Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9873474-B2
Application number	US-201615279772-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 23, 2018
Grant date	Jan 23, 2018

Abstract

In a vehicle, a first left cover at least partially covers a lower edge of a left lower projection from the left in a left-right direction of a body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from an upright state to the right at a maximum angle, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame. A first right cover at least partially covers a lower edge of a right lower projection from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the left at a maximum angle, as viewed from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
a left front wheel and a right front wheel that are arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame; and
a linkage disposed above the left front wheel and the right front wheel in an up-down direction of the body frame, and that changes positions of the left front wheel and the right front wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean to a left or a right of the vehicle; wherein
the linkage includes an upper cross member, a lower cross member, a left side member, and a right side member;
the upper cross member, the lower cross member, the left side member, and the right side member are connected such that the upper cross member and the lower cross member maintain postures that are parallel to each other, and such that the left side member and the right side member maintain postures that are parallel to each other;
the vehicle further includes:
a left suspension supporting the left front wheel and supported on the left side member;
a right suspension supporting the right front wheel and supported on the right side member;
a first left cover attached to one of the left side member and the left suspension; and
a first right cover attached to one of the right side member and the right suspension;

the lower cross member includes:
a left lower projection disposed on the left of a left end of the left side member; and
a right lower projection disposed on the right of a right end of the right side member;

the first left cover at least partially covers a lower edge of the left lower projection from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from an upright state to the right at a maximum angle, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
the first right cover at least partially covers a lower edge of the right lower projection from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the left at a maximum angle, as viewed from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the left suspension includes a left outer portion extending in the left-right direction of the body frame to the left of the left end of the left side member;
the right suspension includes a right outer portion extending in the left-right direction of the body frame to the right of the right end of the right side member;
the first left cover covers a region defined by the lower edge of the left lower projection and an upper edge of the left outer portion at least from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the right at the maximum angle, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
the first right cover covers a region defined by the lower edge of the right lower projection and an upper edge of the right outer portion at least from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the left at the maximum angle, as viewed from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein the first left cover is attached to the left outer portion of the left suspension, and the first right cover is attached to the right outer portion of the right suspension.

4. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the left suspension includes:
a left upper portion supported on the left side member; and
a left lower portion supporting the left front wheel and that is movable upward and downward relative to the left upper portion;

the right suspension includes:
a right upper portion supported on the right side member; and
a left lower portion supporting the right front wheel and that is movable upward and downward relative to the right upper portion;

the first left cover is attached to the left upper portion; and
the first right cover is attached to the right upper portion.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the left suspension is supported on the left side member so as to be able to turn relative to the left side member;
the right suspension is supported on the right side member so as to be able to turn relative to the right side member;
the vehicle further includes:
a steering member connected to the body frame so as to be able to turn about a steering axis; and
a steering force transmission that turns the left suspension and the right suspension in a direction that the steering member is turned;

the first left cover is attached to the left suspension; and
the first right cover is attached to the right suspension.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein
the lower cross member is connected to a lower intermediate connector of the body frame so as to be able to turn about a lower intermediate connecting axis;
the lower cross member includes:
a front element disposed directly ahead of the lower intermediate connector in a direction along the lower intermediate connecting axis; and
a rear element directly behind the lower intermediate connector in the direction along the lower intermediate connecting axis;

the left lower projection includes a left connector connecting the front element and the rear element at a position directly on the left of the left side member in the left-right direction of the body frame;
the right lower projection includes a right connector connecting the front element and the rear element at a position directly on the right of the right side member in the left-right direction of the body frame;
the first left cover covers a portion where a lower edge of the left connector overlaps the left side member at least from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
the first right cover covers a portion where a lower edge of the right connector overlaps the right side member at least from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame, as viewed from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6 , wherein
the first left cover covers the portion where the lower edge of the left connector overlaps the left side member at least from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the right at the maximum angle, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
the first right cover covers the portion where the lower edge of the right connector overlaps the right side member at least from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the left at the maximum angle, as viewed from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame.

8. The vehicle according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a second left cover that covers a portion where an upper edge of the left connector overlaps the left side member at least from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body frame is caused to lean from the upright state to the left at the maximum angle, as viewed from the left in the left-right direction of the body frame; and
a second right cover that covers a portion where an upper edge of the right connector overlaps the right side member at least from the right in the left-right direction of the body frame at least temporarily when the body

Assignees

• Yamaha Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ohno Kohsuke
• Suzuki Takahiro

Classifications

• B60G2204/8302

  Mechanical · CPC title

• B60G2204/4308

  Protecting guards, e.g. for rigid axle damage protection · CPC title

• B60G21/007

  means for adjusting the wheel inclination · 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