Pogo action bike

Abstract

There is disclosed herein a recreational device that duplicates the riding position of a MOT motorcycle on a bouncing assembly similar to that of a Pogo Stick™. In one embodiment, the device includes handlebars and footrests mounted on a bouncing assembly. The handlebars are mounted forward of the bouncing assembly's central axis, and the footrests are mounted rearward of the central axis. The bouncing assembly may be of any conventional type such as a spring or gas-charged cylinder, though other types are also contemplated. Also disclosed herein is a ground-engagement pad that provides a bottom surface with a large cross-sectional area to enable use of this or other bouncing devices on soft surfaces such as grass and dirt.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A toy which comprises: 
 a bouncing assembly having a central axis;    a set of handlebars mounted on the bouncing assembly forward of the central axis; and    a footrest mounted on the bouncing assembly rearward of the central axis.    
     
     
         2 . The toy of  claim 1 , wherein the bouncing assembly includes: 
 a first structural tubing member to which the handlebars and footrest are mounted; and    a second structural tubing member coupled in telescoping relation to the first structural tubing member, wherein the structural tubing members are coupled by an energy storage mechanism that stores energy under compression and releases energy during decompression so as to launch the toy clear of the ground.    
     
     
         3 . The toy of  claim 2 , wherein the energy storage mechanism is a spring.  
     
     
         4 . The toy of  claim 2 , wherein the energy storage mechanism is a gas-charged cylinder.  
     
     
         5 . The toy of  claim 2 , wherein the energy storage mechanism is a gas bladder.  
     
     
         6 . The toy of  claim 1 , wherein the set of handlebars has a center point that is between about one and about twenty-five inches horizontally forward of the central axis.  
     
     
         7 . The toy of  claim 1 , wherein the footrest has a center point that is between about one and about fifteen inches inches horizontally rearward of the central axis.  
     
     
         8 . The toy of  claim 7 , wherein the set of handlebars has a center point that is between about fifteen and about forty inches vertically upward of the footrest center point.  
     
     
         9 . The toy of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 a pair of foot control plates mounted to the footrest and configured to contact the insteps and tops of feet positioned on the footrest.    
     
     
         10 . The toy of  claim 1 , wherein the handlebars are mounted on the bouncing assembly by an angularly braced structural tubing assembly, and wherein the footrest is also mounted on the bouncing assembly by an angularly braced structural tubing assembly.  
     
     
         11 . The toy of  claim 1 , wherein the bouncing assembly includes a ground-engagement pad.  
     
     
         12 . The toy of  claim 11 , wherein the ground-engagement pad has a bottom surface with a minimum diameter of about four inches.  
     
     
         13 . The toy of  claim 11 , wherein the ground-engagement pad has a bottom-surface cross-sectional area of about twenty-five square inches or more.  
     
     
         14 . The toy of  claim 13 , wherein the ground-engagement pad has a top opening configured to fit a length of structural tubing.  
     
     
         15 . The toy of  claim 14 , wherein the bottom surface of the ground-engagement pad includes an array of protrusions to increase traction on soft surfaces.  
     
     
         16 . A recreational device based on a common spring-loaded hopping toy, wherein the improvement comprises: 
 a first angularly-braced structure providing a set of handlebars offset forward of the hopping toy's central mechanism; and    a second angularly-braced structure providing a set of footrests offset rearward of the hopping toy's central mechanism,    wherein the positional relationship of the handlebars and footrests resembles that of an off-road motorcycle.    
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the first angularly-braced structure includes a conventional handlebar mounting system for bicycles.  
     
     
         18 . A recreational device that comprises: 
 a bouncing mechanism having a first length of structural tubing and a second length of structural tubing telescoped into the first length and attached internally by a spring and retaining pin; and    a structural member mounted on the bouncing mechanism, wherein the structural member provides mounting cavities and brackets to receive a set of handlebars and a set of footrests in a manner that duplicates the handlebar-to-footrest relationship of a trials bike.    
     
     
         19 . A ground engagement pad for a bouncing device, wherein the pad comprises a solid piece of material having: 
 a top opening configured to fit a length of structural tubing on the lower end of the bouncing device; and    a bottom surface with a cross-sectional area of about twenty-five square inches or more.    
     
     
         20 . The pad of  claim 19 , wherein the bottom surface of the ground-engagement pad includes an array of protrusions to increase traction on soft surfaces.  
     
     
         21 . The pad of  claim 19 , wherein the material is solid rubber.