JPH01297385A - Engine cooling device for motorcycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To warm the foot part if necessary by arranging the radiator of a sccoter type motorcycle in the space between the front surface of a leg shield and a front surface cover and allowing the air warmed by the radiator to be sucked towards a step board selectively. CONSTITUTION:In a sccoter equipped with a water-cooled engine 14, a radiator 27 is accommodated into the upper space 34 of a leg shield 23 installed before a step board 19. A plurality of slit-shaped taking-in ports 35 for introducing the traveling wind into the radiator 27 are formed on a front cover 33 covering the front surface of the radiator 27. Further, a pair of wind introducing ducts 38 are arranged in the recessed part 26 of the leg shield 23, and the upper edge opened port is arranged behind the radiator 27, and the lower edge part is set close to the lower part space. A suction port 43 is formed in the lower part of the wind introducing duct 38, on the rear surface of the leg shield 23, and a selector valve 45 for selectively opening and closing the suction port 43 and an air discharge port 42 at the lower edge part of the wind introducing duct 38 is installed at the branched part of the suction port 43.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an engine cooling system for a motorcycle equipped with a water-cooled engine, and particularly to a structure around a radiator thereof.

[Prior Art] For example, in a scooter-type motorcycle, the body frame is largely recessed downward between the handlebar and the seat to make it easier to get on and off the vehicle, and a step board is placed above this recess as a footrest for the rider. Because of this, it is virtually impossible to place a fuel tank or seat in this area. Therefore, in this type of motorcycle, a layout in which a fuel tank is disposed below the seat and an engine is disposed below the fuel tank is the mainstream.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Incidentally, in recent years, even in scooter-type motorcycles, the engine cooling method has been changed from the conventional forced air cooling method with the aim of improving engine output and durability, as well as reducing noise. It is being considered to replace it with a water-cooled type. When an engine is water-cooled in this way, a radiator for heat dissipation is naturally required, but this radiator needs to be installed in a place where it can easily receive cooling air, so we will discuss its specific details. Possible installation locations include the front side of the leg shield that protects the driver's undercarriage from the wind.

If the radiator is installed in this position, the cooling air that has passed through the radiator and been warmed will be discharged to the outside of the leg shield in front of the driver. If I can lead you to the top,
It can be used again to heat the driver's feet in cold weather, making it extremely convenient for driving in cold weather.

The present invention was made based on these circumstances, and
Cooling air warmed by heat exchange with the radiator can be guided to the driver's feet as needed, allowing the warm cooling air to be used for heating, and adjusting the heating effect to suit the season and driver's preference. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a motorcycle engine cooling system that can be freely adjusted.

[Means for Solving the Problems] Therefore, in the present invention, the vehicle body frame is recessed downward between the /X steering wheel and the seat, and a step board as a footrest for the driver is mounted on this recess. In a motorcycle in which a windproof leg shield is provided in front of this step board and extends from both sides of the vehicle body frame, and the engine is located below the seat, the engine is water-cooled, and a radiator for cooling the engine is installed. is placed in the space between the front surface of the leg shield and the cover that covers this front surface, and the cover is provided with an intake that introduces cooling air to the radiator, while the space is provided with an intake port that introduces cooling air to the radiator. An air guide path through which cooling air flows is formed, and an air outlet opening toward the step board and an exhaust port opening at a position outside the step board are provided at the downstream end of the air guide path, and these air outlets The exhaust port is characterized by being provided with an opening/closing means for selectively opening and closing the exhaust port.

[Function] According to this configuration, while the vehicle is running, the running wind from the front that hits the leg shield is taken into the space as cooling air from the intake port and guided to the radiator. This cooling air is warmed in the process of passing through the radiator, and this warm cooling air flows into the air guide path in the space. At this time, if the opening/closing means is operated to open the air outlet, the warm cooling air flowing in the air guide path will be discharged onto the step board, and the warm air will flow under the driver's feet. It can keep your feet warm when it's cold.

On the other hand, when heating is not necessary, such as in warm weather, by switching the opening/closing means and opening the exhaust port, the warm cooling air will be discharged to a position outside the step board, allowing warm air to flow under your feet. never flows.

Therefore, the heating effect under the feet can be freely adjusted according to the season and the driver's preference, and a comfortable driving environment can be obtained.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on drawings in which the present invention is applied to a scooter-type motorcycle.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 4 denotes a frame constituting the vehicle body, and a down tube 3 extending downward is connected to a head vibe 2 located at the front end of the frame.

A pair of left and right main vibes 4 are connected to the lower end of the down tube 3. The main vibe 4 extends rearward approximately horizontally, and its rear end is raised upward, and the rear ends of these rising portions 5 extend rearward approximately horizontally and connect to a pair of left and right seat rails. 6.

