CA1163568A - Two wheeled vehicle - Google Patents
Two wheeled vehicleInfo
- Publication number
- CA1163568A CA1163568A CA000398687A CA398687A CA1163568A CA 1163568 A CA1163568 A CA 1163568A CA 000398687 A CA000398687 A CA 000398687A CA 398687 A CA398687 A CA 398687A CA 1163568 A CA1163568 A CA 1163568A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sub
- assembly
- motor
- vehicle
- front wheel
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Landscapes
- Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE:
A two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle is constituted by three self-contained sub-assemblies which are linked to each other and which con-sist of a central sub-assembly comprising a motor and a gear-box, a front sub-assembly comprising the front wheel of the vehicle, steering elements for said front wheel and front wheel braking means, and a rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear wheel suspension and rear wheel braking means, said front and rear sub-assemblies being connected to each other by said central sub-assembly to which they are directly attached.
.
A two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle is constituted by three self-contained sub-assemblies which are linked to each other and which con-sist of a central sub-assembly comprising a motor and a gear-box, a front sub-assembly comprising the front wheel of the vehicle, steering elements for said front wheel and front wheel braking means, and a rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear wheel suspension and rear wheel braking means, said front and rear sub-assemblies being connected to each other by said central sub-assembly to which they are directly attached.
.
Description
~ ~ 635~
~A~KGRO~ND OF THE IN~ENTION:
The present invention is related to a two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle.
This application is a divisional application of Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 321,624, filed February 16, 1979.
Generally, the present invention provides a frameless two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle, comprising a motor assembly including a motor, a front assembly including a steerable front wheel having a horizontal axis, movable front linking means for linking the front assembly to the motor assembly, a rear assembly including a rear wheel, movable rear linking means for linking the rear assembly to the motor assembly, and a steering assembly linked to the front-assembly and connected to the motor assembly.
~; One important feature of the vehicle, or motor bicycle according to this invention resides in the fact that its motor constitutes the frame of the vehicle and thus forms an organ adapted to transmit directly the static and dynamic forces between the front part and the .
rear part of the vehicle. Due to the fact that the conventional frame structure is no longer used in the novel vehicle, the weight of the latter is considerably reduced and its centre of gravity is lowered to an e~tent unknown in the prior art.
The invention relates to a frameless two-wheeléd motor vehicle, comprising front and rear sub-assemblies directly attached to a central sub-assembly; the central sub-assembly comprising a motor, a linking member secured to the motor, and a gear-box; the front sub-assembly comprising the front wheeI of the vehicle, a front axle mb~
~ ~ ~356g upon which the front wheel is rotationally mounted, front wheel suspension means, front wheel braking means, and :
front wheel steering means; the rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear axle upon which the rear wheel is rotationally mounted, rear wheel suspension means, and rear wheel braking means, the rear wheel suspension means comprising (i) an H-shaped fork having two forward arms connected to the motor and two rearward arms for supporting the axle, (ii) an arm having one end pivotally connected to a lower part of the linking member, and another end, (iii) damping spring means having an upper - end pivotally attached to an upper part of the linking member and a lower end pivotally attached to the other end of the arm, and (iv) a first rod member having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of the damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to at least one of the rearward arms of the H-shaped fork.
The front suspension of a motor bicycle according to the invention has a substantially quadrilateral shape, the four corners of which are defined by the ends of two arms hingedly connected by one of their respective ends to a plate integral with the motor, while the other end of each arm is hingedly connected to a triangular piece or element supporting the axle of the front wheel.
' .
' .
mb/~ - 2 -~ ~ 635~8 More particularly, the two arms are both pivotally connected to the plate by means of pivots perpendicular to the plate, and to the triangular element by means of pivots adapted to permit the angular motion of the triangular element about a common axis of the pivots, the latter being furthermore mounted on ball-and-socket joints so as to be able to swing or oscillate, in response to the displacement of the suspension, about an axis passing through the centre of each ball-and-socket joint and perpendicular to the plane of displacement which contains the the corners of the quadrilateral. The leng~hs and the initial position of the sides of the ~uadrilateral determine the shape of , - . i . . . .
, .
, ,: . -. ~ , .
. ' - . . .
.
: ~ : . , .
:. , . :
. ~ .
; `
. ' ' . ' . ' ' . - 2a -~ ~1 63~
the curve defined, during the displacement of the front suspension, by the centre of the front wheel in a geometrical vertical plane which also encompassesthe centre of the rear wheel. When suitable parameters have been chosen, it is possible to center the above-mentioned curve with respect to the rear-wheel centre. Thus the wheel-base of the vehicle, which is equal to the distance between the wheel centres, is constant. Due to this arrangement, and due to other features which will be described in detail herein-after, the vehicle is maintained in a substantially perfect horizontal position during brakins, whereby the so-called "salutation reaction" is efficiently a~oided.
10It is furthermore possible to adjust the suspension, due to the fact that the upper one and/or the'lower one of the above-mentioned arms are connected, -~
respectively, to the p;vots, by means of screws and bolts which allow the length of the arms to be varied.
