JP2012183882A - Saddle riding type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a saddle riding type vehicle capable of changing operability at low cost by using a dividable knuckle arm.SOLUTION: A left knuckle arm 25L consists of: an upper knuckle arm 71 including an upper arm ball joint mounting part 75; and a lower knuckle arm 73 including a lower arm ball joint mounting part 78 and an axle mounting part 79 so that the knuckles are separable from each other. The upper knuckle arm 71 can be replaced with an upper knuckle arm keeping the upper arm ball joint mounting part 75 in a different position. Since the operability can be changed only by being replaced with the upper knuckle arm 71, cost can be reduced as compared with a conventional example in which the whole left knuckle arm is replaced.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic three-wheeled vehicle or an automatic four-wheeled vehicle having a pair of wheels on the front side of a vehicle body, and relates to a straddle-type vehicle capable of turning by tilting the vehicle body.

  Conventionally, as this type of vehicle, there is a four-wheel straddle-type vehicle having two wheels at the front and rear (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Here, FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are referred. 14 is a perspective view of a straddle-type vehicle according to a conventional example, and FIG. 15 is a left side view of the straddle-type vehicle according to a conventional example.

  A straddle-type vehicle 100 according to a conventional example includes a main frame 101. The main frame 101 includes two front wheels 103R and 103L on the front side and two rear wheels 105L and 105R on the rear side. The main frame 101 includes an engine 107 at the center thereof, and a fuel tank 109 and a seat 111 above the engine 107.

  The main frame 101 includes lower arms 113L and 113R extending forward from the front left and right. Above this, upper arms 115L and 115R that similarly extend forward are provided. A steering handle 117 is provided on the upper front side of the main frame 101. The operation of the steering handle 117 is transmitted via steering rods 119L and 119R extending forward from the left and right sides of the front side of the main frame 101. The front wheels 103L and 103R are attached to the lower portions of the knuckle arms 121L and 121R.

  Here, of the knuckle arms 121L and 121R, the knuckle arm 121L will be described as an example. The knuckle arm 121L includes a lower axle mounting portion 123L, a lower arm mounting portion 125L above it, an upper arm mounting portion 127L above it, and a steering rod mounting portion 129L above it. The front wheel 103L is attached to the axle attachment portion 123L. The lower arm 113L is connected to the lower arm attachment portion 125L. The upper arm attachment portion 127L is connected to the upper arm 115L. A steering rod 119L is connected to the steering rod mounting portion 129L.

  In this way, the front wheel 103L is supported by the knuckle arm 121L, and a leading suspension is configured in which the lower arm 113L and the upper arm 115L are substantially parallel in a side view and the front wheel 103L moves up and down. With this configuration, the front wheel 103L moves up and down with respect to the main frame 101.

  The distance between the grounding point of the straight line L1 connecting the upper arm mounting part 127L and the lower arm mounting part 125L and the grounding point of the perpendicular L2 from the axle mounting part 123L is called a trail amount TA. If the trail amount TA is long, the straight traveling performance of the vehicle increases and the steering force of the vehicle increases. On the other hand, if the trail amount TA is short, the turning performance of the vehicle is improved and the steering force of the vehicle is reduced, but the stability is deteriorated. Therefore, the controllability of the saddle riding type vehicle 100 can be changed by changing the trail amount TA.

JP 2010-143474 A

However, the conventional example having such a configuration has the following problems.
In other words, the conventional saddle-ride type vehicle needs to be replaced with a different knuckle arm 121L (121R) for the lower arm mounting portion 125L and the upper arm mounting portion 127L in order to change the maneuverability. Since the knuckle arms 121L and 121R are integrally molded products and are very large parts, there is a problem that the cost becomes very high for changing the maneuverability.

  This invention is made in view of such a situation, Comprising: It aims at providing the saddle riding type vehicle which can change maneuverability at low cost by making a knuckle arm into a split type. .

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a saddle-ride type vehicle that can turn with the vehicle body tilted, and includes a main frame, a pair of left and right lower arms extending forward from the main frame, and the main frame. A pair of left and right upper arms extending forward from above the pair of lower arms, a pair of left and right knuckle arms to which the lower arm and the upper arm are connected, and a main frame provided above the pair of upper arms. A steering handle; a pair of left and right steering rods that transmit the operation of the steering handle to the knuckle arm; and a pair of left and right front wheels that are respectively supported by the pair of left and right knuckle arms, the knuckle arm at the bottom An axle mounting portion to which the axle of the front wheel is mounted; Provided above the axle mounting portion, provided to the lower arm mounting portion to which the lower arm is connected, provided above the lower arm mounting portion, provided to the upper arm mounting portion to which the upper arm is connected, and provided above the upper arm mounting portion. An upper knuckle arm including the upper arm mounting portion, and a lower knuckle including the lower arm mounting portion and the axle mounting portion. The upper knuckle arm can be replaced with one provided with the upper arm mounting portion at a different position.

