Leaning vehicle
AssigneeYamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsRyuta Mitsuoka, Nobuhiko Hirakawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A linkage includes a lower cross member supported by a link support and provided with a rear element turnable about a turning axis behind the link support. The body frame includes an upper frame, a lower frame and a coupling frame. The upper frame and the lower frame extend rearward from the link support to intersect areas respectively located directly above and below a turning range of the rear element. A longitudinal direction of the coupling frame extends in an up-down direction of the body frame. The coupling frame couples the upper and lower frames at a location behind the rear element. A majority of a front edge of the coupling frame extends along the longitudinal direction as viewed from a left-right direction of the body frame when the leaning vehicle is in an upright condition.
Claims7
A leaning vehicle comprising:
- a body frame that leans leftward when the leaning vehicle turns leftward in a left-right direction and leans rightward when the leaning vehicle turns rightward;
- a left front wheel and a right front wheel arranged side by side in a left-right direction of the body frame;
- a left suspension that supports the left front wheel;
- a right suspension that supports the right front wheel;
- and
- a linkage that changes positions of the left front wheel and the right front wheel relative to the body frame to cause the body frame to lean leftward or rightward;
- wherein
- the linkage includes:
- an upper cross member;
- a lower cross member disposed below the upper cross member in an up-down direction of the body frame;
- a left side member disposed above the left front wheel in the up-down direction of the body frame, and that supports the left suspension turnably about a left steering axis extending in the up-down direction of the body frame;
- and
- a right side member disposed above the right front wheel in the up-down direction of the body frame, and that supports the right suspension turnably about a right steering axis extending in the up-down direction of the body frame;
- the upper cross member, the lower cross member, the left side member, and the right side member are turnably connected with one another such that the upper cross member and the lower cross member maintain postures that are parallel to each other, and such that the left side member and the right side member maintain postures that are parallel to each other;
- the body frame includes a link support that supports the linkage;
- at least one of the upper cross member and the lower cross member includes:
- a front element turnable about a turning axis extending in a front-rear direction of the body frame at a location ahead of the link support in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
- and
- a rear element turnable about the turning axis at a location behind the link support in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
- the body frame further includes:
- an upper frame extending from the link support rearward in the front-rear direction of the body frame so as to intersect an area located directly above a turning range of the rear element in the up-down direction of the body frame;
- a lower frame extending from the link support rearward in the front-rear direction of the body frame so as to intersect an area located directly below the turning range of the rear element in the up-down direction of the body frame;
- and
- a coupling frame extending in a longitudinal direction corresponding to the up-down direction of the body frame, and that couples the upper frame and the lower frame together at a location behind the link support in the front-rear direction of the body frame;
- and
- a majority of a front edge of the coupling frame extends in the longitudinal direction as viewed from the left-right direction of the body frame when the leaning vehicle is in an upright condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.