The front sus?ension of the motor bicycle or similar vehicle is maintained in the desired position by a damping spring attached by one of its ends to the lower arm and by its other end to an upwardly extending beak formed by the plate. It will be understood that by appropriately selecting the length of the spring and the location of the point of connection or attachment of its lower end~ it is poss;ble to adjust the height of the centre of gravity within extremely wide limits. Consequently the principle of the invention can be applied to any type of vehicle , especially motor bicycles, whether they are designed for purposes of competition, sport, ordinary use, or whether they are meant to be used on tracks, on the road or on rough ground.
;The steering assembly of the motor bicycle according to the invention comprises a handle-bar, a bracket having a ver~ical rod ~hich is rotatably 3~68 n10unted in a ~ube supported by a tripod integrally mounted on the motor, on the upper side there of, a substankially vertically extendina control rod connected by universal joints to said bracket, on the one handg and, on the other hand, to the end of one a~l of an angle-piece the other arm of which S forms a fork, a link mernber provided at each one of its ends with an eye, the ;nside of each eye being provided with a ball-and-socket-joint bushing and connected to a pivot extending throu~h a fork located at the end of a lever integral with the triangular element. It is obvious that any one of the elements constituting this steering assembly may be provided with clearance increasing or compensating means known per se adapted to allow any appropriate adjustment to be effected.
It will also be noted that it is also poss~ble, to simplify the steering assembly by aligning the tube, in which the above-mentioned bracket.iS rotatablymounted, on the axis of the control rod~ whereby the uppermost universal joint becomes unnecessary and can thus be omitted. The steerin~ is then rendered still smoother and more precise.
According to one feature of the invention, the triangular element supports - a brake control device provided with a disc located in the nnedian plane o~ the front wheel. Such a.rrangement is rendere~ possible by the fact that the front wheel is mounted in an cantil.evered mannerand that the wheel-disc can be dishedon the side opposite to the suspension. This arran~ement is highly advantageous in that ik suppresses any dissyr,lmetry oF the reactions during brakins and it renders unnecessary any reflex of the user with a view to correct;ng the tra- ;
jectory of the vehicle while actuating the front wheel brake.
Thus the front wheel suspension is associated both to a steering assembly :. .
.
~ 1 ~3~6~
and the front-wheel braking means, the thus associated elements constituting a self-contained front sub-assembly wherein the forces and efFects of inter-action are fully withstood and balanced.
Similarly the rear part of the vehicle is also constituted by a self-contained sub-assembly capable of wit.hstanding by itself the various forces acting on, and transmitted by, the elements of this rear sub-assembly com-prising the rear-wheel proper, the rear-wheel suspension and the rear-wheel braking means, said suspension comprising a fork the arms of which are con-nected, on the one hand, to the hub of the wheel and, on the other hand, to a connecting piece adapted to attach the rear sub-assembly to the motor.
The rear part of the vehicle also presents the advantages brought about by the invention due to the fact that the fork which supports the rear wheel is substant;ally H-shaped, two arms of said fork being connected to linking pieces integral with the motor, or to bosses provided on the motor, while IS the other two arms of said H-shaped fork support the rear wheel hub.
~ In one embodiment of the invention the rear wheel suspension comprises a damp;ng spr1ng having an upper end connected to the top end of the connec-ting piece integral with the motor, and a lower end connected to one end of an arm the other end of which is hingedly connected to the bottom end of ~20 said connecting piece, said damping spring being furthermore connected to one end of a rod member, the other end of which is attached to the fork.
With a view to further reducing the so-called "salutation reaction", the lower end of the damping spring is attached through another rod member to a beak extending forwardly frorn the plate supporting the disc brake, said plate being mounted so as to be able to rotate about the rear wheel hub. Thus ~ ~ ~35~8 whenever the rear wheel brake is actuated, said rod member, on the one hand, limits the amplitude of the rearward displacement of the brake support and, on the other hand, acts on the lowermost attachment point of the sprin~ so as to compress the same, ~hereby the suspension is "stiffened". In this res-pect it will also be understood that by conveniently selecting the variousparameters, such as the length of the rod members and the location of the attachment points~ the braking reaction effect exerted on the suspension can be varied.
Thus the motor bicycle according to the invention is novel in that it is constituted by the combination of three self-contained sub-assemblies, namely:
a central sub-assembly comprising the motor and a ~ear-box, a front sub-assem-bly comprising the front wheel, guiding elements for said front wheel, the front wheel suspension braking means associated with the front wheel and steering means associated with the front wheel, and a rear sub-assembly com-prising the rear wheel, the suspension associated therewith and braking meansfor said rear wheel, the front sub-assembly and the rear sub-assembly being connected to each other by the central sub-assembly to which they are direc-tly attached.
In one embodiment of the invention the front sub-assembly comprises guiding elements having substantially the shape of quadrilateral the four cornersof which are defined by the ends of two arms,one of their respective ends is hingedly connected to a linking plate attached to the central sub-assembly, while said two arms are connected at their other ends by ball-and-socket Joints to a triansular piece which supports the axle of the front wheel.
In another embodiment the front wheel suspension is maintained in its 35~
desired position by a damping spring one end of which is attached to the lower arm o~ the front sub-assembly, the other end of said damping spring being attached to an upwardly extendin~ beak formed by the linking piece or element of the sub-assembly.
