Patent Grant
8783399
The present invention claims priority under 35 USC 119 based on Japanese patent application No. 2011-165369, filed on Jul. 28, 2011. The entire subject matter of this priority document, including specification claims and drawings thereof, is incorporated by reference herein.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle including a multi-part shroud. More particularly, the present invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle having a multi-part shroud, and a vehicle component protectively covered by the shroud.
2. Description of the Background Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-190141 discloses a motorcycle that includes a fuel tank disposed above a main frame, which extends rearwardly from a head pipe, and a radiator disposed forwardly below the fuel tank.
In the motorcycle described in this reference, side portions of the fuel tank and the radiator are covered by a radiator shroud, and the radiator shroud has an air vent opening formed in an upper portion thereof.
In the motorcycle according to Patent Document 1 described above, there is a space between the radiator shroud and a member housed therein (e.g. the fuel tank and the radiator). Preferably, such a space is effectively utilized by disposing therein a component, such as an electrical component (hereinafter referred to as a vehicle component).
While the upward air vent opening provides ventilation for the vehicle component, a problem exists in that the vehicle component is directly exposed to, for example, rainwater.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing situation and it is an object of the present invention to provide a saddle-type vehicle in which efficiency in disposing parts is achieved by disposing a vehicle component in a space inward in a vehicle width direction of a shroud mounted in the saddle-type vehicle and that can suitably protect the vehicle component from, for example, rainwater, while achieving ventilation for the vehicle component.
To achieve the foregoing object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a saddle-type vehicle including: a vehicle component disposed on a first side of a vehicle and spaced laterally away from a width direction centerline (C1) at a position at which the vehicle component does not overlap a fuel tank in a top plan view. The vehicle component is covered by a shroud, at least from above and from outside in the vehicle width direction.
The shroud has an opening formed therein at a portion thereof where the vehicle component faces upwardly, and the opening overlaps with, and is covered from above by a part of the shroud that is different from the portion of the shroud at which the opening is formed in a top view.
In a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangements of the first aspect, the shroud includes: an outer shroud for covering the vehicle component from the outside in the vehicle width direction; and an inner shroud disposed on an inside in the vehicle width direction of the outer shroud, the inner shroud for covering the vehicle component from forward and upward directions. The inner shroud has the opening formed therein, and the outer shroud has part thereof extending above the opening to thereby cover the opening.
In a third aspect of the present invention in addition to the arrangements of the first aspect, the outer shroud includes: a front shroud portion having an upper end disposed, in a side view, above the opening and a lower end disposed below the opening, the front shroud portion having a shape protruding forwardly from the upper end and the lower end to taper; and a rear shroud portion continuous with a rear portion of the front shroud portion and extending rearwardly; and the opening is covered by a portion on an upper portion side of the front shroud portion including the upper end.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangements of the third aspect, at least part of the opening is covered, in a side view, by the rear shroud portion.
In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangement of any of the second through fourth aspects, the inner shroud has a hole portion formed separately from the opening, the hole portion opening forwardly, and a horn is disposed so as to face outwardly through the hole portion.
In a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangement of any of the second through fourth aspects, the inner shroud has a hole portion formed separately from the opening, and a reservoir tank is disposed so as to partially face an outside through the hole portion.
In a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangement of any one of the foregoing aspects, the opening has a plurality of louvers formed on an inner peripheral edge thereof.
In an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangement of the saddle-type vehicle as defined in any one of the foregoing aspects, a radiator is disposed on a side of the vehicle opposite to the vehicle component across the vehicle width direction centerline (C1).
In a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the arrangement of any one of the foregoing aspects, the vehicle component includes an electrical part.
In the first aspect of the present invention, the vehicle component is disposed in a space on the inside in the vehicle width direction of the shroud. This makes disposition of parts efficient, achieving reduction in vehicle size. In addition, the opening formed in the shroud offers ventilation performance for the vehicle component, while part of the shroud covering the opening from above prevents the vehicle component from being in direct contact with, for example, rainwater, thus offering good protection for the vehicle component.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the outer and inner shrouds are manufactured separately from each other. This facilitates making of the opening as compared with the outer and inner shrouds being manufactured integrally.
In the third aspect of the present invention, the outer shroud is divided into the front portion and the rear portion. This allows the parts to be built small, leading to an improved degree of freedom in part geometry.
In the fourth aspect of the present invention, the outer shroud covers the opening from the upward direction and the outside in the vehicle width direction. This improves protection for the vehicle component.
In the fifth aspect of the present invention, part of the horn is covered by the inner shroud and the outer shroud to thereby improve protection and appearance of the horn. Meanwhile, the horn is adapted to face outwardly through the hole portion, which allows the horn to produce sound properly.
