Suspension device

Abstract

To provide a suspension device capable of changing the attachment position of a clamp in a fork member in accordance with the specification of a saddle-riding type vehicle while preventing the fork member from being detached from the clamp.SOLUTION: A suspension device 1 includes a fork member 2, and a bracket 3 that grasps the outer circumference of the upper end portion of the fork member 2. The bracket 3 includes: a C-shaped clamp 5 which grasps the fork member 2, and which has a plurality of through-holes 5a1, 5a1, 5b1 and 5b2 formed so as to be arranged side by side in the vertical direction at respective ends; and a plurality of bolts 9 and 9 which is inserted in the through-holes 5a1, 5a1, 5b1 and 5b2 provided at respective ends of the clamp 5, and which pulls the respective ends of the clamp 5 so as to reduce the diameter of the clamp 5. The fork member 2 includes a plurality of grooves 2a1 and 2a2 which is formed at different positions in the vertical direction and in the outer circumference of the upper end portion, and which allows the engagement of at least one of the bolts 9 and 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a suspension device used in a saddle-ride type vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a suspension system is configured with a pair of fork members that support the front wheels, which are the steering wheels of a saddle-ride type vehicle, and a bracket that grips the upper ends of the fork members and is connected to the lower end of a steering shaft that is rotatably held within a head pipe provided at the front end of the body of the saddle-ride type vehicle.

[0003] The bracket includes, for example, a shaft retaining ring that fits around the outer periphery of the steering shaft connected to the handlebars, a pair of clamps that grip the upper ends of the fork members, and a pair of arms that connect C-shaped clamps arranged on either side of the shaft retaining ring to the central shaft retaining ring. The clamps also have a pair of holes at the top and bottom of one end that allow bolts to be inserted, and a pair of screw holes at the other end that face the holes and allow bolts to be screwed in. By inserting two bolts into the corresponding holes and screwing them into the screw holes, the clamps can be reduced in diameter to tighten and grip the outer peripheries of the fork members (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-270874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] As mentioned above, in conventional suspension systems, the ends of the clamp on the bracket are brought close together by screwing together two bolts, and the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member is tightened with the clamp, fastening the bracket and the fork member together. However, simply tightening the outer periphery of the fork member with the clamp could cause the fork member to come loose or shift upward relative to the clamp due to vibrations input from the front wheel.

[0006] For this reason, an annular groove is provided around the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member, and when the fork member is tightened with the clamp, the upper bolt attached to the clamp is fitted into the annular groove to prevent the fork member from coming loose from the clamp.

[0007] While this prevents the fork members from coming loose or shifting from the clamp, if it is desired to change the mounting position of the clamp on the fork members to suit the specifications of the saddle-riding vehicle, such as to accommodate the size of the front wheel, it is necessary to insert a bolt into the annular groove, which requires a change in the design of the parts that make up the upper end portion of the fork members, and the mounting position of the clamp cannot be changed to suit the saddle-riding vehicle.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a suspension device that prevents the fork members from coming off the clamps, while allowing the mounting positions of the clamps on the fork members to be changed in accordance with the specifications of the saddle-ride type vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the suspension device of the present invention comprises a fork member that supports the front wheel of a saddle-ride type vehicle, and a bracket that grips the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member and can be connected to a steering shaft, the bracket comprises a C-shaped clamp that grips the fork member and has a plurality of insertion holes formed in a row in the vertical direction at both ends, and a plurality of bolts that can be inserted into the insertion holes provided at both ends of the clamp to draw the ends of the clamp together and reduce the diameter of the clamp, and the fork member has a plurality of grooves formed in different vertical positions on the outer periphery of the upper end to allow at least one of the bolts to be fitted into it.

[0010] With a suspension device configured in this manner, the fork member can be prevented from coming loose from the clamp by fitting the bolt into one of the multiple grooves in the fork member, and the attachment position of the clamp to the fork member can be changed by selecting one of the multiple grooves into which the bolt is fitted.

[0011] Another suspension device of the present invention includes a fork member that supports the front wheel of a saddle-ride type vehicle, and a bracket that grips the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member and can be connected to a steering shaft, the bracket includes a C-shaped clamp that grips the fork member and has a plurality of insertion holes formed in a vertical line at both ends, and a plurality of bolts that can be inserted into the insertion holes provided at both ends of the clamp to draw the ends of the clamp toward each other and reduce the diameter of the clamp, and the fork member has a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery of the upper end that allows at least one of the bolts to be fitted into it.

