JP2009101958A - Two-wheel vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a rider to stably hold handgrips during operation of a shift change switch. <P>SOLUTION: A two-wheel vehicle is equipped with a handle bar 2 for steering and a derailleur between a driving wheel and a prime mover, and provided with the shift change switches 8, 11 for changing the speed reduction gear of the derailleur on the handle bar 2. The shift change switches 8, 11 are provided on the front surface side of the handle bar 2, and the shift change switches 8, 11 are disposed at a position where the operation can be performed by the forefinger of the handgripping hand in such a state that the handgrips 3, 5 provided at the right and left sides of the handle bar 2 are being held. In the result, the operation of the shift change switches 8, 11 can be performed without moving the thumb in such a state that the thumb is placed to the lower side of the handgrips 3, 5 and four fingers except the thumb are placed to the upper side of the handgrips 3, 5. Therefore, even during operation of the shift change switches 8, 11, the handgrips 3, 5 can be stably held without causing the thumb to separate from the handgrips 3, 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a two-wheeled vehicle including a shift change switch that switches a reduction ratio of a transmission.

A general two-wheeled vehicle is configured to operate a front wheel, which is a steering wheel, with a handlebar having grips on the left and right, and a transmission such as a transmission is provided between a rear wheel, which is a driving wheel, and a prime mover. .
Various clutch devices are provided between the prime mover and the transmission, and transmission of driving force from the prime mover to the drive wheels is interrupted by operation of the clutch device. Examples of the clutch device include various structures such as a single-plate clutch, a multi-plate clutch, a centrifugal clutch, and a torque converter.

  When a single-plate clutch or a multi-plate clutch is employed as the clutch device, generally, a driving force transmission / reception operation is performed via a clutch lever provided on the handle bar. In a state where the driver pulls the clutch lever and cuts off the driving force, the shift pedal provided in the step under the foot is operated to switch the reduction ratio of the transmission. Further, when a centrifugal clutch, a torque converter, or the like is employed, such a clutch operation is not necessary because driving force transmission / reception is automatically performed along with the rotational speed of the prime mover.

In recent years, as a transmission, a mechanism called an automatic transmission or a continuously variable transmission (CVT) has been increasingly used even in a motorcycle. These are usually used in combination with the centrifugal clutch, the torque converter and the like that do not require clutch operation.
When an automatic transmission or a continuously variable transmission is employed as the transmission, it is generally unnecessary to change the reduction ratio.
However, in order to enhance the sportiness of motorcycles or for the purpose of racing motorcycles, some automatic transmissions and continuously variable transmissions are provided with a mechanism capable of switching a reduction ratio by a driver's operation. Further, there is also an automatic transmission mode in which the reduction ratio can be automatically switched, and a manual transmission mode in which the driver can switch the reduction ratio and can be appropriately selected according to the driving situation.

As this type of two-wheeled vehicle 20, there is one in which a shift change switch 22 for switching a reduction ratio of the transmission is provided on the handlebar 21 as shown in FIG.
The shift change switch 22 is provided on the rear surface of the handle bar 21, that is, the driver side surface of the handle bar 21, and the shift change switch 22 grips the grips 23 provided on the left and right sides of the handle bar 21. It is known that it is arranged at a position where it can be operated with the thumb of the gripped hand in the state of being held (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-121059 A

However, the two-wheeled vehicle 20 does not have a backrest or a seat belt like an automobile, and it is necessary to support a load in the front-rear direction (inertial force) acting on the upper body of the driver with both arms gripping the handlebar during acceleration / deceleration.
For this reason, when the shift change switch 22 is to be operated with the thumb during acceleration / deceleration, the thumb is separated from the grip 23 from the base to the tip of the finger during the operation.
In this way, when the two-wheeled vehicle accelerates with the thumb away, the inertial force in the rear direction of the vehicle body due to the driver's load is supported by only the four fingers from the index finger to the little finger of the hand holding the grip of the handlebar 21. (See FIG. 4 (a)). It can be said that it is very unstable to drive while supporting the total load on both arms with four fingers except the thumb. Further, when four fingers except the thumb are placed on the brake lever provided in front of the handlebar grip, the tendency is further increased, which is not preferable.
Further, when the motorcycle is braked and decelerated with the thumb away, the inertial force in the forward direction of the vehicle body due to the driver's load must be supported only by the palm of the hand gripping the grip of the handlebar 21 (FIG. 4 (b)). It can be said that it is also very unstable to drive while supporting the total load on both arms with four fingers except the thumb.
For this reason, particularly during acceleration / deceleration, as shown in FIG. 3, it is desirable that the thumb can be kept under the grip and the four fingers excluding the thumb can be kept over the grip.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a grip to be stably held during operation of a shift change switch.

