JPH04221286A - Joint construction of cowling and fuel tank for vehicle such as motorcycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily restrain the floating of the section of a cowling continuous to a fuel tank due to the action of travel wind, and enable good appearance to be retained. CONSTITUTION:A boss 73 is formed as integral part of the inner side of the slope section 70 of an upper cowl 40 in a side cowl 57, and an elastic material 74 is mounted around the boss 73. In addition, a fuel tank 10 is set to a body frame 2, with the end of the lower side 10c of a fuel tank 10 kept in pressed contact with the elastic material 74. As a result, the floating of the slope section 70 due to travel wind can be restrained, and a fixing means exposed to a surface such as a bolt is not needed. According to this construction, the continuously curved profile of the slope section 70 and fuel tank 10 is not impaired, thereby obtaining good appearance.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the structure of a joint between a cowling and a fuel tank, which are provided on a vehicle body so as to be continuous with the side surface of the fuel tank.

0002

[Prior Art] In recent years, motorcycles have been introduced to the so-called full-covered type, in which a cowling for the purpose of rectifying running wind and providing a windshield is installed from the front, side, and rear of the vehicle body, covering almost the entire surface of the vehicle body. Many models are on the market. The cowling for this model usually consists of an upper cowl that covers the area around the handlebars and headlights at the front of the vehicle, an under cowl that covers the sides of the engine and its peripheral equipment, and a cowling that covers the sides below the seat and extends to the rear of the vehicle. The seat cowl is assembled into a streamlined shape and attached to the vehicle body. Among these, some upper cowls have a rear upper end portion that closes the gap with the front portion of the fuel tank and continues to the side surface of the fuel tank, and the outer surfaces of both have a continuous curved surface shape.

0003

In this case, the wind flowing into the vehicle body from below the upper cowl hits the inner surface of the portion of the upper cowl that is connected to the fuel tank, causing this portion to float upward. Therefore, it is possible to fix the problem by bolting or other means to prevent it from lifting up, but the bolts are exposed on the surface, which impairs the appearance of the continuous curved surface with the fuel tank, and the effort of assembly work is increased accordingly. This can lead to dissatisfaction.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a cowling for a vehicle such as a motorcycle, which can easily prevent the part of the upper cowl connected to the fuel tank from lifting up and maintain good appearance. The purpose is to provide a joint structure for a fuel tank and a fuel tank.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made to achieve the above object, and as claimed in claim 1, there is provided an automatic vehicle equipped with an upper cowl that extends around the steering wheel from the vicinity of the headlight provided at the front of the vehicle body. In a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, the upper cowl is provided to cover the vehicle body so as to be continuous with the side surface of the fuel tank, and the inner surface of the upper cowl is provided with a projection that projects approximately horizontally, and The tank is set in the vehicle body with its lower edge in contact with the protrusion, and as claimed in claim 2, an elastic material such as rubber is attached to the protrusion, and the lower edge of the tank presses the elastic material. It is characterized by

[0006]

[Function] According to the joint structure of the cowling and fuel tank in a vehicle such as a motorcycle according to the present invention, even if the part of the upper cowl connected to the fuel tank is lifted up by the driving wind that enters the inside of the cowling, the inner surface of the upper cowl is Since the protrusion is in contact with the lower edge of the fuel tank, lifting is suppressed. This structure is achieved by simply setting the fuel tank on the vehicle body, so the upper cowl can be easily prevented from lifting up without the need for fixing means such as bolts, and the bolts are exposed on the surface and the fuel tank can be easily secured. The continuous curved shape is not damaged, and a good appearance can be obtained. Furthermore, by attaching an elastic material to the protrusion, the boss and the lower edge of the fuel tank do not damage each other, and vibrations of the upper cowl and the fuel tank are suppressed.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a motorcycle will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, during the explanation,
Directions such as front and back and left and right are relative to the direction in which the vehicle moves.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an overall side view of a motorcycle to which the present invention is applied, and the motorcycle 1 includes a body frame 2 and a front end portion of the body frame 2 rotatably supported. a pair of left and right front forks 3; a steering handle (steering) 4 attached to the upper end of these front forks 3;
A front wheel 5 rotatably supported by the vehicle body frame 2, a rear fork 6 rotatably supported by the vehicle body frame 2, a rear wheel 7 rotatably supported by the rear end of the rear fork 6, and a rear fork 6 rotatably supported by the vehicle body frame 2. an engine 8 supported on the body frame 2, a radiator 9 also supported on the body frame 2, a fuel tank 10 set on the top of the body frame 2, and this fuel tank 1.
A seat 11 arranged at the rear of the vehicle for the driver and passengers to sit on, and steps 12 and 13 for the driver and passengers.
The vehicle includes a retractable stand 14 that supports the vehicle body in an upright state when parked, and a battery 15 disposed below the seat, and almost the entire vehicle body is covered by a cowling 16.

