Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9758207-B2
Application number	US-201314653369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2013
Priority date	Dec 21, 2012
Publication date	Sep 12, 2017
Grant date	Sep 12, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle includes a body frame, a left front wheel and a right front wheel, a link mechanism configured to be deformed as a vehicle body leans, and vehicle components disposed directly forward of the link mechanism in relation to a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle. The vehicle components are supported on the body frame via penetrating portions that extend from the body frame toward the front of the vehicle and penetrate the link mechanism.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
a left front wheel and a right front wheel that are disposed laterally when seen from a front of the vehicle and are configured to be steered;
a left shock absorbing device that supports the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to absorb an upward displacement of the left front wheel in an up-and-down direction of the body frame;
a right shock absorbing device that supports the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and configured to absorb an upward displacement of the right 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 shock absorbing device so as 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 shock absorbing device so as to turn about a left turning axis parallel or substantially parallel to the right steering axis; and
a cross portion that supports the right side portion at a right end portion thereof so as to turn about a right axis that extends in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame, that supports the left side portion at a left end portion thereof so as to turn about a left axis parallel or substantially parallel to the right axis, and that is supported on a link support portion of the body frame at a middle portion thereof so as to turn about a middle axis parallel or substantially parallel to the right axis and the left axis; and

a vehicle component disposed forward of the body frame in relation to the front-and-rear direction of the body frame; wherein
the cross portion includes a front cross portion located forward of the link support portion of the body frame;
the link mechanism includes a through hole that extends through the front cross portion when the cross portion turns relative to the body frame;
when viewed in a direction along which the middle axis extends, the through hole is located inward of a front movable outer edge defined by a locus when the cross portion turns relative to the body frame; and
the vehicle component is supported on the body frame via a component support portion disposed within the through hole.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the link mechanism includes a front upper cross portion located forward of the link support portion and a front lower cross portion located forward of the link support portion, and the middle axis is located below the upper cross portion; and
the through hole includes an upper through hole that extends through a portion of a lower edge of the front upper cross portion and a lower through hole that extends through a portion of an upper edge of the front lower cross portion.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle component is supported at the link support portion of the body frame.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of through holes including the through hole and a plurality of component support portions including the component support portion.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle component is supported on the body frame via a connecting portion that is not disposed in the through hole, but is disposed outward of the front movable outer edge.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle support portion defines a portion of at least any one of the body frame, the vehicle component, and an attaching bracket with which the vehicle component is attached to the body frame.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the cross portion includes a rear cross portion located rearward of the link support portion of the body frame.

8. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the through hole is located inward of the front movable outer edge of the front cross portion when viewed in the direction along which the middle axis extends.

9. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the through hole is located closer to the middle axis than a left end portion and a right end portion of the front cross portion.

10. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the middle axis is located within the through hole when viewed in the direction along which the middle axis extends.

11. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the component support portion defines a portion of a turning support portion that turnably supports the front cross portion on the link support portion.

12. The vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein the through hole defines an elongated hole that includes an arc centered at the middle axis of the front cross portion.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Iizuka Toshio
• Hirayama Yosuke

Classifications

• B62K5/05

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title

• B62D9/02

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

• B60G2300/45

  Rolling frame vehicles · CPC title

• B60G2300/122

  Trikes · CPC title

• B62K5/08

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