  [Operation / Effect] According to the invention described in claim 1, the knuckle arm is composed of an upper knuckle arm including an upper arm mounting portion and a lower knuckle arm including a lower arm mounting portion and an axle mounting portion which are separable from each other. Has been. Further, the upper knuckle arm can be replaced with an upper arm mounting portion provided at a different position. Accordingly, the distance between the straight grounding point connecting the upper arm mounting portion and the lower arm mounting portion and the vertical grounding point from the axle mounting portion can be changed. As a result, since the maneuverability can be changed by simply replacing the upper knuckle arm, the cost can be reduced compared to the conventional example in which the entire knuckle arm is replaced.

  The “different position” in which the upper arm ball joint mounting portion is provided at a different position is a position where the position of the upper arm ball joint mounting portion of the upper knuckle arm is moved back and forth in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

  The invention according to claim 2 is a straddle-type vehicle capable of turning by tilting a vehicle body, and includes a main frame, a pair of left and right lower arms extending forward from the main frame, and the main frame. A pair of left and right upper arms extending forward from above the pair of lower arms, a pair of left and right knuckle arms to which the lower arm and the upper arm are connected, and a main frame provided above the pair of upper arms. A steering handle; a pair of left and right steering rods that transmit the operation of the steering handle to the knuckle arm; and a pair of left and right front wheels that are respectively supported by the pair of left and right knuckle arms, the knuckle arm at the bottom An axle mounting portion to which the axle of the front wheel is mounted; Provided above the upper arm mounting portion, provided at the lower arm mounting portion to which the lower arm is connected, provided above the lower arm mounting portion, and provided above the upper arm mounting portion to which the upper arm is connected. A steering rod mounting portion to which the steering rod is connected, the knuckle arm being separable from each other, an upper knuckle arm including the upper arm mounting portion and the lower arm mounting portion, and a lower knuckle including the axle mounting portion The lower knuckle arm can be replaced with one provided with the axle mounting portion at a different position.

  [Operation / Effect] According to the invention described in claim 2, the knuckle arm is composed of an upper knuckle arm including an upper arm mounting portion and a lower arm mounting portion and a lower knuckle arm including an axle mounting portion, which are separable from each other. Has been. Further, the lower knuckle arm can be replaced with one provided with the axle mounting portion at a different position. Accordingly, the distance between the straight grounding point connecting the upper arm mounting portion and the lower arm mounting portion and the vertical grounding point from the axle mounting portion can be changed. As a result, since the maneuverability can be changed by simply replacing the lower knuckle arm, the cost can be reduced compared to the conventional example in which the entire knuckle arm is replaced.

  Further, since the caster angle is not changed, desired maneuverability can be relatively easily obtained.

  The “different position” in which the axle mounting portion is provided at different positions is a position where the position of the axle mounting portion of the lower knuckle arm is moved back and forth in the traveling direction of the vehicle.

  In the present invention, one of the upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm includes a positioning pin, and the other of the upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm is a positioning hole formed at a position corresponding to the positioning pin. (Claim 3). By inserting the positioning pin into the positioning hole, the upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm can be assembled with high accuracy. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the trail amount from deviating greatly from the design value, so that the maneuverability can be changed with high accuracy.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said upper knuckle arm and the said lower knuckle arm are connected in the state which made one outer surface and the other inner surface face each other (Claim 4). Since one outer surface and the other inner surface are connected to face each other, the contact area can be increased. Therefore, even if the knuckle arm is divided, the reduction in rigidity can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said upper knuckle arm is provided with the recessed part wrapped up so that the upper outer surface of the said lower knuckle arm may be covered. Since the upper knuckle arm wraps so as to cover the upper outer surface of the lower knuckle arm with the recess, even if the knuckle arm is divided, the reduction in rigidity can be suppressed.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that the said lower knuckle arm is provided with the recessed part which wraps so that the lower outer surface of the said upper knuckle arm may be covered (Claim 6). Since the lower knuckle arm wraps so that the lower outer surface of the upper knuckle arm is covered by the recess, even if the knuckle arm is divided, the reduction in rigidity can be suppressed.