A steering wheel 7 is rotatably inserted through the head vibe 2, and a front fork 10 is connected to the lower end of the steering wheel 7. front fork IO
supports a front wheel 9, which is steered by a handle 8 attached to the upper end of the steering shaft 7. Further, a fuel tank 11 is installed between the front ends of the seat rails 6, and a seat 12 is placed on this fuel tank ll.

Therefore, the frame 1 has a handle 8 and a sea) 12.
A board-shaped step board 19 on which the driver places his or her feet 18 is placed on the front part of the main vibe 4, which is the bottom of the four parts 1a. is installed.

Further, on the rising portion 5 of the main vibe 4, a front end portion of a unit swing type engine unit 13 is pivotably supported, located below the fuel tank 11.

This engine unit 13 is an integral structure including a water-cooled engine 14 and a transmission case I5 extending rearward from the left side of the water-cooled engine 14. Rear wheel 1 driven by a V-belt automatic transmission (not shown) housed in I5
6 is supported.

Note that the rear end of the transmission case 15 is connected to one seat rail 6.
It is suspended by a buffer 17 installed between the two.

The area from around the water-cooled engine 14 of the engine unit 13 to above the rear wheel I6 is covered by a vehicle body cover 20 that is continuous with the seat I2. This vehicle body cover 20 has a rising portion 5 that is continuous with the rear end of the step board I9.
a front cover 20a that covers the front surface of the fuel tank 11 and the front half of the fuel tank 11; It is composed of a pair of left and right side covers 22 that are continuous with the bars 20a and 21 and cover from the side of the water-cooled engine 14 to the side of the seat rail 6, and is a full covered type that continuously covers the lower part of the seat 12. ing.

Further, in front of the step board 19, a leg shield 23 is provided to protect the driver's leg from the wind. As shown in FIG. 5, the leg shield 23 has an integral structure that extends in the left-right direction along the head vibe 2 and the down tube 3, and its lower end is connected to the front end of the step board 19. The upper half of the leg shield 23 forms an upper inclined surface 24 that advances forward as it moves downward, and the lower half forms a lower inclined surface 25 that advances rearward as it moves downward.

Therefore, the boundary between these inclined surfaces 24 and 25 is bent, and the leg shield 23 has a substantially dogleg shape when viewed from the side.

At the center portion of the leg shield 23 along the width direction, a head vibrator 2 is installed as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
A fourth portion 26 that wraps around the rear of the down tube 3 is recessed. The four parts 2B cover the head vibrator 2 and the down tube 3 from the rear to the side surfaces, and are open toward the front of the leg shield 23. A front cover 33 with a front fender 32 integrated therein is removably attached to the upper inclined surface 24 of the leg shield 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the front cover 33 covers the front opening of the four parts 26 on the upper inclined surface 24, and forms an upper space 34 surrounding the head vibrator 2 and the steering shaft 7 between the four parts 26. ing. Furthermore, an undercover 3G is attached to the lower inclined surface 25 of the leg shield 23, as shown in FIG. The undercover 36 covers the front opening of the recess 2B on the lower inclined surface 25.
A lower space 37 is formed between the two. The lower space 37 is connected to the upper space 34, and the down tube 3 is inserted through the lower space 37.

Incidentally, the radiator 27 of the water-cooled engine 14 is accommodated in the upper space 34 of the leg shield 23.

The radiator 27 is a radiator core 2 equipped with cooling fins.
8 and a core frame 29 surrounding this radiator core 28
It is fixed to the front surface of the head vibrator 2 via a pair of brackets 30. That is, bracket 3
0 is welded to the front surface of the head vibe 2 so as to protrude in the left and right direction, and the core frame 29 is inserted between the left and right ends of these brackets 30, and the bolts 3
1, the tightening is fixed. Therefore, the radiator 27 is housed in the upper space 34 with the radiator core 28 facing forward, and the front surface of the radiator 27 is covered by the front cover 33. and,
A plurality of slit-shaped intake ports 35 are formed in a portion of the front cover 33 facing the radiator 27 to guide the wind from the front toward the radiator 27.

Note that the radiator 27 is connected to the water jacket of the water-cooled engine 14 via a cooling water vibrator (not shown).

On the other hand, a pair of air guide ducts 38 are arranged in the recess 26 of the leg shield 23 on both left and right sides of the head vibrator 2 and the down tube 3. These wind guide ducts 3
8 is made of a heat-resistant synthetic resin material and has a hollow cylindrical shape with both ends open.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wind guide duct 38 is arranged along the down tube 3, and the upper end opening 3
9 is led out to the rear of the radiator 27 and faces the rear surface of the radiator core 28. Further, the lower end portion of the air guide duct 38 is guided into the lower space 37, and is fixed at a plurality of locations to a bracket 40 welded to the down tube 3 via screws 41. Therefore, the air guide duct 38 forms an air guide path 38a that extends in the vertical direction inside the upper space 34 and the lower space 37.

The upper end of the air guide duct 38 is screwed into a bracket (not shown) welded to the head vibrator 2.

