Cooling air intake structure for V-belt drive continuously variable transmission

A small vehicle having a cooling air intake structure for a V-belt drive continuously variable transmission disposed beside a rear wheel of the small vehicle, in which the transmission is included in a power unit swingably mounted on a frame of the vehicle,

• wherein said transmission has a transmission case with a cooling fan side opening and a cooling fan for inducing cooling air through the cooling fan side opening into the transmission case,
• wherein a cooling air duct is provided to form a cooling air passage therein, said cooling air passage having a cooling air inlet through which cooling air is taken in, said cooling air inlet being formed at a position beside the transmission case and above said cooling fan side opening, and said cooling air passage extends from the cooling air inlet to the cooling fan side opening in a manner surrounding the cooling fan side opening,
• wherein the cooling air passage is formed in the shape of an inverted letter U such that cooling air taken in through the cooling air inlet formed at the position above said cooling fan side opening flows upward first, and then flows downward along and inverted U-shaped path to the cooling fan side opening of the transmission case,
• wherein said cooling air inlet is formed along and behind an edge of a body cover of the small vehicle, and
• wherein said body cover is provided thereon with pillion foot rests positioned at front and upper positions relative to said cooling air passage, the cooling air passage being formed below the pillion foot rests and in a space covered with the body cover.