Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Masatsugu Nishimura

Shuji Tahara

Yutaka Nishikawa

Shinji Ito

Kazuya Takenouchi

Kazuhiko Tani

Kenji Kofuji

Masaie Kato

Tetsuya Ono

Yoko Uno

A motorcycle has a video camera attached thereto in such a manner as to shoot sharp images. A motorcycle includes a camera adapted to shoot a road surface. The camera is arranged below an engine or a swing arm and more rearward than the center of a crankshaft of the engine. The swing arm pivotally supports a rear wheel with a rear edge portion thereof. The camera is fastened to, and supported either by a lower portion of the engine or by a lower portion of a vehicle body frame connected to the engine.

Motorcycle having a video camera mounted thereon for monitoring a road surface, and methods of using same

In a brake system for a motorcycle in which a pressure-regulating unit is interposed between a wheel brake and fluid pressure generating unit capable of generating a fluid pressure independently of an operation of a brake operating element is controlled by a control unit based on a value detected by an operating amount detector which detects an operating amount of the brake operating element. To prevent adverse influences of not only vibrations from an engine, but also heat from the engine, from being exerted on the pressure-regulating unit, such is floatingly supported by a support supported on a body frame of the motorcycle through an elastic case covering the pressure-regulating unit.

Brake system for a motorcycle including vibration-damping support structure, and motorcycle incorporating same

In a brake system for a motorcycle in which the operation of a pressure-regulating unit interposed between fluid pressure generator and a wheel brake is controlled by a control unit on the basis of a value detected by operating amount detector for detecting an operating amount of a brake operating element, to prevent the influence of vibrations transmitted from an engine from being exerted on the pressure-regulating unit. A support member for supporting the pressure-regulating unit is flexibly supported, though elastic members, by a pair of frame sections which are arranged on both the left and right sides of an engine body and by a crossmember which connects both the frame sections to each other on the rear side of the engine body so as to constitute a part of a body frame F together with the frame sections.

Motorcycle including brake-by-wire system with flexibly supported fluid pressure regulating unit

In a brake-by-wire brake system for a motorcycle, a pressure regulator is interposed between a pressure-generating unit and a brake caliper to regulate an output hydraulic pressure of the pressure generator, and to apply the regulated hydraulic pressure to a brake caliper. The pressure regulator is controlled by a control unit, based on input from an applied operating force detector, to minimize or prevent influences of engine vibration and heat on the pressure regulator. The pressure regulator is arranged between an engine body and a fuel tank disposed in back of an intake system connected to and extending upwardly from a cylinder head of the engine body; where the intake system is disposed on an upper side of the engine body. The pressure regulator is flexibly supported, through a flexibly resilient case, by a support cage attached to a body frame.

Brake system for a motorcycle, and motorcycle incorporating same

A motorcycle includes a liquid pressure-generating unit, a pressure-regulating unit interposed between the liquid pressure-generating unit and a wheel brake, and a control unit for controlling operation of the pressure-regulating unit. The motorcycle also includes a support case, supportively containing the control unit and disposed on a lateral side of an engine body mounted on a body frame of the motorcycle, with the support case interposed between the control unit and the engine body. Further, a running airflow leading-in part for permitting traveling airflow to pass toward said control unit is formed at a front part of the support case, and a traveling airflow leading-out part is formed at a rear part of the support case for leading out the traveling airflow after the airflow has passed through at least one lateral side of the control unit. This arrangement lessens the influence of the heat from an engine upon the control unit while disposing the control unit in the vicinity of the engine body.

Motorcycle with control unit for controlling operation of a brake pressure regulating unit

A stroke simulator in a brake system includes a cylinder body, a piston movably inserted in the cylinder body, and a second elastic member adapted to be pressed by the piston. It functions to give a simulative operational feel to a brake lever by operating the brake lever to generate a fluid pressure in a front wheel master cylinder and transmit this fluid pressure to the cylinder body, thereby deforming the second elastic member through the piston, and wherein annular recesses are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the second elastic member.

Stroke simulator in brake system

A brake system for a motorcycle includes a pressure-regulating unit interposed between a fluid pressure-generating unit and a wheel brake. The operation of a pressure-regulating unit is controlled by a control unit on based on a value detected by an operating amount detector. The fluid pressure-generating unit is arranged between an engine body mounted on a body frame and an exhaust pipe extending from the engine body. The exhaust pipe is connected to the front surface of a cylinder head of the engine body, and is extended downwardly from the cylinder head. A support member for supporting the fluid pressure-generating unit is supported, through elastic members, by the engine body and frame members of a body frame of the motorcycle. The body frame extends rearwardly downwards from a head pipe connected to the body frame at a front end portion thereof.

A brake system for a motorcycle includes a pressure-regulating unit interposed between a fluid pressure-generating unit and a wheel brake. Operation of a pressure-regulating unit is managed and controlled by a control unit, based primarily on an applied force detected by an operating amount detector. The fluid pressure-generating unit is disposed between an engine body, mounted on a body frame, and an exhaust pipe which is connected to a front surface of a cylinder head of the engine body, and which extends downwardly from the cylinder head. The fluid pressure-generating unit is arranged on the body frame such that, during operation of the motorcycle, the fluid pressure-generating unit is substantially shielded and isolated from heat emitted by the engine body and the exhaust pipe.

In a brake system for a motorcycle in which the operation of a pressure-regulating unit interposed between fluid pressure-generating unit and a wheel brake so as to regulate an output fluid pressure of the fluid pressure-generating unit and to apply the regulated fluid pressure to the wheel brake is controlled by a control unit on the basis of a value detected by operating amount detector for detecting an operating amount of a brake operating element, to arrange the fluid pressure-generating unit in a location which is close to the pressure control unit disposed on the rear side of an engine body and in which an installation space is easy to secure. The fluid pressure-generating unit, laid out in plan view between a left-right pair of seat rails which constitute a part of a body frame and which support a riders' seat, is supported by the seat rails.

Motorcycle including brake-by-wire system with flexibly supported pressure-generating unit

To provide a rear wheel structure which can easily perform the mounting and dismounting of a rear wheel without causing a fluctuation in a banking angle. In the rear wheel structure which includes a pair of left and right swing arms which are arranged to sandwich a rear wheel, a driving force transmission device is provided for transmitting a driving force to the rear wheel along one swing arm, and a spacer which is arranged on an axle of the rear wheel. A muffler is arranged outside the swing arm on a side opposite to the driving force transmission device. The spacer is arranged between the swing arm on the driving-force-transmission-device-side and the rear wheel for mounting the rear wheel relative to the one swing arm.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Masatsugu Nishimura