AU2012200595B2

AU2012200595B2 - Saddle-ride type vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU2012200595B2
Application number: AU2012200595A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Akira Komaki; Tadamasa Maeda; Katsuyuki Okubo; Shoichi Okuno; Kenji Yanagi
Original assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honda Motor Co Ltd
Priority date: 2011-03-29
Filing date: 2012-02-02
Publication date: 2014-08-28
Anticipated expiration: 2032-02-02
Also published as: AU2012200595A1; JP2012206548A; JP5782280B2

Abstract

SADDLE-RIDE TYPE VEHICLE A seat supporting stay 70 of a saddle-ride type vehicle, includes flat portions 71, 71 in portions between the right and left tank-side fixing portions 58, 58 and the right and left fuel tank fixing portions 53, 53, respectively. Suction portions 67 can stick to the flat portions 71, 71. The seat supporting stay 70 includes a connecting portion 72 extending in 10 a vehicle width direction to connect the right and left tank fixing portions 53 and 53. (5936221_1):PRW z CY) 0 LO crLL qll C) CD C) co co (.0 co--- __ oo LO LO CY) 00 C) co - LO LO LO U-) C) C'14 C) (0

Description

S&F Ref: P024650 AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name and Address Honda Motor Co., Ltd., of 1-1, Minami-Aoyama 2 of Applicant: chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-8556, Japan Actual Inventor(s): Akira KOMAKI; Katsuyuki OKUBO; Tadamasa MAEDA; Kenji YANAGI; Shoichi OKUNO Address for Service: Spruson & Ferguson St Martins Tower Level 35 31 Market Street Sydney NSW 2000 (CCN 3710000177) Invention Title: Saddle-ride type vehicle The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 5845c(5951073_1) SADDLE-RIDE TYPE VEHICLE Technical Field The present invention relates to a saddle-ride type vehicle including a seat 5 supported by a seat supporting stay. Background Art In a known seat supporting structure of a saddle-ride type vehicle, a seat supporting stay is located above a fuel tank, and a seat is supported by the seat supporting 10 stay (for example, see Patent Document I (Fig. 3)). The saddle-ride type vehicle shown in Fig. 3 of Patent Document 1, includes: a pair of right and left seat rails (12) provided in the rear part of a vehicle-body frame (the number in parentheses indicates reference numeral used in Patent Document 1; the same applies hereinafter); a fuel tank (14) provided between these seat rails (12); and 15 supporting portions (94, 95) provided on the respective seat rails (12) to protrude outward in the vehicle width direction. A seat supporting stay (93) is laid over the fuel tank (14) and is fixed to the supporting portions (94, 95). The seat load can be supported by the seat supporting stay (93). 20 At assembly, the fuel tank (14) is fixed to the seat 30 rails (12). Next, the seat supporting stay (93) is fixed to the seat rails (12) in such a manner as to be laid over the fuel tank (14). If the seat supporting stay (93) is attached to the seat rails (12) first, the fuel tank (14) cannot be attached. At such a time, the seat supporting stay (93) is removed, and the 25 fuel tank (14) is then attached. The seat supporting stay (93) is attached again. In such a manner, the assembly work is complicated. Accordingly, the assembly work needs to be simplified. Moreover, the seat supporting stay (93) is larger than the fuel tank (14) outward in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle width inevitably becomes large. 30 However, compact vehicles or the like require to be 15 reduced in vehicle width and in vehicle size. Accordingly, there is a demand for a saddle-ride type vehicle capable of facilitating the assembly work of the seat supporting stay and achieving a reduction in vehicle 20 size. 35 (5936221 1):PRW 2 [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application 25 Publication No. 2005-247022. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is the object of the present invention to substantially overcome or ameliorate one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative, or to address the above discussed demand. SUMMARY A saddle-ride type vehicle comprising: a vehicle-body frame with a rear part having left and right seat rails and left and right fuel tank fixing portions provided on the left and right seat rails respectively; a fuel tank adapted for storing fuel, the fuel tank being attached to the left and right seat rails by the left and right fuel tank fixing portions respectively and having an upper surface; tank-side fixing portions provided on the upper surface of the fuel tank; a seat provided above the fuel tank for seating an occupant; a seat supporting stay for supporting the seat, the seat supporting stay having an end being supported by the tank-side fixing portions and another end being connected to the left and right fuel tank fixing portions. Preferably, the fuel tank fixing portions are provided respectively on the pair of right and left seat rails, and the another end of the seat supporting stay is a connecting portion extending in a vehicle width direction to connect with the right and left fuel tank fixing portions. Preferably, the fuel tank includes: a fuel pump which is provided on the tank upper surface and supplies fuel within the fuel tank to the outside of the fuel tank; a discharge opening which is provided to the fuel pump and through which the fuel is discharged and a fuel pipe which is connected to the discharge opening and is located below the seat supporting stay and on the tank upper surface.

