Bracket

Abstract

A bracket (1) for connecting a pair of fork members (F, F) supporting a front wheel (W) of a saddle-type vehicle (V) to a steering shaft (S) of the saddle-type vehicle (V) is provided with: a shaft holding ring (2) for holding the steering shaft (S); a pair of left and right clamps (3, 4) for gripping each of the upper ends of the fork members (F, F); a pair of arms (5, 6) for connecting the shaft holding ring (2) and each of the clamps (3, 4); and a reinforcing section (7) for connecting the clamps (3, 4) to each other.

Description

bracket

[0001] The present invention relates to a bracket for use in a saddle-ride type vehicle.

[0002] Conventionally, a bracket grips the upper ends of a pair of fork members that support the front wheels, which are the steered wheels of a saddle-ride type vehicle, and is fitted onto the outer periphery of the lower end of a steering shaft that is rotatably held within a head pipe provided at the tip of the body of the saddle-ride type vehicle, connecting the fork members to the steering shaft.

[0003] As disclosed in JP2003-154984A, for example, the bracket comprises a shaft retaining ring fitted onto the outer periphery of the steering shaft connected to the handle, a pair of clamps that grip the upper ends of each fork member, and a pair of arms that connect clamps arranged on either side of the shaft retaining ring to the central shaft retaining ring.

[0004] Therefore, when the rider turns the handlebars while the saddle-type vehicle is traveling, the fork member rotates around the steering shaft, causing the front wheel to rotate left and right, allowing the saddle-type vehicle to travel in the direction intended by the rider.

[0005] JP2003-154984A

[0006] As mentioned above, the bracket has the role of transmitting steering operation by the rider to the front wheels, and because the front wheels receive resistance from the road surface when steering, a torsional moment acts around the shaft retaining ring when the steering wheel is operated. If the bracket's torsional rigidity is low, the steering response of the front wheels to the driver's steering of the steering wheel will be delayed. Therefore, from the perspective of steering response, it is desirable for the bracket to have high torsional rigidity.

[0007] Furthermore, since the fork members held by the bracket are attached with their upper ends tilted rearward relative to their lower ends, when the front wheel is subjected to vertical vibrations while the saddle-type vehicle is traveling, a bending moment is applied to the bracket in the fore-and-aft direction, and therefore, if the bracket's rigidity in the bending direction is increased, the vertical vibrations of the front wheel will be more likely to be transmitted to the vehicle body, worsening the ride comfort. Therefore, from the perspective of ride comfort, it is desirable for the bracket to have low rigidity in the bending direction.

[0008] Therefore, if the rigidity of the arm is simply increased in an attempt to improve steering response, not only will the rigidity of the bracket in the torsional direction increase, but the rigidity of the bracket in the bending direction will also increase, resulting in a loss of ride comfort. On the other hand, if the rigidity of the arm is simply reduced in an attempt to improve ride comfort, not only the rigidity of the bracket in the bending direction but also the rigidity in the torsional direction will decrease, resulting in a loss of steering response. It is difficult to improve the steering response and ride comfort of a saddle-type vehicle by simply setting the rigidity of the arm.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bracket that improves steering response in a saddle-ride type vehicle without impairing riding comfort.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the bracket of the present invention is a bracket that connects a pair of fork members that support the front wheels of a saddle-riding vehicle to the steering shaft of the saddle-riding vehicle, and is equipped with a shaft retaining ring that holds the steering shaft, a pair of left and right clamps that grip the upper ends of the fork members, a pair of arms that connect the shaft retaining ring and the clamps, and a reinforcing part that connects the clamps to each other.

[0011] A bracket configured in this manner has a reinforcing section that connects the clamps together, and while the reinforcing section does not significantly improve the bending rigidity of the bracket, it can improve rigidity against torsional moments that rotate the left and right clamps horizontally together with the arms relative to the shaft retaining ring.

[0012] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a saddle-ride type vehicle to which a bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. Fig. 2 is a front view of the bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a bracket according to a modified embodiment of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] The present invention will be described below based on the embodiment shown in the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a bracket 1 in one embodiment connects a pair of fork members F, F that support a front wheel W of a saddle-riding type vehicle V to a steering shaft S of the saddle-riding type vehicle V, and includes a shaft retaining ring 2 that holds the steering shaft S, a pair of left and right clamps 3, 4 that grip the upper ends of the fork members F, F, respectively, a pair of arms 5, 6 that connect the shaft retaining ring 2 to the clamps 3, 4, respectively, and a reinforcing portion 7 that connects the clamps 3, 4 to each other. In this specification, unless otherwise specified, the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions will be described based on the saddle-riding type vehicle V.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the bracket 1 connects a steering shaft S that is inserted into a head pipe P provided at the tip of a body B of a saddle-riding type vehicle V and rotatably held by the head pipe P, and the upper ends of a pair of fork members F, F that are arranged on the left and right sides of a front wheel W of the saddle-riding type vehicle V and that hold the axle of the front wheel W at their lower ends.