[0012] With this suspension system, fitting the bolt into the groove in the fork member prevents the fork member from coming off the clamp, and the attachment position of the clamp to the fork member can be changed by changing the position where the bolt fits into the groove. Furthermore, because the spiral groove is formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member, the attachment position of the clamp to the fork member can be adjusted continuously within the range of the groove.

[0013] Furthermore, the grooves in the suspension device may be provided along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member. With this suspension device configured in this way, the grooves are provided along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member, so that the vertical spacing between adjacent grooves in the circumferential direction can be narrowed, and the attachment position of the clamp to the fork member can be more precisely adjusted by selecting the groove into which the bolt fits.

[0014] Furthermore, the grooves in the suspension device may be positioned above the lower ends of the clamps that grip the fork members. With a suspension device configured in this way, regardless of which of the grooves a bolt is fitted into, the groove is always positioned above the lower ends of the clamps. Therefore, even if a bending moment is applied to the fork members, the weak parts where the grooves are located, which have low bending strength, are gripped by the clamps, and large bending stresses do not act on the weak parts. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the fork members so that the weak parts can withstand bending stresses, and an increase in the weight of the fork members can be avoided even if the mounting position of the clamps on the fork members can be changed.

[0015] Furthermore, the suspension may be configured so that when the uppermost bolt of the plurality of bolts attached to the clamp gripping the fork member is fitted into the uppermost groove of the grooves, the lowermost groove of the grooves is positioned higher than the lowermost bolt. With a suspension configured in this way, when the fork member is gripped by the clamp, all of the grooves are necessarily positioned higher than the lowermost bolt, so that even if a bending moment is applied to the fork member, the weak parts where the grooves are located, which have low bending strength, are positioned higher than the parts tightened by the clamps with the bolts, so that the bending stress acting on the weak parts can be minimized and an increase in the weight of the fork member can be avoided, thereby more effectively avoiding weight increase.

[0016] Furthermore, the suspension device may be configured so that only the uppermost bolt of the multiple bolts attached to the clamp gripping the fork members is fitted into the groove. With a suspension device configured in this manner, because only the uppermost bolt of the multiple bolts is fitted into the groove, it is easy to determine the position of the groove from the amount of protrusion of the fork members from the upper end of the clamp, which makes it easier to change the attachment position of the fork members of the clamp and makes it easier to prevent the lower groove from protruding below the clamp when the clamp is attached to the fork members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the suspension device of the present invention, the attachment position of the clamp on the fork member can be changed according to the specifications of the saddle-ride type vehicle, while preventing the fork member from coming off the clamp. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a saddle-ride type vehicle to which a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of an upper end portion of a fork member in a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view of a bracket in the suspension system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the bracket in the suspension system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of a bracket in the suspension system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 5A and 5B are diagrams illustrating a connection state between a clamp of a bracket and an upper end of a fork member in a suspension device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an upper end portion of a fork member according to a modified example of the suspension device of the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an upper end portion of a fork member of a suspension device according to a first modified example of one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention will be described below based on the embodiment shown in the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, a suspension system 1 in one embodiment is configured to include a pair of fork members 2, 2 that support a front wheel W of a saddle-riding type vehicle V, and a bracket 3 that grips the outer periphery of the upper ends of the fork members 2, 2 and is connectable to a steering shaft S. In this document, unless otherwise specified, front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions will be described based on the saddle-riding type vehicle V.

[0020] 1 and 2, the fork members 2, 2 have the same configuration, and in this embodiment are configured to include a cylindrical outer tube 2a arranged on the vehicle body side, a cylindrical inner tube 2b that extends from the lower end of the outer tube 2a into and out of the outer tube 2a and is arranged on the axle side, a damper cartridge that is interposed between the outer tube 2a and the inner tube 2b and generates a damping force when the inner tube 2b moves axially relative to the outer tube 2a, and a suspension spring that is interposed between the outer tube 2a and the inner tube 2b and urges the outer tube 2a and the inner tube 2b to separate them from each other in the axial direction. Thus, when the suspension device 1 is interposed between the body and front wheel W of a saddle-riding type vehicle V, it elastically supports the vehicle body with the suspension spring and expands and contracts in response to input vibrations while the saddle-riding type vehicle V is traveling, thereby generating a damping force that reduces the vibrations.