  According to the straddle-type vehicle according to the present invention, the knuckle arm is composed of an upper knuckle arm including an upper arm mounting portion and a lower knuckle arm including an axle mounting portion that are separable from each other. Further, the upper knuckle arm can be replaced with an upper arm mounting portion provided at a different position. Accordingly, the distance between the straight grounding point connecting the upper arm mounting portion and the lower arm mounting portion and the vertical grounding point from the axle mounting portion can be changed. As a result, since the maneuverability can be changed by simply replacing the upper knuckle arm, the cost can be reduced compared to the conventional example in which the entire knuckle arm is replaced.

1 is a left side view illustrating an overall configuration of a saddle riding type vehicle according to a first embodiment. The knuckle arm which concerns on Example 1, Comprising: The knuckle arm set to the 1st trail amount is shown, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a right view. It is a figure which shows the upper nack arm for setting it as the 1st trail amount, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a right view. It is a figure which shows a lower knuckle arm, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a right view. The knuckle arm set to the 2nd trail amount is shown, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a right side view. It is a figure which shows the upper nack arm for setting it as the 2nd trail amount, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a right view. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the change of the amount of trails. It is a knuckle arm which concerns on Example 2, Comprising: It is a right view of the knuckle arm set to the 1st trail amount. It is a right view which shows an upper knuckle arm. It is a right view which shows the lower knuckle arm for setting it as the 1st trail amount. It is a right view of the knuckle arm set to the 2nd trail amount. It is a right view which shows the lower knuckle arm for setting it as the 2nd trail amount. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the change of the amount of trails. It is a perspective view of a saddle-ride type vehicle according to a conventional example. It is a left view of the saddle riding type vehicle according to the conventional example.

  A straddle-type vehicle equipped with a separate knuckle arm will be described below with reference to two embodiments.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a left side view illustrating the overall configuration of the saddle riding type vehicle according to the first embodiment. In the following description, the expressions “right side”, “left side”, “front side”, and “rear side” refer to directions when viewed from a passenger who has boarded the saddle riding type vehicle. In FIG. 1, the front side of the drawing is the left side of the saddle riding type vehicle, and the back side of the drawing is the right side of the saddle riding type vehicle. Also. The left side of the drawing is the front side of the saddle riding type vehicle, and the right side of the drawing is the rear side of the saddle riding type vehicle.

  The straddle-type vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment is an automatic four-wheel vehicle including a pair of wheels on the front side of the vehicle body and a pair of wheels on the rear side of the vehicle body. Since the overall schematic configuration of the saddle riding type vehicle 1 according to the first embodiment is the same as that of the saddle riding type vehicle 100 according to the conventional example shown in FIG. 14, in the following description, the saddle riding type vehicle 1 is shown on the left side. The overall configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  The saddle riding type vehicle 1 includes a main frame 3 at the center of the vehicle body. A head pipe 7 is attached to the front side of the main frame 3 (left side in FIG. 1) via a support frame 5. A steering handle 11 is attached to the head pipe 7. The main frame 3 has a fuel tank 13 attached to the upper front side thereof. The main frame 3 is provided with a seat 15 behind the fuel tank 13. An engine 17 is attached to the main frame 3 below the fuel tank 13.

  In the following description, the main frame 3 and the structure (for example, the seat 15) fixed integrally with the main frame 3 are collectively described as “vehicle body” as appropriate.

<Configuration for front wheels>
1. Since the left side support mechanism and the right side support mechanism have the same configuration, the left side support mechanism will be described in detail with reference numerals, and the right side support mechanism will not be illustrated and may be appropriately omitted without reference numerals. explain.

  At the front end of the main frame 3, a left lower arm 21L and a right lower arm extending from the left and right of the main frame 3 to the front portion of the vehicle body are arranged in the vehicle width direction and provided forward. That is, the pair of left and right lower arms extends forward from the main frame 3. One end side of the left lower arm 21 </ b> L and the right lower arm is rotatable around a pivot shaft 22 provided at the front end of the main frame 3. A left upper arm 23L and a right upper arm that extend from the left and right sides of the main frame 3 to the front portion of the vehicle body are arranged in the vehicle width direction and are provided in the front upper portion of the main frame 3 and are directed forward. That is, the pair of left and right upper arms extends forward from the main frame 3. One end side of the left upper arm 23L and the right upper arm is rotatable around a pivot shaft 24 provided above the pivot shaft 22.

  A left knuckle arm 25L is connected to the other end of the left lower arm 21L. The left knuckle arm 25L is curved and inclined obliquely rearward, and is connected to the other end side of the left upper arm 23L at a substantially central portion thereof. A left front wheel 27L is rotatably supported at the lower portion of the left knuckle arm 25L. When viewed from the side, the connecting portions where the left knuckle arm 25L is connected to the left lower arm 21L and the left upper arm 23L and the positions of the pivot shafts 22 and 24 are arranged so as to correspond to the vertices of the substantially parallelogram. Yes.

