Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha

Kyb Corporation

Kazuhisa Takano

Toshio Iizuka

Kaoru Sasaki

Yosuke Hirayama

Nobuhiko Hirakawa

Shigeto Yamasaki

Yutaka Kubo

Takahiro Watanabe

Hirokatsu Ogawa

Noboru Miyamoto

Hirotoshi Noguchi

Hiroshi Suzuki

Kohsuke Ohno

Yasuhiro Kitamura

Mitsuaki Ohta

Tsutomu Yoshimoto

Keisuke Terada

Daisuke Asano

Masahiro Tomimatsu

Kota Ikeda

In a vehicle, a left shock absorber is provided with a left front outer tube, a left rear outer tube, a left front inner tube, a left rear inner tube and a left connector. The left front outer tube and the left rear outer tube are supported on a left bracket. The left front inner tube is connected to the left front outer tube so as to be slidable in an interior of the left front outer tube along a left telescopic axis. The left rear inner tube is connected to the left rear outer tube so as to be slidable in an interior of the left rear outer tube along the left telescopic axis. The left connector connects the left front outer tube and the left rear outer tube.

Vehicle

A left front fender includes a left upper wall portion, a left side wall portion, and a left guide portion. The left upper wall portion defines a left upper inner surface facing a portion of an upper surface of a left front wheel. The left side wall portion extends downward from the left upper inner surface to define a left side inner surface facing a left side surface of the left front wheel. The left guide portion defines a left guide surface extending rightward from the left side inner surface toward the left side surface of the left front wheel.

A vehicle includes a left front wheel and a right front wheel that tilt together with a body frame, and a rear wheel that tilts together with the body frame, wherein, while a large capacity of a fuel tank is ensured, a variation in the center-of-gravity position while driving is small. When the body frame is in an upright position, the fuel tank is disposed between extensions of the upper axis and lower axis of a linkage mechanism such that the fuel tank is disposed between the center of the area between the center of the area between a right front wheel ground contact portion where the right front wheel comes into contact with the ground, a left front wheel ground contact portion where the left front wheel comes into contact with the ground, and a rear wheel ground contact portion where the rear wheel comes into contact with the ground, and the right and left front wheel ground contact portions; and the center of the area between the center of the area between right front wheel ground contact portion, the left front wheel ground contact portion, and the rear wheel ground contact portion, and the rear wheel ground contact portion.

In a vehicle, a left shock absorber is disposed such that a left telescopic axis is positioned on the left of a left steering axis in a left-right direction of a body frame when a vehicle in which the body frame is standing upright is viewed from a front in a front-rear direction of the body frame. A right shock absorber is disposed such that a right telescopic axis is positioned on the right of a right steering axis in the left-right direction of the body frame when the vehicle in which the body frame is standing upright is viewed from the front in the front-rear direction of the body frame.

A resisting force change mechanism includes a first portion and a second portion configured to change a resisting force against relative displacement. The first portion is supported on any one of a first side member, a second side member, a first cross member, and a second cross member of a link mechanism where at least a portion thereof is superposed on one member at all times. The first portion is aligned with the one member and a steering shaft at the front. The second portion is supported on any other one of the body frame, the first side member, the second side member, the first cross member, and the second cross member that is displaced relative to the one member on which the first portion is supported. The second portion is located at a position where at least a portion thereof is superposed on the other member at all times.

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.

A fan generates an air flow that cools a portion of an engine unit. A ventilation opening causes air flow directed to the fan to pass therethrough. Under a condition that a body frame is in an upright state and a condition that a left front wheel and a right front wheel are not turned by a steering device, the ventilation opening is disposed directly behind a lower cover of an inner fender, ahead of a rear end of a rear wheel, on the right of a left end of the left front wheel, and on the left of a right end of the right front wheel.

A body frame includes a link support that supports a linkage, a lower frame that connects a power unit provided in a position where at least a portion of the power unit overlaps a line when a vehicle in the upright state is seen from a side thereof and the link support together, and an upper frame that is connected to the link support above a connecting portion of the lower frame with the link support. When the vehicle in the upright state is seen from the side thereof, a point of intersection of a straight line which passes a connecting portion and intersects a middle lower axis at right angles and an upper edge of the upper frame is positioned above a point of intersection of the middle lower axis and a left steering axis in relation to the direction of the left steering axis.