In the sixth aspect of the present invention, the reservoir tank is covered by the inner shroud and the outer shroud, to thereby improve protection and appearance of the reservoir tank. Meanwhile, the part of an outline of the reservoir tank is adapted to face outwardly through the hole portion, which allows the capacity of the reservoir tank to be checked from the outside easily.
In the seventh aspect of the present invention, the louvers further prevent the opening from being in direct contact with external contaminants such as, for example, rainwater, and the louvers also allow a flow of heat dissipation from the inside of the shroud to be smoothed.
In the eighth aspect of the present invention, the radiator is disposed on a side opposite to the side on which the vehicle component is disposed. This achieves a good weight balance of a vehicle body forward section.
In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the electrical part can be protected from external contaminants slush as, for example, dirt and rainwater.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is referred to the following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.
A specific embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings to be used for describing the embodiment below, an arrow FR denotes a vehicle front direction, an arrow UP denotes a vehicle upward direction, and an arrow LH denotes a vehicle leftward direction, respectively.
A motorcycle 1 shown is configured as an off-road type vehicle. The motorcycle 1 includes a vehicle body frame 2. The vehicle body frame 2 includes a pair of left and right main frames 4L and 4R and a single down frame 5. Specifically, the left and right main frames 4L and 4R extend obliquely downwardly toward the rear from a head pipe 3. The down frame 5 extends downwardly from the head pipe 3 at a portion downward of the main frames 4L and 4R.
The motorcycle 1 includes an engine E that is a water-cooled four-cycle type. The engine E includes a cylinder 6 and a crankcase 7, and is disposed below the main frames 4L and 4R. The cylinder 6 is disposed at a front portion of the crankcase 7 in such a condition that a cylinder axis thereof extends obliquely upwardly toward the front of the motorcycle. The cylinder 6 has a front portion disposed adjacent to a rear surface of the down frame 5 in a longitudinal direction.
A pair of left and right front forks 8L and 8R are steerably supported on the head pipe 3. A front wheel 9 is rotatably supported on the head pipe 3 at a lower portion of the front forks 8L and 8R. A steering handlebar 10 is disposed above the front forks 8L and 8R. A front cowl 12, mounted with a headlight 11, is disposed in front of the steering handlebar 10. Additionally, a front fender 13 is disposed below the front cowl 12. The front fender 13 has a lower rear end portion disposed in front of the cylinder 6.
A fuel tank 14 is disposed above the main frames 4L and 4R. The fuel tank 14 extends longitudinally along the main frames 4L and 4R. A seat 15 is disposed in back of the fuel tank 14. The seat 15 has a front portion covering a rear upper wall portion of the fuel tank 14.
A pair of left and right center side cowls 16L and 16R are disposed below the seat 15. Each of the center side cowls 16L, 16R has a long shape extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction.
An exhaust pipe 17 is connected to an exhaust port at a front wall of the cylinder 6, and extends obliquely downwardly toward the front before curving in a U-shape to extend rearwardly. The exhaust pipe 17 then extends obliquely upwardly toward the rear, past the right side wall of the cylinder 6, and has a rear end connected to a muffler. A heat shield protector 17A extending along the exhaust pipe 17 is disposed at a portion of the exhaust pipe 17 adjacent to the right side wall of the cylinder 6.
Referring to
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The radiator 21 is a down flow type radiator including a radiator core 24 disposed between an upper tank 22 and a lower tank 23. The radiator 21 is disposed such that an air intake guide surface of the radiator core 24 faces the forward direction of the vehicle. The upper tank 22 of the radiator 21 has a radiator cap 21C that includes a pressure regulating valve. A grille 25 is disposed on the front surface side of the radiator core 24. The grille 25 has a plurality of louvers extending vertically and inclined outwardly in the vehicle width direction from the rear toward the front.
Referring to
A right shroud 26 formed of a resin material and disposed in front of the right center side cover 16R will be described below. Referring to
The outer shroud 27 is a similar figure to the left shroud 18. In a side view, the outer shroud 27 has an upper end 29U fixedly disposed on a front portion outer wall of the fuel tank 14 and a lower end 29D disposed on a side of the cylinder 6. The outer shroud 27 includes a right front shroud portion 29 and a right rear shroud portion 30. The right front shroud portion 29 has a sideways chevron shape, as shown, in which a center portion extends forwardly from upper and lower ends 29U, 29D to taper. The right rear shroud portion 30 is continuous with a rear part of the chevron-shaped right front shroud portion 29, and extends rearwardly therefrom.