In fact, the instantaneous centre o~ rotation of the front wheel is always located behind the ax;s of the rear wheel and below the horizontal plane con-taining the centre of gravity of the vehicle.
The self-contained nature of the sub-assemblies constituting the present motor bicycle allows, in particular, each one of said sub-assemblies to be adjusted in accordance with specific requirements, without it being necessary to take into account the other sub-assemblies while effecting such adjustments on a given sub-assembly, since each sub-assembly is capable, due to its design, of absorbing by itself the forces wh;ch are exerted on it by its various constituent elements.
The self-contained nature of the sub-assemblies obviously Facilitates not only their adjustment, but also their manufacture, whereby the motor bicycle according to the invention lends itself particularly to be mass-produced.
.
Due to their self-contained structure, the sub-assemblies may furthermore be constructed in such a manner that they are between them selves ;nterchan-geable for example, one g;ven type of front sub-assembly can be associated with central sub-assemblies (i.e. motors) of various HP ratings, while it is also poss;ble tD provide the tatter with interchangeable rear sub-assemblies.
It will be understood that a great number of combinations can thus be ~ achieved.
It is obvious that in the case of damage occurring to the vehicle, I 3 6356~3 the repair work is greatly facilitated, as each of the sub-assemblies is directly accessible.
Furthermore, it has been shown that due to the design of the front wheel suspension, it is possible to displace rearwardly the portion of the travel-ling curve of the instantaneous centre of rotation, which corresponds to thedisplacement of the centre of the wheel with respect to the entire vehicle under the action of various loads.
The vehicle according to the invention comprises means for adjusting the length of the front wheel suspension arms, whereby the adjustment parameters ~10 can be modified easily and rapidly.
According to one feature of the invention the instantaneous centre of rotation of the front wheel is located behind the axis of the rear wheel and below the hori~ontal plane containing the centre of gravity of the motor bi-cycle.
In the present disclosure, the term "centre of gravity of the motor bicycle (or vehicle)" designates the centre of gravity of the entirety constituted by .. ~ .
- the motor bicycle plus its driver' ; The invention will be described in more detail herein-below with reference ~ to the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration, but not of llmitation.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a motor b;cycle according to the invention, as seen from the left side.
Fig. ~ is a schematic side-elevational view of the front suspension.
. ~ .
25 F~g. 3 is r schematic perspective view of the steering elemerts.
.
3 ~
Fig. 4 shows, in perspectivel the front wheel suspension and the front wheel brake.
Fig. 5 shows the motor bicycle according to the invention as seen from the right side.
Fig. 6 schematically shows the adjustment of the front suspension of the motor bicycle according to the invention.
The motor bicycle shown in Fig. 1 comprises a motor designated generally by reference numeral 1. In the present example, the motor is a transversely rnounted four-cylinder in-line motor~ it will be understood, however, that any other type of motor could also be used. At its front end the motor 1 is pro-vided with a plate 4 integrally fixed on the motor, said plate can be replaced by any appropriate protuberance obtained directly when moulding the motor block.Said plate 4 supports two pivots 8 and 9 extending perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing shown in Fig. 2, two arms 2 and 3 being hingedly connec-ted to said pivots in such a manner that said arms are able to effect a rota-tional motion about said pivots in a plane parallel to the plane of Fig. 2.
The ends of these arms support pivots 10 and 11 having a common axis 101 about which pivots a triangular element 5 wh;ch supports the axle 6 of the front wheel 7. It will be seen that pivots 10 and 11 are able to carry out angular or rotational movements in the plane of Fig. 2, alon~ circles the .. . .
centres of which are defined by pivots 8 and 9, respectively, when the sus-pension enters into action.
Fig. 2 shows the suspension in its rest position wherein arms 2 and 3 are in their lowermost position. The Figure also shows, with an exaggerated angle of angular displacement, the position of the front wheel suspension when submitted `I 1 ~35~8 .
to a heavy load. Under these conditions, pivots 10 and 11 are displaced to the locations designated by reference numerals 10' and 1l', respectively;
the arms are shown, in this position, by heavy lines extending between loca-tion 10' and pivot 8, on the one hand, and between location 11' and pivot 9, S on the other hand. During this upwardly directed displacen~ent of the arms, the acute angle formed by axis 101 and the lower arm 3 tends to widen;
this also applies to the distance between axle 6 and pivot 9. The trajection path followed by axle 6 during this disp~acement may be considered as being approximately circular, especially on account of the small ~Jalue of the am-plitude of the angular displacements of the suspension; the curve defined bythis trajection path may thus be considered as constituting a segment of a circle. By apprbpriately selectins the respective locations of the above-mentioned elements 8, 9, 10 and 11, it is possible to define this circular curve in such a manner that its geometrical centre coincides w;th the rear wheel centre, and the radius of said circular curve, which constitutes at the same time a precise measure of the wheel-base of the vehicle, is then constant.
- It is also possible to provide, between pivot 8 and arm 2, a rod member ~81 bearing a screw, the length of which rod member is adjustable, such rod member can also be provided between arm 3 and pivot 9. Such arrangement is particularly advantageous in the case of experimental vehicles, because it allows the determination of def;nite parameters for production vehicles to be accelerated.