To explain in more detail with reference to FIG. 2, the vehicle body frame 2 includes a head pipe 17 at the front end;
A pair of left and right main tubes 18 (only the left side is visible in FIG. 2) that is divided into left and right parts and extend backward and diagonally downward; and a pivot bracket 19 that extends downward to which the rear end of the main tube 18 is welded in an inserted state; A cross member 20 spanned in the left-right direction between the rear ends of the main tube 18, an upper rail 22a whose front end is welded to the cross member 20 via a pipe-shaped bracket 21 and extends rearward, and the pivot. The seat rail 22 includes a lower rail 22b whose front end is inserted and welded to the rear of the upper end of the bracket 19, and whose rear end is welded to the rear end of the upper rail 22a. A hanger pipe 23 extending downward and a hanger plate 24 extending forward are welded to the front and rear of the main tube 18, respectively, and a reinforcing pipe 25 connecting the two is welded to the upper end of the hanger pipe 23 and the head pipe 17.
Furthermore, the front end of the main tube 18 and the hanger pipe 23
A gusset 26 connecting the two is welded to the upper end.

[0010] The engine 8 is a parallel four-cylinder type in this case, and includes the hanger pipe 23, the hanger plate 24,
It is bolted to a pivot bracket 19. An exhaust pipe 27 is connected to the front part of the engine 8 for each cylinder, and these exhaust pipes 27 are collected into a single collecting pipe 28 extending rearward, and a muffler 29
is connected. The engine 8 has a carburetor 30
is connected to the carburetor 30, and an air cleaner 31 disposed below the fuel tank 10 is further connected to the carburetor 30. Power from the engine 8 is transmitted to the rear wheels 7 via a drive chain 32. Further, the radiator 9 is
It is fixed to the hanger pipe 23.

The step 12 for the driver is fixed to the pivot bracket 19 via a step holder 33, and the step 13 for the passenger is fixed to the lower rail 22b via a step bracket 34. Further, the stand 14 includes the pivot bracket 1
It is attached to the bottom of 9.

A steering stem (not shown) with a lower bridge 35 integrally provided at its lower end is inserted into the head pipe 17 of the vehicle body frame 2 so as to be rotatable around an axis. A top bridge 36 is fixed to the upper end portion protruding from 17. The front fork 3 is inserted and fixed into the top bridge 36 and the lower bridge 35, and the front wheel 5 is supported at the lower end thereof. The handle 4 is fitted and fixed to the upper end of each front fork 3 that protrudes from the top bridge 36.

The front end of the rear fork 6 is pivotally supported by a pivot 37 that is spanned between the pivot brackets 19, so that the rear fork 6 can swing up and down about the pivot 37. A rear wheel 7 is supported at a certain swing end. The rocking of the rear wheel 7 is damped by the rear cushion unit 38. This rear cushion unit 38 includes a cross member (not shown) that has one end extending between the rear ends of the left and right main tubes 18.
The other end is pin-coupled to the front end of the rear fork 6 via a link mechanism 39.

