FR2707239A1 - Article container structure for a lightweight vehicle equipped with a roof - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to form an article container with substantial capacity on a seat of a motorcycle or motortricycle equipped with a roof with part of the saddle of the seat whose height is low, a front space 151 and a rear space 152 of an article container 15 are formed in communication with one another inside a body B at the rear part of the vehicle. The upper openings of the front space 151 and of the rear space 152 are covered, with the possibility of opening, by part of the saddle 161 and part of the backrest 162 of a seat 16, respectively. The rear space 15 is formed by using an unused space between a pair of left-hand and right-hand support bars 14 for supporting a roof behind the saddle part 161. The rear space 152 can accommodate a helmet H having substantial height without having any consequences on the height of the saddle part 161. The front space 151 is used to store an article which is not very tall. By using the front and rear spaces 151 and 152 at the same time a long object such as a case A may also be stored.

Description

OBJECT CONTAINER STRUCTURE
FOR LIGHT VEHICLE WITH ROOF
The present invention relates to an object container structure in a light vehicle such as a motorcycle or a motor tricycle, and more particularly to an object container structure for a light vehicle equipped with a roof having a pair of bars. right and left support bars standing from the rear part of a vehicle chassis and a roof supported at the upper ends of the support bars.

 Such an object container in a light vehicle equipped with a roof is known from FIGS. 1 to 7 of the open publication of Japanese patent No. 3-61495, for example. The conventional object container is formed between a pair of right and left support bars supporting a roof, and an upper opening of the object container is covered with possible opening by the back part of a seat.

 The conventional object container is configured to conveniently store a helmet. Consequently, when the helmet is stored in the object container, there is no place to store any other object in the object container. In addition, even when the helmet is not stored in the object container, a long object cannot be stored in the object container. If the object container extends to a position under a saddle portion of the seat, so as to store the helmet in such an elongated space, the height of the saddle portion relative to the road surface is increased to reduce the motorcyclist's ease of setting foot on the ground.

 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an object container structure in a light vehicle equipped with a roof, which can store a tall object such as a helmet and a long object such as a briefcase with the seat part of the seat kept low.

 In addition, a light vehicle having a structure in which a cross bar for mounting thereon a light is placed between the upper ends of a pair of right and left support bars for supporting the roof is known from the open publication of Japanese Patent No. 2-96388.

 In the structure in which a cross bar is placed between the upper ends of the right and left support bars, the shape of the support bars themselves is complicated to the point of making manufacture difficult. It is therefore another object of the present invention to improve the mounting and waterproofing performance of a brake light mounted at height on a vehicle having a roof.

 The light vehicle having a roof over the seat of the motorcyclist to face the rain as mentioned above is known from the open publication of Japanese patent No. 2-63288.

 In the light vehicle disclosed by the opening publication of Japanese Patent No. 2-63288, a handle for changing the direction of the vehicle in the stopped state or the like is mounted on the side surface of an upper rear portion a vehicle body cover.

 In the light vehicle disclosed in the open publication of Japanese Patent No. 2-63288, the entire seat of the motorcyclist is covered in the manner of a box, making maintenance difficult and the weight increased. on the other hand, in the light vehicle disclosed in the open publication of Japanese patent No. 2 96388, a support bar for supporting the roof is mounted on a rear part of the vehicle, thereby reducing the weight of the vehicle.

However, a mounting part of the support bar on the vehicle body is present on the outside, so that this affects the appearance of the vehicle body, and a foreign material such as dust easily enters. It is therefore an additional object of the present invention to conceal from the outside part of the mounting of the support bars and to protect a handle.

 In a light vehicle equipped with a roof having a pair of right and left support bars rising from a rear part of a vehicle chassis, and a roof supported at the upper ends of the support bars; the present invention has a first characteristic in that a rear space capable of storing a helmet is formed between the mounting parts of the support bars on the vehicle chassis, in that a front space of a height less than the rear space is formed before the rear space in the extension of one another, and in that the upper openings of the rear space and the front space are covered with possibility of opening by a backrest part and a seat part of the seat, respectively.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a second feature in that a seat pad is pulled towards a seat bottom plate by a cord near a boundary between the part seat and the backrest part of the seat.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a third feature in that a seat latching finger holder for mounting a seat latching finger in order to lock the seat in the closed position is fixed. to the support bar support for mounting the support bars on the vehicle chassis.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a fourth feature in that an object container defining the rear space and the front space is made up of individual front and rear elements.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a fifth feature in that a power unit suspension system for connecting a drive power unit to the vehicle is made up of a plurality of fasteners.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a sixth feature in that a lamp such as a high mounted brake light is placed at a rear portion of the roof.

 In addition to the first feature mentioned above, the present invention has a seventh feature in that each of said support bars supports the structure characterized in that a support bar for supporting said roof is mounted at a lower part of that -this to a support bar fastener; in that a handle projecting from the side of said vehicle is placed near a mounting portion of the support bar; and in that both said support bar mounting portion and said handle are fully covered with a support bar cover.

