A large number of motorcycle owners have limited storage facilities for machines. Such facilities are usually located to the rear of domestic dwellings. Subsequently the track width required to manoeuvre machines is limited and inadequate to turn around any machine with regard to the turning circle required. To undertake the operation it is necessary to perform a three, five or seven point turn by pushing the machine backwards and forwards, often over ground that is quite unsuitable. Several potential dangers are encountered in the operation.

Strains to the body are possible when maintaining the machine in an upright and stable position which is more difficult as the centre of gravity changes when the steering moves from left hand lock to right hand lock and vice versa. Should either wheel of the machine become located in any type of depression or drop in the ground the risk of physical strain is notably increased due to the effort of pulling the machine out of the depression. Manoeuvering a motorcycle anywhere is highly dependant on having a good grip'under-foot'and on wet grass or unprepared ground this becomes imperative. Should the operator slip there is a ery high risk of serious injury as the machine may fall on the operator. Should the machine fall at all, hundreds of pounds worth Of damage is easily caused.

The object of this invention is to provide a turntable on which a motorcycle can easily and safely be rotated around its centre of gravity eliminating the need for mulipple manoeuvers.

The whole unit being portable and able to be stored in a relatively small space.

Accordingly this invention provides a portable motorcycle turntable comprising a support beam, a base plate on which is mounted a support bearing having a horizontal location and which secures the support beam to the base plate. The support beam being adapted to accept the wheels of a motorcycle and made in such a manner that will allow for the overall length of the support beam to be appreciably shortened for storage purposes. The invention would be able to incorporate support apparatus that would locate on key points on the motorcycle being rotated enabling said motorcycle to be secured free-standing without manual assistance.

The invention would also serve a dual purpose as a ramp to facilitate the loading and unloading of motorcycles for transportation by motor vehicles. A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which :- Figure 1 shows the support beam with extensions in the horizontal position Figure 2 shows the optional functions of the support beam extentions Figure 3 shows views X, Y and Z from figure 2 Figure 4 shows the support bearing Figure 5 shows the turntable with motorcycle Figure 6 shows proposed additional vericle supports Figure 7 shows additional application of turntable serving as a ramp Referring to Fig. 1 the turntable comprises a base plate 3 housing a support bearing 2 to which is secured a rotatable support beam 1. The dimension A being greater than the wheelbase of any given motorcycle. At each end of the support beam 1 is located a retractable support beam extension 4 which may be either sliding or hinged in operation as shown in Fig. 2. Views X, Y and Z of Fig. 2 are shown in Fig. 3.

To rotate any given motorcycle the turntable is placed at a point on the ground that provides adequate radial clearance from the centre of the base plate to the furthest outer point of the support beam. Fig. 5 shows an example of the turntable being used to rotate a motorcycle on a garden path 9 over cultivated borders 10.

A proposed embodiment of the support bearing shown in Fig. 4 comprises two formed discs of plastic material having a low coefficient of friction which engage by means of a raised annular ring. The upper half 6 and the lower half 7 are secured to the support beam 1 and the base plate 3 respectively and are captively secured together by a shouldered centre stud 8. Fig 4 position'A'shows the support bearing pivoting at any given point on the annular ring. Fig. 4 position'B'shows the support bearing fully engaged enabling the load to be uniformly transmitted through the contact area of the annular ring to the base plate 3.

As the motorcycle is pushed (loaded) onto the extended and aligned support beam the engagement of the tyre incurs the support beam to pivot out of the horizontal plane this causes one of the support beam extensions to rest on the ground and creates the support bearing to be in position A of Fig. 4. As the motorcycle travels up the inclined support beam the second wheel becomes engaged. Further travel along the support beam will position the centre of gravity of the motorcycle within the area of the annular ring with the support bearing in position'B'of Fig. 4. The operator will manually maintain the motorcycle in the vertical plane Fig. 5 and apply a tangential force, most likely through the handlebars 11, to rotate the motorcycle to the required position.

In order to apply additional vertical support to the motorcycle whilst on the support beam a system of support arms 12 Fig, 6 may be incorporated with the embodiment to engage with key location points on the motorcycle. Some suggested options are outlined in Fig. 6.