Now, the cowling 16 is fixed to the vehicle body frame 2 having the above structure by means such as screws, and as shown in FIG. an under cowl 41 that covers the sides of the engine 8 and its peripheral equipment; a center cowl 42 provided between the cowls 40 and 41; and a seat that covers the lower side of the seat 10 and extends to the rear of the vehicle body. The cowl 43 is divided into a cowl 43, which are assembled into a streamlined shape and fixed to the vehicle body frame 2.

The upper cowl 40 is formed into a streamlined shape from the front to the rear of the head pipe 17 on the vehicle body frame 2, and both sides cover both sides of the upper portions of the left and right front forks 3, and extend to the front of the fuel tank 10. It extends,
A notch 44 is formed on both sides to avoid interference with the handle 4, an air inlet 45 is formed below the notch 44, and a curved screen 46 extending above the top bridge 36 is formed at the upper end of the front part. are integrated.

The under cowl 41 has a substantially U-shaped cross section (only the left side is visible in FIG. 1), with a pair of left and right under cowl divisions 41A assembled together, and its upper end extends along the main tube 18. It covers this main tube 18, and in the center is the crankcase 8a of the engine 8.
A hole 41a into which the end of the hole 41a is fitted is formed, and an air inlet 41b is formed at the front portion below the hole 41a.

The center cowl 42 is formed into a substantially rhombic shape, and an air outlet 42a is formed in the center thereof to guide exhaust heat from the radiator 9, engine 8, etc. to the outside.

The seat cowl 43 is provided to cover the sides of the left and right seat rails 43, and has an air outlet 43a formed at its front end for guiding exhaust heat from the engine 8 and the like to the outside. At the end, there is a tail light 4 that also serves as a stop light.
7 is attached, and a rear fender 48 extending obliquely rearward and downward is attached below it, and direction indicators 49 are attached to the left and right sides of this rear fender 48.

Of the cowling 16 having the above structure, the upper cowl 40 is the key point of this embodiment, and this upper cowl 40 will be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the upper cowl 40 includes a front cowl 51 in which a mounting opening 51a for a headlamp 50 is formed, and a front undercoat that is assembled to the lower side of the front cowl 51 with screws 52 and nuts 53. It is composed of a cowl 54, a pair of left and right side cowls 57 assembled to both sides of the cowls 51 and 54 with screws 55 and nuts 56, and the screen 46 that is assembled between the front cowl 51 and the left and right side cowls 57. ing. Each side cowl 57
The notch 44 and the air introduction port 45 are formed in the side cowl 57, and a duct 58 having a U-shaped cross section and continuous with the air introduction port 45 is fixed to the inner surface of the side cowl 57 with screws 59. Further, a stay 61 of a rearview mirror (not shown) is attached to the inner surface of the bracket portion 60a at the tip of the rising portion 60 extending upward from the front portion of the side cowl 57. This stay 61 and the bracket part 60a are connected by screws 62
are fastened together to an upper cowl stay (not shown) via a rubber 63. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 64 indicates a bolt for fixing the side cowl 57 to the vehicle body frame 2, and reference numeral 65 indicates a nut for fixing the under cowl 41 to the side cowl 57.

In the left and right side cowls 57, the air inlet 4 extends rearward from the lower part of the rising portion 60.
5 is formed in a continuous manner, and below the air inlet 45 of this side part 66, a direction indicator mounting part 67 is molded, and the direction indicator is attached here. 68
is installed. The upper end portion of the side portion 66 has a horizontal portion 69 extending substantially horizontally toward the inside of the vehicle body, and further has a slope portion 70 extending diagonally upward and inward at the rear end of this horizontal portion 69. . As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, this slope portion 70 covers the front end of the main tube 18 and closes the gap between it and the front of the fuel tank 10 set in the vehicle body. It continues to the side surface of the fuel tank 10, and the fuel tank 10 and the slope part 70 have a continuous curved surface shape. In addition, the left side cowl 57
The inside of the horizontal part 69 is a fuse storage space, which can be opened and closed by a lid 72 that is attached and detached using screws 71.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fuel tank 10 is constructed by welding a tank bottom plate 10b to a tank body plate 10a, and the joint between the two is located slightly inside the fuel tank 10 and protrudes downward. This is the lower edge 10c of the fuel tank 10.