In order to solve the above problems, a two-wheeled vehicle having a steering handlebar, a transmission device between a driving wheel and a prime mover, and a shift change switch for switching a reduction ratio of the transmission device provided on the handlebar The shift change switch is provided on the front side of the handlebar, and the shift change switch is disposed at a position where the index finger of the gripped hand can operate with the grip provided on the left and right of the handlebar. .
In this way, the shift change operation can be performed without moving the thumb with the thumb held below the grip and the four fingers excluding the thumb held above the grip. Can do. For this reason, even during the operation of the shift change switch, the thumb does not leave the grip, and the grip can be stably held.
As a specific configuration of the shift change switch, for example, a toggle switch, a slide switch, a rocker switch, a push switch (push button type), a lever switch, and a dial type switch can be adopted.

In this configuration, the shift change switch is provided in a switch box provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the grip, and the tip of the shift change switch protrudes from the switch box to the front of the grip, and the tip is in the front-rear direction. The reduction ratio can be switched by swinging the tip of the shift change switch with the index finger of the hand holding the grip.
When a shift change switch is provided on the handlebar, it is also possible to provide a push button or a lever type shift change switch directly on the handlebar grip. However, it is usually necessary to arrange the electrical wiring leading to the shift change switch somewhere around the grip, so a switch box that houses the electrical wiring is installed inside the grip in the vehicle width direction. In many cases, a shift change switch is provided in the switch box.
If a configuration in which the switch box is attached to the grip is adopted, the shift change switch is positioned closer to the inner side in the vehicle body width direction than the grip, so that it is difficult for the index finger of the hand holding the grip to reach. The shift change switch is preferably as close to the grip as possible.
Therefore, when the tip of the shift change switch protrudes to the front of the grip in this way, the shift change switch of the shift change switch can be simply bent or extended in the vehicle longitudinal direction without forcibly moving the index finger in the vehicle width direction. The tip can be swung.
For this reason, it is easier to operate the shift change switch than when the shift change switch is simply provided on the switch box.
The shift change switch may be provided with a shift change switch for upshifting and a shift change switch for downshifting as separate levers, or depending on the swing direction of one lever. You may enable it to switch both downshifts.

In the configuration in which the tip of the shift change switch protrudes forward of the grip, the shift change switch can be provided between the grip and a brake lever provided in front of the grip.
In this way, among the four fingers excluding the thumb, the index finger can be assigned to the shift change switch, and the remaining three fingers can be assigned to the brake lever. Even in this state, the thumb is always assigned to the lower part of the grip, so that both the brake operation and the shift change operation can be performed simultaneously or intermittently while maintaining a stable grip without re-gripping the grip. And can be carried out alternately and stably.

In these configurations, the shift change switch is composed of a shift up switch that switches the reduction ratio to a smaller one and a shift down switch that switches the reduction ratio to a larger one, and one of the left and right grips is an accelerator grip, A shift up switch is disposed on the handle bar on the accelerator grip side, and the shift down switch is disposed on the handle bar on the opposite side of the accelerator grip side.
In this way, at the time of acceleration, it is possible to maintain the engine speed while turning the accelerator grip to increase the engine speed, and to perform an upshift operation with the index finger of the hand holding the accelerator grip. That is, operations necessary for acceleration accompanied by upshifting are concentrated on the hand on the side holding the accelerator grip, and more efficient driving operation is possible.
Further, at the time of deceleration, the braking force can be maintained while the brake operation (usually for the rear wheel) is performed with the hand opposite to the accelerator grip, and the downshift operation can be performed with the index finger of the hand performing the brake operation. In other words, operations necessary for braking accompanied by downshifting are concentrated on the hand on the side gripping the grip on the opposite side of the accelerator grip, and more efficient driving operation is possible. In this braking, it is of course possible to use a brake lever (usually for the front wheels) provided on the accelerator grip side.

Further, in the configuration in which the shift change switch is a lever that can swing back and forth, each shift change switch can switch the reduction ratio by pulling the shift change switch rearward.
If it does in this way, since a brake lever and a shift change switch move and operate in the same direction, it is easy to operate a shift change switch while operating a brake. In addition, since the lever can be shifted up and down by pulling the lever toward the grip side (backward), the lever is being operated compared to the configuration in which the lever is moved away from the grip in the forward direction. It can also be expected that the hand holding the grip will not loosen easily.

  As described above, according to the two-wheeled vehicle of the present invention, the thumb is moved under the grip and the four fingers excluding the thumb are directed over the grip and the grip is moved. Shift operation can be performed. For this reason, even during the operation of the shift change switch, the thumb does not leave the grip, and the grip can be stably held.

  FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of a handle portion of a two-wheeled vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the two-wheeled vehicle 1 includes a steering handlebar 2, drive wheels (not shown), and a prime mover. A transmission (not shown) or the like is provided between (not shown). The handle bar 2 includes a right handle portion 4 provided with an accelerator grip 3 at the tip and a left handle portion 6 provided with a grip 5 at the other end.