[0015] In this embodiment, the fork members F, F are configured as front forks that include an outer tube f1 disposed on the vehicle body side and an inner tube f2 disposed on the axle side that enters and exits from the lower end of the outer tube f1, and that generate a damping force when the inner tube f2 moves axially relative to the outer tube f1. Note that the fork members F, F may be rod-shaped members that do not extend or contract, as long as they rotatably support the front wheel W.

[0016] 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.

[0017] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the bracket 1 includes a shaft retaining ring 2 that retains the steering shaft S, a pair of left and right clamps 3, 4 that grip the upper ends of the fork members F, F, a pair of arms 5, 6 that connect the shaft retaining ring 2 to the clamps 3, 4, respectively, and a reinforcing portion 7 that connects the clamps 3, 4 to each other.

[0018] The shaft holding ring 2 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 2 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.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the clamps 3 and 4 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 retaining ring 2 with the shaft retaining ring 2 in the center.

[0020] The left clamp 3, which is disposed on the left side of the shaft retaining ring 2 in Fig. 3, has ears 3a, 3b that protrude radially outward from above and below both ends of the circumferential split, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4. The ears 3a, 3b are paired with the upper ears 3a, 3b that face each other across the circumferential split, and are also paired with the lower ears 3a, 3b that face each other across the circumferential split.

[0021] In addition, the ear 3a provided at the end on the central side (right side in Figure 3) facing the shaft retaining ring 2 is provided with a screw hole 3a1 that allows a bolt to be screwed in, and the ear 3b provided at the end on the outer side (left side in Figure 3) facing away from the shaft retaining ring 2 is provided with an insertion hole 3b1 that allows a bolt to be inserted.

[0022] Therefore, bolts (not shown) are passed through the insertion holes 3b1 of the upper and lower ears 3b of the clamp 3, and the bolts are screwed into the threaded holes 3a1 of the mating ear 3a that forms a pair with the ear 3b. When the bolts are screwed in, the paired ears 3a, 3b are brought closer together by the bolts, thereby reducing the inner diameter of the clamp 3. Therefore, after the upper end of the fork member F is inserted into the clamp 3, the clamp 3 tightens around the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member F to grip the fork member F by reducing its diameter using the bolts as described above.

[0023] 3, the right-side clamp 4, which is disposed on the right side of the shaft retaining ring 2 in FIG. 3, has, like the left-side clamp 3, a pair of ears 4a, 4b that protrude radially outward from the top and bottom of both ends of the split in the circumferential direction. The ear 4a, located at the end on the central side (left side in FIG. 3) facing the shaft retaining ring 2, has a screw hole 4a1 that allows a bolt to be threadedly fastened thereto, and the ear 4b, located at the end on the outer side (right side in FIG. 3) facing away from the shaft retaining ring 2, has an insertion hole 4b1 that allows a bolt to be inserted therethrough. Thus, similar to the clamp 3, the upper end of the fork member F is inserted into the clamp 4, and then the clamp 4 is reduced in diameter using a bolt (not shown), whereby the clamp 4 tightens the outer periphery of the upper end of the fork member F to grip the fork member F.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 2, the arms 5, 6 have upper arm portions 5a, 6a and lower arm portions 5b, 6b, with gaps 5c, 6c between the upper arm portions 5a, 6a and the lower arm portions 5b, 6b, and connect the shaft retaining ring 2 to the clamps 3, 4, respectively, with the shaft retaining ring 2 at the center. That is, the arm 5 connects the shaft retaining ring 2 to the left clamp 3, and the arm 6 connects the shaft retaining ring 2 to the right clamp 4. As shown in Fig. 2, in the front view, the shaft retaining ring 2 is located at the center between the left and right clamps 3, 4. However, as shown in Fig. 3, in a plan view, the center a of the shaft retaining ring 2 is eccentric upward in Fig. 3 from a line L connecting the centers b, c of the clamps 3, 4.