The front wheel suspens;on is maintained in its desired position by a -25 damping spring 12 one end of which is attached to lever 3, and the other end ~ ~ 63568 .
of which is attached to an upwardly extending beak 13 formed by plate 4.
Fig. 3 shows the steering elements of the vehicle. These steering ele-ments comprise a handle-bar 14, a bracket 15 having a vertical arm which is rotatably mounted in a tube 16 supported by a tripod 161 integrally connected to the upper part of motor 1, a substantially vertically ex-tending control rod 17 attached by universal joints 171 and 172 to bracket 15, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to the end of one arm of an angle-piece 18 the other arm of which forms a fork l9, a link member 20 each one of the ends of which is provided with an eye, the inside of each eye being prov;ded with a ball-and-socket joint bushing and connected to a pivot extending through a ~ork 21 located at the end of a lever 22 integral with triangular element 5.
Fig. 4 shows a braking device generally des;gnated by reference numeral 23, which braking device, or brake control device 23 acts on a disc 24.
.
Since the wheel 7 is mounted itl an cantileveredposition, disc24 can be lo-cated in the median plane of said wheel.
As shown in Fi~. 5, fork 25 supporting rear wheel 26 is substantially . .
H-shaped so as to deflne two arms 27, 2~ which are attached to linking ; pieces 29, 30 integrally connected to the motor 1 or to bosses provided on motor 1, sald fork 25 also defining two other arms 31, 32 which support the rear wheel hub; furthermore a damping spring 33 is provided, the upper end of which is attached to the upper part of the linking piece 29 integral with the rotor, while the lower end of said spring is attached to one end of an arm 42the other e~d of which is hingedly connected to the lower part of said linking piece 29; damping sprin~ 33 also is connected to one end of ~ 1 ~35~8 a rod member 39 the other end of which is connected to fork 25. Furthermore, the lowermost end of damping sprin~ 33 is connected through another rod memker 40 to a beak 34 extending forwardly from the plate 35 which supports the braking device 36 comprising a disc 37, said plate 35 being able to be angu~
larly displaced about the rear wheel hub.
The instantaneous centre of rotation CIR of front wheel 7 (cf. Fig. 6) - which front wheel is suspended by arms 2 and 3 hingedly connected, respec-tively, to triangular piece 6 supporting the wheel, and to plate 4 integral with the motor (not shown here) - is located behind the centre 38 of the rear wheel and below the vertical plane P containing the centre of gravity CG of the vehicle as defined herein-before.
Thus the instanteneous centre of rotation CIR is located w;thin the hatched zane in Fig. 6, when the various elements of the veh;cle according to the invention are properly adjusted, as described herein-above.
It will be noted that the vehicle or motor bicycle accordlng to the ;nvention is advantageous, i.a., in that its weight is very low with respect to its horse-power ratin~, and also in that its centre of gravity is consi-derably lower than that o-f all known motor bicycles; furthermore, the elimi-nation of the frame and the fork will obviously result in a considerable reduction of the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. It should also be remembered that any reduction in the weight of a vehicle entails a correlative decrease of fuel consumption.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described;
numerous modifications may be envisaged by those skilled in the art within ~25 the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
~A~KGRO~ND OF THE IN~ENTION:
The present invention is related to a two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle.
This application is a divisional application of Canadian Patent Application Serial No. 321,624, filed February 16, 1979.
Generally, the present invention provides a frameless two-wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle, comprising a motor assembly including a motor, a front assembly including a steerable front wheel having a horizontal axis, movable front linking means for linking the front assembly to the motor assembly, a rear assembly including a rear wheel, movable rear linking means for linking the rear assembly to the motor assembly, and a steering assembly linked to the front-assembly and connected to the motor assembly.
~; One important feature of the vehicle, or motor bicycle according to this invention resides in the fact that its motor constitutes the frame of the vehicle and thus forms an organ adapted to transmit directly the static and dynamic forces between the front part and the .
rear part of the vehicle. Due to the fact that the conventional frame structure is no longer used in the novel vehicle, the weight of the latter is considerably reduced and its centre of gravity is lowered to an e~tent unknown in the prior art.
The invention relates to a frameless two-wheeléd motor vehicle, comprising front and rear sub-assemblies directly attached to a central sub-assembly; the central sub-assembly comprising a motor, a linking member secured to the motor, and a gear-box; the front sub-assembly comprising the front wheeI of the vehicle, a front axle mb~
~ ~ ~356g upon which the front wheel is rotationally mounted, front wheel suspension means, front wheel braking means, and :
front wheel steering means; the rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear axle upon which the rear wheel is rotationally mounted, rear wheel suspension means, and rear wheel braking means, the rear wheel suspension means comprising (i) an H-shaped fork having two forward arms connected to the motor and two rearward arms for supporting the axle, (ii) an arm having one end pivotally connected to a lower part of the linking member, and another end, (iii) damping spring means having an upper - end pivotally attached to an upper part of the linking member and a lower end pivotally attached to the other end of the arm, and (iv) a first rod member having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of the damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to at least one of the rearward arms of the H-shaped fork.
The front suspension of a motor bicycle according to the invention has a substantially quadrilateral shape, the four corners of which are defined by the ends of two arms hingedly connected by one of their respective ends to a plate integral with the motor, while the other end of each arm is hingedly connected to a triangular piece or element supporting the axle of the front wheel.