  On the front side of the switch box 7 provided in the vehicle width direction inner side than the accelerator grip 3 (front side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body) A shift up switch 8 is provided for switching the reduction ratio of the apparatus to a smaller one. The shift-up switch 8 is a lever switch, the tip of which projects forward of the accelerator grip 3, and the tip of the switch is swingable in the front-rear direction. Further, the shift-up switch 8 can switch the reduction gear ratio of the transmission by pulling backward (backward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body). A front wheel brake lever 9 is provided in front of the accelerator grip 3.

  On the front side of the switch box 10 provided on the inner side in the vehicle body width direction with respect to the grip 5, the reduction gear ratio of the transmission is switched to the larger one so that the left index finger can be operated with the grip 5 held. A shift down switch 11 is provided. The shift down switch 11 is a lever switch, and its tip projects from the switch box 10 to the front of the grip 5 and is swingable in the front-rear direction. Further, the reduction ratio of the transmission can be switched by pulling the downshift switch 11 backward. A rear wheel brake lever 12 is provided in front of the grip 5.

  FIG. 2A shows a driving operation during acceleration of the two-wheeled vehicle 1. When the motorcycle 1 is accelerated, the accelerator grip 3 is rotated forward, and when the engine reaches a predetermined rotational speed, the shift up switch 8 is pulled backward with the index finger of the right hand. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2A, the shift-up switch 8 is operated simply by bending or extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body without forcibly moving the index finger of the right hand in the vehicle body width direction. Can be addressed below the accelerator grip 3 and four fingers other than the thumb can be addressed above the accelerator grip 3. Therefore, even when the shift-up switch 8 is being operated, the thumb does not leave the accelerator grip 3 and the accelerator grip 3 can be stably held.

  FIG. 2B shows a driving operation when the motorcycle 1 is decelerated. As shown in FIG. 2B, the two-wheeled vehicle 1 is operated by pulling the rear wheel brake lever 12 backward with the middle finger to the little finger while pulling the shift down switch 11 backward with the left index finger. To do. At this time, the shift-down switch 11 is operated simply by bending or extending the front finger in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body without forcibly moving the left index finger in the vehicle body width direction. The four fingers except for can be placed above the grip 5. Therefore, even when the downshift switch 11 is being operated, the thumb does not leave the grip 5 and the grip 5 can be stably held.

  According to the two-wheeled vehicle 1, the thumb is addressed below the grip, the four fingers excluding the thumb are addressed above the grips 3 and 5, and the grips 3 and 5 are gripped without moving the thumb. The shift change switches 8 and 11 can be operated. For this reason, even during the operation of the shift change switches 8 and 11, the thumb does not leave the grips 3 and 5, and the grips 3 and 5 can be stably held.

The enlarged view of the handle part of the two-wheeled vehicle of embodiment of this invention It is a figure which shows the operation at the time of acceleration / deceleration of the two-wheeled vehicle shown in FIG. 1, (a) is a figure which shows the operation at the time of acceleration, (b) is a figure which shows the operation at the time of deceleration. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state where the grip of the motorcycle shown in FIG. 1 is gripped. Enlarged view of the handle part of a conventional motorcycle

Explanation of symbols

2 Handlebar 3 Accelerator grip 5 Grip 7, 10 Switch box 8 Shift up switch 11 Shift down switch

Claims (5)

  In a two-wheeled vehicle including a steering handlebar (2) and a transmission between the drive wheel and the prime mover, and a shift change switch for switching a reduction ratio of the transmission is provided in the handlebar (2), The shift change switch (8, 11) is provided on the front side of the handlebar (2), and the shift change switch (8, 11) is provided on the left and right sides of the handlebar (2). The two-wheeled vehicle is arranged at a position where it can be operated with the index finger of the grasped hand while holding the   The shift change switch (8, 11) is provided in a switch box (7, 10) provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the grip (3, 5), and the tip of the shift change switch (8, 11) is The front end of the grip (3, 5) protrudes from the switch box (7, 10) and the front end thereof is swingable in the front-rear direction, and the index finger of the hand holding the grip (3, 5) The two-wheeled vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the reduction ratio can be switched by swinging a tip of a shift change switch (8, 11).   The two-wheeled vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the shift change switch (8, 11) is provided between the grip (3, 5) and a brake lever provided in front of the grip (3, 5). .   The shift change switch (8, 11) is composed of a shift up switch (8) for switching to a smaller reduction ratio and a shift down switch (11) for switching to a larger reduction ratio, and the left and right grips (3, 3). 5) is an accelerator grip (3), the upshift switch (8) is disposed on the handlebar (2) on the accelerator grip (3) side, and the downshift switch (11) is connected to the accelerator grip ( The two-wheeled vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the two-wheeled vehicle is disposed on a handlebar (2) opposite to the 3) side.   5. The gear ratio according to claim 2, wherein each of the shift change switches (8, 11) can switch the reduction ratio by pulling the shift change switch (8, 11) rearward. Motorcycle.

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