[0025] 2, the shaft retaining ring 2 is disposed higher in the figure than the left and right clamps 3, 4. As such, the center a of the shaft retaining ring 2 is eccentric upward in Figure 3 relative to the line L, and the shaft retaining ring 2 is disposed higher in Figure 2 than the left and right clamps 3, 4, so the arm 5 is connected to the shaft retaining ring 2 in an inclined position extending from the left clamp 3 toward the rear and upward of the saddle-ride type vehicle V, and the arm 6 is also connected to the shaft retaining ring 2 in an inclined position extending from the right clamp 4 toward the rear and upward in Figure 3.

[0026] More specifically, the upper arm portion 5a of the arm 5 connects the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 to the upper end of the left clamp 3, the lower arm portion 5b of the arm 5 connects the lower end of the shaft retaining ring 2 to the lower end of the left clamp 3, the upper arm portion 6a of the arm 6 connects the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 to the upper end of the right clamp 4, and the lower arm portion 6b of the arm 6 connects the lower end of the shaft retaining ring 2 to the lower end of the right clamp 4. The upper arm portions 5a, 6a and the lower arm portions 5b, 6b are both inclined to connect the upper and lower ends of the shaft retaining ring 2 to the upper and lower ends of the clamps 3, 4.

[0027] In this way, the arms 5, 6 are inclined so as to position the shaft retaining ring 2 above the clamps 3, 4, so that even if the front wheel W approaches the bracket 1 due to contraction of the fork members F, F, the front wheel W will not come into contact with the shaft retaining ring 2. Note that if the arms 5, 6 are not connected to position the shaft retaining ring 2 above the clamps 3, 4 as described above and there is no interference between the front wheel W and the shaft retaining ring 2, they may be connected without being inclined so that the shaft retaining ring 2 and the clamps 3, 4 are at the same height.

[0028] Furthermore, bracket 1 is provided with a reinforcing portion 7 that connects each of the clamps 3, 4. In bracket 1 of this embodiment, reinforcing portion 7 is provided integrally with arms 5, 6 and shaft retaining ring 2, and arms 5, 6 extend from shaft retaining ring 2 toward each of the clamps 3, 4, with the boundaries between arms 5, 6 and reinforcing portion 7 indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 3. Conventional brackets do not have reinforcing portions, and the left and right clamps and shaft retaining rings are connected only by arms, resulting in a structure in which the portion below the dashed line in Fig. 3 is cut away. In contrast, bracket 1 of this embodiment is provided with reinforcing portion 7 as described above.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the reinforcing portion 7 includes a retaining ring connection portion 7a, which is a portion that extends horizontally from the side of the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 and is integrated with the shaft retaining ring 2, and arm connection portions 7b and 7c that extend from the left and right sides of the retaining ring connection portion 7a in Figure 3 and are integrated with the arms 5 and 6 to be connected to the left and right clamps 3 and 4.

[0030] As shown in Fig. 2, the center of the retaining ring connection portion 7a extends horizontally from the front of the outer periphery of the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 in Fig. 2 toward the front side of the page, and is connected to the front side of the outer periphery of the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 and the upper arm portions 5a, 6a of the arms 5, 6. As shown in Fig. 3, the retaining ring connection portion 7a is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape, and includes a central portion 7a1 that protrudes downward from the lower end of the shaft retaining ring 2 in a substantially rectangular shape, and side portions 7a2, 7a3 that are connected to the left and right of the central portion 7a1 and incline while being connected to the shaft retaining ring 2 and each arm 5, 6. The retaining ring connection portion 7a is connected to the shaft retaining ring 2 so as to surround the entire portion of the outer periphery of the upper end of the shaft retaining ring 2 between the arms 5, 6, and includes grooves 7a4 that follow the outer periphery of the shaft retaining ring 2 in the central portion 7a1 and the side portions 7a2, 7a3, which face the arms 5, 6.

[0031] The arm connection portions 7b and 7c extend obliquely from the lower end of the central portion 7a1 of the retaining ring connection portion 7a in directions away from each other and are connected to the lower arm portions 5b and 6b of the arms 5 and 6, respectively.

