Polaris Industries Inc.

Polaris Industries Partners L.p.

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations, LLC

Keith W Peppel

Richard Harold Bates

Edwin M Monsrud

Norman O Berg

Robert W Przekwas

Louis James Brady

David J Koenig

Michael A Hedlund

Jeffrey David Bennett

Aaron J Nysse

Eric J Borud

Lyle Jay Dahlgren

James Aj Holroyd

Donald Brett Gass

David W Jubie

Arlyn T Saagge

Gustavo A Aramayo

Cody S Kofstad

Edwin A Monsrud

Blair M Johnson

A non-pneumatic tire is disclosed where a resilient wheel is mounted on a rim and the wheel has an inner ring, an outer ring and a plurality of flexible webs interconnected between the inner and outer rings. The flexible webs define openings in through the resilient wheel. The stiffness of the inner wheel at a position adjacent to the inner face is different than the stiffness of the inner wheel at a position adjacent to the outer face. This stiffness difference can be accomplished by providing inflated membranes in at least some of the openings or by molding the wheel with an asymmetric parting line. In addition, the wheels could be dynamically controlled by providing magnetically actuable membranes in some of the openings.

Non-pneumatic tire

A snowmobile includes a seat having a rear end with a rear end face. The rear end face is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from an upper surface of a tunnel of a frame so that a cavity is defined beneath the seat between the inclined rear end face of the seat and the upper surface of the tunnel.

Snowmobile

A snowmobile including a chassis, shell, and an engine. The shell may be fixed to a front portion of the chassis and extend away from the chassis in a forward direction. The shell may be disposed forward of the steering axis. The shell may define a chamber that fluidly communicates with the engine via a flexible coupling interposed between the shell and the engine.

An anti-darting ski for snowmobiles, the ski including a longitudinally extending runner with a central keel. A generally flat wear strip with two skags is attached to the bottom of the keel. The wear strip is contoured to match the bottom surface of the keel. The skags are laterally spaced beneath the wear strip such that their inside surfaces do not extend towards each other. The skags and wear strip may be mounted flush with the outside edges of the keel. The skags may also be located asymmetrically about a longitudinal center point of the ski. The dual skag system acts to minimize darting of the snowmobile in the snow.

Anti-dart snowmobile ski

A snowmobile including a frame, drive track, and an engine. The engine extends in a first direction from a cylinder bore axis of the engine and a back side extends in a second direction from the cylinder bore axis. Air may enter a cylinder bore of the engine from the front side and exhaust gases may exit the engine from the front side.

A snowmobile comprising a frame defining a tunnel and a track rotatably supported by the frame is disclosed. An engine is connected to the frame and operatively coupled to the track by a drivetrain. The engine has a front side extending in a first direction from a cylinder bore axis of the engine and a back side extending in a second direction from the cylinder bore axis. Air enters a cylinder bore of the engine from the front side of the engine. Exhaust gases exit from the front side of the engine.

A snowmobile providing an enhanced riding experience is disclosed. A snowmobile in accordance with the present invention may include a frame defining a tunnel and a track rotatably supported by the frame. The snowmobile may also include an engine connected to the frame and operatively coupled to the track by a drivetrain. A seat may be fixed to the frame for receiving a rider of the snowmobile. A pair of handle bars may be rotatably coupled to the frame and adapted to receive the hands of the rider. A pair of floor boards may be fixed to the frame and adapted to receive the feet of the rider. In some embodiments, the floor boards include toe stops which intersect the floor boards at an intersection.

A suspension system mountable to the chassis of a snowmobile and about which an endless track is carried. The suspension includes a slide frame for engagement with a lower portion of the endless track and one or more springs for urging the slide frame downwardly away from the chassis. The suspension system also includes a downwardly angled suspension arm having an upper end pivotally mounted to the snowmobile chassis. The lower end of the arm is pivotally connected to the slide frame so as to permit limited longitudinal movement of the lower end of the arm with respect to the slide frame. An adjustable limit is provided for adjustably limiting the degree of longitudinal movement of the lower end of the arm with respect to the slide frame to adjustably control the range of orientations of the slide frame with respect to the snowmobile chassis.

Adjustable snowmobile track suspension

A suspension system mountable to the chassis of a snowmobile and about which an endless track is carried. The suspension includes a slide frame for engagement with a lower portion of the endless track and one or more springs for urging the slide frame downwardly away from the chassis. The suspension system also includes a downwardly angled suspension arm having an upper end pivotally mounted to the snowmobile chassis. The lower end of the arm is pivotally connected to the slide frame so as to permit limited longitudinal movement of the lower end of the arm with reset to the slide frame. An adjustable limit is provided for adjustably limiting the degree of longitudinal movement of the lower end of the arm with respect to the slide frame to adjustably control the range of orientations of the slide frame with respect to the snowmobile chassis.

Growing community of inventors

Roseau, MN, United States of America

Keith W Peppel