News : Vinton welder patents idea for leaning three-wheeled motorcycles

Steve Lucas is working on three versions of a leaning, three-wheeled motorcyle he recently patented.

Lucas' Leaners: Will allow bikes to lean up to 45 degrees automatically revert to upright position.

Four years ago, Steve Lucas of Vinton tried to buy a three-wheeled motorcycle that lean into turns.

He couldn’t find one that suited his needs.

So he built one.

Lucas’ Leaners is one of the most recent patents approved by the U.S. Patent Office. See that 19-page patent application, which was officially approved on Sept. 11, HERE.

Lucas, who has been a certified welder since 1968, has spent the last four years both his is shop and in frequent conversations with a patent attorney, who helped put in complex legal terminology his simple idea of creating a three-wheeled motorcycle that leans as the rider leans into turns.

“I am really surprised that nobody has thought of this before,” said Lucas.

From his shop on the west side of Vinton last Friday, Lucas explained his invention, and how he is making three different versions of a leaning kit. He plans to have one of those versions street-ready in the next couple of months, so he can give cycling enthusiasts a demonstration of the leaner’s capabilities.

The next step: Finding investors to help put the leaners into production.

Lucas said he would be happy to sell his patent to a company that already has a factory, but the Small Business Administration is encouraging him to build his own.

After the street model is finished, Lucas will put on a helmet equipped with Bluetooth and create a video of the motorcycle’s features, narrating as he drives it. He also plans to make a full-color brochure that includes QR codes that smart phone users can scan for a direct link to those videos.

Several area mechanics and machinists have helped Lucas with this project. His wife, Joyce, after hearing how much time and money it would take, also gave him her full support.

“I couldn’t have done this without her,” said Lucas.

The leaner cycles will come in kit that can replace single front or back wheels with two wheels that lean in what Lucas describes as a “perfect parallelogram.” He is also making plans for a four-wheel leaning cycle, but has questions about how such a vehicle would be licensed for street use, since virtually all street-legal cycles have two or three wheels.