Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Bridgestone Tire Company Limited

Tadashi Kamiya

Kiyotaka Hayashi

Hiroshi Kojima

Takeshi Sato

Shigeru Hattori

Shigeo Kimura

Azusa Noda

Kazuhiro Kawasaki

Hideo Udou

Akio Muranaka

Shinji Fujimoto

A flow limiting device provided between a clutch master cylinder and a clutch operating cylinder has a first fluid chamber on one axial side in communication with the clutch master cylinder, a second fluid chamber on the axially opposite side in communication with the clutch operating cylinder, and a piston for partitioning the first and second fluid chambers. The piston has on a circumference thereof an annular groove in communication with the second fluid chamber through an inner passage, and a land on the axially opposite side of the annular groove. As passages to communicate the second fluid chamber and the clutch operating cylinder, there are provided a first passage opening into the cylinder portion in a position away in the axially opposite side relative to the land when the piston is in one stroke position at which the clutch is disengaged, and a second passage opening into the cylinder portion at a position coinciding with a position of the annular groove when the piston is in said one stroke position. When the piston is in an axially intermediate stroke position in which the clutch is in the clutch-slipping state, an opening of the second passage is closed by the land. In the first passage, there is interposed a one-way valve having an orifice which has an easy flow direction in a direction toward the clutch operating cylinder.

Apparatus for hydraulically operating clutch

The present invention discloses a cowling structure of thin sheet material which forms a part of the vehicle frame in which the opposite side sections of the cowling firmly interconnected through the medium of the power propelling unit. Formed in one, or preferably both, of the opposite side sections of the cowling structure is an air outlet opening in which a radiator unit is fitted and a bifurcated air passage duct is defined in the cowling structure by an air-flow dividing guide plate so that an ample air supply is obtained through the front opening of the cowling to the pair of right and left radiator units during vehicle travel. In this manner, a cooling system of highly increased capacity is obtainable without any increase in air resistance of the vehicle. The guide plate also serves to strengthen the cowling structure without any substantial increase in weight.

Motorcycle

An anti-slip system is provided for a wheeled vehicle having a drive wheel and a driven wheel. A drive wheel speed sensor senses a rotational speed of the drive wheel to produce a first sensing signal while a driven wheel speed sensor senses a rotational speed of the driven wheel to produce a second sensing signal. A control unit is responsive to the first and second sensing signals for outputting a control signal representative of a slip rate of the drive wheel. A drive control device is responsive to the control signal for controlling drive force of the drive wheel to prevent a slip thereof.

Anti-slip system for wheeled vehicle

A helmet principally for use with motorcycles and the like having vent openings on the front thereof. The vent openings are positioned within ram cavities formed between the visor and adjacent guide plates. Passageways extend through attachment mechanisms holding the visor to the helmet. Channels extend through the helmet liner to enhance air flow therethrough. Air ducts may be employed within the channels, providing additional energy absorbing properties to the helmet. Air flow may be further increased by means of a channel extension extending rearwardly from the helmet to advantageously arrange the outlets for maximum flow. An adjustable visor having a transparent visor extension enables selected extension and retraction of the visor to meet road and weather conditions.

Helmet

There is disclosed a method of vehicle construction for improving the rate of production of two assemblies of a motorcycle. The two assemblies can be made simultaneously on separate assembly lines and connected together by placing the power unit in fitting engagement with the vehicle frame and, more particularly, with a shell structure forming part of the vehicle frame. In the second assembly including the power unit, the rear fork is pivotally connected with the power unit on an axis substantially aligned with that of the output shaft of the latter.

The mud guard system for a chain of a motorcycle in which a drive chain is made to run on both a front sprocket connected to an engine and a sprocket connected to a rear wheel at the trailing end of a rear fork, comprises a mud guard member having a cylindrical shape for allowing the chain to run therethrough and disposed at one side of the rear wheel and a link or another connecting member for coupling the mud guard member floatingly to the rear fork so that the mud guard member can move in the longitudinal direction of the chain.

Mud guard system for motorcycle

The application discloses a cowling structure of thin sheet material secured to the head pipe and provided to support a front-fork steering shaft and forms part of the vehicle frame with a rear-wheel driving power unit solidly fitted to the cowling structure to serve as a strength member of the vehicle frame. Such cowling and power unit assembly enables substantial reduction in weight as well as in air resistance.

A shell structure adapted to accommodate a propelling power unit forms part of a vehicle frame. It is made of a thin sheet, and has no practical strength but is sufficiently reinforced with its opposite side sections firmly secured to the adjacent sides of the power unit. An air path is defined in the shell structure at least between the bottom section thereof and the power unit and, extending between an air inlet and an air outlet opening formed respectively in the front and rear faces of the shell structure, is utilizable to accommodate an exhaust duct. Use of such shell structure enables substantial reduction in vehicle weight and particularly simplifies assembling and maintenance operations of the vehicle.

A tire puncture detecting device having a pressure chamber defined by a flexible diaphragm and held in communication with the interior of the tire, an atmospheric chamber communicating with the atmosphere, and a spring plate member disposed in the pressure chamber and supporting on the front face thereof a magnet and on the rear face thereof a central portion of the flexible diaphragm. The spring plate member is normally maintained in a retracted position under the air pressure in the pressure chamber against the bias of a resilient member disposed rearwardly of the spring plate member. When a reduction in the air pressure in the pressure chamber exceeds a predetermined degree, the spring plate member buckles so as to quickly project forwardly under the force of the resilient member. In this manner, the magnet supported on the spring plate member is moved closer to an alarm circuit switch located in front of the device and energizable by magnetic force, thereby actuating the switch. Puncturing of the tire is thus detected rapidly and reliably.

Puncture detecting device

A vehicle tire having first areas of a higher degree of rigidity and second areas of a lower degree of rigidity, the first and second areas having different degrees of radially inward recession upon contact of the tire with the ground and being alternately arranged in the circumferential direction of the tire. Each of the second areas comprises a central projection and a plurality of projections surrounding the central projection in spaced relation and spaced from each other. Some of the projections which are located at the tread edges have side surfaces extending substantially parallel to a radial plane through the tire. The outermost projections disposed adjacent to the projections at the tread edges have side surfaces facing the ground and extending substantially perpendicularly relative to the side surfaces of the projections at the tread edges. With this arrangement, the tire can be driven with an increased degree of driving force on rough ground or terrain, such as sand and/or gravel.

Vehicle tire with tread having circumferentially varying rigidity

An apparatus for preventing turnover of a motorized two-wheeled vehicle of the type in which the vehicle body is provided on both sides thereof with a pair of left and right subsidiary wheels on a pair of left and right swingable arm members. On respective upper sides of the arms are a pair of left and right oil pressure dampers each interposed between the vehicle body and the arm member, and respective oil pressure chambers of the two oil pressure dampers are interconnected through a connecting tube having a flow control valve at the center thereof. The vehicle body supports an internal combustion engine between the front and rear wheels so that the center of gravity thereof is positioned approximately midway between the wheels, the pair of subsidiary wheels being disposed on a line extending in the vicinity of the center of gravity.

Apparatus for preventing turnover of a motorized two-wheeled vehicle

Vehicle tire

A pair of split rim members are secured to the outer periphery of a wheel disc, and are provided with at least one projection piece which forms a space between it and the outer periphery of the wheel disc. An elastic sealing ring is inserted in such space to maintain airtightness, with the sealing ring having a normal width which is greater than the width of such space.

Growing community of inventors

Niiza, Japan

Tadashi Kamiya