It should be possible to mask the patents. The engine prototype that he patents is a 1/2 HP model that powers a toy or a wheelchair. The ultra-capacitor is patented as a battery replacement, not as armor.

Then he can hit copycats with an Al Capone: we can’t prove that he robbed the bank, but we can prove copyright infringement. He can even draw up a license agreement between Big Dog Designs (which holds the patents) and “The hero known as Redline”. These would be kept secret unless needed, of course.

Ray Logan, aka Redline

Anyone who follows superbike racing knows the tragic story of Ray Logan. Rookie of the year, future champion, the boy who holds the lap record at every track he ever raced.

They know about the tragic accident. The they discuss why oil was not cleaned from the track, and why the guard rail padding was out of place during his practice runs. Some even wince at the leaked video showing his motorcycle plowing though the barrier, leaving the jagged metal edges that severed both of his legs.

Very few know that his meteoric racing career paid for a degree from Stanford. Or that he is the owner and chief engineer at Top Dog Designs, manufacturer of top end motorcycle parts.

Nobody knows about the designs he keeps for himself. The ion-flux disc engines that weigh 50 pounds but provide three times more torque than the best racing engine. The ultra-capacitor plating that not only provides multiple farads of capacitance, but uses that charge to strengthen the material. The neuro-mechanical interface that lets the human nervous system directly control computers. nobody knows about these things, because they aren’t completely finished, but they are finished enough.

You see, Ray suddenly found himself the weakest of the weak. A handicapped man with no job, forgotten by his so called friends, but well within the sights of society’s predators. While he built Top Dog in the seedier part of the city, he saw crimes. He was mugged, his shop was robbed, his neighbors and workers lived knowing that all they had could be taken at any time, and few would do anything about it. So he did.

Ray took all of his experimental designs and built Redline. Over 2000 horsepower from four ion-flux engines. Liquid fueled rockets for extra boost. An ultra capacitor shell invulnerable to bullets, and the ability to transform from the worlds fastest motorcycle to a humanoid mecha 8 feet tall. And when he is Redline, he can walk.

As Redline he toppled the gangs that made his neighbors live in fear. He worked with the local police to keep the streets clean, and rooted out corruption that would let the gangs back in. Slowly the area under his protection grew, until any criminal in the industrial parts of the city feared the whine of his engines.

And now he has been invited to band together with other heroes, to protect all of the city. The time has come to let at least a few others know his identity and start releasing his creations to the world. A few old enemies may learn his identity (through patent applications if nothing else), but with real friends to help, they should not be a problem.