Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8998216-B2
Application number	US-201414178988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2014
Priority date	Feb 14, 2013
Publication date	Apr 7, 2015
Grant date	Apr 7, 2015

Abstract

A vehicle includes a pair of rear wheels, a frame portion, a roll-over protection cage supported by the frame portion, a pair of suspension assemblies at a rear region of the frame portion to suspend the pair of rear wheels, an engine supported by the frame portion, with at least a portion of the engine being at a more rearward position than the roll-over protection cage, and a rear stabilizer connecting the pair of suspension assemblies to each other. Each of the pair of suspension assemblies includes an arm portion supported pivotably by the frame portion, and a shock absorber which connects the arm portion and the frame portion to each other. The rear stabilizer overlaps the engine in a plan view, passing in front of the pair of shock absorbers and below the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a pair of rear wheels;
a frame portion;
a roll-over protection cage supported by the frame portion;
a pair of suspension assemblies at a rear region of the frame portion to suspend the pair of rear wheels;
an engine supported by the frame portion and including a cylinder portion, with at least a portion of the engine being at a more rearward position than the roll-over protection cage; and
a rear stabilizer connecting the pair of suspension assemblies to each other; wherein
each of the pair of suspension assemblies includes an arm portion supported pivotably by the frame portion, and a shock absorber connecting the arm portion and the frame portion to each other; and
the rear stabilizer overlaps the engine in a plan view, passing in front of the pair of shock absorbers and below the cylinder portion of the engine.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the rear stabilizer is at a higher position than a lower end of the engine.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein
the engine includes a transmission case integrated with the cylinder portion; and
the rear stabilizer is behind the transmission case, at a lower position than an upper end of the transmission case and at a higher position than a lower end of the transmission case.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a propeller shaft extending in a fore-aft direction in a more rearward region than the engine and rotated by a driving force from the engine; and
a pair of drive shafts extending in a width direction of the vehicle and transmitting rotation from the propeller shaft to the pair of rear wheels; wherein
the rear stabilizer passes above the propeller shaft.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the rear stabilizer includes a torsion bar portion extending in a width direction of the vehicle;
a first end portion connecting an end region of the torsion bar portion to one of the suspension assemblies;
a second end portion connecting another end region of the torsion bar portion to the other suspension assembly; and
the torsion bar portion overlaps the engine in a plan view, passing below the engine.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein
the frame portion includes a pair of support frame portions supporting the pair of arm portions and extending in an up-down direction; and
the torsion bar portion is supported by the pair of support frame portions.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maeda Kenichi
• Suzuki Yasuhiro

Classifications

• B62D23/005 Primary

  with integrated chassis in the whole shell, e.g. meshwork, tubes, or the like (B62D33/044 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2005/003

  the internal combustion or jet propulsion unit is arranged between the front and the rear axle · CPC title

• B62D21/183

  specially adapted for sports vehicles, e.g. race, dune buggies, go-karts (tubular skeleton B62D23/005) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/23

  Ridable golf cars · CPC title

• B60G21/055

  Stabiliser bars · CPC title