Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9771117-B2
Application number	US-201515318694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

A portion of a body cover which is not movable relative to a body frame defines a space to guide air to an air cleaner. When a vehicle is in a condition that the body frame is in an upright state and is viewed from the front in a front-rear direction of the body frame, the space is at least partially situated at least one of above a lower end of an upper cross member in an up-down direction of the body frame, on the left of a left edge of a linkage in a left-right direction of the body frame, and on the right of a right edge of the linkage in the left-right direction of the body frame.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame that includes a link support and that leans leftward of the vehicle when the vehicle turns to the left and leans rightward of the vehicle when the vehicle turns to the right;
a left front wheel and a right front wheel arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
a rear wheel;
a handlebar that turns the left front wheel and the right front wheel;
a linkage including:
a left side member disposed on a left of the link support in the left-right direction of the body frame, and at least partially disposed directly above the left front wheel in an up-down direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from the left-right direction of the body frame;
a right side member disposed on a right of the link support in the left-right direction of the body frame, and at least partially disposed directly above the right front wheel in the up-down direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from the left-right direction of the body frame; and
a cross member including:
a left portion supported by the left side member so as to be turnable about a left turning axis extending in a front-rear direction of the body frame;
a right portion supported by the right side member so as to be turnable about a right turning axis extending in the front-rear direction of the body frame; and
an intermediate portion supported by the link support so as to be turnable about an intermediate turning axis extending in the front-rear direction of the body frame;

a power drive disposed ahead of a front end of the rear wheel in the front-rear direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from the left-right direction of the body frame and disposed so as not to be movable relative to the body frame, the power drive including an engine and a transmission;
an air cleaner disposed above the transmission in the up-down direction of the body frame so as not to be movable relative to the body frame, the air cleaner allowing air to be supplied to the engine to pass therethrough; and
a wind guiding cover disposed so as not to be movable relative to the body frame and defining a space to guide air to the air cleaner, the wind guiding cover including a portion extending in the front-rear direction of the body frame across an area located below the handlebar in the up-down direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from above in the up-down direction of the body frame; wherein
the linkage changes relative positions of the left front wheel and the right front wheel in the up-down direction of the body frame in accordance with turning of the cross member to cause the body frame to lean leftward or rightward of the vehicle; and
the wind guiding cover is disposed such that, when the vehicle is in a condition that the body frame is in an upright state and is viewed from the front in the front-rear direction, the space is at least partially situated at least one of:
above a lower end of the cross member in the up-down direction of the body frame;
on a left of a left edge of the linkage in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
on a right of a right edge of the linkage in the left-right direction of the body frame.

2. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the wind guiding cover is disposed such that, when the vehicle is in the condition that the body frame is in the upright state and is viewed from the front in the front-rear direction, the space is at least partially situated at least one of:
above a lower end of a movable range of the cross member in the up-down direction of the body frame;
on a left of a left end of a movable range of the linkage in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
on a right of a right end of the movable range of the linkage in the left-right direction of the body frame.

3. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is in the condition that the body frame is in the upright state and is viewed from the up-down direction, the wind guiding cover includes a portion disposed at least one of:
directly on a left of the body frame in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
directly on a right of the body frame in the left-right direction of the body frame.

4. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is in the condition that the body frame is in the upright state and is viewed from the left-right direction, the wind guiding cover includes a portion disposed above the cross member in the up-down direction of the body frame.

5. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the wind guiding cover includes a portion disposed ahead of the linkage in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

6. The vehicle as set forth in claim 5 , wherein the wind guiding cover includes an opening disposed ahead of the linkage in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

7. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the wind guiding cover includes:
a left wind guiding cover disposed on a left of the link support in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
a right wind guiding cover disposed on a right of the link support in the left-right direction of the body frame; wherein
a distance between the left wind guiding cover and the right guiding cover increases toward a front in the front-rear direction of the body frame at an area behind the handlebar in the front-rear direction of the body frame and ahead of a rear end of the air cleaner in the front-rear direction of the body frame, when the vehicle is in the condition that the body frame is in the upright state and is viewed from the up-down direction.

8. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein
the wind guiding cover includes an upper wind guiding cover partially defining the space disposed above the lower end of the cross member in the up-down direction of the body frame; and
the upper wind guiding cover extends upward in the up-down direction of the body frame with an increasing distance from the air cleaner toward the front in the front-rear direction of the body frame at an area behind the handlebar in the front-rear direction of the body frame and ahead of a rear end of the air cleaner in the front-rear direction of the body frame, when the vehicle is in the condition that the body frame is in the upright state is viewed from the left-right direction.

9. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the air cleaner is disposed ahead of a seat on which a rider sits in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

10. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the air cleaner is disposed ahead of the transmission in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

11. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein a front end of the air cleaner is disposed ahead of the engine in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

12. The vehicle as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the air cleaner includes an intake port opened toward a front of the vehicle in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hirakawa Nobuhiko
• Suzuki Hiroshi

Classifications

• B62K5/10

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

• B62D61/065

  with single rear wheel · CPC title

• B62K5/08 Primary

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

• B62J99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B62K5/06

  Frames for tricycles · CPC title