' .
' .
mb/~ - 2 -~ ~ 635~8 More particularly, the two arms are both pivotally connected to the plate by means of pivots perpendicular to the plate, and to the triangular element by means of pivots adapted to permit the angular motion of the triangular element about a common axis of the pivots, the latter being furthermore mounted on ball-and-socket joints so as to be able to swing or oscillate, in response to the displacement of the suspension, about an axis passing through the centre of each ball-and-socket joint and perpendicular to the plane of displacement which contains the the corners of the quadrilateral. The leng~hs and the initial position of the sides of the ~uadrilateral determine the shape of , - . i . . . .
, .
, ,: . -. ~ , .
. ' - . . .
.
: ~ : . , .
:. , . :
. ~ .
; `
. ' ' . ' . ' ' . - 2a -~ ~1 63~
the curve defined, during the displacement of the front suspension, by the centre of the front wheel in a geometrical vertical plane which also encompassesthe centre of the rear wheel. When suitable parameters have been chosen, it is possible to center the above-mentioned curve with respect to the rear-wheel centre. Thus the wheel-base of the vehicle, which is equal to the distance between the wheel centres, is constant. Due to this arrangement, and due to other features which will be described in detail herein-after, the vehicle is maintained in a substantially perfect horizontal position during brakins, whereby the so-called "salutation reaction" is efficiently a~oided.
10It is furthermore possible to adjust the suspension, due to the fact that the upper one and/or the'lower one of the above-mentioned arms are connected, -~
respectively, to the p;vots, by means of screws and bolts which allow the length of the arms to be varied.
The front sus?ension of the motor bicycle or similar vehicle is maintained in the desired position by a damping spring attached by one of its ends to the lower arm and by its other end to an upwardly extending beak formed by the plate. It will be understood that by appropriately selecting the length of the spring and the location of the point of connection or attachment of its lower end~ it is poss;ble to adjust the height of the centre of gravity within extremely wide limits. Consequently the principle of the invention can be applied to any type of vehicle , especially motor bicycles, whether they are designed for purposes of competition, sport, ordinary use, or whether they are meant to be used on tracks, on the road or on rough ground.
;The steering assembly of the motor bicycle according to the invention comprises a handle-bar, a bracket having a ver~ical rod ~hich is rotatably 3~68 n10unted in a ~ube supported by a tripod integrally mounted on the motor, on the upper side there of, a substankially vertically extendina control rod connected by universal joints to said bracket, on the one handg and, on the other hand, to the end of one a~l of an angle-piece the other arm of which S forms a fork, a link mernber provided at each one of its ends with an eye, the ;nside of each eye being provided with a ball-and-socket-joint bushing and connected to a pivot extending throu~h a fork located at the end of a lever integral with the triangular element. It is obvious that any one of the elements constituting this steering assembly may be provided with clearance increasing or compensating means known per se adapted to allow any appropriate adjustment to be effected.
It will also be noted that it is also poss~ble, to simplify the steering assembly by aligning the tube, in which the above-mentioned bracket.iS rotatablymounted, on the axis of the control rod~ whereby the uppermost universal joint becomes unnecessary and can thus be omitted. The steerin~ is then rendered still smoother and more precise.
According to one feature of the invention, the triangular element supports - a brake control device provided with a disc located in the nnedian plane o~ the front wheel. Such a.rrangement is rendere~ possible by the fact that the front wheel is mounted in an cantil.evered mannerand that the wheel-disc can be dishedon the side opposite to the suspension. This arran~ement is highly advantageous in that ik suppresses any dissyr,lmetry oF the reactions during brakins and it renders unnecessary any reflex of the user with a view to correct;ng the tra- ;
jectory of the vehicle while actuating the front wheel brake.
Thus the front wheel suspension is associated both to a steering assembly :. .
.
~ 1 ~3~6~
and the front-wheel braking means, the thus associated elements constituting a self-contained front sub-assembly wherein the forces and efFects of inter-action are fully withstood and balanced.
Similarly the rear part of the vehicle is also constituted by a self-contained sub-assembly capable of wit.hstanding by itself the various forces acting on, and transmitted by, the elements of this rear sub-assembly com-prising the rear-wheel proper, the rear-wheel suspension and the rear-wheel braking means, said suspension comprising a fork the arms of which are con-nected, on the one hand, to the hub of the wheel and, on the other hand, to a connecting piece adapted to attach the rear sub-assembly to the motor.
The rear part of the vehicle also presents the advantages brought about by the invention due to the fact that the fork which supports the rear wheel is substant;ally H-shaped, two arms of said fork being connected to linking pieces integral with the motor, or to bosses provided on the motor, while IS the other two arms of said H-shaped fork support the rear wheel hub.
~ In one embodiment of the invention the rear wheel suspension comprises a damp;ng spr1ng having an upper end connected to the top end of the connec-ting piece integral with the motor, and a lower end connected to one end of an arm the other end of which is hingedly connected to the bottom end of ~20 said connecting piece, said damping spring being furthermore connected to one end of a rod member, the other end of which is attached to the fork.