2a Preferably, the tank-side fixing portions are provided to the sides of the fuel pump, and the seat supporting stay includes a U-shaped portion surrounding the fuel pump in a U-shaped form in a plan view. Preferably, a pump cover covering an upper part of the fuel pump is provided to a vehicle's front side of the seat supporting stay, and the pump cover is fixed to the tank-side fixing portions and the connecting portion.

3 Preferably, a fill opening is provided on the tank upper surface on the opposite side of the fuel pump from the seat supporting stay, and a fill-side upper surface portion provided with the fill opening is formed at a higher position than a pump-side upper surface portion provided with the fuel pump. 5 Preferably, the seat includes: a hinge which is provided to connect a front part of the seat and a front end of the fuel tank and supports the seat on the fuel tank in such a manner that the seat is openable; and suction portions which are provided on a rear lower surface of the seat and stick to the seat supporting stay, and the seat supporting stay includes flat portions to which the suction portions are capable of sticking. 10 Preferably, a length of the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction is larger than that between outer ends of the seat supporting stay. According to an embodiment of the present invention, one end of the seat supporting stay supporting the seat is supported by the fuel tank with the tank-side fixing portions interposed therebetween, and the other end thereof is supported by the seat rails 15 with the fuel tank fixing portions interposed therebetween. By previously attaching the end of the seat supporting stay to the fuel tank, the fuel tank and seat supporting stay can be integrally handled. To attach the fuel tank to the seat rails, the fuel tank and the other end of the seat supporting stay can be 20 joined and fixed together to the fuel tank fixing portions by 20 fastening or the like. To detach the fuel tank from the seat rails, by detaching the fuel tank from the fuel tank fixing portions, the fuel tank and the other end of the seat supporting stay can be detached together. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay can be easily attached to and detached from the seat rails. The work of assembling the seat supporting stay can be therefore 25 facilitated. In addition, the seat supporting stay can be fixed to the seat rails without the necessity of avoiding the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay does not protrude from the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle can be reduced in size in the vehicle width direction. 30 Furthermore, the seat supporting stay is fixed to the fuel tank fixing portions of the seat rails. Accordingly, the seat load applied to the seat supporting stay can be received by the seat rails, and the load applied to the tank-side fixing portions can be reduced. This eliminates the necessity of providing a reinforcement member receiving the seat load to the fuel tank. The weight of the fuel tank can be therefore reduced. (5936221_1):PRW 4 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat supporting stay includes the connecting portion extending in the vehicle width direction in such a manner as to connect the right and left fuel tank fixing portions. The seat supporting stay connects the seat rails to also serve the function of a 5 cross member, and the rigidity of the vehicle-body frame can be increased. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel tank is provided with the fuel pipe which is connected to the discharge opening and is located below the seat supporting stay and on the tank upper surface. The fuel pipe is located below the seat supporting stay and on the tank upper 10 surface. Accordingly, the seat load can be received by the seat supporting stay. The fuel pipe can be therefore located on the tank upper surface without being influenced by the seat load and can be protected. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the tank-side fixing portions are provided to the sides of the fuel pump, and the seat supporting stay includes 15 the U-shaped portion surrounding the fuel pump in a U-shaped form in a plan view. The fuel pump 81 is surrounded by the seat supporting stay. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay serves as a protective member and can effectively protect the fuel pump. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pump cover covering 20 the upper part of the fuel pump is provided to the vehicle's front side of the seat supporting stay. The pump cover is fixed to the tank-side fixing portions and the connecting portion. The pump cover is fastened using the tank-side fixing portions. The pump cover can be therefore fixed without an increase in the number of parts. 25 Furthermore, the pump cover is fixed using the connecting portion of the seat supporting stay. The pump cover can be therefore fixed around the fuel pump together with the tank-side fixing portion, thus increasing in the effect on protecting the fuel pump. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fill opening is provided on the tank upper surface on the opposite side of the fuel pump from the seat 30 supporting stay, and the fill-side upper surface portion provided with the fill opening is formed at a higher position than the pump-side upper surface portion provided with the fuel pump. The fuel pump is provided at the lower position than the fill-side upper surface portion. Accordingly, the load from above can be received by the fill-side upper surface 35 portion. The effect on protecting the fuel pump can be 10 therefore further increased. (5936221 1):PRW 5 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seat includes: the hinge which supports the seat on the fuel tank in such a manner that the seat is openable; and the suction portions which stick to the seat supporting stay, and the seat supporting stay includes the flat portions to which the suction portions are capable of sticking. 