[0021] The fork member 2 is provided with an outer tube 2a and an inner tube 2b and is extendable and contractible, generating a damping force when extended and contracted; however, it may be configured to house only a suspension spring inside and elastically support the vehicle body without generating a damping force, or may be a rod-shaped member that does not extend and contract as long as it can support the front wheel W.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 2, annular grooves 2a1 and 2a2 are formed along the circumferential direction on the outer periphery near the upper end of the outer tube 2a on the upper side of the fork member 2 and are aligned in the vertical direction.

[0023] The steering shaft S is inserted into a head pipe P of the body of the saddle-ride type vehicle and is fitted into a ball bearing attached to the inner periphery of the head pipe P, so that it can rotate about its axis relative to the head pipe P. The upper end of the steering shaft S protrudes upward from inside the head pipe P, and the lower end protrudes downward from inside the head pipe P. The upper end of the steering shaft S is connected to a handlebar H, so that when the handlebar H is operated, the steering shaft S rotates about its axis within the head pipe P.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 3 connects the steering shaft S, which is inserted into a head pipe P provided at the tip of the body B of the saddle-riding type vehicle V and rotatably held by the head pipe P, to the upper ends of a pair of fork members 2, 2, which are arranged on the left and right sides of the front wheel W of the saddle-riding type vehicle V and hold the axle of the front wheel W at their lower ends.

[0025] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1, 3 to 5, the bracket 3 includes a shaft retaining ring 4 that retains the steering shaft S, a pair of left and right clamps 5, 6 that grip the upper ends of the fork members 2, 2, a pair of arms 7, 8 that connect the shaft retaining ring 4 to each of the clamps 5, 6, and a bolt 9 that is screwed to each of the clamps 5, 6.

[0026] The shaft holding ring 4 is annular and has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer periphery of the lower end of the steering shaft S. The shaft holding ring 4 is press-fitted onto the outer periphery of the lower end of the steering shaft S to grip the lower end of the steering shaft S.

[0027] 3, the arms 7 and 8 connect the shaft retaining ring 4 to the clamps 5 and 6, respectively, with the shaft retaining ring 4 at the center. In other words, the arm 7 connects the shaft retaining ring 4 to the clamp 5 on the right side, and the arm 8 connects the shaft retaining ring 4 to the clamp 6 on the left side.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, the clamps 5 and 6 are both C-shaped with a split annular portion when viewed from above, and are arranged on both the left and right sides of the shaft holding ring 4 with the shaft holding ring 4 in the center.

[0029] The right clamp 5, which is disposed on the right side of the shaft retaining ring 4 in FIG. 3, has ears 5a, 5b that protrude radially outward from both ends of a circumferential split, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The ear 5a provided at one circumferential end of the clamp 5 and the ear 5b provided at the other circumferential end of the clamp 5 face each other across the split of the clamp 5. The left clamp 6, which is disposed on the left side of the shaft retaining ring 4 in FIG. 3, has ears 6a, 6b that protrude radially outward from both ends of a circumferential split, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The ear 6a provided at one circumferential end of the clamp 6 and the ear 6b ​​provided at the other circumferential end of the clamp 5 face each other across the split of the clamp 6.

[0030] Furthermore, ear 5a, which is provided at the central end on the shaft retaining ring 4 side, has two threaded holes 5a1 and 5a2 on the top and bottom as insertion holes that enable the bolt 9 to be screwed in, as shown in Figure 4, and ear 5b, which is provided at the outer end on the opposite side from the shaft retaining ring, has two threaded holes 5b1 and 5b2 on the top and bottom as insertion holes that enable the bolt 9 to be inserted.

[0031] The upper screw hole 5a1 in the ear 5a and the upper screw hole 5b1 in the ear 5b opposite the ear 5a form a pair that face each other across the split, allowing for the insertion of one bolt 9. The lower screw hole 5a2 in the ear 5a and the lower screw hole 5b2 in the ear 5b opposite the ear 5a form a pair that face each other across the split, allowing for the insertion of one bolt 9.

[0032] Therefore, when the upper and lower bolts 9, 9 that are hung across the ears 5a, 5b of the clamp 5 and inserted into the screw holes 5a1, 5a2 and the insertion holes 5b1, 5b2 are screwed into the opposing screw holes 5a1, 5a2, the distance between the ears 5a, 5b is shortened, thereby reducing the inner diameter of the clamp 5. Therefore, after the upper end of the fork member 2 is inserted into the clamp 5, the clamp 5 tightens the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2 to grip the fork member 2 by using the bolts 9, 9 as described above.

