JPH01178093A - Fuel tank fixing structure for saddle type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve maneuverability and to enable installation of a large capacity fuel tank by arranging the fuel tank on the upper face of crank case of an engine in a saddle type four-wheel vehicle thereby lowering the center of gravity. CONSTITUTION:In a saddle type four-wheel vehicle, an engine 13 having an automatic transmission is arranged in a body frame 1 and secured through a bolt 15 to brackets 141, 142 mounted on the body frame 1. The engine 13 comprises a cylinder 17, a crankcase 18 and the like, where rotation of a crankshaft is transmitted through a V-belt transmission mechanism to an output shaft and thence to a rear axle 11 through a chain 25. A fuel tank 32 is arranged on the upper face of the crankcase 18. The fuel tank 32 is arranged in a wide space in the rear of the cylinder 17 and has a large capacity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION a. Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a fuel tank mounting structure for a straddle-type vehicle that is capable of lowering the center of gravity and improving maneuverability.

b. Conventional technology Straddle-type tricycles and four-wheeled vehicles are used for traveling on rough terrain, and straddle-type four-wheeled vehicles, which have particularly excellent stability, have a straddle-type frame as their basic structure. A straddle seat is placed on the top, and two wheels are installed at the front and rear, each wheel is equipped with low-pressure balloon tires, and is equipped with a bar bundle and a bar step.

In such a straddle-type four-wheel vehicle, the fuel tank is usually attached to a front tank rail tube of the vehicle body, similar to a motorcycle (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 157927/1983).

Problems to be Solved by the C0 Invention However, when the fuel tank is attached to the top of the vehicle body, the center of gravity of the vehicle body becomes high, and the fuel in particular moves with the tilt of the vehicle body, resulting in a decrease in maneuverability. It was coming. Additionally, since the fuel tank was installed by crossing the tank rail tube, the capacity of the fuel tank was limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel tank mounting structure for a straddle-type vehicle that can solve the above-mentioned problems and improve maneuverability.

d. Means for Solving the Problems The present invention, in order to solve the above problems, consists in installing a fuel tank on the upper surface of the engine crankcase.

e. Use the space above the crankcase to install the fuel tank, and install other equipment in the space above the tank rail tube.

f. Example Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail according to an illustrated example in which the present invention is applied to a straddle-type vehicle equipped with an engine equipped with an automatic transmission.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, l is a body frame of a straddle-type four-wheel vehicle, which consists of one tank rail tube 3 whose tip end is connected to a steering head 2a that supports a steering shaft 2, and a tank rail tube 3 connected to a steering head 2a that supports a steering shaft 2. It is comprised of a pair of side members 4 connected to both sides of the rail tube 3 to form an engine mounting part, and a seat rail 5 extending behind the side members 4 to form a seat arrangement part.

The side members 4 extend from both sides of the front side of the tank rail tube 3 in a diagonally downward direction and spread out to both sides, and have a front end portion 4.
And, the lower part 4 extends from this front part towards the rear! and lower part 4. A rear section 4 that is curved upward from the rear end and connected to the rear end of the tank rail tube 3. It is made up of. A plurality of bridge tubes 6 are provided between the side members 4 to form a box-shaped space. Seat rail 5 is bridge tube 7
reinforced by. A bracket 8 is provided at the bent portion of the rear end of the side member 4.
The tip of the swing arm 9 is rotatably supported. The swing arm 9 is suspended at its upper end via a shock absorber 10 such as a shock absorber supported by the vehicle body frame 1, and supports a rear axle housing 12 that pivotally supports a rear axle 11 at its rear end. .

Reference numeral 13 denotes an engine with an automatic transmission arranged within the frame of the vehicle body frame l, and this is fixed via bolts 15 to brackets 141.14□ mounted on the vehicle body frame l.

This engine 13 with automatic transmission is used in scooters and the like, and as shown in FIG. V-belt boo provided! J20 and this ■belt pulley 2
0 to V belt) 21, an intermediate shaft 23 equipped with this belt pulley 22, and an output shaft 24 equipped with a gear 24a that meshes with the gear 23a of this intermediate shaft 23. It is equipped with the following. This output shaft 24 is provided with a sprocket (not shown) and is linked to a sprocket 26 of the rear axle 11 via a chain 25.

27 is an air cleaner disposed in the tank rail tube 3, and this is connected via a pipe 28 to a carburetor 29 in front of the cylinder. A storage compartment 30 is provided in the rear tank rail tube 3 of the air cleaner 27, and a seat 31 is placed on the rear seat rail 5.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a fuel tank disposed on the upper surface of the crankcase 18, and a large-capacity tank is used by utilizing the space behind the cylinder 17. 33 is cylinder 17
This is an exhaust pipe led out from the rear, and connected to a muffler 34 at the rear of the frame 1. 35 is a battery arranged in the front part of the frame 1.

According to the above configuration, the fuel tank 32 with a large capacity can be mounted using the space on the upper surface of the crankcase.

In particular, since the engine 13 with an automatic transmission is mounted and the carburetor 29 is disposed in front of the cylinder 17, the space behind the cylinder 17 can be expanded more than in a conventional engine.

g. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the fuel mounting structure for a straddle-type vehicle according to the present invention, since the fuel tank is installed on the side of the engine crankcase, maneuverability is improved due to the lowering of the center of gravity. In addition to this, it is also possible to install a large-capacity fuel tank. Furthermore, other equipment such as an air cleaner, storage compartment, battery, etc. can be placed in the position of the conventional fuel tank, so space can be used effectively. Even if an engine with an automatic transmission is installed, the engine itself does not swing, so a fuel tank can be installed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 conceptually show an embodiment of a straddle-type vehicle according to the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a side view and FIG. 2 being a plan view. FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an engine with an automatic transmission. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Vehicle frame, 9...Swing arm, 10...Buffer device, 11...Rear axle, 1
3...Engine with automatic transmission, 27...Air cleaner, 29...Capreta,
30... Container, 31... Seat, 32
...Fuel tank, 33...Exhaust pipe. Patent applicant: Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. (and 2 others)

Claims (1)

[Claims] A fuel tank mounting structure for a straddle-type vehicle, characterized in that the fuel tank is installed on the upper surface of the engine crankcase.