Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9238494-B2
Application number	US-201314430357-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2013
Priority date	Sep 24, 2012
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

A transformation restricting mechanism is configured to change a resisting force between a first connecting member, a second connecting member, and a caliper that are configured to be displaced relative to each other. The first connecting member includes a turn supporting portion supported by a first shock absorbing device. The second connecting member includes a turn supporting portion supported by a second shock absorbing device. The turn supporting portion is supported by the first shock absorbing device closer to a first center axis than an intermediate axis which is coincident with a turning axis of a steering shaft when the vehicle body frame is in an upright state. The turn supporting portion is supported by the second shock absorbing device closer to a second center axis than the intermediate axis when the vehicle body frame is in an upright state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body frame;
a right front wheel and a left front wheel arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the vehicle body frame;
a right shock absorbing device supporting the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to buffer displacement of the right front wheel in an up-down direction of the vehicle body frame relative to an upper portion thereof;
a left shock absorbing device supporting the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to buffer displacement of the left front wheel in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame relative to an upper portion thereof;
a link mechanism including:
a right side rod supporting the upper portion of the right shock absorbing device so that the right shock absorbing device is configured to turn about a right axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame;
a left side rod supporting the upper portion of the left shock absorbing device so that the left shock absorbing device is configured to turn about a left axis extending parallel or substantially parallel to the right axis;
an upper cross member including a right end portion turnably supporting an upper portion of the right side rod, a left end portion turnably supporting an upper portion of the left side rod, and an intermediate portion supported by the vehicle body frame and configured to turn about an upper axis extending in the front-back direction of the vehicle body frame; and
a lower cross member including a right end portion turnably supporting a lower portion of the right side rod, a left end portion turnably supporting a lower portion of the left side rod, and an intermediate portion supported by the vehicle body frame and configured to turn about a lower axis extending parallel or substantially parallel to the upper axis;

a steering shaft including an upper end portion located above the lower axis in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame, the steering shaft being supported by the vehicle body frame at a position between the right side rod and the left side rod in the left-right direction of the vehicle body frame, and the steering shaft is configured to turn about an intermediate axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame;
a handlebar provided on the upper end portion of the steering shaft;
a turn transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a turning motion of the steering shaft in accordance with an operation of the handlebar to the right shock absorbing device and to the left shock absorbing device; and
a resisting force changing mechanism configured to change a resisting force applied against turning actions of the upper cross member and the lower cross member relative to the vehicle body frame; wherein
the resisting force changing mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion which are configured to be displaced relative to each other and to change a resisting force against the relative displacement;
the first portion includes a first supporting portion supported by at least one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device;
the first supporting portion is supported by one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device at a position which is below the lower cross member in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and which is closer to the one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device in the left-right direction of the vehicle body frame than the intermediate axis when the vehicle body frame is in an upright state; and
the second portion includes a second supporting portion supported by at least one of the upper cross member, the lower cross member, the vehicle body frame, the other one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device, and one of the right and left side rods supporting the other one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device.

2. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second supporting portion of the resisting force changing mechanism is disposed above the first supporting portion of the resisting force changing mechanism in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame when the vehicle body frame is in the upright state.

3. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the second supporting portion of the resisting force changing mechanism is supported at a position closer to the intermediate axis in the left-right direction than the right axis and the left axis when the vehicle body frame is in the upright state.

4. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first portion and the second portion of the resisting force changing mechanism is configured to turn about an axis extending in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame relative to the one of the right and left shock absorbing devices.

5. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the first supporting portion of the resisting force changing mechanism is supported by the upper portion of the one of the right shock absorbing device and the left shock absorbing device.

6. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the first portion of the resisting force changing mechanism includes a first right supporting portion supported by the lower portion of the right shock absorbing device and a first left supporting portion supported by the lower portion of the left shock absorbing device;
the first right supporting portion is supported by the lower portion of the right shock absorbing device at a position which is below the lower cross member in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame and which is closer to the right axis in the left-right direction of the vehicle body frame than the intermediate axis when the vehicle body frame is in the upright state; and
the first left supporting portion is supported by the lower portion of the left shock absorbing device at a position which is below the lower cross member in the up-down direction of the vehicle body frame and which is closer to the left axis in the left-right direction of the vehicle body frame than the intermediate axis when the vehicle body frame is in the upright state.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iizuka Toshio
• Kubo Yutaka
• Watanabe Takahiro
• Miyamoto Noboru
• Sasaki Kaoru
• Ogawa Hirokatsu
• Takano Kazuhisa
• Yamasaki Shigeto

Classifications

• B62K2005/001

  Suspension details for cycles with three or more main road wheels · CPC title

• B62K5/10

  with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends · CPC title

• B62K5/05

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title

• B62K5/027

  Motorcycles with three wheels (specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023) · CPC title

• B60G2300/45

  Rolling frame vehicles · CPC title