[0032] In this way, the arm connection portion 7b of the reinforcement portion 7 and the lower arm portion 5b to which this arm connection portion 7b is connected together form a connection portion that is approximately trapezoidal in plan view and that connects the shaft holding ring 2 and the left clamp 3, and this connection portion is provided with a recess 10 that opens downward, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. This recess 10, together with the gap 5c between the upper arm portion 5a and the lower arm portion 5b, forms a lightening portion G1 that ensures the rigidity of the arm 5 in the bending direction, increases the rigidity in the torsional direction, and reduces the weight of the bracket 1. Furthermore, the arm connection portion 7c of the reinforcement portion 7 and the lower arm portion 6b to which this arm connection portion 7c is connected together form a connection portion that is approximately trapezoidal in plan view and that connects the shaft holding ring 2 and the right clamp 4, and this connection portion is provided with a recess 11 that opens downward, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The recess 11, together with the gap 6c between the upper arm portion 6a and the lower arm portion 6b, forms a lightening portion G2 that ensures the rigidity of the arm 6 in the bending direction, increases the rigidity in the torsional direction, and reduces the weight of the bracket 1.

[0033] The bracket 1 of this embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. As described above, the bracket 1 is connected to the steering shaft S by press-fitting the steering shaft S into the shaft holding ring 2, and is connected to the fork members F, F by tightening the upper ends of the fork members F, F inserted into the clamps 3, 4 using bolts (not shown).

[0034] When the saddle-type vehicle V is traveling and the front wheel W overcomes unevenness in the road surface or the ground contact load of the front wheel W on the road surface fluctuates, a bending moment acts on the bracket 1 via the fork members F, F to simultaneously rotate both the left and right clamps 3, 4 in the vertical direction relative to the shaft holding ring 2, as shown in Figure 6, and when the rider operates the handlebars H to rotate the front wheel W, a torsional moment acts on the bracket 1 via the fork members F, F due to friction between the road surface and the front wheel W, etc., to simultaneously rotate the left and right clamps 3, 4 in the horizontal direction about the axis of the shaft holding ring 2 relative to the shaft holding ring 2. Note that a bending moment acting on the bracket 1 refers to a force acting in a direction that bends the fork members F, F in the vertical direction relative to the axis of the steering shaft S, and a moment acting on the bracket 1 due to this force; a torsional moment acting on the bracket 1 refers to a force acting from the fork members F, F side in a direction that rotates the steering shaft S around its axis, and a moment acting on the bracket 1 due to this force.

[0035] When a bending moment acts on bracket 1, as shown by arrow A in Figure 6, a force that rotates left and right clamps 3, 4 in the vertical direction relative to shaft retaining ring 2 acts on left and right arms 5, 6 and reinforcing portion 7 as a torque that twists arms 5, 6 and reinforcing portion 7. Reinforcing portion 7 has a thickness in the height direction that is thinner than the vertical height of arms 5, 6, and although it is connected to left and right clamps 3, 4 and is integrated with lower arm portions 5b, 6b of arms 5, 6 and shaft retaining ring 2, reinforcing portion 7 does not significantly improve the rigidity of arms 5, 6 in the bending direction, and therefore providing reinforcing portion 7 on bracket 1 does not excessively increase the rigidity of bracket 1 against the bending moment.

[0036] Therefore, when a bending moment acts on the bracket 1, the bracket 1 can be elastically deformed flexibly, and the front wheel W supported by the tip of the fork members F, F is displaced in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle body B, thereby mitigating the input of vibrations from the road surface to the vehicle body B, and the riding comfort of the saddle-type vehicle V is not impaired.

[0037] On the other hand, when a torsional moment acts on the bracket 1, as shown by arrow C in Figure 6, the force that rotates the left and right clamps 3, 4 horizontally relative to the shaft retaining ring 2 acts on the left and right arms 5, 6 and reinforcing portion 7 as a force that bends the arms 5, 6 and reinforcing portion 7. Because the reinforcing portion 7 is connected to the left and right clamps 3, 4, it prevents the arms 5, 6 and the left and right clamps 3, 4 from rotating horizontally relative to the shaft retaining ring 2 or from moving toward or away from each other. Because the reinforcing portion 7 prevents the arms 5, 6 and the left and right clamps 3, 4 from rotating horizontally relative to the shaft retaining ring 2, the provision of the reinforcing portion 7 on the bracket 1 increases the rigidity of the bracket 1 against the torsional moment.

[0038] Therefore, when a torsional moment acts on the bracket 1, deformation of the bracket 1 is suppressed, and the relative displacement between the steering shaft S and the fork members F, F is reduced accordingly, making it less likely that there will be a delay in the steering response of the front wheel W to the steering of the handlebars H by the driver of the saddle-type vehicle V, and improving steering response.