[0033] Furthermore, of the screw holes 5a1 and 5a2 in the ear 5a, the upper screw hole 5a1 is located closer to the center of the clamp 5 in the axial direction than the screw hole 5a2, and similarly, of the insertion holes 5b1 and 5b2 in the ear 5b, the upper insertion hole 5b1 is located closer to the center of the clamp 5 in the axial direction than the insertion hole 5b2. Therefore, when viewing the clamp 5 from the axial direction, the upper bolt 9 inserted through the pair of screw holes 5a1 and 5b1 is positioned closer to the inner periphery of the clamp 5 than the lower bolt 9 inserted through the pair of screw holes 5a2 and 5b2, and is attached to the clamp 5 so that its side protrudes into the clamp 5. On the other hand, when viewing the clamp 5 from the axial direction, the lower bolt 9 inserted through the pair of screw hole 5a2 and 5b2 is positioned outside the clamp 5 and does not protrude into the clamp 5.

[0034] Like clamp 5, clamp 6 has two screw holes 6a1, 6a2 provided above and below as insertion holes in ear 6a provided at the end on the central side facing shaft retaining ring 4, and two insertion holes 6b1, 6b2 provided above and below in ear 6b ​​provided at the end on the outer side facing away from the shaft retaining ring 4. The upper screw hole 6a1 and the upper insertion hole 6b1 form a pair, and the lower screw hole 6a2 and the lower insertion hole 6b2 form a pair, each of which allows the insertion of a bolt 9. The arrangement of screw holes 6a1, 6a2 and insertion holes 6b1, 6b2 in clamp 6 is plane-symmetrical to the arrangement of screw holes 5a1, 5a2 and insertion holes 5b1, 5b2 in clamp 5, with shaft retaining ring 4 at the center, and when bolt 9 is inserted into screw holes 6a1, 6a2 and insertion holes 6b1, 6b2, the side of bolt 9 inserted into upper screw hole 6a1 and insertion hole 6b1 is positioned within clamp 6. Therefore, as with clamp 5, after the upper end of fork member 2 is inserted into clamp 6, bolt 9 is inserted into upper screw hole 6a1 and insertion hole 6b1, and then into lower screw hole 6a2 and insertion hole 6b2, and bolt 9 is screwed into screw holes 6a1, 6a2, respectively. As a result, clamp 6 contracts in diameter, and the clamp 6 can tighten the outer periphery of the upper end of fork member 2 to grip fork member 2.

[0035] Next, the procedure for connecting the bracket 3 to the fork members 2, 2 will be described. First, the upper end of the outer tube 2a of the fork member 2 is inserted into the clamp 5 with the bolts 9, 9 removed. At this time, if it is desired to increase the length of the fork member 2 protruding downward from the lower end of the clamp 5, the upper end of the outer tube 2a is inserted into the clamp 5 with the upper annular groove 2a1 of the outer tube 2a aligned with the height positions of the upper screw hole 5a1 and the upper insertion hole 5b1 in the ears 5a, 5b.

[0036] Thereafter, a bolt 9 is inserted through the upper screw hole 5a1 and insertion hole 5b1 that form a pair of ears 5a, 5b, and a bolt 9 is inserted through the lower screw hole 5a2 and insertion hole 5b2 that form a pair of ears 5a, 5b. Then, the side of the bolt 9 arranged on the upper side of the clamp 5 protrudes into the clamp 5 and fits into the annular groove 2a1 of the outer tube 2a. The bolt 9 arranged on the lower side of the clamp 5 protrudes into the clamp 5 and functions as a retainer, restricting vertical movement of the fork member 2 relative to the clamp 5. On the other hand, when viewed from the axial direction of the clamp 5, the lower bolt 9 that is inserted through the pair of screw hole 5a2 and insertion hole 5b2 is arranged outside the clamp 5 and does not protrude into the clamp 5, so it does not interfere with the fork member 2.

[0037] Then, when the upper and lower bolts 9, 9 attached to the clamp 5 are rotated and screwed into the corresponding screw holes 5a1, 5a2, the ears 5a, 5b approach each other and the clamp 5 contracts in diameter, tightly clamping and gripping the outer periphery of the upper end of the outer tube 2a, which is the upper end of the fork member 2, and the clamp 5 is fixedly connected to the fork member 2. As described above, when the clamp 5 is connected to the fork member 2, the bolt 9 fits into the annular groove 2a1, so the clamp 5 grips the fork member 2 while preventing it from coming out of the clamp 5, and therefore the position at which it grips the fork member 2 will not change even if vibrations are input from the front wheel W.