Slope portion 70 of the side cowl 57
A cylindrical boss 73 (protrusion) extending inward substantially horizontally is integrally formed on the inner surface of the
An annular elastic member 74 made of rubber or the like is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the ring. When the fuel tank 10 is set on the vehicle body, the tip of the lower edge 10c presses against the elastic member 74. The pressing force is such that the side cowl 57 including the slope portion 70 is not deformed, and the elastic material 74
It is preferable to set it to such an extent that it is slightly elastically deformed. In this state, the slope portion 70 and the outer surface of the tank body plate 10a of the fuel tank 10 form a continuous curved surface.

Now, the slope portion 70 of the side cowl 57 in the upper cowl 40 has the effect that when the motorcycle 1 is running, the running wind that enters the inside of the vehicle body from the lower side of the upper cowl 40 hits its inner surface and floats upward and outward. However, since the slope portion 70 is pressed against the lower edge 10c of the fuel tank 10 via the elastic member 74 and the boss 73 as described above, the slope portion 70 is prevented from floating up. Further, after attaching the upper cowl 40 to the vehicle body frame 2, the fuel tank 10 is attached to the vehicle body frame 2.
This structure can be achieved by simply setting the slope part 70 to the surface, so that the slope part 70 can be easily prevented from lifting up without the need for fixing means such as bolts, and the bolts can be exposed to the surface to ensure continuity with the fuel tank 10. The curved surface shape is not damaged, and a good appearance can be obtained. Also, the fuel tank 10 is attached to the boss 73.
Since the tip of the lower edge 10c is not in direct contact with the elastic member 74, the tip and the boss 73 do not damage each other, and the vibrations of the upper cowl 40 and the fuel tank 10 are suppressed. It is equipped with

[0025]

As explained above, according to the coupling structure of the cowling and fuel tank in a vehicle such as a motorcycle according to the present invention, an automatic vehicle equipped with an upper cowl that extends from the vicinity of the headlight provided at the front of the vehicle body to around the steering wheel. In a vehicle such as a two-wheeled vehicle, the upper cowl is provided to cover the vehicle body so as to be continuous with the side surface of the fuel tank, and the inner surface of the upper cowl is provided with a projection that projects approximately horizontally, and It is characterized in that it is set on the vehicle body with its lower edge abutting the protrusion, and even if the part of the upper cowl that connects to the fuel tank is lifted up by the wind that enters inside the cowling, the inner surface of the upper cowl Since the protrusion is pressed against the lower edge of the fuel tank, it is possible to easily prevent that part from lifting up without the need for fixing means such as bolts, and the bolts are exposed on the surface and do not connect to the fuel tank. A good appearance can be obtained without damaging the continuous surface shape. Furthermore, by attaching an elastic material to the protrusion, the boss and the lower edge of the fuel tank do not damage each other, and vibrations of the upper cowl and the fuel tank are suppressed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a partially sectional side view of the motorcycle of one embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of the upper cowl.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the front part of the motorcycle of one embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the joint between the fuel tank and the sloped portion of the upper cowl.

[Explanation of symbols] 1　Motorcycle 2 Vehicle body frame 10c Lower edge 10 Fuel tank 16 Cowling 40 Upper cowl 73 Boss (protrusion) 74 Elastic material

Claims (2)

[Claims] [Claim 1] In a vehicle such as a motorcycle that includes an upper cowl that extends from near the headlight provided at the front of the vehicle body to around the steering wheel, the upper cowl includes:
The upper cowl is provided covering the vehicle body so as to be continuous with the side surface of the fuel tank, and the inner surface of the upper cowl is provided with a protrusion that protrudes substantially horizontally, and the fuel tank is held in such a manner that its lower edge abuts the protrusion. A coupling structure for a cowling fuel tank in a vehicle such as a motorcycle, characterized in that it is set on the vehicle body. [Claim 2] Attaching an elastic material such as rubber to the protrusion,
2. The joint structure of a cowling and a fuel tank in a vehicle such as a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic material is pressed by a lower edge of the tank.