[0039] As described above, the bracket 1 of this embodiment is a bracket 1 that connects a pair of fork members F, F that support the front wheel W of a saddle-riding type vehicle V to the steering shaft S of the saddle-riding type vehicle V, and is equipped with a shaft retaining ring 2 that holds the steering shaft S, a pair of left and right clamps 3, 4 that grip the upper ends of the fork members F, F, respectively, a pair of arms 5, 6 that connect the shaft retaining ring 2 to the clamps 3, 4, respectively, and a reinforcing portion 7 that connects the clamps 3, 4 to each other.

[0040] The bracket 1 configured in this manner is provided with a reinforcing portion 7 that connects the clamps 3, 4 together, and while the reinforcing portion 7 does not significantly increase the rigidity of the arms 5, 6 in the bending direction, it can improve the rigidity against a torsional moment that rotates the left and right clamps 3, 4 together with the arms 5, 6 in the horizontal direction relative to the shaft retaining ring 2. Therefore, according to the bracket 1 of this embodiment, the provision of the reinforcing portion 7 can increase the rigidity in the torsional direction without significantly increasing the rigidity of the bracket 1 in the bending direction, so that the steering response of the saddle-type vehicle V is improved without impairing the ride comfort.

[0041] Furthermore, in bracket 1 of this embodiment, reinforcing portion 7 is integrated with shaft retaining ring 2 and arms 5, 6 to connect clamps 3, 4. With bracket 1 configured in this manner, since reinforcing portion 7 is integrated with shaft retaining ring 2 and arms 5, 6, it is easy to employ manufacturing methods that utilize molds, such as sintering, mold casting, and die casting, when manufacturing bracket 1.

[0042] In addition, in the bracket 1 of this embodiment, the vertical thickness of the reinforcing portion 7 is thinner than the vertical height of the arms 5, 6, and even if the reinforcing portion 7 is integrated with the shaft retaining ring 2 and the arms 5, 6, the degree to which the rigidity of the arms 5, 6 in the bending direction is increased is slight.Therefore, by integrating the reinforcing portion 7 with the shaft retaining ring 2 and each arm 5, 6, the degree to which the riding comfort of the saddle-type vehicle V is deteriorated can be reduced.

[0043] Furthermore, retaining ring connection portion 7a, to which the upper ends of arm connection portions 7b, 7c connected to the left and right clamps 3, 4 of reinforcing portion 7 are connected, is connected to the outer periphery of the upper end of shaft retaining ring 2 and to upper arm portions 5a, 6a which are the upper ends of arms 5, 6. Therefore, in bracket 1 of this embodiment, when a bending moment acts on bracket 1 and a force acts to rotate the left and right clamps 3, 4 in the vertical direction relative to shaft retaining ring 2, the length of arm connection portions 7b, 7c can be increased, and a large bending moment is applied to the joint portion between shaft retaining ring 2 and retaining ring connection portion 7a, making the joint portion more likely to deform and making it easier for the left and right clamps 3, 4 to rotate in the vertical direction relative to shaft retaining ring 2. Therefore, according to the bracket 1 of this embodiment, by integrating the reinforcing portion 7 with the shaft retaining ring 2 and the upper end sides of the arms 5, 6, the degree to which the rigidity of the arms 5, 6 in the bending direction is increased is slight, and by integrating the reinforcing portion 7 with the shaft retaining ring 2 and each arm 5, 6, the degree to which the riding comfort of the saddle-type vehicle V is deteriorated can be reduced.

[0044] Furthermore, in the bracket 1 of this embodiment, each arm 5, 6 is provided with lightening holes G1, G2 that improve the moment of inertia compared to when each arm 5, 6 is solid. In the bracket 1 configured in this manner, the weight increase due to the provision of the reinforcing portion 7 can be reduced by providing the lightening holes G1, G2 in the arms 5, 6, thereby reducing the weight of the arms 5, 6 and reducing the rate of increase in the overall weight of the bracket 1. Furthermore, compared to when the arms 5, 6 are solid, providing the lightening holes G1, G2 in the arms 5, 6 improves the moment of inertia, so that the necessary and sufficient rigidity against bending and torsion required of the arms 5, 6 can be ensured. Therefore, the rigidity of the bracket 1 can be ensured while suppressing the weight increase due to the provision of the reinforcing portion 7.

