This invention relates to a handle bar assembly for a motor vehicle.

The handlebar assembly is an important part of a motor vehicle, which assists the rider in steering and control of the vehicle. The aforesaid handlebar assembly has the following requirements. The handle bar should:

aid in comfortable/convenient positioning of the rider provide easy steering

provide proper connections to all components (moving and stationary) without any interference should dampen the vibrations from the road/engine or any other source
provide sufficient resistance/strength to avoid failures/deflection under the influence
of any inputs from the road/any other source resist/avoid corrosion under operating conditions provide safety be appealing to the eye of the customer have optimum stiffness to mass ratio have minimum cost and weight be symmetric about the vehicle center plane

Different types of handlebar assembly designs are available. One such type is the split type/ clip on type handlebar design. This handlebar design consists of two separate handlebar elements which are guided on the front forks and clamped on the upper bracket which in turn is mounted on the frame and is free to rotate about the pivot tube axis as against the single piece design wherein the handlebar is connected to the upper bracket through another member called handle holder. The steering stopper limits the rotation of upper bracket, based on the layout constraints of the vehicle.

As most of the vehicle control systems like brakes, clutch, control levers, control switches and so on are mounted on the handlebar, the design of the handlebar becomes more critical. Each part of the aforesaid split handlebar assembly consists of the handle holder and the handle. The handle holder gets guided by the front forks and is mounted on the upper bracket and the handle is attached to the holder by joining techniques like welding, bolting and so on.

Presently available designs of clip on handlebars are not appealing to customers as welding is in the visible area and visible fasteners dilute the looks. Also, the strength of such joints needs to be increased to avoid failures under operating/driving conditions that lead to severe accidents. To achieve higher strength in present joining methods, process cost increases. Increased cost leads to poor profitability of product. Also, pollution generated during welding leads to bad environment.

Conventionally, the joining technique uses welding, which requires skilled labor, and this may result in weld splatters and distortion thereby weakening the handlebar at the joint locally. This will result in reduction of strength of the joint. As the handlebar is in the visible area, welding results in poor aesthetics. Thus, it is necessary to propose a handlebar with lesser cost, without really compromising on function.

The present invention is related to a construction of the handlebar with better aesthetics, reduction in cost as well as improvement in strength thereby improving the safety to the rider without affecting its functions/performance.

The handle bar assembly for a motor vehicle, according to this invention, comprises a handle holder and a handle, the handle holder being attached to the handle by a spring dowel; and an adhesive joint between the surfaces of attachment.

The adhesive joint consists of an adhesive coat between the said surfaces.

The spring dowel holds the handle in place. Another important function of the spring dowel is to provide the location and also to account for anti-rotation. Also, as an additional safety feature retaining compound / adhesive was used to join the handle to the holder. One more benefit of using spring dowel over the solid dowel is that there is some flexibility in terms of assembly & the fit will not be a precision fit thereby benefiting in terms of manufacturability as well. Also, this design is like a fail-safe design wherein, even if the dowel fails, the rider will be able to take the vehicle to the dealer & get it replaced.

This invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig 1: illustrates the top view of the known split handlebar

Fig 2: illustrates the front view of the known handlebar to show the joining process of handle to handle holder

Fig 3: illustrates, by way of example, and not by way of limitation, one of possible embodiments of the handle bar assembly proposed herein.

Referring to Fig 1, the handlebar assembly of split/clip on type which is currently being used consists of upper bracket on which the handlebar is mounted. Some of the components like control lever L & R, control switches L & R, master cylinder assembly, handlebars dampers are mounted on to the handle.

Fig 2 shows the handlebar assembly which consists of the handle holder 1 which is clamped onto the upper bracket and the handle 2 which is the hollow tube connected to the handle holder by welding.

Fig 3 shows the handle holder 1 attached to the handle 2 with the use of spring dowel 3.

As an additional safety feature adhesive is applied between the joining surfaces. As a result of this the aesthetics is improved as the welding is eliminated.

It will be appreciated that various other embodiments of this invention are possible without departing from the scope and ambit thereof

We Claim:

1. A handle bar assembly for a motor vehicle comprising a handle holder and a handle, the handle holder being attached to the handle by a spring dowel; and an adhesive joint between the surfaces of attachment.

2. A handle bar assembly as claimed in Claim 1 wherein the adhesive joint consists of an adhesive coat between the said surfaces.

3. A handle bar assembly for a motor vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to, and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.