[0038] Furthermore, if it is desired to shorten the length of the fork member 2 protruding downward from the lower end of the clamp 5, the upper end of the outer tube 2a is inserted into the clamp 5 with the lower annular groove 2a2 of the outer tube 2a aligned with the height positions of the upper screw holes 5a1 and the upper insertion holes 5b1 in the ears 5a, 5b, and the upper bolt 9 of the clamp 5 is fitted into the lower annular groove 2a2. In this way, the fork member 2 can be held by the clamp 5 while being prevented from coming off, and the attachment position of the clamp 5 to the fork member 2 can be shifted downward on the fork member 2 compared to when the clamp 5 is connected to the fork member 2 by fitting the upper bolt 9 into the upper annular groove 2a1. Therefore, when the clamp 5 is connected to the fork member 2 by fitting the upper bolt 9 into the lower annular groove 2a2, the length of the fork member 2 protruding downward from the lower end of the clamp 5 can be shortened by the length L from the center of the annular groove 2a1 to the center of the annular groove 2a2 in the axial direction, as shown in Figure 6, compared to when the upper bolt 9 is fitted into the upper annular groove 2a1.

[0039] Clamps 5 and 6 have the same structure except that ears 5a, 5b, 6a, and 6b are arranged in the opposite direction, and therefore clamp 6 is connected to fork member 2 in the same manner as clamp 5. Therefore, when connecting clamp 6 to fork member 2, the length of fork member 2 that protrudes downward from the lower end of clamp 6 can be adjusted by fitting upper bolt 9 into either upper annular groove 2a1 or lower annular groove 2b1.

[0040] Furthermore, in the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, the distance between the annular grooves 2a1, 2a2 is set so that even when the upper bolt 9 is fitted into the upper annular groove 2a1 of the fork member 2 and the clamps 5, 6 are connected to the fork member 2, the lower annular groove 2a2 into which the bolt 9 is not fitted is positioned higher than the lower ends of the clamps 5, 6 and is covered by the clamps 5, 6. Furthermore, in the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, even when the uppermost bolt 9 of the multiple bolts 9, 9 attached to the clamps 5, 6 gripping the fork member 2 is fitted into the uppermost annular groove 2a1, the lowermost annular groove 2a2 is set to be positioned higher than the lowermost bolt 9.

[0041] As described above, the suspension device 1 of this embodiment includes a fork member 2 that supports the front wheel W of a saddle-ride type vehicle V, and a bracket 3 that grips the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2 and is connectable to the steering shaft S. The bracket 3 grips the fork member 2 and includes a C-shaped clamp 5 that has a plurality of screw holes (insertion holes) 5a1, 5a1 and insertion holes 5b1, 5b2 formed in a vertical line at both ends, and a plurality of bolts 9, 9 that can be inserted into the screw holes (insertion holes) 5a1, 5a1 and insertion holes 5b1, 5b2 formed at both ends of the clamp 5 to draw the ends of the clamp 5 together and reduce the diameter of the clamp 5. The fork member 2 has a plurality of annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 formed in different vertical positions on the outer periphery of the upper end and that allow for the fitting of at least one of the bolts 9, 9.

[0042] According to the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, the bolt 9 can be fitted into one of the multiple annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 of the fork member 2 to prevent the fork member 2 from coming off the clamp 5, and the mounting position of the clamp 5 to the fork member 2 can be changed by selecting the annular groove (groove) from the multiple annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 into which the bolt 9 is fitted.

[0043] Therefore, according to the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, the attachment position of the clamp 5 on the fork member 2 can be changed according to the specifications of the saddle-ride type vehicle V, while preventing the fork member 2 from coming off the clamp 5.

[0044] In the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, the grooves that allow the bolt 9 to be fitted are the annular grooves 2a1, 2a2. This eliminates the need to circumferentially position the fork member 2 relative to the clamps 5, 6 to align them with the position of the bolt 9 when connecting the clamps 5, 6 to the fork member 2, thereby reducing the workload of connecting the clamps 5, 6 to the fork member 2. However, the grooves that allow the bolt 9 to be fitted and that, together with the bolt 9, prevent the clamps 5, 6 of the fork member 2 from coming off need not be formed annularly around the entire outer periphery of the fork member 2 like the annular grooves 2a1, 2a2 described above, as long as they allow the side of the bolt 9 to be fitted, do not hinder axial and circumferential movement of the bolt 9 within the groove as the bolt 9 is threaded into the screw holes 5a1, 6a1, and do not hinder the clamping of the fork member 2 as the clamps 5, 6 are reduced in diameter. Therefore, the grooves that allow the bolt 9 to be fitted need only be provided along the axis of the bolt 9 in a portion of the outer periphery at the upper end of the fork member 2. In this case, the axis of the bolt 9 is twisted relative to the axis of the fork member 2 but is arranged on a plane perpendicular to the axis of the fork member 2, so it is preferable that the groove be provided circumferentially around the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2. However, as long as the groove allows the bolt 9 to be inserted and prevents the bolt 9 from moving axially and circumferentially, the directions of the groove and the axis of the bolt 9 do not have to coincide, and the bolt 9 may be loosely fitted in the groove with some play.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the suspension device 1 supports the front wheel W with two fork members 2,2, and the bracket 3 also has two clamps 5,6 corresponding to the two fork members 2,2, but if the front wheel W is supported by one fork member 2, the bracket 3 may be configured to have only one of the clamps 5,6.

[0046] Furthermore, three or more grooves into which bolt 9 is fitted may be provided. As described above, two annular grooves 2a1, 2a2 are provided as grooves, so the attachment positions of clamps 5, 6 to fork members 2, 2 can be adjusted in two stages, and the length by which fork members 2, 2 protrude downward from clamps 5, 6 can be adjusted in two stages, but if three or more grooves are provided, the attachment positions of clamps 5, 6 to fork members 2, 2 can be adjusted in three or more stages depending on the grooves provided.

[0047] When three or more grooves into which the bolts 9 are fitted are provided, the intervals between the grooves may be set to match the axial intervals between the screw holes 5a1, 5a2, 6a1, 6a2 and the insertion holes 5b1, 5b2, 6b1, 6b2 so that the bolts 9 on both the upper and lower sides are fitted into the corresponding grooves at the same time. Furthermore, three or more bolts 9 may be provided on each of the clamps 5, 6. In this case, it is possible to arbitrarily determine which of the three or more bolts 9 arranged above and below are fitted into the grooves.

[0048] Furthermore, as described above, the insertion holes provided in the ear portion 5a (6a) are screw holes 5a1, 5a2 (6a1, 6a2), but they may also be holes without screw grooves, and in that case, a nut screwed onto the screw shaft of the bolt 9 may be used to clamp the ear portion 5a (6a) and the ear portion 5b (6b) between the bolt 9 and the nut to reduce the diameter of the clamp 5 (6), and the clamp 5 (6) may grip the fork member 2.

[0049] Furthermore, in the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 are provided in the fork member 2 so as to always be positioned above the lower ends of the clamps 5, 6 that grip the fork member 2. With the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, regardless of which of the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 the bolt 9 is fitted into, the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 are always positioned above the lower ends of the clamps 5, 6. Therefore, even if a bending moment is input to the fork member 2 from the front wheel W while the saddle-ride type vehicle V is traveling, the weak portions with low bending strength where the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 are located are gripped by the clamps 5, 6, and no large bending stress acts on the weak portions. Therefore, with the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the weak portions of the fork member 2 so that they can withstand bending stress. Therefore, even if the mounting positions of the clamps 5, 6 on the fork member 2 can be changed, an increase in the weight of the fork member 2 can be avoided.

[0050] Furthermore, in the suspension device 1 of the present embodiment, when the uppermost bolt 9 of the multiple bolts 9, 9 attached to the clamps 5, 6 gripping the fork member 2 is fitted into the uppermost annular groove (groove) 2a1 of the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2, the lowermost annular groove (groove) 2a2 of the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 is positioned above the lowermost bolt 9. According to the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, when the fork member 2 is gripped by the clamps 5, 6, all of the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a1 are always positioned above the lowermost bolt 9. Therefore, even if a bending moment is input to the fork member 2 from the front wheel W while the saddle-ride type vehicle V is traveling, the weak portions where the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 are located, which have low bending strength, are positioned above the portions tightened by the clamps 5, 6 by the bolt 9, and therefore the bending stress acting on the weak portions can be reduced to an extremely small value. Therefore, with the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, it is not necessary to increase the thickness of the weak parts of the fork member 2 so that they can withstand bending stress, so even if the mounting positions of the clamps 5, 6 on the fork member 2 can be changed, an increase in the weight of the fork member 2 can be avoided, and this weight increase can be avoided even more effectively.

