Motorcycle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233873-B2
Application number	US-201415024209-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Oct 1, 2013
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A motorcycle includes a fuel tank, a vehicle body frame, a pair of front forks, and a canister. The fuel tank contains gasoline therein. The vehicle body frame supports the fuel tank. The pair of front forks are placed spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction to support a front wheel from both sides in the vehicle width direction such that the front wheel is rotatable, and mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around a head pipe. The canister adsorbs gasoline contained in a gasoline vapor present inside the fuel tank and supplies the gasoline to an engine. The canister is placed inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the pair of front forks when viewed from a front, and in front of an engine when viewed from a side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motorcycle comprising:
a fuel tank which stores fuel combusted in an engine;
a vehicle body frame to which the fuel tank is mounted;
a pair of front forks placed spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction to support a front wheel from both sides in the vehicle width direction such that the front wheel is rotatable, the pair of front forks being mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around center axes thereof extending vertically, respectively; and
a canister which adsorbs the fuel contained in an evaporative emission present inside the fuel tank and supplies the fuel to the engine,
wherein the fuel tank is formed with an outlet on a side surface thereof, the evaporative emission being taken out through the outlet,
wherein the canister is placed inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the pair of front forks when viewed from a front, and in front of the engine when viewed from a side,
wherein the canister includes a suction port connected to the outlet via a pipe,
wherein the suction port is placed higher than the outlet, and
wherein the pipe extends in an inclined upward direction from the outlet toward the suction port without the pipe having a U-shape.

2. The motorcycle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vehicle body frame includes a head pipe at a front end portion thereof,
wherein the pair of front forks are mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around the head pipe, and
wherein the canister is placed in front of the head pipe.

3. The motorcycle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the vehicle body frame includes a head pipe at a front end portion thereof, and a pair of main frames extending obliquely rearward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the head pipe,
wherein the pair of front forks are mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the front forks are rotatable around the head pipe, and
wherein the canister is placed rearward relative to the front forks and the head pipe and between the pair of main frames.

4. The motorcycle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the pipe includes an outlet section connected to the outlet, and a suction port section connected to the suction port, and
wherein the outlet of the fuel tank and the suction port of the canister are connected to each other in a state in which the outlet section of the pipe and the suction port section of the pipe are joined to each other.

5. The motorcycle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the outlet of the fuel tank is located on a front side of the fuel tank.

6. The motorcycle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the canister is mounted to the vehicle body frame via a canister bracket.

7. The motorcycle according to claim 6 ,
wherein the canister bracket is configured to retain the pipe.

8. The motorcycle according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a valve which adjusts an amount of the fuel supplied from the canister to the engine,
wherein the canister bracket is configured to retain the valve.

9. A motorcycle comprising:
a fuel tank which stores fuel combusted in an engine;
a vehicle body frame to which the fuel tank is mounted;
a pair of front forks placed to be spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction to support a front wheel from both sides in the vehicle width direction such that the front wheel is rotatable, the pair of front forks being mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around center axes thereof extending vertically, respectively;
a canister which adsorbs the fuel contained in an evaporative emission present inside the fuel tank and supplies the fuel to the engine; and
a meter device which displays a vehicle speed,
wherein the canister is placed inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the pair of front forks when viewed from a front, and in front of the engine when viewed from a side,
wherein the vehicle body frame includes a head pipe at a front end portion thereof,
wherein the pair of front forks are mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around the head pipe,
wherein the canister is placed in front of the head pipe,
wherein the meter device is mounted to the vehicle body frame above the head pipe in such a manner that the meter device extends obliquely upward and forward, and
wherein the canister is placed on a reverse side of an obverse surface on which the vehicle speed of the meter device is displayed.

10. A motorcycle comprising:
a fuel tank which stores fuel combusted in an engine;
a vehicle body frame to which the fuel tank is mounted;
a pair of front forks placed to be spaced apart from each other in a vehicle width direction to support a front wheel from both sides in the vehicle width direction such that the front wheel is rotatable, the pair of front forks being mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around center axes thereof extending vertically, respectively;
a canister which adsorbs the fuel contained in an evaporative emission present inside the fuel tank and supplies the fuel to the engine; and
a cowling mounted to the vehicle body frame to cover a head pipe from the front, a front end portion of the cowling being provided with a head lamp unit,
wherein the canister is placed inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the pair of front forks when viewed from a front, and in front of the engine when viewed from a side,
wherein the vehicle body frame includes the head pipe at a front end portion thereof,
wherein the pair of front forks are mounted to the vehicle body frame such that the pair of front forks are rotatable around the head pipe,
wherein the canister is placed in front of the head pipe, and
wherein the canister is placed rearward relative to the head lamp unit and covered by the cowling.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Ono Masashi
• Tanaka Ichiro
• Hanabusa Kotaro
• Ikeda Shinji
• Uchida Takashi
• Yamamoto Tomo
• Saeki Daisuke
• Ishii Hiroshi

Classifications

• B62M7/02

  with engine between front and rear wheels · CPC title

• B62J37/00

  Arrangements of fuel supply lines, taps, or the like, on motor cycles or engine-assisted cycles · CPC title

• F02M25/0854

  Details of the absorption canister · CPC title

• F02M25/089 Primary

  Layout of the fuel vapour installation · CPC title

• B62J35/00

  Fuel tanks specially adapted for motorcycles or engine-assisted cycles; Arrangements thereof (fuel tanks forming part of cycle frames B62K11/00; tanks in general B60K {; closure caps for fuel tanks B60K15/0406}) · CPC title