 Some preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is an overall side view of a motorcycle;
Figure 2 is an enlarged view of an essential part of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an enlarged view of an enclosed part shown at 3 in Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 in Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a section taken along line 5-5 in Figure 3;
Figure 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 in Figure 2;
Figure 7 is a section taken along line 7-7 in Figure 6;
Figure 8 is a section taken along line 8-8 in Figure 7;
Figure 9 is an enlarged side view of an object container and a seat;
Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view of the container of objects, identical to that of Figure 9;
Figure 11 is a section taken along line 11-11 in Figure 10;
Figure 12 is a section taken along line 12-12 in Figure 10;
Figure 13 is a section taken along line 13-13 in Figure 2;
Figure 14 is a section taken along line 14-14 in Figure 13;
Figure 15 is an enlarged view of an enclosed part shown at 15 in Figure 2;
Figure 16 is a section taken along line 16-16 in Figure 15;
Figure 17 is a view identical to Figure 7 showing a modification of the mounting parts of the support bars;
Figure 18 is an enlarged section taken along line 18-18 in the figure. 17;
Figure 19 is a view identical to Figure 9, showing a modification of the support portion of the upper end of the rear cushion;
Figure 20 is an overall side view of a light vehicle to which the lamp mounting structure according to the present invention is applied;
Figure 21 is an enlarged side view of part of the rear end of a roof according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view of the rear end portion of the roof;
Figure 23 is a partial section taken along line 23-23 in Figure 22;
Figure 24 is a partial section taken along line 24-24 in Figure 22;
Figure 25 is a rear projection of the roof with the right half of it substantially exploded;
Figure 26 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the rear end of a roof according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 27 is a partial section taken along line 27-27 in Figure 26;
Figure 28 is a partial section taken along line 28-28 in Figure 26;
FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of a rear part of a light vehicle to which the support bar support structure according to the present invention is applied;
Figure 30 is a section taken along line 30-30 in Figure 29;
Figure 31 is a side view of a rear body cover;
Figure 32 is a plan view of the rear body cover;
Figure 33 is a side view of a support bar cover;
Figure 34 is a plan view of the support bar cover;
Figure 35 is a sectional view of a joining portion of the support bar cover to the rear body cover;
Figure 36 is an enlarged view of an essential part in Figure 30; and
Figure 37 is a sectional view showing a modification of a handle portion.

 With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference letter V generally designates a motorcycle, and the reference letter F designates the chassis of the motorcycle vehicle V. The front fork 1 is mounted on a front part of the chassis of the vehicle F of so as to be directed to the right or to the left by a handlebar 2. A front wheel Wf is fixed to the lower ends of the front fork 1. A known drive power unit P having a motor E, a transmission box M , and a rear wheel Wr is supported vertically so that it can be driven by a power unit suspension system 3 of the double-link type. A rear part of the power unit P is connected via a rear shock absorber 4 to the chassis of the vehicle F. A fuel tank 5, a battery 6, and an oil tank 7 are mounted on the chassis of the vehicle F. In addition, an air filter 8, a carburetor 9, and an exhaust pipe 10 are mounted on the power unit P.

 The reference letter B designates a body of motorcycle V, covering the chassis of vehicle F. Body B is made of synthetic resin. A screen 11 is placed at the front part of the body B. A roof 12 extends towards the rear of the vehicle from the upper end of the screen 11. A pair of right and left support bars 14 is mounted by by means of a pair of support bar support fasteners 13 at the rear end of the vehicle chassis F. The rear end of the roof 12 is supported at the upper ends of the support bars 14.

 An object container 15 for containing objects such as a helmet H and a briefcase A is placed inside the body B covering an upper part of the power unit P. An upper opening of the object container 15 is normally closed by a seat of the motorcyclist 16. The seat 16 is supported vertically so that it can swing at its front end by means of a hinge 17 on the body B. The upper opening of the container of objects 15 is opened by swinging the seat 16 towards the front of the vehicle by pivoting on the hinge 17. The rear end of the seat 16 is locked with the possibility of unlocking on the chassis of the vehicle F by a seat latching finger 18.

 The structure of the suspension system 3 of the power unit for supporting the power unit P to the chassis of the vehicle F will now be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

 The suspension system of the power unit 3 includes a first fastener 21 connected to the chassis of the vehicle F and a second fastener 22 connected to the power unit P.

 The first fastener 21 is connected between a pair of right and left lateral elements F1 of the chassis of the vehicle F. The first fastener 21 includes a pair of inner tubes 25 right and left fixed by a bolt 24 passing through the projecting parts 23 placed on the lateral elements F1, a collar interposed between the two inner tubes 25, an outer tube 27 engaged with the outer circumferences of the two inner tubes 25, a pair of right and left rubber pads 28 fixed by drying on the outer circumferences of the tubes inner 25 and the inner circumference of the outer tube 27, a pair of caps 29 right and left to close the two ends of the outer tube 27, a pair of first right and left arms 30 welded to both ends of the outer tube 27 and extending downwards, a second arm 31 welded to an outer tube 27 and extending downwards so as to tilt towards s the front, and a pair of front and rear rubber shock absorbers 32 placed at a lower end of the second arm 31. A rear surface of rear rubber shock absorber 32 is opposite to a front surface of a transverse element F2 connecting the right and left side elements F1, and a front surface of the front rubber damper 32 is opposite to an interior surface of an element 33 receiving the damper welded to the transverse element F2.