[0051] Furthermore, in the suspension device 1 of this embodiment, only the uppermost bolt 9 of the multiple bolts 9, 9 attached to the clamps 5, 6 gripping the fork member 2 is fitted into the annular groove (groove) 2a1 (2a2). With the suspension device 1 configured in this manner, because only the uppermost bolt 9 of the multiple bolts 9, 9 is fitted into the annular groove (groove) 2a1 (2a2), it is easy to determine the position of the annular grooves (grooves) 2a1, 2a2 from the amount of protrusion of the fork member 2 that protrudes from the upper ends of the clamps 5, 6. This makes it easier to change the attachment position of the fork member 2 of the clamps 5, 6 and also makes it easier to prevent the lower annular groove (groove) 2a2 from protruding downward from the clamps 5, 6 when the clamps 5, 6 are attached to the fork member 2. In this way, the above-mentioned advantages can be enjoyed by fitting only the uppermost bolt 9 of the multiple bolts 9,9 into the annular groove (groove) 2a1 (2a2) to prevent the fork members 2,2 from coming off the clamps 5,6 and by changing the mounting position, but it is also possible to adjust the mounting position of the fork members 2,2 on the clamps 5,6 while preventing the fork members 2,2 from coming off the clamps 5,6 by fitting the lower bolts 9 into the annular groove (groove) 2a1 or the annular groove (groove) 2a2. In this case, the positions of the pair of upper screw holes 5a1, 6a1 and upper insertion holes 5b1, 6b1 in the clamps 5, 6 relative to the ears 5a, 6a are positioned closer to the center of the axial direction of the clamps 5, 6 than the positions of the pair of lower screw holes 5a2, 6a2 and lower insertion holes 5b2, 6b2 relative to the ears 5a, 6a, so that when viewed from the axial direction of the clamps 5, 6, the upper bolt 9 is positioned outside the clamps 5, 6, while the lower bolt 9 protrudes into the clamps 5, 6.

[0052] In the above description, the grooves into which the bolt 9 is fitted are annular grooves 2a1 and 2a2, but as shown in Fig. 7, grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, and 2a6 may be provided along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of the upper end of fork member 2. In Fig. 7, one set of four grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, and 2a6 are provided along the spiral in a range that corresponds to one full spiral turn on the outer periphery of fork member 2, with the grooves varying in the vertical and circumferential directions. In addition, above these grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, and 2a6, another set of four grooves 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, and 2a10 are provided along the spiral in a range that corresponds to one full spiral turn on the outer periphery of fork member 2, with the grooves varying in the vertical and circumferential directions. For this reason, two sets of eight grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6, 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, and 2a10 are provided in total along the outer periphery of fork member 2 in a range that corresponds to two full spiral turns.

[0053] The first set of grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, and 2a6 are provided at different positions in the vertical direction with a phase difference of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction within a range of one spiral revolution on the outer periphery of fork member 2, and the second set of grooves 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, and 2a10 are provided above the range where the first set of grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, and 2a6 of fork member 2 are provided, and are provided at different positions in the vertical direction with a phase difference of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction within a range of one spiral revolution on the outer periphery of fork member 2.

[0054] By providing grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6 (2a7, 2a8, 2a9, 2a10) along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of the upper end of fork member 2 in this way, the vertical spacing between adjacent grooves in the circumferential direction can be narrowed compared to when annular grooves 2a1, 2a2 are provided, and grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6 (2a7, 2a8, 2a9, 2a10) can be provided in close positions in the vertical direction of fork member 2.Therefore, by selecting the groove into which bolt 9 is fitted, the attachment position of clamps 5, 6 to fork member 2 can be adjusted more precisely.

[0055] Furthermore, grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6, 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, and 2a10 are arranged in a spiral staircase pattern along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of fork member 2, so that when fork member 2 is rotated in one circumferential direction relative to clamps 5 and 6, the grooves that gradually shorten the length by which fork member 2 protrudes below clamps 5 and 6 can be aligned with bolt 9, while when fork member 2 is rotated in the other circumferential direction relative to clamps 5 and 6, the grooves that gradually increase the length by which fork member 2 protrudes below clamps 5 and 6 can be aligned with bolt 9. Therefore, when grooves 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6, 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, and 2a10 are arranged in a spiral staircase shape around the outer periphery of fork member 2, when adjusting the length of fork member 2 protruding downward from clamps 5 and 6, it is possible to give directionality to the direction of rotation of fork member 2 relative to clamps 5 and 6 depending on whether the length is increased or decreased, making it easier to change the mounting position of clamps 5 and 6 of fork member 2.