A vehicle includes a steering force transmission including a steering force input, a steering shaft that is connected to the steering force input and which is supported by a first shaft support so as to turn about a rear steering axis, a connector that is connected to the steering shaft and displaced as the steering shaft turns, and a relay shaft that is connected to the connector to turn about a front steering axis as the connector is displaced, which is supported by a second shaft support that is provided ahead of the first shaft support to turn a right front wheel and a left front wheel as the second shaft support turns. The first shaft support is fixed to a portion of a body frame that extends to the rear from the link support so that the rear steering axis of the steering shaft is disposed behind a movable range of a rear cross element of a linkage in relation to a front-and-rear direction of a middle upper axis.

A suspension device includes two telescopic elements and achieves reduction in a size of a vehicle including the suspension device while securing rigidity sufficient to endure a load applied from a road surface to a wheel supported by the suspension device. A second outer member is smaller than a first outer member and is connected to the first outer member via a first connection portion and a second connection portion arranged in the extension/contraction direction of a second telescopic element, the second outer member is connected to the first outer member via a first connection portion and a second connection portion arranged in the extension/contraction direction of the second telescopic element.

Suspension device

A vehicle includes a vehicle body frame that can lean, a right front wheel and a left front wheel, and an upper cross portion and a lower cross portion of a link mechanism each including a right end portion, a left end portion, and a middle portion supported on the vehicle body frame. An upper right displacement and an upper left displacement that result when a rearward test force is exerted individually on a lower right portion and a lower left portion that support the lower cross portion with the lower cross portion removed are larger than a lower right displacement and a lower left displacement that result when a force that is equal or substantially equal in magnitude and direction as the forces exerted on the lower right and left portions is exerted individually on an upper right portion and a upper left portion that support the upper cross member with the upper cross portion removed.

In a vehicle, a size of an acute angle &#x3b8;L defined by a virtual plane perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly intersecting with an upper axis and a lower axis of a cross member and a up-and-down direction of a vehicle body frame is smaller than sizes of an acute angle &#x3b8;TR and an acute angle &#x3b8;TL which are defined by an expansion and contraction direction of telescopic elements and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and an acute angle &#x3b8;SR and an acute angle &#x3b8;SL which are defined by axes of side rods and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame. The sizes of the acute angle &#x3b8;TR and the acute angle &#x3b8;TL are greater than the size of the acute angle &#x3b8;L defined by the virtual plane perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly intersecting with the upper axis and the lower axis of the cross member and the up-and-down direction of the vehicle body frame, and are equivalent to or smaller than the sizes of the acute angle &#x3b8;SR and the acute angle &#x3b8;SL.

A vehicle prevents interference of a right lamp and a left lamp with a link mechanism without increasing the size of the vehicle in its width direction. A right link side portion of a right lamp is located on the right of a locus along which a link mechanism extends when an upper cross portion turns when looking at the vehicle from the front of an upper middle axis. At least a portion of the right link side portion is located on the left of a right end portion of a body cover, above the upper middle axis, and below an upper end portion of the link mechanism that results when the upper cross portion turns clockwise to a maximum extent relative to a body frame, when looking at the vehicle from the front of the upper middle axis.

A vehicle includes a front end of a front portion and at least a portion of a headlamp disposed on the left of a right end of a right front wheel and on the right of a left end of a left front wheel when the vehicle is in the upright state, above upper ends of the right front wheel and the left front wheel, and below an upper end of a lower cross portion in relation to an up-and-down direction of a body frame in a position located ahead of a front end of the lower cross portion when looking at the vehicle from a side thereof.

A vehicle includes a body frame that leans and two front wheels that prevent enlargement of a peripheral construction around a steering shaft above the two front wheels while maintaining a function of a link mechanism. An upper cross portion and a lower cross portion of the link mechanism each include a portion supported at a right end portion and a left end portion thereof and supported on a body frame at a middle portion thereof. The upper cross portion and the lower cross portion preferably have different volumes. Upper displacements that result when a rearward test force is exerted on an upper right bearing and an upper left bearing that support the upper cross portion with the lower cross portion removed, and lower displacements that result when a rearward test force is exerted on a lower right bearing and a lower left bearing that support the lower cross portion with the upper cross portion removed are equal or substantially equal.

Growing community of inventors

Shizuoka, Japan

Kazuhisa Takano