  Similarly, a right knuckle arm is connected to the other end of the right lower arm. The right knuckle arm is connected to the other end of the right upper arm at the center thereof. A right front wheel is rotatably supported at a lower portion of the right knuckle arm. That is, the pair of left and right knuckle arms is connected to the lower arm and the upper arm.

  As the left lower arm 21L and the left upper arm 23L rotate in the forward and reverse directions around the pivot shafts 22 and 24, the left knuckle arm 25L moves up and down substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Thereby, the left front wheel 27L moves up and down with respect to the vehicle body. Similarly, when the right lower arm and the right upper arm rotate in the forward and reverse directions around the pivot axis, the right knuckle arm moves up and down substantially in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. Thereby, the right front wheel moves up and down with respect to the vehicle body. The left front wheel 27L and the right front wheel have a positional relationship with the vehicle body interposed therebetween. That is, the pair of left and right front wheels are respectively supported by the pair of left and right knuckle arms.

2. Since the left side support mechanism and the right side support mechanism have the same configuration, the left side support mechanism will be described in detail with reference numerals, the right side support mechanism will not be illustrated, and will be appropriately described without reference numerals. To do.

  One end side of the left shock absorber 31L is linked to the left lower arm 21L. The other end side of the left shock absorber 31L is linked to a balance beam (not shown). Similarly, one end of the right shock absorber is linked to the right lower arm, and the other end of the right shock absorber is linked to a balance beam (not shown).

  The steering handle 11 described above is linked to the steering link mechanism 35 at the lower part. The steering link mechanism 35 is connected to one end side of the left steering rod 37L and the right steering rod. The other side of the left steering rod 37L is linked to the upper part of the left knuckle arm 25L, and the other side of the right steering rod is linked to the upper part of the right knuckle arm. In response to the operation of the steering handle 11, the left knuckle arm 25 and the right knuckle arm rotate about the longitudinal axis, respectively, to give a steering angle to the left front wheel 27L and the right front wheel. That is, the pair of left and right steering rods transmit the operation of the steering handle 11 to the respective knuckle arms.

<Configuration for rear wheels>
1. Support Mechanism-Left Support Mechanism A left rear arm 41L and a right rear arm that extend to the rear side of the vehicle body are arranged in the vehicle width direction below the rear end of the main frame 11. The left rear arm 41L and the right rear arm can rotate around the swing axis PV. A left rear wheel 43L is rotatably supported at the rear end of the left rear arm 41L. The right rear wheel is rotatably supported at the rear end of the right rear arm. The left rear wheel 43L and the right rear wheel are in a positional relationship with the vehicle body interposed therebetween.

  When the left rear wheel 43L moves up and down relative to the vehicle body, the left rear arm 41L rotates in the forward and reverse directions around the swing axis PV. The same applies to the relationship between the right rear wheel and the right rear arm.

2. Support Mechanism to Balancer Mechanism A carrier beam 51 is disposed between the left rear arm 41L and the right rear arm, and the carrier beam 51 is connected to the main frame 3. The carrier beam 51 rotatably holds a stabilizer (not shown). One end side of the shock absorber 55 is interlocked and connected to the tip of the carrier beam 51. The other end of the shock absorber 55 is linked to the main frame 3. One end side of the left rod 57L and the right rod is linked to both ends of a stabilizer (not shown). The other end of the left rod 57L is linked to the left rear arm 41L. The other end side of the right rod is linked to the right rear arm.

  For example, when the left rear arm 41L rotates around the swing axis PV as the left rear wheel 43L descends, the left rear arm 41L pulls down one end side of a stabilizer (not shown) via the left rod. As a result, the stabilizer (not shown) rotates and pulls up the right rear arm via the right rod connected to the other end. As a result, the right rear wheel is raised by the amount that the left rear wheel 43L is lowered. As described above, the left rear wheel 43L and the right rear wheel move up and down in substantially opposite directions in the vehicle body.

3. Driving mechanism The driving force of the engine 17 is output to the left drive shaft 61L and the right drive shaft via a bevel gear (not shown). A left double cardan joint 63L is provided at an intermediate portion of the left drive shaft 61L. The rear portion of the left drive shaft 61L is rotatably held by the left rear arm 1L via a bearing portion (not shown). The rear end of the left drive shaft 61L is provided with a bevel gear (not shown), and the left rear wheel 43L is connected to the bevel gear. The right drive shaft is configured similarly to the left drive shaft 61L.

