Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840299-B2
Application number	US-201514896571-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 30, 2015
Priority date	Jan 31, 2014
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle includes a left front wheel, a right front wheel, and a rear wheel that tilt together with a body frame, wherein, while a large capacity of a fuel tank is ensured, a variation in the center-of-gravity position of the vehicle while driving is small. When viewed in a side view with the body frame in an upright position, the fuel tank is disposed between a first center and a second center, the first center being located between a third center and right and left front wheel ground contacting portions, the second center being located between the third center and a rear wheel ground contacting portion, the third center being located between the right and the left front wheel ground contacting portions and the rear wheel ground contacting portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
a right front wheel and a left front wheel disposed side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame, the right and the left front wheels being tiltable in the left-right direction of the vehicle along with the body frame;
a rear wheel tiltable in the left-right direction of the vehicle along with the body frame;
a right front wheel support including an upper portion, and a lower portion that supports the right front wheel;
a left front wheel support including an upper portion, and a lower portion that supports the left front wheel;
a link mechanism including:
a right-side rod that supports the upper portion of the right front wheel support such that the upper portion thereof is turnable around a right axis extending in an up-down direction of the body frame;
a left-side rod that supports the upper portion of the left front wheel support such that the upper portion thereof is turnable around a left axis which is parallel or substantially parallel to the right axis;
an upper cross member including a right end portion that supports an upper portion of the right-side rod such that the upper portion thereof is turnable, a left end portion that supports an upper portion of the left-side rod such that the upper portion thereof is turnable, and an intermediate portion that is supported by the body frame so as to be turnable around an upper axis extending in a front-rear direction of the body frame; and
a lower cross member including a right end portion that supports a lower portion of the right-side rod such that the lower portion thereof is turnable, a left end portion that supports a lower portion of the left-side rod such that the lower portion thereof is turnable, and an intermediate portion that is supported by the body frame so as to be turnable around a lower axis which is parallel or substantially parallel to the upper axis;

a power unit that generates a driving force of the rear wheel; and
a fuel tank that stores fuel supplied to the power unit; wherein
the fuel tank is disposed between a first center and a second center, the first center being located between a third center and right and left front wheel ground contacting portions, the second center being located center between the third center and a rear wheel ground contacting portion, the third center being located between the right and the left front wheel ground contacting portions and the rear wheel ground contacting portion in the front-rear direction of the body frame in a side view when the body frame is in an upright state, the right front wheel ground contacting portion, the left front wheel ground contacting portion, and the rear wheel ground contacting portion being where the right front wheel, the left front wheel, and the rear wheel contact the ground, respectively; and
a leftmost end of the fuel tank is disposed on the left of a center between a center of the upper cross member and the lower cross member and leftmost ends of the upper cross member and the lower cross member, and a rightmost end of the fuel tank is disposed on the right of a center between the center of the upper cross member and the lower cross member and rightmost ends of the upper cross member and the lower cross member in the left-right direction of the body frame in a plan view when the body frame is in the upright state.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a rear end of the fuel tank is disposed forward of the third center.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the fuel tank overlaps with the third center.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a front end of the fuel tank is disposed behind the third center.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising a seat including a seating surface for receiving a rider, wherein the fuel tank is disposed below the seating surface in the up-down direction of the body frame.

6. The vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the body frame includes a right frame portion and a left frame portion that are disposed below the seat in the up-down direction of the body frame, and the fuel tank is disposed above the right frame portion and the left frame portion in the up-down direction of the body frame.

7. The vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a seat including a seating surface for receiving a rider; and
a floor portion positioned forward of the seat in the front-rear direction of the body frame, the floor portion including a floor surface for receiving a rider's feet; wherein
the fuel tank is disposed below the floor surface in the up-down direction of the body frame.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the body frame includes a left frame portion and a right frame portion below the floor surface in the up-down direction of the body frame, the left frame portion and the right frame portion extend in the front-rear direction of the body frame, and the fuel tank is disposed between the left frame portion and the right frame portion.

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takano Kazuhisa

Classifications

• B62K5/08

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

• B62K5/10 Primary

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

• B62K5/027

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

• B62J35/00

  Fuel tanks specially adapted for motorcycles or engine-assisted cycles; Arrangements thereof (fuel tanks forming part of cycle frames B62K11/00; tanks in general B60K {; closure caps for fuel tanks B60K15/0406}) · CPC title

• B62K5/05

  characterised by a single rear wheel · CPC title