 The second clip 22 connects the power unit P to the first clip 21. The second clip 22 includes a pair of inner right and left tubes 35 fixed by a bolt 34 passing through the lower ends of the first arms 30 of the first clip 21, a collar 36 interposed between the two inner tubes 35, an outer tube 37 engaged with the outer circumferences of the two inner tubes 35, a pair of right and left rubber pads 38 fixed by drying to the outer circumferences of the inner tubes 35 and to the inner circumference of the outer tube 37, a pair of right and left caps 39 for closing the two ends of the outer tube 37, a pair of first right and left arms 40 welded to the outer tube 37 and extending towards the rear of the vehicle , a second arm 41 welded to the outer tube 37 and extending upwards, and a pair of front and rear rubber shock absorbers 42 p laced at the upper end of the second arm 41. The front rubber shock absorber 42 is opposite to a member receiving the shock absorber 43 welded to the second arm 31 of the first fastener 21, and the rear rubber shock absorber 42 is opposite to an element 44 receiving the shock absorber welded to the first left arm 30 of the first fastener 21 (see FIG. 5). The rear ends of the first arms 40 of the second fastener 22 are welded to a transverse tube interposed between a pair of right and left supports 45 projecting from the front end of the power unit P so as to be supported, while can tilt vertically, by a bolt 46 passing through the transverse tube.

 When the rear wheel Wr receives a shock from the road surface to apply a force to the power unit P in a vertical direction or a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the force is transmitted from the supports 45 of the power unit P to the second fastener 22 of the suspension system 3 of the power unit, thereby pivoting the second fastener 22 around the bolt 34. The rotation of the second fastener 22 twists the rubber pads 38 connecting the inner tubes 35 to the outer tube 37, thereby absorbing the force. At the same time, the rubber dampers 42 placed on the first arm 41 of the second fastener 22 are brought into contact by pressure with the elements 43 and 44 receiving the damper of the first fastener 21, thereby absorbing the force .

 The force coming from the power unit P is also transmitted via the second fastener 22 to the first fastener 21, thereby pivoting the first fastener 21 around the bolt 24. The rotation of the first fastener 21 twists the rubber pads 28 connecting the inner tubes 25 to the outer tube 27, thereby absorbing the force. At the same time, the rubber shock absorbers 32 placed on the second arm 31 of the first fastener 21 are brought into contact by pressure with the transverse element F2 and the element 33 receiving the shock absorber, thereby absorbing the force .

 In this way, the shock received by the rear wheel Wr from the road surface is absorbed by the suspension system of the power unit 3 of the double attachment type placed between the power unit P and the chassis of the vehicle F. As a result, vibration is hardly transmitted from the screen 11 and the support bars 14 to the roof 12, thereby effectively preventing noise due to the vibration of the roof 12.

 The structure of the mounting parts of the support bars 14 to the chassis of the vehicle F will now be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. As the structure of the mounting part of the left support bar 14 is the same as that of the straight support bar 14, the following description will relate to the right support bar 14.

 The support for fixing the support bar 13 supporting the lower end of the support bar 14 is fixed by two bolts 52 to a tongue 51 welded to the rear end of the lateral element F1 of the chassis of the vehicle F. A seat latching finger support 53 for supporting the seat latching finger 18, a handle 55 intended to be used as a finger operating element and also used as a cover support 54 which will be described below, and a support bar fixing element 56 for fixing the lower end of the support bar 14 are fixed together by two bolts 57 to the upper end of the support support for fixing the support bar 13. As it appears from Figure 8 , the support bar fixing element 56 is formed by folding a metal plate so as to surround the support bar 14, and the parts of the ends wrapped in the fixing element support bar 56 are fixed by the bolts 57 to the support for fixing the support bar 13.

 The support bar 14 extends upwards through an opening Bl of the body B towards the outside of the body B, and the handle 55 extends downwards through the opening B towards the outside of the body B The cover 54 is formed of synthetic resin, and it is formed at its lower end with a slot 541. The slot 54, of the cover 54 is engaged with the lower end of the handle 55, thereby fixedly supporting the cover 54 at a position covering the opening B, of the body B and the fixing element of the support bar 56. The cover 54 has a slightly larger outline than that of the handle 55. As it appears from FIG. 8, the front and rear ends of the cover 54 at its upper part are substantially curved in the manner of an arc so as to bear against the external surface of the body B. As it appears from FIG. 6, the part of the end lower of the handle 55 is curved towards the outside of the body B for d define an opening allowing the insertion of the motorcyclist's fingers. Consequently, the motorcyclist's fingers can pass through this opening to maneuver the handle 55, so that the motorcyclist can easily lift the vehicle and put it on a stand.

 The structure of the object container 15 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 12.

 The object container 15 is a synthetic resin container having an upper opening. The object container 15 is held inside the body B so as to engage on the upper side of the body B with a part of it covering the upper part of the power unit P. The upper opening of the object container 15 is normally closed by the seat 16. Thus, the object container 15 defines an enclosed space for storing objects jointly with the seat 16. The enclosed space of the object container 15 is composed of a front space 15 and a rear space 152 communicating with each other. The seat 16 is composed of a substantially horizontal front seat part 16, and an upwardly inclined back part 162 extending contiguously from the rear end of the seat part 16,.

 The object container 15 consists of a front element 15f and a rear element 15r separated by a line P. The separation line P is established at a substantially central part of the rear space 152. In this way, the object container 15 is divided into two elements 15f and 15r, so that the object container 15 can be easily manufactured at low cost.