<Split knuckle arm>
Here, the left knuckle arm 25L will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows the knuckle arm according to the first embodiment and shows the knuckle arm set to the first trail amount. FIG. 2A is a rear view and FIG. 2B is a right side view. FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing an upper knuckle arm for setting the first trail amount, wherein FIG. 3A is a rear view and FIG. 3B is a right side view. 4A and 4B are views showing the lower knuckle arm, where FIG. 4A is a rear view and FIG. 4B is a right side view. In the following description, the knuckle arm is viewed from the back side (right side) in FIG.

  Although the details of the trail amount will be described later, it is the distance between the ground contact point of the straight line connecting the upper arm ball joint mounting portion and the lower arm ball joint mounting portion described later and the vertical ground contact point from the axle mounting portion. is there. First, the left knuckle arm 25L set to the first trail amount will be described.

  The left knuckle arm 25L includes an upper knuckle arm 71 and a lower knuckle arm 73. The upper knuckle arm 71 includes an upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 and a steering rod ball joint mounting portion 77. The upper arm ball joint attaching portion 75 is a portion for attaching the left upper arm 23L via a ball joint, and the steering rod ball joint attaching portion 77 is a portion for attaching the left steering rod 37L via a ball joint. The lower knuckle arm 73 includes a lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78 and an axle mounting portion 79. The lower arm ball joint attachment portion 78 is a portion for attaching the left lower arm 21L via a ball joint, and the axle attachment portion 79 is a portion for rotatably supporting the axle of the left front wheel 27L.

  The upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 corresponds to the “upper arm mounting portion” in the present invention. The steering rod ball joint mounting portion 77 corresponds to the “steering rod mounting portion” in the present invention, and the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78 corresponds to the “lower arm mounting portion” in the present invention.

  The lower knuckle arm 73 is provided with a connecting portion 81 with the upper knuckle arm 71 at the upper portion. The connecting portion 81 is formed with a screw hole 83 on the left side surface. A positioning hole 85 is formed between the screw holes 83.

  The upper knuckle arm 71 includes a connecting portion 87 for connecting to the lower knuckle arm 73 at the lower portion. The connecting portion 87 is formed with a recess 89 that wraps around the connecting portion 81 of the lower knuckle arm 73. The recess 89 is formed with a screw fixing hole 91 at a position corresponding to the screw hole 83. A positioning pin 93 is provided at a position corresponding to the positioning hole 85 of the lower knuckle arm 73.

  The upper knuckle arm 71 and the lower knuckle arm 73 are connected by causing the inner side surface 89 a of the upper knuckle arm 71 to face the outer side surface 81 a of the lower knuckle arm 73. In this state, the positioning pin 93 is inserted into the positioning hole 85, and the upper knuckle arm 71 is firmly connected to the lower knuckle arm 73 using, for example, four screws 95 (FIG. 2).

  Such a left knuckle arm 25L has a trail amount set to the first trail amount TA1. The trail amount TA1 will be described later.

  Next, the left knuckle arm 25L set to the second trail amount will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows the knuckle arm set to the second trail amount, (a) is a rear view, and (b) is a right side view. 6A and 6B are views showing an upper knuckle arm for setting the second trail amount, wherein FIG. 6A is a rear view, and FIG. 6B is a right side view.

  The left knuckle arm 25L is different from the left knuckle arm 25L set to the above-described first trail amount TA1 in the upper knuckle arm 71a. The upper knuckle arm 71a is set so that the position of the upper ball joint mounting portion 75 of the upper knuckle arm 71 described above is different.

  Specifically, the distance d2 from the screw hole 83 on the left side of the connecting portion 87 to the upper ball joint mounting portion 75 is set to be longer than the distance d1 of the upper knuckle arm 71 set to the first trail amount TA1. (See FIGS. 3 and 6). In other words, the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 in the upper knuckle arm 71 is front and rear in the traveling direction of the vehicle (the left-right direction in FIGS. 2B, 3B, 5B, and 6B). The position of has been changed. Other connecting portions 87 and the like have the same configuration as the upper knuckle arm 71. In this example, the upper knuckle arms 71 and 17a also change the position of the steering rod ball joint attachment portion 77.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining a change in the amount of trail.

  In FIG. 7, a solid line indicates the left knuckle arm 25L to which the upper knuckle arm 71 is attached, and a dotted line indicates the left knuckle arm 25L to which the upper knuckle arm 71a is attached. Only the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75, the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78, and the axle mounting portion 79 are shown for the purpose of illustration.

