Vehicle body frame for a saddle-ride type vehicle, and motorcycle including same
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsTomoya Matsuo, Yusuke Inoue
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle body frame for a saddle-ride type vehicle is manufactured by laser welding, and has good dimensional accuracy in a vehicle length direction. A pivot frame includes a grooved member, a lid member put on an opening of the grooved member, and laser-weld beads with which this lid member is joined to the grooved member. The molten metal shrinks during its solidification, and shrinkage occurs in the vehicle width direction. However, no shrinkage occurs in the vehicle longitudinal direction. As a result, the distance between a head pipe and a pivot shaft is maintained properly.
Claims11
A vehicle body frame for a saddle-ride type vehicle, said vehicle body frame comprising:
- a head pipe which pivotally supports a steering shaft for steering a front wheel;
- a main frame having a front end welded to the head pipe and extending from the front end toward a rear of the vehicle;
- and a pivot frame having a front end which is connected to a rear portion of the main frame and extending toward the rear of the vehicle, the pivot frame configured to pivotally support a swing arm thereon via a pivot shaft, with a rear wheel supported at an end of the swing arm opposite the pivot frame, wherein at least one of the main frame and the pivot frame includes:
- a grooved member having an opening facing a center of a vehicle body,
- a lid member put on the opening of the grooved member, and
- a laser-weld bead, with which the lid member and the grooved member are joined to each other,
- wherein the grooved member is manufactured by any one of forging and casting and includes a web and a pair of flanges extending toward the center of the vehicle body respectively from opposite edges of the web, and includes a rib extending toward the center of the vehicle body from the web between the pair of flanges, and the lid member is joined to the rib.
A motorcycle comprising a vehicle body frame, said vehicle body frame comprising:
- a head pipe which pivotally supports a steering shaft for steering a front wheel;
- a main frame having a front end welded to the head pipe and extending from the front end toward a rear of the vehicle;
- and
- a pivot frame having a front end which is connected to a rear portion of the main frame and extending toward the rear of the vehicle, the pivot frame pivotally supporting a swing arm thereon via a pivot shaft, with a rear wheel supported at an end of the swing arm opposite the pivot frame,
- wherein at least one of the main frame and the pivot frame includes:
- a grooved member having an opening facing a center of a vehicle body,
- a lid member put on the opening of the grooved member, and
- a laser-weld bead, with which the lid member and the grooved member are joined to each other, and
- wherein the grooved member is manufactured by any one of forging and casting and includes a web and a pair of flanges extending toward the center of the vehicle body respectively from opposite edges of the web, and includes a rib extending toward the center of the vehicle body from the web between the pair of flanges, and the lid member is joined to the rib.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.