[0045] It should be noted that the lightening holes G1, G2 only need to be provided so as to improve the moment of inertia of the arms 5, 6, and therefore the installation locations and shapes can be arbitrarily modified in design, and when the reinforcing portion 7 is integrated with the arms 5, 6, they may be provided only on the arms 5, 6, or they may be provided from the arms 5, 6 to the reinforcing portion 7 as in the bracket 1 of this embodiment. Furthermore, in the bracket 1 of this embodiment, the arms 5, 6 are separated into upper arm portions 5a, 6a and lower arm portions 5b, 6b by providing a gap 5c that passes through the arms 5, 6, but if the gap 5c is not provided, the arms 5, 6 do not need to be separated into upper and lower portions, and instead of the gap 5c, a recess that does not pass through the arms 5, 6 may be provided as a lightening hole.

[0046] Furthermore, in the bracket 1 of this embodiment, the retaining ring connecting portion 7a of the reinforcing portion 7, which is integrated with the shaft retaining ring 2, has a groove 7a4 at its upper end that follows the outer periphery of the shaft retaining ring 2. With the bracket 1 configured in this manner, the thickness of the retaining ring connecting portion 7a, which is connected to the shaft retaining ring 2 and where the groove 7a4 is provided, is thin, making this portion more susceptible to elastic deformation. Therefore, when a bending moment acts on the bracket 1 and a force acts to rotate the left and right clamps 3, 4 in the up-down direction relative to the shaft retaining ring 2, this portion can be actively deformed. Therefore, with the bracket 1 of this embodiment, the integration of the reinforcing portion 7 with the shaft retaining ring 2 alleviates the difficulty in rotating the left and right clamps 3, 4 in the up-down direction relative to the shaft retaining ring 2. Therefore, by integrating the reinforcing portion 7 with the shaft retaining ring 2, the degree to which the rigidity of the arms 5, 6 in the bending direction is increased is slight, and the degree to which the riding comfort of the saddle-ride type vehicle V is deteriorated can be reduced. Although the groove 7a4 is provided at the upper end of the retaining ring connecting portion 7a, it may be formed at the lower end of the retaining ring connecting portion 7a if possible.

[0047] 7 , the reinforcing portion 7A may be installed on the bracket 1 so as to span the left and right clamps 3, 4 independently without being integrated with the shaft retaining ring 2 and the arms 5, 6. With the bracket 1A configured in this manner, the reinforcing portion 7A is connected to the left and right clamps 3, 4 independently without being integrated with the shaft retaining ring 2 and the arms 5, 6. Therefore, even if a bending moment acts on the bracket 1, the reinforcing portion 7A does not prevent the left and right clamps 3, 4 from rotating in the vertical direction relative to the shaft retaining ring 2, and therefore has little effect on the bending rigidity of the left and right arms 5, 6. On the other hand, when a torsional moment acts on the bracket 1, the reinforcing portion 7A prevents the left and right clamps 3, 4 together with the arms 5, 6 from rotating in the horizontal direction relative to the shaft retaining ring 2 or from moving toward or away from each other. Therefore, with the bracket 1 configured in this manner, the provision of the reinforcing portion 7A can increase the torsional rigidity of the bracket 1 without affecting the bending rigidity of the bracket 1, thereby achieving both improved steering response and improved ride comfort in the saddle-type vehicle V.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 1, 1A... Bracket, 2... Shaft retaining ring, 3, 4... Clamp, 5, 6... Arm, 7, 7A... Reinforcing portion, 7a... Retaining ring connecting portion, 7a4... Groove, F... Fork member, G1, G2... Lightening portion, S... Steering shaft, V... Saddle-ride type vehicle, W... Front wheel

Claims

1. A bracket connecting a pair of fork members supporting the front wheels of a saddle-riding vehicle to a steering shaft of the saddle-riding vehicle, the bracket comprising: a shaft retaining ring that holds the steering shaft; a pair of left and right clamps that grip each of the upper ends of the fork members; a pair of arms that connect the shaft retaining ring to each of the clamps; and a reinforcing portion that connects the clamps together.

2. A bracket as set forth in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion is integrated with each of the shaft retaining ring and the arm to connect the clamps together.

3. A bracket as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing portion connects the clamps together independently of the shaft retaining ring and the arm.

4. A bracket as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the arms has a recessed portion which improves the second moment of area compared to when the arm is solid.

5. A bracket as claimed in claim 2, wherein the retaining ring connection part of the reinforcing part which is integrated with the shaft retaining ring has a groove at the upper or lower end which follows the outer periphery of the shaft retaining ring.

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