he found notice of Honda’s patents in The Official Gazette. “Honda is a very patent-conscious company,” MacLean said, “they’ve filed lots of different patents; they’re coming at this from all different directions. This catches my eye as pretty exciting.” Honda already has some experience with the center-pivot two-wheeled vehicle concept.
It sold the 49cc Gyro scooter, which used a front section that leaned in corners and a dualtired rear section that didn’t lean, in 1984.
Jon F. Thompson