[0056] 8, a spiral groove 2a11 that allows for the fitting of at least one of the bolts 9 may be provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2. In this case, the bolt 9 may be attached so as to be inclined relative to the ears 5a, 5b, 6a, and 6b of the clamps 5 and 6 to match the inclination of the groove 2a11. Specifically, the screw hole 5a1 (6a1) and the insertion hole 5b1 (6b1) that form a pair of insertion holes through which the bolt 9 that is fitted into the groove 2a11 is inserted may be provided in the ears 5a and 5b (6a and 6b) so as to be oriented so that the bolt 9 is inclined along the groove 2a11. Furthermore, even if the vertical width of the fork member 2 in the groove 2a11 is made wider than the diameter of the bolt 9 and the bolt 9 is attached to the ears 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b of the clamps 5, 6 in a direction along the circumferential direction of the fork member 2, the bolt 9 does not have to be aligned with the inclined direction of the groove 2a11 as long as it is allowed to be inserted into the groove 2a11.

[0057] With the suspension device 1 configured as described above, the spiral groove 2a11 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2, so that fitting the bolt 9 into the groove 2a11 of the fork member 2 prevents the fork member 2 from coming off the clamp 5, and the attachment position of the clamp 5 to the fork member 2 can be changed by changing the fit position of the bolt 9 relative to the groove 2a11. Furthermore, because the spiral groove 2a11 is formed on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member 2, the attachment position of the clamps 5, 6 to the fork member 2 can be continuously adjusted within the range of the groove 2a11. Furthermore, when adjusting the length of the fork member 2 that protrudes downward from the clamps 5, 6, the direction of rotation of the fork member 2 relative to the clamps 5, 6 can be made directional depending on whether the length is increased or decreased, making it easier to change the attachment position of the clamps 5, 6 to the fork member 2.

[0058] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, modifications, variations and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1···Suspension device, 2···Fork member, 2a1, 2a2···Annular groove (groove), 2a3, 2a4, 2a5, 2a6, 2a7, 2a8, 2a9, 2a10, 2a11, 3···Bracket, 5, 6···Clamp, 5a1, 5a2, 6a1, 6a2···Screw hole (insertion hole), 5b1, 5b2, 6b1, 6b2···Insertion hole, 9···Bolt, S···Steering shaft, V···Saddle-ride type vehicle, W···Front wheel

Claims

1. a fork member that supports a front wheel of a saddle-ride type vehicle; a bracket that grips the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member and is connectable to a steering shaft, The bracket is a C-shaped clamp that grips the fork member and has a plurality of insertion holes formed in both ends aligned in the vertical direction; a plurality of bolts that are inserted into the insertion holes provided at both ends of the clamp and that can draw the ends of the clamp together to reduce the diameter of the clamp; The fork member has a plurality of grooves formed at different positions in the vertical direction on the outer periphery of the upper end portion, and which allow for the fitting of at least one of the bolts. A suspension device characterized by:

2. a fork member that supports a front wheel of a saddle-ride type vehicle; a bracket that grips the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member and is connectable to a steering shaft, The bracket is a C-shaped clamp that grips the fork member and has a plurality of insertion holes formed in both ends aligned in the vertical direction; a plurality of bolts that are inserted into the insertion holes provided at both ends of the clamp and that can draw the ends of the clamp together to reduce the diameter of the clamp; The fork member has a spiral groove formed on the outer periphery of the upper end portion, which allows at least one of the bolts to be fitted therein. A suspension device characterized by:

3. The plurality of grooves are provided along a spiral trajectory on the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member.

2. The suspension system of claim 1.

4. The groove is positioned above the lower end of the clamp that grips the fork member.

4. A suspension system according to claim 1.

5. When the uppermost bolt of the plurality of bolts attached to the clamp gripping the fork member is fitted into the uppermost groove of the grooves, the lowermost groove of the grooves is positioned above the lowermost bolt.

4. A suspension system according to claim 1.

6. Only the uppermost bolt of the plurality of bolts attached to the clamp gripping the fork member is fitted into the groove.

4. A suspension system according to claim 1.

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