The diabolical Dudel has come through with another FRESH scoop… This one from the Bombardier camp, BRP. You know them best for their wheeled snowmobile, the Spyder.
Well, it looks as though they have another little suprise up their sleeves. A scooter! Here’s what Dudel sent us from their patent filing just 20 days ago:
Bombardier (aka BRP) has a patent for a scooter with front storage and CVT with final chain drive. Functionally, a baby version of the Aprilia 850 Mana. The CVT is completely supported by the suspension and the CVT casing is structural acting as a frame member to decease unsprung weight improving handling and allowing the weight of the engine/tranny to be moved closer to the vehicle’s cener of gravity. No word on engine size but they seem to imply that a varety of engine sizes may be used. From the physical size of the bike, I suspect 50cc to 150cc range.Patent No.: US 7,225,892 B1
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7225892.pdf “A storage bin between the handlebar and the seat that is sized to accommodate a helmet… the helmet storage location is sized to accommodate one helmet and, alternatively, may be used to store personal belongings as well… the CVT housing does not act as the rear swing arm for the vehicle, which reduces the unsprung weight of the vehicle.” The illustration shows a final chain drive but also mentions, “Alternatively, a belt or shaft drive may be employed…”
You can read the highlights here. Sounds like there’s some innovation going on there, especially with the transmission. Bring it on BRP!
Note… We are being just a bit loose with the term scooter here. Because it has a rear mounted engine and WOULD have a step through, were it not for the false tank/storage, we are going with “scooter”… and the fact that they call it a scooter in the patent filing. THANKS DUDEL! It was deeeeelicious!
26. June 2007 at 11:28 am
That is not a scooter. Just because it has an automatic tranmission or CVT, doesn’t mean it’s a scooter. No step through design and it’s lack of other scooter like qualities make this just another motorcycle. BORING!!
26. June 2007 at 12:26 pm
50cc to 150cc? It says 450 right on the engine case….
26. June 2007 at 3:34 pm
I know it’s a stretch to it a scooter with no step through and no leg shields, but so many modern scooters push that limit today. The Yamaha C3 has no leg shields, the GTR (from CPI) has almost no step through. Right now it seems the only unifying factor is the rear mounted engine.
If this scooter didn’t have that storage between the legs, it might have as much step through as the GTR and room for leg shields.
26. June 2007 at 3:35 pm
Oh, and that 450 was artistic license. I don’t believe there is mention of engine size in the document.
26. June 2007 at 5:37 pm
Patent? You have got to be kidding me.
If the CVT design is truly novel and non-obvious, okay, patent it.
But patenting helmet storage rather than a step-through? Give me a break. I thought of that before I even bought my scooter; therefore, it is not “non-obvious.”
Is there really anything else hear that could be non-obvious?
See: 35 U.S.C. 103 Conditions for patentability; non-obvious subject matter.
27. June 2007 at 1:03 am
The location of the storage area isn’t that new, either. The Tomos Streetmate moped is very similar in that regard.
That aside, I am very glad to see Bombardier is thinking along these lines. There are very few automatic motorcycles out there. Besides some rather heavy 30-year-old Hondamatics and Moto Guzzis and the current Helix-based CFMoto bikes, there’s not much to choose from.
Bombardier owns Rotax, and they already put a range of Rotax engines with automatic transmissions in their ATVs. When they announced their intention to go on-road with the Can-Am brand, I was wondering if they’d put automatics in the line-up. They could almost corner the beginner/commuter market for automatic motorcycles by the sheer size of their existing dealer network.
All I want to know is, is it too early to put down a deposit on one of these?
27. June 2007 at 6:07 pm
You meant to type DIRT-BIKE not scooter.
This design is dangerous because it can cause lower back injury by nature of the suspension design.