5 Since the seat is kept closed using the suction portions, it is not necessary to separately provide a seat lock mechanism or the like, thus reducing the number of parts. Furthermore, the flat portions to which the suction portions stick are provided on the seat supporting stay. Accordingly, it is not necessary to provide a flat portion to the fuel tank upper surface, thus increasing the flexibility in designing the fuel tank. 10 According to an embodiment of the present invention, the fuel tank has a larger length in the vehicle width direction than that between outer ends of the seat supporting stay. One end of the seat supporting stay is provided on the tank-side fixing portions. Accordingly, the fuel tank can be made larger than the width between the seat rails, thus 15 allowing both an increase in capacity of the fuel tank and reduction in weight of the same. Brief Description of the Drawings A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of an example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 20 Fig. 1 is a left side view of a saddle- ride type vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the saddle-ride type vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line 3-3 of Fig. 2; 25 Fig. 4 is a view with a seat removed from Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view seen in a direction of an arrow 5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a view of a state with a pump cover removed from Fig. 5. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention 30 A description is given of an embodiment of the invention based on the accompanying drawings. The drawings are viewed in the direction of reference numerals, and an arrow (FRONT) in the drawings indicates the front side of a vehicle. Embodiment 35 The embodiment of the invention is described based on the drawings. (5936221 1):PRW 6 As shown in Fig. 1, the saddle-ride type vehicle 10 includes: a steering shaft 12 rotatably supported by a head pipe 11; a handle 13 attached to the steering shaft 12; a bottom bridge 15 which is attached to the lower end of the head pipe 11 and supports upper ends of a pair of right and left front forks 14; a headlight 16 which is provided 5 above the head pipe 11 and lights up toward the front of the vehicle; and a front wheel 18 which is supported by the front forks 14 and is covered with a front fender in upper part. The vehicle-body frame 20 includes: a main frame 21 extending from the head pipe I1 downward and rearward; seat rails 22 which are extended from the rear end of the main 10 frame 21 upward and rearward and directly or indirectly support the a seat 60; a sub frame 23 constituting parts of the individual seat rails 22 and supporting a fuel tank 50; and a reinforcement plate 24 which is joined between rear part of the head pipe 11 and the upper front end of the main frame 21 to reinforce the joint between the head pipe 11 and the main frame 21. 15 An engine hanger 25 is fixed in the middle of the main frame 21, and a pivot plate 26 is fixed to a rear part of the main frame 21. A power unit 30 composed of an engine 31 and a transmission 32 is attached to the engine hanger 25 and pivot plate 26. A suspending member 33 is provided on the pivot plate 26 in such a manner that the front end of the suspending member 33 can swing up and down. A rear wheel 34 is 20 rotatably provided on the rear end of the suspending member 33. The output of the engine 31 is transmitted through the transmission 32 to the rear wheel 34. Furthermore, a rear cushion 35 is provided between the rear part of the suspending member 33 and the seat rails 22 so as to absorb a shock to the rear wheel 34. On the rear parts of the seat rails 22, a luggage carrier 36 is supported. Under a 25 rear part of the luggage carrier 36, a brake lamp 37 is provided. Under the brake lamp 37, a rear fender 38 covering the rear wheel 34 is located. A muffler 47 is located to the side of the rear wheel 34. To the vehicle-body frame 20, a body cover 40 covering the vehicle-body frame 20, the engine 31, and the like are attached. 30 The body cover 40 includes: a front side cover 41 which covers a rear part of the head pipe 11 and covers the main frame 21 in the body width direction; a leg shield 42 which covers driver's legs and is located forward of the front side cover 41; a front top cover 43 covering a front part of the head pipe 11; a main frame-top cover 44 covering a top part of the main frame 21; a maintenance lid 45 which covers the rear part of the main 35 frame-top cover 44 to the front part of the fuel tank 50 and is provided to be opened and (5936221 I):PRW 7 closed; and a rear side cover 46 covering the sides of the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle width direction and the rear part of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. The vehicle-body frame 20 includes: a fuel tank supporting stay 51 which is provided in the middle of the sub-frame 23 and supports a bottom part of the fuel tank 50; 5 and fuel tank fixing portions 53 which are provided on upper parts of the seat rails 22 and fix a flange portion 52 of the fuel tank 50. The fuel tank 50 is located above the seat rails by the fuel tank supporting stay 51 and fuel tank fixing portions 53. A seat 60 on which an occupant is seated is 15 provided in such a manner as to be opened and closed through a hinge 61. 10 Next, the saddle-ride type vehicle 10 is described based on a plan view. As shown in Fig. 2, in the saddle-ride type vehicle 10, the seat 60 is located substantially at the center in the vehicle front-back direction and in the vehicle width direction. A fill opening 54 is located substantially at the center of the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle front-back direction and in the vehicle width direction. 15 Next, a description is given of a state where the seat 60 is closed on the fuel tank 50. As shown in Fig. 3, the fuel tank 50 is a vessel integrally formed by putting an upper tank half 56 bulged upward over a lower tank half 55 bulged downward and joining the upper and lower tank halves with a flange portion 52. 20 A seat supporting stay 70 supporting the seat 60 is provided below the seat 60 and above the fuel tank 50. An end of the seat supporting stay 70 is fixed through bolts 63 to tank-side fixing portions 58 provided on a tank top surface 57 of the fuel tank 50. The other end of the seat supporting stay 70 is fixed to the fuel tank fixing portions 53 through bolts 64 together with the flange portion 52 of the fuel tank 50. The seat supporting stay 25 70 is fixed to bridge the tank-side fixing portions 58 and corresponding fuel tank fixing portions 53. The seat 60 includes: a seat bottom plate 62 as a base; a not-shown elastic member provided on the seat bottom plate 62; a seat skin 65 covering the elastic member; and suction portions 67 which are provided on a rear lower surface 66 of the seat bottom 30 plate 62 and stick to the seat supporting stay 70. As shown in Fig. 2, the suction portions 67 are elliptical in a vehicle plan view. Each suction portion 67 is made of an elastic member such as rubber. The seat 60 includes the hinge 61 which is 25 provided to couple the front part of the seat 60 and the front end of the fuel tank 50 and openably supports the seat 60 on the fuel tank 50. 35 Next, a description is given of the fuel tank 50 with 30 the seat 60 removed. (5936221 1):PRW 8 As shown in Fig. 4, the fuel tank 50 includes: a fuel pump 81 which is provided on a tank upper surface 57 at the substantially center of the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle front-back direction and supplies fuel within the fuel tank 50 to the outside of the fuel tank 50; a discharge opening 82 which is provided to the fuel pump 81 and through which 5 fuel is discharged; and a fuel pipe 83 which is connected to the discharge opening 82 and guides the fuel. The fuel pipe 83 is located below the seat supporting stay 70 and above the tank upper surface 57 and is extended outward from the vehicle rear side of the fuel tank 50. The tank upper surface 57 includes: a fill-side upper surface portion 84 provided 10 with the fill opening 54; and a pump-side upper surface portion 85 provided with the fuel pump 81. The fill-side upper surface portion 84 is located at the higher position than the pump-side upper surface portion 85. The fill opening 54 is closed by a fuel cap 86 detachably provided. The fuel tank 50 further includes a pump cover 90 on the tank upper surface 57. 15 The pump cover 90 covers the periphery of the fill opening 54 to the fuel pump 81. The pump cover 90 includes cover attachment portions 91 to the sides of the fuel pump 81, and the cover attachment portions 91 are fixed to the tank-side fixing portions 58 together with the end of the seat supporting stay 70 through the bolts 63. Again in Fig. 3, the seat bottom plate 62 is provided with elastic members 68 at 20 portions opposed to the fill-side upper surface portion 84. Normally, the seat load is applied to the suction portions 67 in contact with the seat supporting stay 70. However, if the seat load is also applied to the front side of the seat 60, the fill-side upper surface portion 84 can receive the seat load through the elastic members 68. Next, the seat supporting stay 70 is described. 25 As shown in Fig. 5, the seat supporting stay 70 includes flat portions 71 and 71 between the right and left tank-side fixing portions 58 and 58 and the right and left fuel tank fixing portions 53 and 53, respectively. The suction portions 67 can stick to the flat portions 71 and 71. The seat supporting stay 70 further includes a connecting portion 72 which 30 extends in the vehicle width direction to connect the right and left fuel tank fixing portions 53 and 53. The connecting portion 72 has a function of a cross member and enhances the rigidity of the vehicle-body frame 20. The pump cover 90 extends rearward from the periphery of the fuel cap 86 and covers upper part of the fuel pump 81. The pump cover 90 includes recess portions 92 and 35 92 to the sides of the fuel cap 86 in the vehicle width direction. The recess portions 92 (5936221 1):PRW 9 and 92 allow the elastic members 68 and 68 to abut on the fill-side upper surface 30 portion 84 without interfering with the pump cover 90. The pump cover 90 includes a latch portion 93 in the vehicle rear part. The latch portion 93 is locked to the seat supporting stay 70. The pump cover 90 can be fixed to the 5 fuel tank 50 by locking the latch portion 93 to the seat supporting stay 70 and fixing the right and left cover attachment portions 91 and 91 to the tank-side fixing portions 58 and 58 with the bolts 63 and 63. Next, a description is given of the fuel tank 50 with the pump cover 90 removed. As shown in Fig. 6, the seat supporting stay 70 is provided with a locking 10 depression 73 configured to be locked to a latch portion (reference numeral 93 in Fig. 5) 15 of the pump cover (reference numeral 90 in Fig. 5) to the vehicle front side of the connecting portion 72. The seat supporting stay 70 includes a U-shaped portion 74 surrounding the fuel pump 81 in a U-shaped form. The fill opening 54 is provided on a tank upper surface on 15 the opposite side of the fuel pump 81 from the seat supporting stay 70. The fuel pump 81 is surrounded by the seat supporting stay 70 at the lateral sides in the vehicle width direction and at the vehicle rear side and is covered with the raised fill-side upper surface portion at the vehicle front side. The fuel pump 81 is therefore protected. The fuel tank 50 includes: the fuel pump 81 which is 30 provided on the pump 20 side upper surface portion 81 and supplies fuel within the fuel tank 50 to the outside of the fuel tank 50; the discharge opening 82 which is provided to the fuel pump 81 and through which fuel is discharged; and the fuel pipe 83 which is connected to the discharge opening 82 and guides the fuel to the engine (reference numeral 31 in Fig. 1); and a harness 87 connected to the fuel pump. The fuel pipe 83 and harness 87 are located on the 25 tank upper surface 54 and below the seat supporting stay 70. The length of the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle width direction is larger than the length between the outer ends of the seat supporting stay 70. The increase in length of the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle width direction can increase the capacity of the fuel tank 50. The operational effects of the saddle-ride type vehicle 10 described above are 30 described below. According to the structure shown in Fig. 3, by previously attaching the end of the seat supporting stay 70 to the fuel tank 50, the fuel tank 50 and seat supporting stay 70 can be integrally handled. To attach the fuel tank 50 to the seat rails 22, the fuel tank 50 and the other end 35 of the seat supporting stay 70 can be joined and fixed together to the fuel tank fixing (5936221 1):PRW 10 portions 53 by fastening or the like. To detach the fuel tank 50 from the seat rails 22, by detaching the fuel tank 50 from the fuel tank fixing portions 53, the fuel tank 50 and the other end of the seat supporting stay 70 can be detached together. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay 70 can be easily attached and detached from the seat rails 22. The work 5 of assembling the seat supporting stay 70 can be therefore facilitated. In addition, the seat supporting stay 70 can be fixed to the seat rails 22 without the necessity of avoiding the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle width direction. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay 70 does not protrude from the fuel tank 50 in the vehicle width direction, and the vehicle can be reduced in size in the vehicle width direction. 10 Furthermore, the seat supporting stay 70 is fixed to the fuel tank fixing portions 53 of the seat rails 22. Accordingly, the seat load applied to the seat supporting stay 70 can be received by the seat rails 22, and the load applied to the tank-side fixing portions 58 can be reduced. This eliminates the necessity of providing a reinforcement member receiving the seat load to the fuel tank. The weight of the fuel tank 50 can be therefore 15 reduced. According to the structure shown in Fig. 6, the seat supporting stay 70 connects the seat rails 22 and 22 to also serve the function of a cross member, and the rigidity of the vehicle-body frame 20 can be increased. According to the structure shown in Fig. 3, the fuel pipe 83 is located below the 20 seat supporting stay 70 and on the tank upper surface 57. Accordingly, the seat load can be received by the seat supporting stay 70. The fuel pipe 83 can be therefore located on the tank upper surface 57 without being influenced by the seat load and can be protected. According to the structure shown in Fig. 6, the fuel pump 81 is surrounded by the seat supporting stay 70. Accordingly, the seat supporting stay 70 serves as a 25 protective member and can effectively protect the fuel pump 81. According to the structure shown in Fig. 5, the pump cover 90 is fastened using the tank-side fixing portions 58. The pump cover 90 can be therefore fixed without an increase in the number of parts. Furthermore, the pump cover 90 is fixed using the connecting portion 72 of the 30 seat supporting stay 70. The 15 pump cover 90 can be therefore fixed around the fuel pump 81 together with the tank-side fixing portions 58, thus increasing in the effect on protecting the fuel pump 81. According to the structure shown in Fig. 4, the fuel pump 81 is provided at the lower position than the fill-side upper surface portion 84. Accordingly, the load from (5936221 ):PRW I1 above can be received by the fill-side upper surface portion 84. The effect on protecting the fuel pump 81 can be therefore further increased. According to the structure shown in Fig. 3, the seat 60 can be kept closed using the suction portions 67. This eliminates the necessity to separately provide a seat lock 5 mechanism or the like, thus reducing the number of parts. Furthermore, the flat portions 71 to which the suction portions 67 stick are provided on the seat supporting stay 70. This eliminates the necessity of providing a flat portion to the fuel tank upper surface 57, thus increasing the flexibility in designing the fuel tank 50. 10 According to the structure shown in Fig. 6, one end of the seat supporting stay 70 is provided on the tank-side fixing portions 58. The fuel tank 50 can be made larger than the width between the seat rails 22 and 22, thus allowing both an increase in capacity of the fuel tank 50 and reduction in weight of the same. The saddle-ride type vehicle 10 according to the present invention is configured 15 to include the seat 60 only above the fuel tank 50 in this embodiment but not limited to this. The saddle-ride type vehicle 10 may be a vehicle in which the seat 60 is extended to the rear side of the vehicle and is provided over the fuel tank and an 20 accommodation box. 20 Industrial Applicability The saddle-ride type vehicle of the present invention is suitable for a saddle-ride type vehicle with the seat supported by the seat supporting stay. (5936221_l):PRW

