Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yasunori Okazaki

Noboru Yokoya

Takeshi Kimishima

Takeshi Koyabu

Masayuki Fujita

Yoshiaki Noda

Taisuke Nimura

Tetsuaki Maeda

Masatsugu Matsumoto

Masayuki Dazai

Katsuyuki Konishi

Kaori Inada

Shinichi Ozeki

A meter cable mounting structure having a shaft portion of an inner cable and a fitting hole of a revolving shaft that can be easily aligned for facilitating the mounting operation. The meter cable mounting structure includes a meter cable having an inner cable with a shaft portion of a square shape in cross section at least at one end thereof. A pinion includes a fitting hole of a square shape in cross section that corresponds to the shaft portion of the inner cable at the end thereof with a tapered inner wall portion being provided in a periphery of an open end of the fitting hole. The tapered inner wall portion is reduced in diameter gradually toward the open end and includes a guide projection for guiding the shaft portion when mounting the meter cable to the pinion by fitting the shaft portion into the fitting hole.

Meter cable mounting structure

A steering damper apparatus for a two-wheeled vehicle includes a steering damper housing with a lower end portion fixed to the motorcycle's main frame. A first torque arm has a first end fixed to a pivotally movable shaft, and a second end which is connected, via a first pin, to a first end of a second torque arm. The second torque arm has a second end bolted to a top bridge on the main frame. The first and second torque arms are pivotally movable relative to one another, via the pivot shaft and the first pin. The apparatus is capable of accommodating a change in distance between the pivot shaft and the bolt on the second torque arm. A two-part cover is provided for the steering damper body, including a housing cover secured to a fixed side thereof, and a torque arm cover secured to a movable side thereof.

Vehicle steering damper apparatus, and vehicle incorporating same

A personal watercraft can be rotated in a correct direction of rotation when the personal watercraft has been overturned, and can thereby be restored to a normal, upright position. The personal watercraft includes a vessel body, an engine, and an exhaust system. The exhaust system includes a muffler, disposed on a first side of the vessel body, and an exhaust pipe connected to the muffler and formed in an inverted U-shape. During operation of the engine, exhaust gas passes through the inverted-U-shaped exhaust pipe and is subsequently discharged to the outside environment via an exhaust port. The exhaust port is disposed on a second side of the vessel body opposite the first side. The vessel body has a hollow water-receiving portion formed therein, on the second side thereof. The water-receiving portion is adapted to be submerged under water when the personal watercraft is overturned in a body of water.

Personal watercraft incorporating capsize-recovery facilitating structure, and method of using same

An exhaust gate valve apparatus of a water jet propulsion-driven watercraft is provided that is capable of positively closing an exhaust port with a valve body when an engine is stationary and widely opening the valve body when the engine runs. In the watercraft, an exhaust port of a tail pipe is arranged to face an opening in a top wall of a pump chamber. The exhaust gate valve apparatus includes a valve body, valve body support flange, pressure device, and a jet water expelling device. The valve body support flange attaches the valve body to the top wall. The pressure device urges the valve body to a closed position. The jet water expelling device diverts jet water from a water jet pump and opens the valve body using the jet water thus diverted, counteracting a pressing force of the pressure device and opening the valve body.

Exhaust gate valve apparatus for a personal watercraft

An exhaust system for a small-sized boat which can efficiently reduce exhaust noises in a low frequency band includes a water muffler provided at one location along exhaust pipes extending from an engine disposed in a boat body. The inside of the water muffler is divided into a single expansion chamber and a resonator chamber, and a front exhaust pipe coupled to the engine and a rear exhaust pipe opened to the outside of the boat are connected to the expansion chamber. Between the front exhaust pipe opened to the inside of the expansion chamber and the rear exhaust pipe, a water-controlling plate is provided in an upper side of the expansion chamber.

Exhaust system for small-sized boat

The invention is directed at increasing the degree of freedom in layout of the resonator, and the exhaust system including the resonator will be improved. Also, the invention is directed at a resonator and exhaust system wherein when an attempt is made to raise the engine speed from the idling state, the engine speed will be smoothly raised. According to the invention, there is provided a bilge pump for draining water within a hull; cooling water is caused to flow within an exhaust pipe of an engine; and in the exhaust system, there is provided a resonator. The resonator is connected to the bilge pump through bilge pipes. The bilge pump is constructed of a jet propulsion pump to be driven by the engine. Even if the resonator is arranged below the water line, the water which accumulates within the resonator will be drained by the bilge pump, and it becomes possible to arrange the resonator below the water line without interfering with the function of the resonator.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Yasunori Okazaki