  A grounding point of a straight line L1 (a point grounded to the ground) connecting the upper arm ball joint mounting part 75 and the lower arm ball joint mounting part 78 and a grounding point of a perpendicular line L2 from the axle mounting part 79 (a point grounded to the ground) The distance is called the trail amount. The case of the upper knuckle arm 71 is indicated by a solid straight line L1, and the case of the upper knuckle arm 71a is indicated by a dotted straight line L1. Further, the trail amount in the case of the upper knuckle arm 71 is indicated by a symbol TA1, and the trail amount in the case of the upper knuckle arm 71a is indicated by a symbol TA2.

  As apparent from FIG. 7, the trail amount TA1 of the upper knuckle arm 71 is shorter than the trail amount TA2 of the upper knuckle arm 71a. If the trail amount TA1, 2 is long, the straight traveling performance of the vehicle increases, and the steering force of the vehicle increases. On the other hand, if the trail amount TA1, 2 is short, the turning performance of the vehicle is improved and the steering force of the vehicle is reduced, but the stability is deteriorated. Accordingly, when the upper knuckle arm 71 of the left knuckle arm 25L is replaced with the upper knuckle arm 71a, the straightness of the vehicle increases and the steering force of the vehicle increases. As a result, a vehicle with different maneuverability can be obtained. It goes without saying that the right knuckle arm is replaced with the same upper knuckle arm as the left knuckle arm 25L.

  As described above, the left knuckle arm 25L includes the upper knuckle arm 71 including the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 and the lower knuckle arm 73 including the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78 and the axle mounting portion 79 that are separable from each other. Has been. Further, the upper knuckle arm 71 can be replaced with an upper knuckle arm 71a in which the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 is provided at a different position. Therefore, since the maneuverability can be changed by simply replacing the upper knuckle arm 71, the cost can be reduced compared to the conventional example (FIGS. 14 and 15) in which the entire left knuckle arm 121L is replaced.

  Further, the above-described left knuckle arm 25L is configured so that the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a and the lower knuckle arm 73 are accurately aligned by inserting the positioning pins 93 of the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a into the positioning holes 85 of the lower knuckle arm 73. Good assembly. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the trail amount from deviating greatly from the design value, so that the maneuverability can be changed with high accuracy.

  The left knuckle arm 25L is connected in a state where the outer side surface 81a of the lower knuckle arm 73 and the inner side surface 89a of the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a are opposed to each other. Therefore, the contact area between the lower knuckle arm 73 and the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a can be increased. As a result, while the left knuckle arm 25L has a split configuration, it is possible to suppress a decrease in rigidity.

  Further, the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71 a are wrapped so as to cover the outer surface of the connecting portion 81 of the lower knuckle arm 73 with the concave portion 89 of the connecting portion 87. Therefore, even if the left knuckle arm 25L is divided, the reduction in rigidity can be suppressed.

  In the above description, the left knuckle arm 25L has been described as an example, but it goes without saying that the same applies to the right knuckle arm.

  The first embodiment described above can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the first embodiment described above, the upper knuckle arms 71, 71 a include the positioning pins 93, and the lower knuckle arm 73 includes the positioning holes 85. However, they may be replaced with each other. If there is no problem in accuracy, it is not necessary to provide the positioning pin 93 and the positioning hole 85.

  (2) In the first embodiment described above, the outer side surface 81a of the lower knuckle arm 73 and the inner side surface 89a of the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a are connected to each other. However, the front (or back) of the lower knuckle arm 73 and the back (or front) of the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a may be connected to face each other.

  (3) In Example 1 mentioned above, the recessed part 89 is provided in the connection part 87 of the upper knuckle arms 71 and 71a. However, you may make it provide the recessed part 89 in the connection part 81 side of the lower knuckle arm 73. FIG. Further, the configuration in which the concave portion 89 is omitted may be adopted.

Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 8 is a right side view of the knuckle arm according to the second embodiment and set to the first trail amount. FIG. 9 is a right side view showing the upper knuckle arm, and FIG. 10 is a right side view showing the lower knuckle arm for the first trail amount.

  Since the overall configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, detailed description of the entire configuration is omitted, and only the left knuckle arm 25La is described in detail.

  The left knuckle arm 25La according to the second embodiment includes an upper knuckle arm 71 including an upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 and a lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78 that are separable from each other, and a lower knuckle arm 73 including an axle mounting portion 79. It is configured.

  The upper knuckle arm 71 includes a connecting portion 87 for connecting to the lower knuckle arm 73 at the lower portion. The connecting portion 87 has a screw hole 83 formed on the side surface. A positioning hole 85 is formed between the screw holes 83.