The lower end opening of the air guide duct 38 is opened downward as it is, and constitutes the exhaust port 42 of the air guide path 38a, and a portion of the lower end opposite to the four parts 26 is connected to the air guide path 38a. The air outlet 43 is provided in a branched manner. The air outlet 43 is a through hole 44 opened at the rear of the lower part of the four parts 26.
The air outlet 43 is opened at the rear surface of the leg shield 23 through the air outlet 43, and the opening portions of the air outlet 43 are located on both left and right sides of the front end of the step board 19, as shown in FIG.

At the branch part of the air outlet 43 of the wind guide duct 38, there is an air outlet 4.
An opening/closing means for selectively opening and closing the exhaust port 3 and the exhaust port 42 is provided. The opening/closing means of this embodiment is a switching valve 45, and a plate-shaped valve body 45a of the switching valve 45 is attached to a pivot shaft 46 that is pivotally supported on the air guide duct 38. One end of the pivot 4B passes through the side wall of the recess 26 and is led out to the rear of the leg shield 23, and a knob 47 is attached to this lead-out end. The knob 47 is manually rotated by the driver, and as shown by the solid line in FIG.
The valve body 45a of the switching valve 45 closes the exhaust port 42 and the air outlet 4
3 in the open position and the air outlet 4 as shown in phantom lines.
3 is closed and the exhaust port 42 is opened, as well as any position between these positions.

With this configuration, the running wind flows into the upper space 34 as cooling air from the cooling air intake port 35 of the front cover 33 and is guided to the front surface of the radiator 27.

When this cooling air passes through the radiator 27,
It is heated by heat exchange with the radiator 27 and is discharged behind the radiator 27. In this case, since the upper end opening 39 of the air guide duct 38 is opposed to the rear surface of the radiator core 28 of the radiator 27, the warmed cooling air flows through the air guide duct 38 as shown by the arrow in FIG. The inside of this air guide duct 38, that is, the air guide path 38
A flows downward.

Therefore, if the switching valve 45 is rotated to the open position shown by the solid line in FIG.
Since the air outlet 43 is opened at the same time as the air outlet 2 is closed, the warm cooling air flowing inside the air guiding duct 38 is discharged from the air outlet 43 onto the step board 19 as shown by the arrow in FIG. Therefore, when the vehicle is running with the engine warm, warm air flows under the driver's feet, which can keep the feet warm in cold weather.

In addition, when heating is not necessary such as in warm weather, the knob 47
If the switching valve 45 is rotated to the closed position shown by the imaginary line in FIG. is discharged below the step board 19, and is not led to the driver's footwell.

In particular, in this embodiment, the switching valve 45 can be rotated not only between the open and closed positions, but also at any position between these positions. If it is installed, the warmed cooling air will flow through the exhaust port 42.
This means that the warm air is distributed to both the air outlet 43 and the air outlet 43, and the volume of warm air guided to the area around the feet can be adjusted.

Therefore, the heating effect under the feet can be freely adjusted according to the season and the driver's preference, and a comfortable driving environment can be obtained.

In the above embodiment, the radiator was provided in front of the head vibrator, but it may also be placed on the side or rear of the head vibrator, or the radiator may be divided into two and distributed to the left and right sides of the head vibrator. It may also be placed.

Further, the number of wind guide ducts is not limited to the above embodiment, and for example -
A book may have a large number of air outlets.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention described in detail above, the cooling air that has passed through the radiator and is warmed can be guided to the area around the driver's feet on the step board as necessary, or the Can be discharged into position. Therefore, the heating effect under the feet can be freely adjusted according to the season and the driver's preference, and a comfortable driving environment can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a partially sectional side view of the front part of a scooter-type motorcycle, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 ■ in Figure 1
4 is a side view of the scooter-type motorcycle, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the scooter-type motorcycle. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Body frame, la... Recess, 8... Handle, 12... Seat, 14... Engine, 19...
...Step board, 23...Leg shield, 27
...Radiator, 33.38...Cover (front cover, undercover), 34.37...Space (upper space, lower space), 35...Intake port, 38a...Air guide path, 42...Exhaust port, 43...Blowout port, 45...
・Opening/closing means (switching valve). Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue

Claims (1)

[Claims] The vehicle body frame is recessed downward between the steering wheel and the seat, and a step board is attached to the recess as a footrest for the driver. In a motorcycle in which a protruding windproof leg shield is provided and an engine is placed below the seat, the engine is water-cooled, and a radiator for cooling the engine is installed in the front of the leg shield and a cover that covers this front. The cover is provided with an intake port that guides cooling air to the radiator, while an air guide path is formed in the space through which cooling air that has passed through the radiator and is warmed flows into the air guide. An air outlet opening toward the step board and an exhaust port opening outside the step board are provided at the downstream end of the passage, and an opening/closing means is provided for selectively opening and closing these air outlets and the exhaust port. A motorcycle engine cooling device characterized by: