Saddle-type vehicle

Abstract

To provide a straddle-type vehicle that can provide improved design flexibility of an air intake duct that extends forward from an air cleaner box.SOLUTION: In a straddle-type vehicle (1) including: a cowl (C) covering a front part and side parts of a vehicle body; an air intake duct (30) formed in a tubular shape, configured to introduce outside air from an opening (H) formed in a front part of the cowl (C), and extending rearward, the cowl (C) includes a part in which an inner cowl (40) is disposed on an inner side in a vehicle width direction of an outer cowl (11), and an outer edge in the vehicle width direction of the opening (H) is configured by an outer edge constitution part (41) disposed integrally with the inner cowl (40). The cowl (C) includes: a front cowl (6) in contact with an upper edge of a headlight (7); and a lower cover (21) in contact with a lower edge of the headlight (7). An inner edge in the vehicle width direction of the opening (H) is configured by the lower cover (21).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a saddle-ride type vehicle, and more particularly to a saddle-ride type vehicle having a cylindrical intake duct for introducing outside air into an air cleaner box of an internal combustion engine. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Saddle-ride type vehicles have been known that have a cylindrical intake duct for introducing outside air into an air cleaner box of an internal combustion engine.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration for a motorcycle in which an air cleaner box is arranged above an internal combustion engine, in which a cylindrical intake duct is provided extending forward from the air cleaner box to actively introduce wind generated by driving into the air cleaner box. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-8357 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the front end of the intake duct protrudes forward from the cowl that covers the front of the vehicle body, which poses the problem of increasing production costs because the front end of the intake duct needs to have a design that combines functionality and design.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a saddle-type vehicle that solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and allows for greater freedom in designing an intake duct that extends forward from an air cleaner box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a saddle-type vehicle (1) having a cowl (C) that covers the front and sides of the vehicle body, and a cylindrical intake duct (30) that introduces outside air from an opening (H) provided in the front of the cowl (C) and extends rearward, wherein the cowl (C) includes a portion where an inner cowl (40) is disposed inside the outer cowl (11) in the vehicle width direction, and the outer edge of the opening (H) in the vehicle width direction is formed by an outer edge forming portion (41) that is provided integrally with the inner cowl (40).

[0008] The cowl (C) includes a front cowl (6) that contacts the upper edge of the headlight (7) and a lower cover (21) that contacts the lower edge of the headlight (7), and a second feature is that the inner edge of the opening (H) in the vehicle width direction is formed by the lower cover (21).

[0009] A third feature is that the rear end edge (41a) of the outer edge constituent portion (41) is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the outer front end edge (32) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0010] A fourth feature is that the intake duct (30) is disposed between the inner cowl (40) and the outer cowl (11).

[0011] Furthermore, a fifth feature is that the intake ducts (30) are provided in a pair on the left and right, and the inner front end edge (31) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is located forward of the outer front end edge (32) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

[0012] Furthermore, a sixth feature is that the opening (H) has a substantially triangular shape with two corners positioned outward in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the first feature, in a saddle-type vehicle (1) having a cowl (C) covering the front and side parts of the vehicle body and a cylindrical intake duct (30) extending rearward to introduce outside air from an opening (H) provided in the front part of the cowl (C), the cowl (C) includes a portion where an inner cowl (40) is disposed inside the outer cowl (11) in the vehicle width direction, and the outer edge of the opening (H) in the vehicle width direction is formed by an outer edge forming portion (41) provided integrally with the inner cowl (40). Therefore, compared to a configuration in which the front end of the intake duct is exposed to the front of the vehicle body, it is easier to design the front end of the intake duct, and by forming part of the edge of the opening by the inner cowl, which has a high degree of design freedom, it is possible to obtain an opening shape with good intake efficiency while keeping production costs down.

[0014] According to the second feature, the cowl (C) includes a front cowl (6) that contacts the upper edge of the headlight (7) and a lower cover (21) that contacts the lower edge of the headlight (7), and the inner edge of the opening (H) in the vehicle width direction is formed by the lower cover (21). This makes it easier to design the front end of the intake duct, and by forming part of the edge of the opening with the lower cover, which has a high degree of design freedom, it is possible to obtain an opening shape that has good intake efficiency while keeping production costs down.

[0015] According to the third feature, the rear end edge (41a) of the outer edge constituent portion (41) is located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction than the outer front end edge (32) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, so that air resistance is less likely to occur at the joint between the intake duct and the inner cowl, and it is possible to smoothly introduce the wind generated by driving into the intake duct.

[0016] According to the fourth feature, the intake duct (30) is disposed between the inner cowl (40) and the outer cowl (11). Therefore, the airflow does not hit the outer wall of the intake duct, and the airflow is rectified by the surfaces of the inner cowl and the outer cowl. This prevents turbulence of the airflow, thereby achieving good handling stability.

[0017] According to the fifth feature, the intake ducts (30) are provided in a pair on the left and right, and the inner front edge (31) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is located further forward than the outer front edge (32) provided at the front end of the intake duct (30) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. This makes it easier for the running wind that hits the center in the vehicle width direction to be divided into left and right, making it possible to smoothly introduce the running wind into the left and right intake ducts.