  The lower knuckle arm 73 is provided with a connecting portion 81 with the upper knuckle arm 71 at the upper portion. The connecting portion 81 is formed with a recess 89 that wraps around the connecting portion 87 of the upper knuckle arm 71. The recess 89 has a screw fixing hole 91 at a position corresponding to the screw hole 83. A positioning pin 93 is provided at a position corresponding to the positioning hole 85.

  The concave portion 89 of the lower knuckle arm 7 has an inner side surface 89a facing the outer side surface (not shown) of the upper knuckle arm 71, for example, with four screws, the upper knuckle arm 71 and the lower knuckle arm 73, Are firmly connected (not shown).

  Such a left knuckle arm 25La is assumed to have a trail amount set to the first trail amount TA1. The trail amount TA1 will be described later.

  Next, the left knuckle arm 25La set to the second trail amount will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a right side view of the knuckle arm set to the second trail amount. FIG. 12 is a right side view showing the lower knuckle arm for the second trail amount.

  The left knuckle arm 25La has a lower knuckle arm 73a different from the left knuckle arm 25La set to the first trail amount described above. The lower knuckle arm 73a is set such that the position of the axle mounting portion 79 of the lower knuckle arm 73 described above is different. Specifically, the distance d4 from the center portion of the screw hole 91 formed on the right side of the connecting portion 81 to the center portion of the axle mounting portion 79 is the distance of the lower knuckle arm 73 set to the first trail amount. It is set longer than d3 (see FIGS. 10 and 12). In other words, the position of the axle attachment portion 79 in the lower knuckle arms 73 and 73a is changed before and after in the traveling direction of the vehicle (left and right direction in FIGS. 8, 10, and 12). Other connecting portions 81 and the like have the same configuration as the lower knuckle arm 73.

  Reference is now made to FIG. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a change in the amount of trail.

  In FIG. 13, a solid line indicates the left knuckle arm 25La with the lower knuckle arm 73 attached, and a dotted line indicates the left knuckle arm 25La with the lower knuckle arm 73a attached. Only the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75, the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78, and the axle mounting portion 79 are shown for the purpose of illustration.

  A grounding point of a straight line L1 (a point grounded to the ground) connecting the upper arm ball joint mounting part 75 and the lower arm ball joint mounting part 78 and a grounding point of a perpendicular line L2 from the axle mounting part 79 (a point grounded to the ground) The distance is called the trail amount. A perpendicular line L2 of the lower knuckle arm 73 is indicated by a one-dot chain line, and a perpendicular line L2 of the lower knuckle arm 73a is indicated by a dotted line. Further, the trail amount in the case of the lower knuckle arm 73 is indicated by a symbol TA1, and the trail amount in the case of the lower knuckle arm 73a is indicated by a symbol TA2.

  As is apparent from FIG. 13, the trail amount TA1 of the lower knuckle arm 73 is shorter than the trail amount TA2 of the lower knuckle arm 73a. If the trail amount TA1, 2 is long, the straight traveling performance of the vehicle increases, and the steering force of the vehicle increases. On the other hand, if the trail amount TA1, 2 is short, the turning performance of the vehicle is improved and the steering force of the vehicle is reduced, but the stability is deteriorated. Therefore, when the lower knuckle arm 73 of the left knuckle arm 25La is replaced with the lower knuckle arm 73a, the straight traveling performance of the vehicle increases and the steering force of the vehicle increases. As a result, a vehicle with different maneuverability can be obtained. Needless to say, the lower knuckle arm is replaced by the right knuckle arm as well as the left knuckle arm 25La.

  Further, the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in which the caster angle is changed, and the caster angle is not changed. Therefore, desired maneuverability can be easily obtained as compared with the first embodiment. The caster angle is an angle formed by a straight line connecting the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75 and the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78 and a perpendicular. This caster angle affects the turning performance.

  The above-described second embodiment can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the above-described second embodiment, the upper knuckle arms 73 and 73 a include the positioning pins 93, and the upper knuckle arm 71 includes the positioning holes 85. However, they may be replaced with each other. If there is no problem in accuracy, it is not necessary to provide the positioning pin 93 and the positioning hole 85.

  (2) In the above-described second embodiment, the inner side surfaces of the lower knuckle arms 73 and 73a and the outer side surface of the upper knuckle arm 71 are connected to each other. However, the front surfaces (or back surfaces) of the lower knuckle arms 73 and 73a and the back surfaces (or front surfaces) of the upper knuckle arms 71 may be connected to each other.

