Frank Stankovich of Evanston, Illinois, is granted his patent for his "Motorcycle Front-End Assembly", US 3701544 A.
Chopper pilots worldwide celebrate.
The basic jist:
A front end suspension assembly for a motorcycle having a pair of fork tubes telescopically received in a pair of front wheel axle connected support tubes terminating at their open ends in spring collars, and a compression spring entrapped between the support tube collar and an adjustable locking collar received on the fork tubes.
The Patent:
"The support consists of a pair of elongated fork tubes of any desired length which extend downwardly from the motorcycle front end fork assembly, and which are telescopically received in support tubes through an open end thereof. The other end of the support tubes is attached to the axle of the front wheel. A collar is provided around the open ends of the support tubes, which collar may include a seal. A coil spring is received around the fork tube having one end bottomed against the collar of the support tube. An adjustable collar having releasable securing means such as set screws therein is also received around the fork tube and abuts the top of the compression spring. The set screws allow positioning of the adjustable collar at any point along the length of the fork tubes. Thus, the compression spring is entrapped between the adjustable collar and the support tube collar and controls telescoping of the fork tubes into the support tubes.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved motorcycle front end support.
It is a specific object of this invention to provide a front end motorcycle support wherein fork tubes are telescopically received in support tubes with coil springs received around the fork tubes having one end thereof abutting the support tubes and the other end thereof abutting abutment collars received around the said fork tubes, the abutment collars being positionable at any determined point along the length of the fork tubes."
Any readers of Easyriders or Chopper or Custom Bike or any other non-factory motorcycle magazine is familiar with the ad for "Forking By Frank's". A custom fork building specialist since 1966.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