With a view to further reducing the so-called "salutation reaction", the lower end of the damping spring is attached through another rod member to a beak extending forwardly frorn the plate supporting the disc brake, said plate being mounted so as to be able to rotate about the rear wheel hub. Thus ~ ~ ~35~8 whenever the rear wheel brake is actuated, said rod member, on the one hand, limits the amplitude of the rearward displacement of the brake support and, on the other hand, acts on the lowermost attachment point of the sprin~ so as to compress the same, ~hereby the suspension is "stiffened". In this res-pect it will also be understood that by conveniently selecting the variousparameters, such as the length of the rod members and the location of the attachment points~ the braking reaction effect exerted on the suspension can be varied.
Thus the motor bicycle according to the invention is novel in that it is constituted by the combination of three self-contained sub-assemblies, namely:
a central sub-assembly comprising the motor and a ~ear-box, a front sub-assem-bly comprising the front wheel, guiding elements for said front wheel, the front wheel suspension braking means associated with the front wheel and steering means associated with the front wheel, and a rear sub-assembly com-prising the rear wheel, the suspension associated therewith and braking meansfor said rear wheel, the front sub-assembly and the rear sub-assembly being connected to each other by the central sub-assembly to which they are direc-tly attached.
In one embodiment of the invention the front sub-assembly comprises guiding elements having substantially the shape of quadrilateral the four cornersof which are defined by the ends of two arms,one of their respective ends is hingedly connected to a linking plate attached to the central sub-assembly, while said two arms are connected at their other ends by ball-and-socket Joints to a triansular piece which supports the axle of the front wheel.
In another embodiment the front wheel suspension is maintained in its 35~
desired position by a damping spring one end of which is attached to the lower arm o~ the front sub-assembly, the other end of said damping spring being attached to an upwardly extendin~ beak formed by the linking piece or element of the sub-assembly.
In fact, the instantaneous centre o~ rotation of the front wheel is always located behind the ax;s of the rear wheel and below the horizontal plane con-taining the centre of gravity of the vehicle.
The self-contained nature of the sub-assemblies constituting the present motor bicycle allows, in particular, each one of said sub-assemblies to be adjusted in accordance with specific requirements, without it being necessary to take into account the other sub-assemblies while effecting such adjustments on a given sub-assembly, since each sub-assembly is capable, due to its design, of absorbing by itself the forces wh;ch are exerted on it by its various constituent elements.
The self-contained nature of the sub-assemblies obviously Facilitates not only their adjustment, but also their manufacture, whereby the motor bicycle according to the invention lends itself particularly to be mass-produced.
.
Due to their self-contained structure, the sub-assemblies may furthermore be constructed in such a manner that they are between them selves ;nterchan-geable for example, one g;ven type of front sub-assembly can be associated with central sub-assemblies (i.e. motors) of various HP ratings, while it is also poss;ble tD provide the tatter with interchangeable rear sub-assemblies.
It will be understood that a great number of combinations can thus be ~ achieved.
It is obvious that in the case of damage occurring to the vehicle, I 3 6356~3 the repair work is greatly facilitated, as each of the sub-assemblies is directly accessible.
Furthermore, it has been shown that due to the design of the front wheel suspension, it is possible to displace rearwardly the portion of the travel-ling curve of the instantaneous centre of rotation, which corresponds to thedisplacement of the centre of the wheel with respect to the entire vehicle under the action of various loads.
The vehicle according to the invention comprises means for adjusting the length of the front wheel suspension arms, whereby the adjustment parameters ~10 can be modified easily and rapidly.
According to one feature of the invention the instantaneous centre of rotation of the front wheel is located behind the axis of the rear wheel and below the hori~ontal plane containing the centre of gravity of the motor bi-cycle.
In the present disclosure, the term "centre of gravity of the motor bicycle (or vehicle)" designates the centre of gravity of the entirety constituted by .. ~ .
- the motor bicycle plus its driver' ; The invention will be described in more detail herein-below with reference ~ to the appended drawings which are given by way of illustration, but not of llmitation.
In the drawings:
Fig. 1 shows a motor b;cycle according to the invention, as seen from the left side.
Fig. ~ is a schematic side-elevational view of the front suspension.
. ~ .
25 F~g. 3 is r schematic perspective view of the steering elemerts.
.
3 ~
Fig. 4 shows, in perspectivel the front wheel suspension and the front wheel brake.
Fig. 5 shows the motor bicycle according to the invention as seen from the right side.
Fig. 6 schematically shows the adjustment of the front suspension of the motor bicycle according to the invention.
The motor bicycle shown in Fig. 1 comprises a motor designated generally by reference numeral 1. In the present example, the motor is a transversely rnounted four-cylinder in-line motor~ it will be understood, however, that any other type of motor could also be used. At its front end the motor 1 is pro-vided with a plate 4 integrally fixed on the motor, said plate can be replaced by any appropriate protuberance obtained directly when moulding the motor block.Said plate 4 supports two pivots 8 and 9 extending perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing shown in Fig. 2, two arms 2 and 3 being hingedly connec-ted to said pivots in such a manner that said arms are able to effect a rota-tional motion about said pivots in a plane parallel to the plane of Fig. 2.
The ends of these arms support pivots 10 and 11 having a common axis 101 about which pivots a triangular element 5 wh;ch supports the axle 6 of the front wheel 7. It will be seen that pivots 10 and 11 are able to carry out angular or rotational movements in the plane of Fig. 2, alon~ circles the .. . .
centres of which are defined by pivots 8 and 9, respectively, when the sus-pension enters into action.