  (3) In the second embodiment described above, the concave portion 89 is provided in the connecting portion 81 of the lower knuckle arms 73 and 73a. However, the concave portion 89 may be provided on the connecting portion 87 side of the upper knuckle arm 71. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which abbreviate | omitted the recessed part 89. FIG.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the first and second embodiments described above, a saddle type vehicle has been described as an example of an automatic four-wheel vehicle including two front wheels and two rear wheels. However, the present invention can be applied even if the rear wheel is a single three-wheeled vehicle.

  (2) In each of the first and second embodiments described above, the left knuckle arm 25L and the right knuckle arm have been described by taking an example in which the left knuckle arm is bent and inclined obliquely rearward. However, the present invention is not limited to such a shape.

  (3) In each of the first and second embodiments described above, the left lower arm 21L, the left upper arm 25L, and the left steering rod 37L are ball-mounted to the lower arm ball joint mounting portion 78, the upper arm ball joint mounting portion 75, and the steering rod ball joint mounting portion 77. It was made to attach via a joint. However, the present invention can be applied even when a joint different from the ball joint is used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Saddle type vehicle 3 ... Main frame 11 ... Steering handle 21L ... Left lower arm 23L ... Left upper arm 25L ... Left knuckle arm 27L ... Left front wheel 37L ... Left steering rod 41L ... Left rear arm 43L ... Left rear wheel 71, 71a ... Upper part Knuckle arm 73 ... Lower knuckle arm 75 ... Upper ball joint mounting part 77 ... Steering rod ball joint mounting part 79 ... Axle mounting part 81, 87 ... Connection part 81a ... Outer side surface 85 ... Positioning hole 89 ... Recessed part 89a ... Inner side surface 91 ... Screw fixing holes 93 ... Positioning pins TA1, TA2 ... Trail amount

Claims (6)

A straddle-type vehicle that can turn with its body tilted,
The mainframe,
A pair of left and right lower arms extending forward from the main frame;
Of the main frame, a pair of left and right upper arms extending forward from above the pair of lower arms,
A pair of left and right knuckle arms to which the lower arm and the upper arm are connected;
A steering handle provided above the pair of upper arms in the main frame,
A pair of left and right steering rods for transmitting the operation of the steering handle to the knuckle arm;
A pair of left and right front wheels supported by the pair of left and right knuckle arms,
The knuckle arm is provided above the axle mounting portion, the axle mounting portion to which the axle of the front wheel is attached at the lower portion, the lower arm mounting portion to which the lower arm is connected, and the lower arm mounting portion. An upper arm mounting portion to which the upper arm is connected; and a steering rod mounting portion provided above the upper arm mounting portion to which the steering rod is connected;
The knuckle arm is composed of an upper knuckle arm including the upper arm mounting portion and a lower knuckle arm including the lower arm mounting portion and the axle mounting portion, which are separable from each other.
The upper knuckle arm is a straddle-type vehicle that can be replaced with one provided with the upper arm mounting portion at a different position. A straddle-type vehicle that can turn with its body tilted,
The mainframe,
A pair of left and right lower arms extending forward from the main frame;
Of the main frame, a pair of left and right upper arms extending forward from above the pair of lower arms,
A pair of left and right knuckle arms to which the lower arm and the upper arm are connected;
A steering handle provided above the pair of upper arms in the main frame,
A pair of left and right steering rods for transmitting the operation of the steering handle to the knuckle arm;
A pair of left and right front wheels supported by the pair of left and right knuckle arms,
The knuckle arm is provided above the axle mounting portion, the axle mounting portion to which the axle of the front wheel is attached at the lower portion, the lower arm mounting portion to which the lower arm is connected, and the lower arm mounting portion. An upper arm mounting portion to which the upper arm is connected; and a steering rod mounting portion provided above the upper arm mounting portion to which the steering rod is connected;
The knuckle arm is composed of an upper knuckle arm including the upper arm mounting portion and the lower arm mounting portion, and a lower knuckle arm including the axle mounting portion, which are separable from each other.
The lower knuckle arm is a straddle-type vehicle that can be replaced with one provided with the axle mounting portion at a different position. The saddle riding type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2,
One of the upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm includes a positioning pin,
The other of the upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm is a straddle-type vehicle provided with a positioning hole formed at a position corresponding to the positioning pin. The saddle riding type vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The upper knuckle arm and the lower knuckle arm are straddle-type vehicles connected in a state where one outer surface and the other inner surface face each other. The saddle riding type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein
The upper knuckle arm is a straddle-type vehicle including a recess that wraps around the upper outer surface of the lower knuckle arm. The saddle riding type vehicle according to claim 2,
The lower knuckle arm is a straddle-type vehicle provided with a recess that wraps around the lower outer surface of the upper knuckle arm.

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