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In a top view, the ECU 31, the direction indicator relay 32, the regulator 33, and the reservoir tank 34 are disposed forwardly on the right of the fuel tank 14, not overlapping therewith. Referring to
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It is here noted that the reservoir tank 34 and the radiator 21 are disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle, across the vehicle width direction centerline C1, and are connected together by a siphon tube (not shown). The siphon tube has a first end connected to an inner side surface of the main tank body 37, and a second end connected to the radiator cap 21C of the radiator 21 across the vehicle width direction centerline C1. In addition, referring to
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Mounting of the outer shroud 27 including the right front shroud portion 29 and the right rear shroud portion 30 will be described below. When the outer shroud 27 is to be mounted, referring to
Then, referring to
As described herein, in the motorcycle 1 described above, the regulator 33 is disposed on a first side in the vehicle width direction across the vehicle width direction centerline C1 at a position at which the regulator 33 does not overlap the fuel tank 14 in a top view. The right shroud 26 covers the regulator 33 from the upward direction and from outside in the vehicle width direction. The right shroud 26 has the opening 52 formed at a portion thereof at which the regulator 33 faces upwardly. In a top view, the opening 52 overlaps part of the right shroud 26 that is different from the portion thereof in which the opening 52 is formed and is covered from above.
In the arrangements as described above, the regulator 33 as a vehicle component is disposed in a space inside of the right shroud 26 in the vehicle width direction. This makes disposition of parts efficient, achieving reduction in vehicle size. In addition, the opening 52 formed in the right shroud 26 offers ventilation performance for the regulator 33, while part of the right shroud 26 covering the opening 52 from above prevents the regulator 33 from being in direct contact with, for example, rainwater, thus offering good protection for the regulator 33.
In the embodiment described above, the right shroud 26 includes the outer shroud 27 and the inner shroud 28. Manufacturing the inner and outer shrouds separately in this manner improves the degree of freedom in design, and makes it easier to form the opening 52 than manufacturing the shrouds integrally. In addition, the outer shroud 27 includes the right front shroud portion 29 and the right rear shroud portion 30. Separating the outer shroud 27 as described above allows the parts (shroud itself) to be built small, leading to an improved degree of freedom in part geometry.
In the embodiment described above, part of the opening 52 is covered by the right rear shroud portion 30 in a side view. This improves protection for the regulator 33. It is noted that the side of the opening 52 may generally be covered by the right rear shroud portion 30; however, partial covering ensures good air flow.
In the embodiment described above, part of the horn 49 is covered by the inner shroud 28 and the outer shroud 27 to thereby improve protection and appearance of the horn 49. Meanwhile, the horn 49 is adapted to face the outside through the circular hole portion 48, which allows the horn 49 to produce sound properly.
In addition, the reservoir tank 34 is covered by the inner shroud 28 and the outer shroud 27 to thereby improve protection and appearance of the reservoir tank 34. Meanwhile, the part of an outline of the reservoir tank 34 is adapted to face the outside through the slot portion 47, which allows the capacity of the reservoir tank 34 to be checked from the outside easily.
Additionally, in the embodiment described above, the opening 52 has a plurality of the louvers 53 formed proximate an inner peripheral edge thereof. The louvers 53 further prevent the opening 52 from being in direct contact with, for example, rainwater and allow a flow of heat dissipation from the inside of the shroud to be smoothed. In addition, the radiator 21 is disposed on a side opposite to the side on which, for example, the regulator 33 is disposed across the vehicle width direction centerline C1. This achieves a good weight balance of a vehicle body forward section.
While there has been described what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiment, it will understood by those skilled in the art that the above description of embodiment is not intended to be limiting in scope and other modifications can be made within the spirit of the invention.
For example, although the above embodiment has been described for the motorcycle 1 as an example of the saddle-riding type vehicle of the present invention, the invention may be applied to, for example, an auto three-wheeled vehicle having the above-described arrangements. It should also be noted that the above embodiment has been described for the off-road type motorcycle 1, the embodiment is not limiting in scope and the present invention may be applied to various other types of motorcycles and other saddle-riding type vehicles.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-165369 | Jul 2011 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4796901 | Furukawa | Jan 1989 | A |
| 5984035 | Katoh et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
| 6564768 | Bauer et al. | May 2003 | B2 |
| 6705272 | Leipelt et al. | Mar 2004 | B2 |
| 7314107 | Nakagome et al. | Jan 2008 | B2 |
| 7708099 | Oodachi et al. | May 2010 | B2 |
| 20020083916 | Maurer et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2010-190141 | Sep 2010 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20130026784 A1 | Jan 2013 | US |
