US 7,007,395 B2Granted

Wheel alignment system for single track vehicles

AssigneeApogee Design Corp.

InventorPaul Allen Douglas

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Abstract

A method and apparatus for wheel alignment of single track vehicles, particularly motorcycles and bicycles having front alignment unit (20) including an alignment strut (21), a laser target (25), and a laser module (23) disposed from the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle front wheel (1) to emit a rearward projecting laser beam (9); and a rear alignment unit (40) including an alignment strut (21), a laser target (25), and a laser module (23) disposed from the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle rear wheel (4) to emit a forward projecting laser beam (8). Alternately either the laser target (25) of the front alignment unit (20) or of the rear alignment unit (40) can be a reflective mirror surface, whereby the forward or rearward projecting laser beams (8,9) are reflected toward the target of the opposite alignment unit. The forward and rearward projecting laser beams (8,9) are aligned with each other such that a common reference plane is formed, whereby the vehicle front and rear wheels (1,4) are aligned.

Claims3

Dependent claims

A method for alignment of front and rear wheels of a single track vehicle, in particular a motorcycle or bicycle, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a front reference line perpendicularly from the longitudinal centerline of said front wheel to one side of said vehicle and having a front alignment reference point located along said front reference line at a fixed distance from the longitudinal centerline of said front wheel;
(b) providing a rear reference line perpendicularly from the longitudinal centerline of said rear wheel to the same side of said vehicle and having a rear alignment reference point located along said rear reference line at said fixed distance from the longitudinal centerline of said rear wheel;
(c) providing a rearward projecting alignment reference line perpendicularly oriented to said front reference line and located at said fixed distance from the longitudinal centerline of said front wheel;
(d) providing a forward projecting alignment reference line perpendicularly oriented to said rear reference line and located at said fixed distance from the longitudinal centerline of said rear wheel;
(e) said front wheel being moved angularly with respect to the vehicle centerline such that said rearward projecting alignment reference line is aligned with said rear alignment reference point, and said rear wheel being moved angularly with respect to the vehicle centerline such that said forward projecting alignment reference line is aligned with said front alignment reference point, so that a common reference plane is formed, with said front reference line and said rear reference line forming perpendicular transversals between said common reference plane and the longitudinal centerline between said front and said rear wheels;
whereby said front wheel and said rear wheel are aligned with each other.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.