Fig. 2 shows the suspension in its rest position wherein arms 2 and 3 are in their lowermost position. The Figure also shows, with an exaggerated angle of angular displacement, the position of the front wheel suspension when submitted `I 1 ~35~8 .
to a heavy load. Under these conditions, pivots 10 and 11 are displaced to the locations designated by reference numerals 10' and 1l', respectively;
the arms are shown, in this position, by heavy lines extending between loca-tion 10' and pivot 8, on the one hand, and between location 11' and pivot 9, S on the other hand. During this upwardly directed displacen~ent of the arms, the acute angle formed by axis 101 and the lower arm 3 tends to widen;
this also applies to the distance between axle 6 and pivot 9. The trajection path followed by axle 6 during this disp~acement may be considered as being approximately circular, especially on account of the small ~Jalue of the am-plitude of the angular displacements of the suspension; the curve defined bythis trajection path may thus be considered as constituting a segment of a circle. By apprbpriately selectins the respective locations of the above-mentioned elements 8, 9, 10 and 11, it is possible to define this circular curve in such a manner that its geometrical centre coincides w;th the rear wheel centre, and the radius of said circular curve, which constitutes at the same time a precise measure of the wheel-base of the vehicle, is then constant.
- It is also possible to provide, between pivot 8 and arm 2, a rod member ~81 bearing a screw, the length of which rod member is adjustable, such rod member can also be provided between arm 3 and pivot 9. Such arrangement is particularly advantageous in the case of experimental vehicles, because it allows the determination of def;nite parameters for production vehicles to be accelerated.
The front wheel suspens;on is maintained in its desired position by a -25 damping spring 12 one end of which is attached to lever 3, and the other end ~ ~ 63568 .
of which is attached to an upwardly extending beak 13 formed by plate 4.
Fig. 3 shows the steering elements of the vehicle. These steering ele-ments comprise a handle-bar 14, a bracket 15 having a vertical arm which is rotatably mounted in a tube 16 supported by a tripod 161 integrally connected to the upper part of motor 1, a substantially vertically ex-tending control rod 17 attached by universal joints 171 and 172 to bracket 15, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, to the end of one arm of an angle-piece 18 the other arm of which forms a fork l9, a link member 20 each one of the ends of which is provided with an eye, the inside of each eye being prov;ded with a ball-and-socket joint bushing and connected to a pivot extending through a ~ork 21 located at the end of a lever 22 integral with triangular element 5.
Fig. 4 shows a braking device generally des;gnated by reference numeral 23, which braking device, or brake control device 23 acts on a disc 24.
.
Since the wheel 7 is mounted itl an cantileveredposition, disc24 can be lo-cated in the median plane of said wheel.
As shown in Fi~. 5, fork 25 supporting rear wheel 26 is substantially . .
H-shaped so as to deflne two arms 27, 2~ which are attached to linking ; pieces 29, 30 integrally connected to the motor 1 or to bosses provided on motor 1, sald fork 25 also defining two other arms 31, 32 which support the rear wheel hub; furthermore a damping spring 33 is provided, the upper end of which is attached to the upper part of the linking piece 29 integral with the rotor, while the lower end of said spring is attached to one end of an arm 42the other e~d of which is hingedly connected to the lower part of said linking piece 29; damping sprin~ 33 also is connected to one end of ~ 1 ~35~8 a rod member 39 the other end of which is connected to fork 25. Furthermore, the lowermost end of damping sprin~ 33 is connected through another rod memker 40 to a beak 34 extending forwardly from the plate 35 which supports the braking device 36 comprising a disc 37, said plate 35 being able to be angu~
larly displaced about the rear wheel hub.
The instantaneous centre of rotation CIR of front wheel 7 (cf. Fig. 6) - which front wheel is suspended by arms 2 and 3 hingedly connected, respec-tively, to triangular piece 6 supporting the wheel, and to plate 4 integral with the motor (not shown here) - is located behind the centre 38 of the rear wheel and below the vertical plane P containing the centre of gravity CG of the vehicle as defined herein-before.
Thus the instanteneous centre of rotation CIR is located w;thin the hatched zane in Fig. 6, when the various elements of the veh;cle according to the invention are properly adjusted, as described herein-above.
It will be noted that the vehicle or motor bicycle accordlng to the ;nvention is advantageous, i.a., in that its weight is very low with respect to its horse-power ratin~, and also in that its centre of gravity is consi-derably lower than that o-f all known motor bicycles; furthermore, the elimi-nation of the frame and the fork will obviously result in a considerable reduction of the manufacturing cost of the vehicle. It should also be remembered that any reduction in the weight of a vehicle entails a correlative decrease of fuel consumption.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described;
numerous modifications may be envisaged by those skilled in the art within ~25 the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (2)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A frameless two-wheeled motor vehicle, comprising front and rear sub-assemblies directly attached to a central sub-assembly:
said central sub-assembly comprising a motor, a linking member secured Lo said motor, and a gear-box;
said front sub-assembly comprising the front wheel of the vehicle, a front axle upon which said front wheel is rotationally mounted, front wheel suspension means, front wheel braking means, and front wheel steering means;
said rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear axle upon which said rear wheel is rotationally mounted, rear wheel suspension means, and rear wheel braking means, said rear wheel suspension means comprising (i) an H-shaped fork having two forward arms connected to said motor and two rearward arms for supporting said axle, (ii) an arm having one end pivotally connected to a lower part of said linking member, and another end, (iii) damping spring means having an upper end pivotally attached to an upper part of said linking member and a lower end pivotally attached to the other end of said arm, and (iv) a first rod member having one end pivotally connected to said lower end of said damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to at least one of said rearward arms of said H-shaped fork.