 The front part of the object container 15 is fixed by two bolts 92 to a pair of supports 91 placed on the right and left side elements F i. The rear part of the object container 15 is fixed by a bolt 94 to a support 93 placed on the transverse element F2 connecting the right and left lateral elements F,. The lower surface of the front part of the object container 15 is formed by a recess 95 notched upwards to accommodate the oil tank 7 between the right and left mounting parts to the side elements F, (see FIG. 10 ). The reference number 96 shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 designates a support for supporting the upper end of the rear shock absorber 4.

The rear space 152 defined below the back portion 162 of the seat 16 has a relatively large height, so as to store an object having a relatively large height, such as a helmet
H. On the other hand, the front space 15l defined below the saddle part 16 of the seat 16 has a relatively small height and a relatively large length in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, so as to store a relatively thin and long object such as than a case A jointly with the rear space 152.

In this way, the rear space 152 having a relatively large height is formed by using a dead space defined between the right and left support bars 14 placed behind the saddle part 16 on which the motorcyclist is seated. Therefore, the height of the saddle portion 16 of the seat 16 can be reduced, that is, the hip joint of the motorcyclist can be lowered thereby allowing the motorcyclist to easily dismount. At the same time, the helmet H having a relatively large height can be stored in the rear space 152 of the object container 15. In addition, the front space 15l, having a relatively small height is formed under the saddle part 16 of the seat 16, so that even when the rear space 152 is filled by the helmet
H, other small objects can be efficiently stored in the space 15 of the object container 15. In addition, since the front space 15 and the rear space 152 communicate with each other, the two spaces and and 152 can be used at the same time to store a relatively long object such as a briefcase A. In addition, since the seat 16 is placed between the right and left support bars 14, the dead space between the support bars 14 can be used as a rear passenger space when driving in pairs. In the case of extending the rear end of the seat 16 to a position behind the mounting parts of the support bars 14, the rear passenger space can be more extensive.

 The structure of the seat latching finger 18 for locking the seat 16 to the chassis of the vehicle F will now be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14.

A base 62 of the latching finger 18 is fixed at its rear end by two bolts 61 towards the upper end of the seat latching finger support 53 having a shape similar to a door. The front end of the base 62 is fixed by two bolts 60 to the upper end of the rear element 15r of the object container 15. As it appears from FIG. 14, the seat latching finger 18 is placed in a defined space between the inner surface of the body
B and the outer surface of the object container 15. The front end of the base 62 of the seat latching finger 18 is formed of a slot 621 extending towards the rear of the vehicle. A loop element 64 fixed by a bolt 63 to the rear end of the seat 16 is engaged so as to be able to free itself with the slot 62 of the base 62.

 A hook member 65 and a latch member 66 are supported so as to be pivotable by pins 67 and 68 at the base 62, respectively. The hook member 65 and the latch member 66 are connected together by a spring 69. The latch member 66 is normally biased by the spring 69 in the counterclockwise direction, and the counterclockwise rotation of the latch member 66 is limited at its end part by a stop 622 projecting from the base 62. The hook element 65 has an engagement part 65l engaging with the loop element 64 at a position above the slot 62, and also has a contact surface 652 adapted to come into contact with the loop member 64 and to thereby be activated.

Additionally, the hook member 65 and the latch member 66 have cam surfaces 653 and 66 respectively adapted to come into contact with each other and hold the hook member in a locked position. An unlocking cable 70 for unlocking the locking position of the hook element 65 by the lock element 66 is connected at one end to the lock element 66.

The other end of the unlocking cable 70 is connected to an unlocking lever (not shown).

 When the seat 16 in the open condition is tilted down to a position closing the upper opening of the object container 15, the loop element 64 fixed to the rear end of the seat 16 activates the contact surface 652 of the hook element 65 for pivoting the hook element 65 in a direction of the arrow a shown in FIG. 13 going against a return force of the spring 69. Consequently, the engagement part 65 i of the hook element 65 engages with the loop element 64, and at the same time the cam surface 653 of the hook element 65 engages with the cam surface 661 of the latch 66, thereby locking the seat 16 in the closed position. Upon unlocking the seat lock condition 16, the release cable 70 is pulled to rotate the lock member 66 in an arrow direction b shown in Figure 13. As a result, the cam surface 661 of the the latch member 66 disengages from the cam surface 653 of the hook member 65. As a result, the hook member 65 is pivoted in an arrow direction c shown in Figure 13 by the spring return force 69, thereby disengaging the engagement part 651 of the buckle element 64. Thus, the seat 16 is unlocked and tilted upwards towards the open position.

 The seat latching finger support 53 supporting the latching finger 18 is mounted on the support bar fixing support 13 fixing the support bars 14 to the chassis of the vehicle F.

Since the support for fixing the support bars 13 has a closing rigidity.

 The structure of the seat 16 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16.

 The seat 16 is composed of a bottom plate 81, a lining 82 and a cushion 83 interposed between the bottom plate 81 and the lining 82. Near the limit between the saddle part 161 and the part of the backrest 162 of the seat 16, a groove 831 extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle is formed on the upper surface of the cushion 83, and a plurality of holes 84 (three in this preferred embodiment) communicating with the groove 831 is formed so as to extend vertically through the cushion 83 and the bottom plate 81. The three holes 84 are arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle.

 In the three positions corresponding to the three holes 84, the three connection elements 86 are fixed by sewing on the rear surface of the lining 82, and the three loop cords 85 are wrapped on the upper side thereof around the three elements 86, respectively. The looped cords 85 are deployed in the holes 84, and are held on the lower side thereof by means of three retaining members 87 towards the rear surface of the bottom plate 81.

 Thus, the upper surface of the lining 82 is pulled into the groove 83 by the looped cords 85 deployed in the holes 84, thereby eliminating the deflection of the lining 82. Furthermore, even when the rainwater falling on the back part 162 of the seat 16 drips towards the saddle part 161, the rain water falls into the part drawn from the lining 82 extending along the groove 831 of the cushion 83, and flows into the lateral direction of the vehicle, thus preventing rain significantly from wetting the saddle part.

 As can be seen from FIG. 12, the bottom plate 81 of the seat 16 is curved downwards at a laterally central part thereof in the direction of the object container 15, thereby increasing the rigidity of the plate. bottom 81. At the same time, the thickness of the cushion 83 can be increased without increasing the distance between the road surface and the saddle part 16 of the seat 16, thereby improving the comfort of the seat.

 A modification of the mounting parts of the support bars 14 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18.

 In this modification, the lower end of each support bar 14 is fixed by means of a pair of elastic support elements 101 to the chassis of the vehicle F. More particularly, each elastic support element 101 is composed of an outer collar 102, an inner collar 103, and a cylindrical rubber pad 104 fixed by drying between the outer collar 102 and the inner collar 103. The outer collar 102 is adjusted by pressing the inner circumference of a support collar 105 passing diametrically across the support bar 14 and welded thereto. A bolt 57 is inserted through the inner collar 103 of the elastic support element 101 to fix the elastic support element 101 to the handle 55, to the support for fixing the support bar 13, and to the support for the finger d snap 53.

With this structure, the vibration transmitted from the side elements
F1 of the vehicle chassis F to the supports for fixing the support bars 13 is prevented from being transmitted to the support bars 14 by all of the four elastic support elements 101. Consequently, the generation of noise due to vibration of the roof 12 supported by the support bars 14 can be more effectively prevented by the above effect plus the damping effect by the suspension system of the power unit of the double tie type 3 mentioned previously .

 A modification of the support part of the upper end of the rear shock absorber 4 will now be described with reference to FIG. 19.

 In this modification, the support 96 welded to the transverse element F2 connecting the right and left lateral elements F1 projects largely upwards, and the bottom wall of the rear space 152 of the object container is largely curved part upwards, so as to receive the support 96. This curved part formed on the bottom wall of the rear space 152 of the object container 15 projects into an interior space of the helmet H stored in the rear space 152, thus having no interference with the storage of the helmet H. With this structure in which the support 96 projects largely upwards, a pivot 106 fixing the upper end of the rear shock absorber 4 to the support 96 can be placed in an elevated position to thereby guarantee sufficient travel of the rear shock absorber 4.

 I1 will now be described a preferred embodiment of the light vehicle provided with a roof having a lamp mounting structure according to the sixth characteristic of the present invention with reference to Figures 20 to 28.

 FIG. 20 is an overall side view of a light vehicle of the scooter type to which the lamp mounting structure according to the present invention is applied. As shown in Figure 20, the reference letter F denotes a chassis extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A head tube 202 is mounted at the front end of the frame F. A steering shaft 203 is inserted through the head tube 202. A handlebar 2 is mounted at the upper end of the steering shaft 203. A front fork 1 is mounted at the lower end of the steering shaft 203. An axle of a front wheel Wf is fixed to the lower ends of the front fork 1.

 A fuel tank 5 is mounted on the chassis F at its middle part. An oil tank 7 is also mounted on the chassis F at a position just behind and above the fuel tank 5.

A power unit P including a motor E, a transmission box M, etc. is connected to its foremost part by means of an attachment mechanism 22 to the chassis F at a position behind the fuel tank 5. A rear shock absorber 4 is connected between a rear part of the power unit P and a rear part of the chassis F. An axle of a rear wheel Wr is fixed to the rear part of the power unit P.

 Frame F is covered with several cover elements. That is, a leg protection cover is placed so as to cover a fixed front part of the chassis F. A front body cover 214 is mounted on the front surface of the leg protection cover 213. A floor 215 is placed so as to extend from the rear end of the leg protection cover 213 in extension. A rear body cover 216 is placed so as to extend the rear end of the floor 215 in extension. An object container 15 for storing a helmet H or the like is placed inside the rear body cover 216 so as to extend lengthwise of the vehicle and is stored laterally between a pair right and left side elements of the chassis F. A seat 16 is placed above the object container 15 so that the front end of the seat 16 is fixed so that it can pivot vertically at the front end of the container objects 15, thereby allowing the opening of the object container on top. A block of lights 236 including a rear light and a brake light and turn signals mounted together at the rear end of the rear body cover 216.

 A screen is fixed at its lower end towards the upper end of the front body cover 214. The screen 11 extends rearwards to a position above the seat 16, thus forming a roof 12.

The rear end of the roof 12 is fixed by a pair of right and left support bars 14. The support bars 14 are mounted at their lower ends to the right and left side elements of the chassis F at its rearmost part.

 The structure of the rearmost part of the roof 12 will now be described with reference to Figures 21 to 25, where Figure 21 is an exploded side view of the rearmost part of the roof 12; Figure 22 is a vertical sectional view of the rearmost part of the roof 12; Figure 23 is a partial cross section taken along line 23-23 in Figure 22; Figure 24 is a partial section taken along line 24-24 in Figure 22; and FIG. 25 is a rear projection of the roof 12 with the right half-part thereof substantially exploded.

 First, a connection structure will be described between the roof 12 and each support bar 14. As the right and left support bars 14 are identical to each other, the following description will relate to the left support bar 14 and its associated parts. A cylindrical portion 221 projects downward from the bottom surface of the roof 12 to the rearmost portion thereof. A partition wall 222 is formed in the cylindrical portion 221. A small diameter cylindrical portion 223 is formed at a substantially central portion of the partition wall 222. A plurality of circular openings 224 and a rectangular opening 225 are formed in the partition wall 222 around the small diameter cylindrical part 223.

 A rubber cap 226 is fitted to the upper end of the support bar 14. The top of the rubber cap 226 is formed of a hole 227 engaging the small diameter cylindrical portion 223, and is further formed of a a plurality of projections 228 engaging the openings 224 and projecting upward from the openings 224. The rubber cap 226 serves to prevent the transmission of vibrations from the support bar 14 to the roof 12. In addition, a plate protective 229 to prevent deterioration of the rubber cap 226 due to vibrations or the like is interposed between the rubber cap 226 and the upper end of the support bar 14.

 A mounting plate 230 is attached by rivets to the interior surface of the support bar 14 at the uppermost part thereof. The mounting plate 230 passes through the opening 225 to extend upwards from the partition wall 222. A support 231 is fixed by a bolt 233 to the mounting plate 230 at the uppermost part thereof. . The support 231 has an L-shaped cross section as seen in FIG. 22, and its horizontal part is formed by a hole 232 engaging the cylindrical part of small diameter 223. The lower surface of the horizontal part of the support 231 bears against the projections 228, thereby defining a spacing between the lower surface of the horizontal part of the support 231 and the upper surface of the partition wall 222 to prevent the transmission of vibrations.

 In the effective connection of the roof 12 and the support bar 14, the uppermost part of the support bar 14 having the mounting plate 230 and the rubber cap 226 is inserted into the cylindrical part 221 of the roof 12. By against, the support 231 is previously placed on the upper surface of the partition wall 222 of the cylindrical part 221. Then the support 231 and the mounting plate 230 are connected together by the bolt 233, thus completing the connection between the roof 12 and the support bar 14.

 The rearmost part of the roof 12 is formed by a curved surface 241 gradually inclined downwards in the direction of the rear end and opposite lateral ends of the roof 12 and a curved surface 242 gradually inclined upwards in the direction of the rear end and opposite lateral ends of the roof 12 in extension with respect to the curved surface 241. Thus, a recess is formed between the curved surface 241 and the curved surface 242.

 An upwardly projecting protrusion 243 is formed at a boundary portion between the curved surface 241 and the curved surface 242. A mounting hole 244 is formed through the curved surface 241 at its intermediate portion. Additionally, a window 245 is formed through the curved surface 242 at its rear end. A rear light mounted in height 250 is fixedly mounted on the projecting part 243 by tightening a tapping screw 246 in the projecting part 243. A cover 260 is fixedly mounted on the curved surfaces 241 and 242 by tightening a tapping screw 247 through the mounting hole 244 in a projection 261 projecting downward. Thus, a hollow part S is defined by the cover 260 and the recess formed between the curved surfaces 241 and 242, and the stop light mounted in height 250 is housed in the hollow part S.

 The high-mounted brake light 250 consists of a mounting element 254 fixed to the projection 243, of a laterally elongated transparent housing 251 mounted on the mounting element 254 and directed towards the window 245, of a plurality of light emitting elements (light emitting diodes) 252 mounted in the transparent housing 251, and a retaining member 253 for retaining the upper edge of the window 245 to thereby guarantee the stability of the transparent housing 251.

 The cover 260 is curved so as to gradually tilt downwards in the direction of the opposite lateral ends, and has an outer peripheral edge fitting to the upper edge of the curved surface 242 of the roof 12. The tapping screw 247 is tightened in the projecting part 261 of the cover 260 from the lower edge thereof, thereby mounting the cover 260 fixedly on the curved surface 241 of the roof 12.

 Another preferred embodiment of the present invention different in its connection structure between the roof 12 and the support bar 14 of the above preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 26 to 28, where the Figure 26 is a vertical sectional view of the rearmost part of the roof 12; Figure 27 is a partial cross section taken along line 27-27 in Figure 26; and Figure 28 is a partial cross section taken along line 28-28 in Figure 26. However, this preferred embodiment is identical to the previous embodiment in that the stop light mounted in height 250 is housed in the hollow part S defined between the roof 12 and the cover 260.

 An annular projection 270 is formed on the inner surface of the cylindrical portion 221. A cylindrical rubber member 271 fits in the cylindrical portion 221 so that the outer circumference of the rubber member 271 is taken up by the projection annular 270. The support bar 14 is inserted through the cylindrical rubber element 271.

 A projecting part 272 projects upwards from the interior surface of the roof 12. A transverse element 273 elongated in the lateral direction of the roof 12 is mounted on the projecting part 272.

Although the projection 272 is shown alone, a plurality of such projections is in fact placed in a lateral spacing relation to each other. A screw 276 is tightened through a fixing 275 with a rubber ring 274 in the projecting part 272, thereby mounting the transverse element 273 to the roof 12.

 A metal sleeve 277 is welded to the cross member 273 at each end thereof. The metal sleeve 277 surrounds the support bar 14 at the uppermost part thereof, and the opposite ends of the metal sleeve 277 are immobilized by two bolts 278, thereby fixedly connecting the roof 12 and the support bar 14 Furthermore, the metal sleeve 277 is formed by a hole 277a, and the support bar 14 is formed by a projection 220a engaging in the hole 277fa. The engagement of the projection 220a of the support bar 14 with the hole 277 of the metal sleeve 277 prevents the vertical movement of the roof 12 relative to the support bar 14. In addition, the upper end of the support bar 14 rests against a horizontal part of the transverse element 273 thereby preventing the downward movement of the roof 12 relative to the support bar 14 in particular.

 Although the high-mounted brake light 250 is shown as an example of a light according to the present invention, another light such as a rear light, a standard brake light, indicators, or a reflector can be placed at the side. further back from the roof. In addition, the fire can be placed not only in the roof, but also on the roof or under the roof.

 I1 will now be described a preferred embodiment of a light vehicle equipped with a roof having a support structure by support bars according to the seventh characteristic of the present invention with reference to FIGS. 29 to 37.

 The structure of the rear part of the vehicle including the parts for mounting the support bars 14 to the chassis F will now be described with reference to FIGS. 29 to 36, where FIG. 29 is an enlarged view of the rear part of the vehicle; Figure 30 is a cross section taken along line 30-30 in Figure 29; Figure 31 is a side view of a rear body cover 316; Figure 32 is a plan view of the hood of the rear body 316; Figure 33 is a side view of a support bar cover 330; Figure 34 is a plan view of the support bar cover 330; Figure 35 is a sectional view of a joining portion of the support bar cover to the rear body cover 316; and FIG. 36 is an enlarged view of an essential part in FIG. 30.

 As shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, the object container 15 consisting of an upper element 322a and a lower element 322b is placed between the right and left lateral elements of the chassis F. As the right and lateral elements left of chassis F are identical to each other, the following description will relate to the left lateral element and its associated parts. A support bar support 323 is placed between the object container 15 and the rear body cover 316. The support bar support 323 is fixedly mounted by two bolts 324 at the rearmost part of the chassis F The object container 15 is formed at its vertical central part with a part extended on the side 322e, so as to store a large object such as a briefcase A as well as a helmet H. A transport hook is placed at the rearmost part of frame F.

 A metal strip surrounds the support bar 14 at its lower end. As also shown in Figures 31 and 32, the rear body cover 316 is formed with an opening 316a and a handle 316b deployed outward from a position under the opening 316a. The portion of the handle 316b is designed to receive the fingers of the motorcyclist to position or remove a main stand. In addition, a plurality of connection holes 316c is formed through the rear body cover 316 around the opening 316a and the handle portion 316b, so as to effect the plug-in connection of the support bar cover 330 to the rear body cover 316c as will be described below.

 The metal strip 325 extends from the opening 316a of the rear body cover 316, and is fixed to the support bar support 323 at its uppermost part by tightening two bolts 326 from the outside of the rear body cover 316 through opening 316a. A seat latch finger holder 327 is also attached with the metal strip 325 to the uppermost part of the support bar holder 323 using one of the two bolts 326. A seat latch finger 328 is mounted on the seat latching finger support 327 at its laterally central part. The seat latching finger 328 engages so that it can be released with a hook 317a placed at the rear end of the seat 16. A support bar cover 330 to cover the portion of the handle 316b and the portion of mounting of the support bar which extends from the opening 316a is fixed to the rear body cover 316 according to a plug-in connection method. The support bar cover 330 is formed of a rubbery material in this preferred embodiment; however, it can be formed from plastic.

 As shown in Figures 33 to 35, the support bar cover 330 generally consists of a substantially triangular base part 330a and a semi-cylindrical rising part 330b forming an integral part of the base part 330a. The base portion 330a is configured to surround the portion of the handle 316b. The rising part 330b extends upwards starting from the base part 330a so as to tilt backwards. The rising part 330b is configured so as to hide the opening 316a.

The upper end of the rising part 330b is formed of a hole 330c for inserting the support bar 14. In addition, a plurality of projections 330d (five in this embodiment) adapted to engage in the holes of connection 316c of the rear body cover (see Figure 35) is formed at the portion of the peripheral edge of the support bar cover 330.

 As shown in Figure 36, the lower end of the support bar cover 330 is formed of a folded portion 331 having an opening 331a. On the other hand, the lower end of the part of the handle 316b is formed by a projection 316d adapted to engage with the opening 331a of the folded part 331 of the support bar cover 330. In the positioning of the cover support bar 330 relative to the part of the handle 316b, the support bar cover 330 as shown by a phantom line in FIG. 36 is adapted by force to the part of the handle 316b starting from the lower side of so that the part of the handle 316b is sandwiched between an external part of the support bar cover 330 and the folded part 331. Next, the folded part 331 is elastically deformed by the projection 316d of the part of the handle 316b to establish the engagement of the opening 331a with the projection 316d. Thus, the support bar cover 330 is positioned relative to the part of the handle 316b. Subsequently, the support bar cover 330 is fixed to the rear body cover 316 by insertion of the projections 330d into the connection holes 316c according to a plug-in connection method as mentioned above.

 Figure 37 shows a modification of the handle part.

In this modification, a reinforcing member 340 for reinforcing the part of the handle 3 16b is welded to the outer surface of the support bar support 323.

 After describing the specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments, but various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

 For example, the application of the present invention is not limited to a motorcycle, but the invention can be applied to a motor tricycle.

 According to the first characteristic of the present invention, the rear space of the object container is formed between the mounting parts of the vehicle chassis of the right and left support bars to support the roof, and the front space of the container. objects lower in height than the rear space is formed before the rear space as an extension of one another. In addition, the upper openings of the rear space and the front space are covered with the possibility of opening by the back part and the seat part of the seat, respectively. Consequently, a dead space between the right and left support bars can be effectively used, and the rear space having a relatively large height can be formed without affecting the height of the hip joint of a motorcyclist. , so that a helmet with a large height can be stored rationally in the rear space, and small objects can be stored in the front space. In addition, when the helmet is not stored in the rear space, a long object such as a briefcase can be stored in the associated front and rear spaces.

 According to the second characteristic of the present invention, the seat upholstery is pulled towards the bottom plate of the seat by the cord near the limit between the saddle part and the seat back part. As a result, deflection of the packing can be prevented.

Also, as a side groove is formed near the boundary between the saddle part and the back part, rainwater falling on the back part can penetrate the side groove and then allow flow along lateral throat, thereby preventing rainwater from wetting the saddle section.

 According to the third characteristic of the present invention, the support of the seat latching finger for mounting the seat latching finger to lock in the closed position is fixed to the mounting support of the support bar for mounting the support bars. support for the vehicle chassis. As a result, since the seat latching finger is attached to the high rigidity support bar mounting bracket, the seat can be securely locked.

 According to the fourth characteristic of the present invention, the object container is made up of individual front and rear elements.

Consequently, the constituent parts of the object container can be small in order to easily carry out the manufacture of the object container.

 According to the fifth characteristic of the present invention, the suspension system of the power unit for connecting the drive power unit to the chassis of the vehicle consists of a plurality of fasteners. As a result, the transmission of vibrations from the power unit to the vehicle chassis can be effectively prevented to thereby reduce noise due to vibration of the support bars and the roof.

 According to the sixth characteristic of the present invention, the light is placed at the rearmost part of the roof placed above the seat of the motorcyclist in the light vehicle. As a result, there is no need to place a cross bar for mounting a light between a pair of right and left support bars, thereby eliminating the specific shaping of the support bars themselves to easily perform the manufacturing. In addition, the roof can be easily assembled to the support bars by fixing the light in the roof and then mounting the roof on the support bars. Thus, the production of the assembly can be improved, and the production of the seal after the assembly can also be improved.

 According to the seventh characteristic of the present invention, in a light vehicle having a roof over the seat of the motorcyclist, the lower end of each support bar supporting the roof is mounted on the support bar support, and the handle making The projection on the side of the vehicle is placed near the mounting part of the support bar. In addition, both the mounting portion of the support bar and the handle are completely covered by the support bar cover. As a result, there is no need to place a special cover for the handle, and the support bar mounting portion is hidden by the support bar cover. In addition, since the support bar cover is positioned outside the handle, the support bar cover acts as a bumper.

Claims (7)

 1. In a light vehicle equipped with a roof having a pair of right and left support bars (14) standing straight from the rear part of a vehicle chassis, and a roof (12) supported by the ends upper of said support bars (14); an object container structure characterized in that a rear space (152) capable of receiving a helmet (H) is formed between the mounting parts of said support bars (14) to said chassis of the vehicle, in that a front space (151) lower in height than said rear space (152) is formed before said rear space (152) in extension of one another, and in that the upper openings of said rear space (15) and said front space (15l) are covered with the possibility of opening a back part (162) and a saddle part (161) of a seat (16), respectively.  2. Object container structure according to claim 1, wherein a lining of said seat (16) is pulled towards a bottom plate (81) of said seat (16) by a cord near a boundary between said seat part (16l) and said back part (162) of said seat (16).  The object container structure according to claim 1, wherein a seat latch finger holder (53) for mounting a seat latch finger (18) to lock said seat (16) in a closed position is attached to a support bar mounting bracket (13) for mounting said support bars (14) to said vehicle chassis.  4. Object container structure according to claim 1, wherein an object container (15) defining said rear space (152) and said front space (15l) consists of individual front and rear elements (lof, 15r) .  5. Object container structure according to claim 1, wherein a power unit suspension system (3) for connecting a drive power unit (P) to said vehicle chassis consists of a plurality of fasteners (21, 22).  6. Object container structure according to claim 1, wherein a lamp such as a high mounted brake light (250) is placed at a rearmost part of said roof (12).  7. An object container structure according to claim 1, wherein each of said support bars (14) for supporting said roof (12) is mounted at its lower end to a support bar support (323); a handle (316b) projecting from the side of said vehicle is located near a mounting portion of the support bar; and both said support bar mounting portion and said handle are fully covered by the support bar cover (330).