Claims

1. A saddle-ride type vehicle comprising: a vehicle-body frame with a rear part having left and right seat rails and left and right fuel tank fixing portions provided on the left and right seat rails respectively; a fuel tank adapted for storing fuel, the fuel tank being attached to the left and right seat rails by the left and right fuel tank fixing portions respectively and having an upper surface; tank-side fixing portions provided on the upper surface of the fuel tank; a seat provided above the fuel tank for seating an occupant; a seat supporting stay for supporting the seat, the seat supporting stay having an end being supported by the tank-side fixing portions and another end being connected to the left and right fuel tank fixing portions.

2. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fuel tank fixing portions are provided respectively on the pair of right and left seat rails, and the another end of the seat supporting stay includes a connecting portion extending in a vehicle width direction to connect with the right and left fuel tank fixing portions.

3. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fuel tank includes: a fuel pump which is provided on the tank upper surface and supplies fuel within the fuel tank to the outside of the fuel tank; a discharge opening which is provided to the fuel pump and through which the fuel is discharged; and a fuel pipe which is connected to the discharge opening and is located below the seat supporting stay and on the tank upper surface.

4. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the tank-side fixing portions are provided to the sides of the fuel pump; and the seat supporting stay includes a U-shaped portion surrounding the fuel pump in a U shaped form in a plan view.

5. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a pump cover covering an upper part of the fuel pump is provided to a vehicle's front side of the seat supporting stay, and the pump cover is fixed to the tank-side fixing portions and the connecting portion. 13

6. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein a fill opening is provided on the tank upper surface on the opposite side of the fuel pump from the seat supporting stay, and a fill-side upper surface portion provided with the fill opening is formed at a higher position than a pump-side upper surface portion provided with the fuel pump.

7. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to claim 2 wherein the seat includes: a hinge which is provided to connect a front part of the seat and a front end of the fuel tank and supports the seat on the fuel tank in such a manner that the seat is openable; and suction portions which are provided on a rear lower surface of the seat and stick to the seat supporting stay and the seat supporting stay includes flat portions to which the suction portions are capable of sticking.

8. The saddle-ride type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein a length of the fuel tank in the vehicle width direction is larger than that between outer ends of the seat supporting stay.

9. A saddle-ride type vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Honda Motor Co., Ltd Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON & FERGUSON