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising (i) a plate for supporting at least a part of said rear wheel braking means, said plate having a region
said central sub-assembly comprising a motor, a linking member secured Lo said motor, and a gear-box;
said front sub-assembly comprising the front wheel of the vehicle, a front axle upon which said front wheel is rotationally mounted, front wheel suspension means, front wheel braking means, and front wheel steering means;
said rear sub-assembly comprising the rear wheel of the vehicle, a rear axle upon which said rear wheel is rotationally mounted, rear wheel suspension means, and rear wheel braking means, said rear wheel suspension means comprising (i) an H-shaped fork having two forward arms connected to said motor and two rearward arms for supporting said axle, (ii) an arm having one end pivotally connected to a lower part of said linking member, and another end, (iii) damping spring means having an upper end pivotally attached to an upper part of said linking member and a lower end pivotally attached to the other end of said arm, and (iv) a first rod member having one end pivotally connected to said lower end of said damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to at least one of said rearward arms of said H-shaped fork.
2. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising (i) a plate for supporting at least a part of said rear wheel braking means, said plate having a region
Claim 2...continued.
pivotally mounted for rotation about said rear axle and a forwardly extending beak remote from said region, and (ii) a second rod member having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of said damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to said beak.
pivotally mounted for rotation about said rear axle and a forwardly extending beak remote from said region, and (ii) a second rod member having one end pivotally connected to the lower end of said damping spring means and another end pivotally connected to said beak.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000398687A CA1163568A (en) | 1978-02-24 | 1982-03-17 | Two wheeled vehicle |
Applications Claiming Priority (6)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR7805284A FR2418141A1 (en) | 1978-02-24 | 1978-02-24 | Suspension layout for competition motorcycle - uses hub-centre steering front and pivoted fork rear with levers operating inclined spring |
| FR7805284 | 1978-02-24 | ||
| FR7836813A FR2445264A2 (en) | 1978-12-29 | 1978-12-29 | Suspension layout for competition motorcycle - uses hub-centre steering front and pivoted fork rear with levers operating inclined spring |
| FR7836813 | 1978-12-29 | ||
| CA321,624A CA1127545A (en) | 1978-02-24 | 1979-02-16 | Two wheeled vehicle, such as a motor bicycle |
| CA000398687A CA1163568A (en) | 1978-02-24 | 1982-03-17 | Two wheeled vehicle |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1163568A true CA1163568A (en) | 1984-03-13 |
Family
ID=27426127
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000398687A Expired CA1163568A (en) | 1978-02-24 | 1982-03-17 | Two wheeled vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1163568A (en) |
-
1982
- 1982-03-17 CA CA000398687A patent/CA1163568A/en not_active Expired
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US4265329A (en) | Frameless motorcycle | |
| US4212481A (en) | Suspension system for vehicle wheels | |
| US4903857A (en) | Leaning vehicle with centrifugal force compensation | |
| US4930805A (en) | Vehicle rear suspension system | |
| US4388978A (en) | Suspension system for cycles and in particular for motorcycles | |
| EP0078639B1 (en) | Light vehicle front suspensions | |
| EP0086603B1 (en) | Two-wheeled vehicles | |
| EP1698549A1 (en) | Bicycle with rear suspension | |
| US8746721B2 (en) | Motorcycle steering with four-bar linkage | |
| CA2174958A1 (en) | Rear wheel suspension for a bicycle and bicycle equipped therewith | |
| JP2001026291A (en) | Front wheel suspension device in single front wheel vehicle such as motorcycle | |
| US6349784B1 (en) | Motorcycle provided with a steering hub | |
| HUT49077A (en) | Wheel suspension for the engine-connected and engine-independent wheels of vehicles | |
| JPH02293291A (en) | Chassis structure of motorcycle | |
| US4436174A (en) | Vehicular power unit supporting device | |
| US5813683A (en) | Bicycle incorporating bifurcated frame | |
| WO1997012770A1 (en) | Motor-vehicule rear suspension | |
| EP0621171B1 (en) | Steering and suspension system for vehicles with one steerable wheel, especially for two-wheeled vehicles | |
| US4627632A (en) | Cycle suspension system | |
| CA1163568A (en) | Two wheeled vehicle | |
| US20020130486A1 (en) | Multi-linking, rockered rear suspension system for two-wheeled vehicles | |
| JP2006502043A (en) | Motorcycle with auxiliary wheel system | |
| JP2533533B2 (en) | Vehicle suspension device | |
| CN221049393U (en) | Steering front axle applied to steering of inverted tricycle | |
| CN216546505U (en) | Front suspension structure and tricycle |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |