JP2008207752A - Suspension structure of side car - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension structure of a side car having a simple structure, and facilitating adjusting of a toe angle and a camber angle of a side car wheel. <P>SOLUTION: In the suspension structure of the side car 3, a swing arm 79 extending in a fore-and-aft direction is pivoted on a vehicle body at a front end so as to vertically rock, and side car wheels 13 are attached to a rear end of the swing arm 79. A pivot shaft 92 extending in a lateral direction of a vehicle body is provided at a swing arm pivoting portion 79b of the swing arm 79. An eccentric collar 95H is provided between the pivot shaft 92 and the vehicle body, and a rotation angle of the eccentric collar 95H can be changed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sidecar suspension structure attached to a motorcycle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sidecar attached to a motorcycle is known that is attached to a motorcycle via a plurality of tie rods (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In this type of sidecar, the tie rod has a turnbuckle (full length adjustable type), and when adjusting the toe angle and camber angle of the wheel attached to the sidecar (hereinafter referred to as “sidecar wheel”), the tie rod is extended and retracted. By adjusting the length of the tie rod, the relative position of the sidecar body with respect to the motorcycle is displaced, and the sidecar wheel is adjusted to have the optimum toe angle and camber angle.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-44954

  However, in the sidecar having the conventional configuration, since it is necessary to configure the tie rod so that the overall length can be adjusted, there is a problem that the structure of the connecting portion between the motorcycle and the sidecar becomes complicated. Furthermore, in order to make the sidecar wheels have the optimum toe angle and camber angle, there is a problem that the position of the sidecar body needs to be displaced and the operation is difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a sidecar suspension structure that is simple in structure and that allows easy adjustment of the toe angle and camber angle of the sidecar wheels.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a suspension structure for a sidecar in which a swing arm extending in the front-rear direction is pivotally supported on a vehicle body so that the swing arm can swing up and down, and a wheel is attached to the rear end. The pivot shaft is provided with a pivot shaft extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, an eccentric collar is provided between the pivot shaft and the vehicle body, and the rotation angle of the eccentric collar can be changed.
According to this configuration, the toe angle and the camber angle of the sidecar wheel can be easily adjusted by appropriately exchanging the eccentric collar and attaching it to the vehicle body while adjusting the rotation angle. At the same time, the structure of the sidecar body is simplified because it is not necessary to configure the tie rod so that the overall length can be adjusted as in the prior art.

In the above invention, the pivot shaft is fixed to the vehicle body at the left and right of the pivotal support portion of the swing arm, and an eccentric collar is fitted to the outer periphery of the pivot shaft at at least one of the fixed portions, and is fixed to the vehicle body via the eccentric collar. May be.
According to this configuration, it is only necessary to exchange one eccentric collar, and the adjustment of the rotation angle and the attachment to the vehicle body are facilitated.

  In the present invention, a pivot shaft extending left and right is provided at the pivotal support portion of the swing arm that supports the sidecar wheels, and an eccentric collar is provided between the pivot shaft and the vehicle body so as to be detachable and adjustable in rotation angle. Therefore, the toe angle and the camber angle of the sidecar wheel can be easily adjusted by replacing the eccentric collar as appropriate and attaching it to the vehicle body while adjusting the rotation angle. At the same time, since it is not necessary to configure the tie rod so that the overall length can be adjusted, the structure of the sidecar body is simplified as compared with the conventional case.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, “up / down”, “front / rear”, and “left / right” are based on the upper / lower, front / rear, and left / right of the vehicle.
FIG. 1 is a left side view of a vehicle 1 with a sidecar according to the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a view of the vehicle 1 with a sidecar as viewed from above, and FIG. 3 illustrates a frame structure of the vehicle 1 with a sidecar. It is a perspective view for doing. As shown in these drawings, the vehicle 1 with a sidecar has a motorcycle 2 and a sidecar 3 attached to the left side of the motorcycle 2, and the motorcycle 2 and the sidecar 3 are connected to the front cross frame 25F, The rear cross frame 25R, the front tie rod 26F, the central tie rod 26M, and the rear tie rod 26R are connected.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the body frame 35 of the motorcycle 2 is provided on the head pipe 36 so as to be rotatable, and extends to the left and right front forks 37L, 37R and upper portions of the front forks 37L, 37R. A steering handle 38 attached to the left and right, left and right main frames 39L and 39R extending rearward from the head pipe 36, and left and right downs extending obliquely rearward from the main frames 39L and 39R and where the water-cooled engine 40 is suspended. Vehicles including frames 41L and 41R, left and right seat rails 42L and 42R extending rearward and upward from the rear portions of main frames 39L and 39R, and rear wheels 9 extending rearward and downward from the rear portions of main frames 39L and 39R. It has left and right rear frames 43L and 43R on which the rear part is supported. A steering damper 44 is installed on the left front fork 37L and the left main frame 39L. 4 is a front wheel, 7 is an exhaust pipe, and 9 is a rear wheel. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a front cover 6F is attached to the front portion of the vehicle body frame 35. The front cover 6F is provided with a pair of left and right headlamps 6L and 6R. A windshield 5 is attached above the front cover 6F. Reference numeral 8 denotes an occupant seat, and the occupant seat 8 is disposed above the seat rails 42L and 42R. 10 is a tail lamp, 28 is an occupant step, and 29 is a luggage box.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the side car frame 45 of the side car 3 extends in the left-right direction from the vehicle body frame 35.

  The side car frame 45 includes a front cross frame 25F attached to the left and right down frames 41L and 41R of the motorcycle 2, a rear cross frame 25R attached to the rear frames 43L and 43R of the motorcycle 2, a front cross frame 25F, A first base frame 47A, a second base frame 47B, and a third base frame 47C that connect the rear cross frame 25R are provided.

  A front bracket 50F is fixed between the left main frame 39L and the left down frame 41L, a front tie rod 26F extends obliquely downward from the front bracket 50F toward the side car frame 45, and the front tie rod 26F is connected to the front cross frame 25F. It is connected to an inter-frame gusset 51 provided at a connecting portion with the second base frame 47B. A rear bracket 50R is fixed to the left seat rail 42L, a rear tie rod 26R extends from the rear bracket 50R toward the side car frame 45, and the rear tie rod 26R is coupled to the rear of the second base frame 47B. Yes. The left rear frame 43L and the rear cross frame 25R are connected by a central tie rod 26M.

  Brackets 71 to 74 are attached to the second base frame 47B and the third base frame 47C, and the vehicle body 11 of the sidecar 3 is supported on the brackets 71 to 74 as shown in FIGS. ing.

As shown in FIG. 2, an occupant room 30 is formed inside the vehicle body 11, and the occupant room 30 is lowered by a occupant seat 31 on which the occupant is seated and a step in front of the occupant seat 31. And a footrest portion 32 provided at a location.
A cowl 12 is attached to the front of the vehicle body 11, a windshield 33 is attached above the cowl 12, and a mirror 34 is attached to the left side of the windshield 33. On the left side of the vehicle body 11 is formed a notch 15 for a passenger to get on and off. A door 20 having a door knob 20A is attached to the notch 15 so as to be freely opened and closed. A side 24 is formed as a step 24 when the occupant gets on the sidecar 3.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the support structure of the sidecar wheel will be described.
The side car 3 includes a side car wheel 13, and the side car wheel 13 is supported at a rear portion of the vehicle body 11 by a swing arm 79 so as to be swingable up and down.
At the front end of the swing arm 79, a substantially cylindrical swing arm support portion 79b that is long in the left-right direction is formed, and a pair of left and right needle bearings 90 are fitted inside the swing arm support portion 79b. A pivot support collar 91 is attached to the left and right through a pair of left and right needle bearings 90, and a pivot shaft 92 extending in the left-right direction is inserted into the pivot support collar 91.

  Both ends of the pivot shaft 92 are pivotally supported by brackets 93L and 93R, and the brackets 93L and 93R are attached to a frame 47D formed to extend to the left part of the rear cross frame 25R of the side car frame 45. The pivot shaft 92 is constituted by a bolt, and the bolt extends through the through hole 93La formed in the left bracket 93L and then extends rightward in the pivot collar 91, and the right end 92R of the pivot shaft 92 is formed. Is a through-hole 95Ha (hereinafter referred to as “95” when the eccentric collar is not particularly distinguished) attached to the right bracket 93R. The reference numeral 95a is attached), and then screwed into the nut 94R and pivotally supported by the right bracket 93R.

  The rear end of the swing arm 79 extends to the side of the third base frame 47C of the side car frame 45, and a substantially cylindrical axle support portion 79a is formed at the rear end. An axle 84 of the sidecar wheel 13 passes through the axle pivot support portion 79a. The axle 84 is connected to a holder 85 via a bearing 83, and a wheel hub 82 is connected to the holder 85. The wheel hub 82 is fixed to the wheel 80, and a tire 81 is fitted on the outer periphery of the wheel 80. A brake caliper 87 for pressing the pad against the brake disc 86 provided on the hub 82 is attached to the holder 85. The brake disc 86 and the brake caliper 87 constitute a disc type brake. Reference numeral 88 denotes a torque rod. One end 88a of the torque rod 88 is fixed to the third base frame 47C through a universal joint 89 so as to be swingable, and the other end 88b is connected via a link 103 formed on the holder 85. It is connected to the holder 85.

  6 is a view of the right end 92R of the pivot shaft 92 as viewed from above, FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6, and FIG. 8 is a view of the right end 92R of the pivot shaft 92 from the direction of arrow Y2 in FIG. FIG. In these drawings, the right end 92R of the pivot shaft 92 is screwed into the nut 94R through the washer 101, the through hole 95Ha of the eccentric collar 95H attached to the right bracket 93R, and further through the washer 102. It is pivotally supported.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the eccentric collar 95H has a large-diameter portion 97H (hereinafter, the large-diameter portion is denoted by reference numeral 97 unless otherwise distinguished) and a diameter smaller than the large-diameter portion 97H. And a small-diameter portion 98 formed on the base end side of the large-diameter portion 97H, and a through-hole 95Ha is formed through the small-diameter portion 98.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion 97H of the eccentric collar 95H is 8 with a predetermined interval (in this embodiment, an interval of 45 degrees in the circumferential direction of the eccentric collar 95H). Two recesses 99H are formed.
As shown in FIG. 7, a pin 96 protruding rightward is welded in a state of being penetrated by the right bracket 93R above the right bracket 93R, and a through hole 93Ra is located above the pin 96. The eccentric collar 95H is fitted in the through hole 93Ra. In the fitting portion, as shown in FIG. 8, the concave portion 99H is configured to be freely engageable with the pin 96, and by engaging the pin 96 and the concave portion 99H, the eccentric collar 95H in the circumferential direction is formed. The position is positioned. Further, by rotating the eccentric collar 95H in the circumferential direction by an arbitrary angle and engaging one of the eight concave portions 99H with the pin 96, the eccentric collar 95H is attached to the bracket 93R at a predetermined angle. It can be fitted into the through hole 93Ra (hereinafter, the angle when the eccentric collar 95H is fitted into the through hole 93Ra of the bracket 93R is referred to as “rotation angle”).
Further, in the fitting portion between the eccentric collar 95H and the through hole 93Ra of the bracket 93R, as shown in FIG. 7, the small diameter portion 98 penetrates the through hole 93Ra, and the bottom surface on the tip side of the large diameter portion 97H is In a state of being locked to the bracket 93R, it is fitted into the through-hole 93Ra, whereby the axial movement of the eccentric collar 95H is restricted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of types of eccentric collars 95 are prepared as the eccentric collars 95. In the eccentric collar 95H shown in FIG. 9, the center point of the large diameter portion 97H coincides with the center point of the through hole 95Ha. On the other hand, in the eccentric collar 95 shown in FIG. 10, the center point of the large diameter portion 97 is different from the center point of the through hole 95a. These eccentric collars 95 are selectively used. The eccentric collar 95A shown in FIG. 10A has eight concave portions 99A formed on the outer periphery and a through hole 95Aa formed inside. The distance (eccentric amount) between the center point of the large diameter portion 97 and the center point of the through hole 95a is the smallest. An eccentric collar 95B shown in FIG. 10B has eight concave portions 99B formed on the outer periphery and a through hole 95Ba formed inside, and has the second smallest eccentricity. An eccentric collar 95C shown in FIG. 10C has eight concave portions 99C formed on the outer periphery and a through hole 95Ca formed inside, and has the largest eccentric amount.

Next, a procedure for adjusting the toe angle and the camber angle of the sidecar wheel 13 will be described.
Note that the body frame 35 and the side car frame 45 of the motorcycle 2 are firmly connected via tie rods 26F, 26M, and 26R having a simple structure that does not have a function of adjusting the overall length. To do.

  When adjusting the toe angle and the camber angle of the sidecar wheel 13, the operator selects an appropriate eccentric collar 95 from among the plurality of eccentric collars 95 with a certain degree of reference. As an example, an eccentric collar 95B having an intermediate amount of eccentricity is selected from the eccentric collars 95 shown in FIG. 10, and as shown in FIG. 11A, the through-hole 95Ba is attached so as to be eccentric downward in the vertical direction. The sidecar wheel 13 is supported with a toe angle shown in FIG. 11 (B) and a camber angle shown in FIG. 11 (C). In FIG. 11, the toe angle and the camber angle are shown larger than the actual angle for the sake of simplicity.

  To increase the toe angle to the right (toe-in) with respect to the front and to reduce the camber angle, the eccentric collar 95B is rotated by 45 degrees in the direction of the arrow K1 shown in FIG. . As a result, a toe angle larger than the toe angle (FIG. 12B) and a camber angle smaller than the camber angle (FIG. 12C) can be obtained.

  When the toe angle shown in FIG. 12 (B) is increased to the right (toe-in) with respect to the front and the camber angle shown in FIG. 12 (C) is desired to be reduced, the eccentric collar 95B is further replaced with the eccentric collar 95B shown in FIG. Is rotated by 45 degrees in the direction of the arrow K2 shown in FIG. As a result, a toe angle larger than the toe angle shown in FIG. 12B (FIG. 13B) and a camber angle smaller than that shown in FIG. 12C (FIG. 13C) can be obtained.

In the above configuration, with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, the displacement amount of the through hole 95Ba in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the displacement amount of the toe angle are in a correspondence relationship. For example, when the eccentric collar 95B is rotated clockwise from the state shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 12 or the state shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. 13 and the through hole 95Ba is displaced rearward in the front-rear direction, the toe angle is changed to the right ( Toe-in). On the other hand, when the eccentric collar 95B is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 12 or from the state shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. Displaces (toe out). Further, the vertical displacement amount of the through hole 95Ba and the displacement amount of the camber angle are in a corresponding relationship, and the through hole 95Ba is in the vertical direction until the state of FIG. 11 to FIG. 12 or FIG. 12 to FIG. When the through hole 95Ba is displaced downward in the vertical direction from the state shown in FIG. 13 to FIG. 12 or from the state shown in FIG. 12 to FIG. 11, the camber angle is Displace to the right.
As described above, when the eccentric collar 95B is fitted into the bracket 93R, various toe angles and camber angles of the sidecar wheel 13 can be easily obtained by changing the rotational angle. In FIG. 11, three rotation angles when attaching the eccentric collar 95B are given as an example, but there are the same rotation angles as the number of the concave portions 99B of the eccentric collar 95B (that is, eight in this embodiment). .

  In the above adjustment, when both the toe angle in FIG. 12B and the camber angle in FIG. 12C are adjusted to be small, the eccentric collar 95B is removed, and the eccentric color with the smallest eccentricity shown in FIG. A small toe angle and a camber angle can be realized by selecting 95A and attaching the eccentric collar 95A to the bracket 93R at the rotation angle shown in FIG. Since the eccentric collar 95A has a small amount of eccentricity, the toe angle and the camber angle can be finely adjusted by rotating the eccentric collar 95A.

  In the case of adjusting both the toe angle and the camber angle from the state of FIG. 12, the eccentric collar 95B is removed, and the eccentric collar 95C having the largest eccentricity shown in FIG. By attaching this eccentric collar 95C to the bracket 93R at the rotation angle shown in A), a large toe angle and camber angle can be realized. Since the eccentric collar 95C has a large amount of eccentricity, the toe angle and the camber angle can be roughly adjusted by rotating the eccentric collar 95C.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the eccentric collar 95H is attached to the bracket 93R, the optimum toe angle and camber angle of the sidecar wheel 13 can be easily obtained by adjusting and attaching the rotation angle. Obtainable.
In addition, according to the present embodiment, the eccentric collar 95H is replaced with the eccentric collars 95A, 95B, and 95C, and when the eccentric collars 95A, 95B, and 95C are attached to the bracket 93R, the rotational angle is adjusted and attached. Thus, the optimum toe angle and camber angle of the sidecar wheel 13 can be easily obtained.
Further, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to configure the tie rods 26F, 26M, and 26R so that the overall length can be adjusted, so that the structure of the sidecar 3 is simplified.
Further, according to the present embodiment, by preparing a plurality of eccentric collars 95, the toe angle and camber angle of the sidecar wheel 13 can be easily finely adjusted.

In addition, embodiment mentioned above shows the one aspect | mode of this invention to the last, and a deformation | transformation and application are arbitrarily possible within the scope of the present invention.
For example, in the present embodiment, the eccentric collar 95H is attached to the bracket 93R, but it may be attached to the bracket 93L, or may be attached to both the bracket 93R and the bracket 93L. In FIG. 7, three exchangeable eccentric collars 95 are illustrated, but variations of the eccentric collar 95 are not limited thereto. The sidecar 3 is attached to the left of the motorcycle 2, but it may be attached to the right. Further, the eccentric collar 95H according to the present embodiment has eight concave portions 99H, but this number can be arbitrarily designed, and the larger the number, the finer adjustment of the toe angle and the camber angle becomes possible. .

It is a side view of the vehicle with a sidecar which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the vehicle with a sidecar which concerns on this embodiment from the top. It is a figure which shows the structure of the flame | frame of the vehicle with a sidecar which concerns on this embodiment. It is the figure which looked at the sidecar wheel from the top. It is the figure which looked at the sidecar wheel from the front. It is the figure which looked at the right end of the pivot shaft from the top. It is VII-VII sectional drawing in FIG. It is the figure which looked at the right bracket from the right side. (A) is a side view of the eccentric collar, and (B) is a front view of the eccentric collar. It is an example of a replaceable eccentric collar. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of an eccentric collar, a toe angle, and a camber angle. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of an eccentric collar, a toe angle, and a camber angle. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of an eccentric collar, a toe angle, and a camber angle. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of an eccentric collar, a toe angle, and a camber angle. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between the rotation angle of an eccentric collar, a toe angle, and a camber angle.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle with sidecar 2 Motorcycle 3 Sidecar 13 Sidecar wheel 26F Front tie rod 26M Center tie rod 26R Rear tie rod 79 Swing arm 79a Axle pivot part 79b Swing arm pivot part 92 Pivot shaft 95H Eccentric collar

Claims (2)

In a sidecar suspension structure in which a swing arm extending in the front-rear direction is pivotally supported on the vehicle body so that the swing arm can swing up and down, and a wheel is attached to the rear end.
A pivot shaft extending in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is provided in the pivotal support portion of the swing arm,
An eccentric collar is provided between the pivot shaft and the vehicle body,
A sidecar suspension structure characterized by the ability to change the rotation angle of the eccentric collar. The pivot shaft is fixed to the vehicle body at the left and right of the pivotal support portion of the swing arm, and an eccentric collar is fitted to the outer periphery of the pivot shaft at at least one fixing point, and is fixed to the vehicle body via the eccentric collar. The sidecar suspension structure according to claim 1.

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