[0018] According to the sixth feature, the opening (H) has a generally triangular shape with two corners located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle body. This makes it easy for the outer edge of the inner cowl in the vehicle width direction to catch the traveling wind that is split into left and right directions, and makes it possible to efficiently introduce the traveling wind into the intake duct. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged front view of the motorcycle. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the motorcycle with the outer cowl removed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the intake duct as seen from above the vehicle body. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of the intake duct as seen from the front of the vehicle body. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure around the opening. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 2. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle 1 according to this embodiment. The motorcycle 1 is a saddle-ride type vehicle in which power from a power unit P, which is an integrated internal combustion engine and transmission, is transmitted to a rear wheel WR via a drive chain 15. A head pipe F1 that supports a pair of left and right front forks 10 in a steerable manner is attached to the front end of a main frame F2 that constitutes a body frame F. A front wheel WF is rotatably supported at the lower end of the front fork 10, and a steering handlebar 3 is attached to the upper end of the front fork 10.

[0021] A pivot frame F3 is connected to the lower rear ends of a pair of left and right main frames F2 that suspend the power unit P. The pivot frame F3 supports a pivot 13 that pivotally supports a swing arm 14 so that it can swing up and down. The swing arm 14, which pivotally supports the rear wheel WR so that it can rotate freely, is suspended from the main frames F2 by a rear cushion 20.

[0022] The portion extending from the front of the head pipe F1 to the sides of the power unit P is covered by a cowl C, which serves as an exterior part. The cowl C includes at least a front cowl 6 and a pair of left and right outer cowls 11. A windscreen 4 and a pair of left and right rearview mirrors 5 are attached to the front cowl 6, which is disposed in front of the head pipe F1 and in contact with the upper edge of the headlight 7. A pair of left and right front flasher lamps 8 are disposed below and behind the headlight 7. An under cowl 12, which covers the lower part of the power unit P, is connected to the lower end of the outer cowl 11.

[0023] A front fender 9 that covers the upper part of the front wheel WF is fixed to the front fork 10. A seat 19 and a seat cowl 18 are disposed behind a fuel tank 2 disposed on top of the main frame F2. A taillight device 17 and a rear fender 16 are attached to the rear of the seat cowl 18.

[0024] Between the left and right main frames F2, an air cleaner box 25 is disposed, which is shaped to fit into a recess formed in the bottom of the fuel tank 2. A pair of left and right intake ducts 30 for introducing airflow from the front while the vehicle is running are connected to the air cleaner box 25, which houses an air filter.

[0025] 2 is a partially enlarged front view of the motorcycle 1. The cowl C, which is made of a thin sheet of synthetic resin or the like, includes a front cowl 6 that contacts the upper edge of the headlight 7, a lower cover 21 that contacts the lower edge of the headlight 7, and a pair of left and right outer cowls 11 (11L, 11R) that contact the outer edges of the headlight 7 in the vehicle width direction. A pair of left and right openings H that guide the airflow while riding to the intake duct 30 are provided at a position sandwiched between the lower cover 21 and the outer cowl 11. The openings H are generally triangular in shape with two corners located outward in the vehicle width direction.

[0026] Fig. 3 is a left side view of the motorcycle 1 with the outer cowl 11 removed. Fig. 4 is a partial enlarged view of Fig. 3. An inner cowl 40 (shown in light gray in the figure) is disposed on the inner side of the outer cowl 11 in the vehicle width direction, and an intake duct 30 (shown in dotted hatching in the figure) is disposed between the inner cowl 40 and the outer cowl 11. The rear portion of the intake duct 30 passes below the main frame F2 and is connected to the air cleaner box 25.

[0027] An outer edge forming portion 41 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction is provided at the front portion of inner cowl 40. Outer edge forming portion 41 forms the outer edge in the vehicle width direction of opening H that guides airflow into intake duct 30.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a plan view of the intake duct 30 as seen from above the vehicle body, and Fig. 6 is a front view of the intake duct 30 as seen from the front of the vehicle body. The pair of left and right intake ducts 30 (30L, 30R) are cylindrical members made of thin plate members made of hard resin or the like, and have a curved shape that convex outward in the vehicle width direction so as to avoid the left and right front forks 10 located behind the opening H.

[0029] A connecting port 33 is provided at the rear end of intake duct 30, and is attached to air cleaner box 25. The front edge of intake duct 30 is generally triangular when viewed from the front of the vehicle body, and is shaped such that an outer front edge 32, which forms one outer side of the triangle, is positioned further rearward than an inner front edge 31, which is bent at the inner corner in the vehicle width direction and forms roughly two sides of the triangle.

[0030] Fig. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of the cowl C. Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure around the opening H. The cowl C is configured by connecting a lower cover 21 (shown in dark gray in the figure) to the lower part of the front cowl 6, and attaching an inner cowl 40 and an outer cowl 11 to the outside of the front cowl 6 and the lower cover 21 in the vehicle width direction.

[0031] With the intake duct 30 attached to the cowl C, an outer edge forming portion 41 of the inner cowl 40 is disposed in front of the outer front end edge 32 (see Figure 6) of the intake duct 30, and this outer edge forming portion 41 forms the outer edge of the opening H in the vehicle width direction. This makes it easier to design the front end of the intake duct 30 compared to a configuration in which the front end of the intake duct 30 is exposed forward of the vehicle body, and by forming part of the edge of the opening H using the inner cowl 40, which has a high degree of design freedom, it is possible to obtain an opening shape with good intake efficiency while keeping production costs down.

[0032] Furthermore, with the intake duct 30 attached to the cowl C, the lower cover 21 is disposed in front of the inner front end edge 31 (see Figure 6) of the intake duct 30, and this lower cover 21 forms the inner edge of the opening H in the vehicle width direction. This makes it easier to design the front end of the intake duct 30, and by forming part of the edge of the opening H with the lower cover 21, which has a high degree of design freedom, it is possible to obtain an opening shape with good intake efficiency while keeping production costs down.

[0033] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in Figure 2. Figure 10 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 9. As described above, intake duct 30 is disposed between inner cowl 40 and outer cowl 11. This prevents traveling wind W from hitting the outer wall of intake duct 30, and the traveling wind W is rectified by the surfaces of inner cowl 40 and outer cowl 11, preventing turbulence of traveling wind W and achieving good handling stability.

[0034] Furthermore, since the inner front edge 31 provided at the front end on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is positioned further forward than the outer front edge 32 provided at the front end on the outer side in the vehicle width direction of the intake duct 30, the traveling wind W that abuts against the center in the vehicle width direction is more likely to split left and right, making it possible to smoothly introduce the traveling wind W into the left and right intake ducts 30. The traveling wind W that has split left and right is received by the outer edge forming portion 41 formed by the inner cowl 40, which further promotes its introduction into the intake ducts 30.

[0035] 10, in this embodiment, at the joint between intake duct 30 and inner cowl 40, rear end edge 41a of outer edge forming portion 41 formed by inner cowl 40 is offset inward in the vehicle width direction from outer front end edge 32 provided at the front end of intake duct 30 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. This makes it difficult for air resistance to occur at the joint between intake duct 30 and inner cowl 40, and enables traveling wind W to be smoothly introduced into intake duct 30.

[0036] The configuration of the motorcycle, the shapes of the front cowl, lower cover, inner cowl, and outer cowl that make up the cowl, the shape and structure of the intake duct, the shape of the air cleaner box, etc. are not limited to the above embodiment and can be variously modified. The intake duct structure according to the present invention can be applied to various motorcycles, tricycles, etc. that have inner cowls and outer cowls. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...motorcycle (saddle-ride type vehicle), 6...front cowl, 7...headlight, 11...outer cowl, 21...lower cover, 31...inner front edge, 32...outer front edge, 40...inner cowl, 41...outer edge component, 41a...rear edge of outer edge component, C...cowl, H...opening

Claims

1. A saddle-type vehicle (1) is provided with a cowl (C) including a lower cover (21) covering a lower front portion of a headlight (7) provided at the front of the vehicle body, an outer cowl (11) covering the sides of the headlight (7), and an inner cowl (40) provided on the inner side of the outer cowl (11) in the vehicle width direction, and has a cylindrical intake duct (30) extending rearward to introduce outside air from an opening (H) provided at the front of the cowl (C), The front edge of the duct (30) is bent at an inner corner in the vehicle width direction in a front view of the vehicle body to form a substantially triangular shape having an inner front edge (31) that forms two sides of the triangle and an outer front edge (32) that forms one outer side, The lower cover (21) is in contact with the lower edge of the headlight (7), The outer cowl (11) is provided in contact with the outer edge of the headlight (7), the lower cover (21) is disposed in front of the inner front end edge (31) of the intake duct (30) to form the inner edge of the opening (H) in the width direction of the vehicle; the inner cowl (40) is disposed in front of the outer front end edge (32) of the intake duct (30) to form the vehicle width outer edge of the opening (H); A saddle-type vehicle, characterized in that the edge of the opening (H) is formed by the inner edge and the outer edge of the vehicle width.

2. 2. The straddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the opening (H) is located such that the outer edge of the vehicle is positioned further rearward than the inner edge of the vehicle.

3. An outer edge forming part (41) that forms the outer front end edge (32) of the intake duct (30) is provided at the front part of the inner cowl (40), 3. The straddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a rear end edge (41a) of the outer edge forming portion (41) is located more inward in the vehicle width direction than the outer front end (32).

4. 3. The straddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the intake duct (30) is disposed between the inner cowl (40) and the outer cowl (11).

5. The intake duct (30) is provided in a pair on the left and right, 3. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an inner front edge (31) provided at a front end of the intake duct (30) on the inner side in the vehicle width direction is positioned forward of an outer front edge (32) provided at a front end of the intake duct (30) on the outer side in the vehicle width direction.

6. 6. The straddle-type vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the opening (H) has a substantially triangular shape with two corners positioned outward in the vehicle width direction when viewed from the front of the vehicle body.

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