Vehicle provided with leaning-capable vehicle-body frame and two front wheels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9688339-B2
Application number	US-201414901385-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 30, 2014
Priority date	Jul 1, 2013
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle includes a restrictor that prevents movement of a brake controlling operation transmission member and is provided at an upper portion of at least one of an upper cross portion, a right side portion, and a left side portion. The brake controlling operation transmission member includes a leaning-associated deforming portion that is located between a brake controller and the restrictor to deform in response to the leaning of a body frame and a wheel-turning-associated deforming portion at least a portion of which is located between the leaning-associated deforming portion and a brake device to deform in response to the turning of a right front wheel and a left front wheel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame that leans to the right of the vehicle when the vehicle turns right and that leans to the left of the vehicle when the vehicle turns left;
a right front wheel and a left front wheel that are aligned in a left-and-right direction of the body frame;
a right suspension device that supports the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof to absorb an upward displacement of the right front wheel in an up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a left suspension device that supports the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof to absorb an upward displacement of the left front wheel in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a link mechanism including:
a right side portion that supports an upper portion of the right suspension device so as to allow the upper portion to turn about a right steering axis that extends in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a left side portion that supports an upper portion of the left suspension device so as to allow the upper portion to turn about a left steering axis that is parallel to the right steering axis;
an upper cross portion that supports, at a right end portion thereof, an upper portion of the right side portion so as to allow the upper portion to turn about an upper right axis that extends in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame and supports, at a left end portion thereof, an upper portion of the left side portion so as to allow the upper portion to turn about an upper left axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis, and that is supported on the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about an upper middle axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis and the upper left axis; and
a lower cross portion that supports, at a right end portion thereof, a lower portion of the right side portion so as to allow the lower portion to turn about a lower right axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper right axis and supports, at a left end portion thereof, a lower portion of the left side portion so as to allow the lower portion to turn about a lower left axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper left axis, and that is supported on the body frame at a middle portion so as to turn about a lower middle axis that is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper middle axis and the lower middle axis;

a body cover that covers at least a portion of the link mechanism;
a steering shaft that is supported on the body frame between the right suspension device and the left suspension device in the left-and-right direction of the body frame that turns about a middle steering axis that extends in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a handlebar that is provided at an upper end portion of the steering shaft;
a wheel turning operation transmission mechanism that turns the right suspension device about the right steering axis and the left suspension device about the left steering axis as the steering shaft turns in response to the operation of the handlebar;
a brake device that is provided below the link mechanism to apply a braking force to at least one of the right front wheel and the left front wheel;
a brake controller that is provided above the link mechanism to control the brake device; and
a brake controlling operation transmission member that connects the brake controller and the brake device together so as to transmit a brake controlling operation that is inputted into the brake controller to the brake device; wherein
a restrictor that prevents a movement of the brake controlling operation transmission member is provided at an upper portion of at least one of the upper cross portion, the right side portion, and the left side portion; and
the brake controlling operation transmission member includes a leaning associated deforming portion that is located between the brake controller and the restrictor to deform in response to the leaning of the body frame and a wheel turning associated deforming portion that is located between the leaning associated deforming portion and the brake device to deform in response to the turning of the right front wheel and the left front wheel.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the brake device includes a right brake device that applies a braking force to the right front wheel and a left brake device that applies a braking force to the left front wheel;
the restrictor includes a right restrictor that is provided at a right portion of the vehicle in relation to the left-and-right direction of the body frame and a left restrictor that is provided at a left portion of the vehicle in relation to the left-and-right direction of the body frame; and
the wheel turning associated deforming portion includes a right wheel turning associated deforming portion at least a portion of which is located between the right restrictor and the right brake device and which deforms as the right front wheel is turned about the right steering axis, and a left wheel turning associated deforming portion at least a portion of which is located between the left restrictor and the left brake device and that deforms as the left front wheel is turned about the left steering axis.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the right wheel turning associated deforming portion extends in the up-and-down direction of the body frame to deform about the right steering axis; and
the left wheel turning associated deforming portion extends in the up-and-down direction of the body frame to deform about the left steering axis.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the wheel turning associated deforming portion is located below the lower cross portion.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the leaning associated deforming portion is located between the front or rear of any one of the upper cross portion, the lower cross portion, the right side portion, and the left side portion and the body cover in relation to the front-and-rear direction of the body frame.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hirayama Yosuke

Classifications

• B62K21/12

  Handlebars; Handlebar stems · CPC title

• B62K5/05

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title

• B62K5/08

  with steering devices acting on two or more wheels · CPC title

• B62K19/38

  for attaching brake members · CPC title

• B60T17/046

  Devices for pipe guiding and fixing · CPC title