Title of Invention

A MOTORCYCLE LEG SHIELD AND UNDER COVER STRUCTURE

Abstract A motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure is provided in whicli a main pipe side cover (22) is fixed to a body frame (F) so as to cover a side of a front part of tlie body frame (F), a leg shield (Ls) for covering a leg of a rider is detachably mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover (22), an under cover (25) for covering a front part of an engine unit (Eu) is detachably mounted on a lower part of the main pipe side cover (22), and a lower end part of the leg shield (Ls) is disposed in the proximity of a part where a lower end face of the main pipe side cover (22) and an upper end face of the under cover (25) are joined. This enables the position of the lower end of the leg shield (Ls) to be raised relative to the part where the main pipe side cover (22) and the under cover (25) are joined when the leg shield (Ls) is mounted, thus increasing the degrees of freedom of operation in the foot area of a rider and thereby greatly improving the operability. Furthermore, the possibility of a lower part of the leg shield (Ls) interferring with obstacles decreases, thereby enabling the external appearance of the leg shield to be improved.
Full Text

The present invention relates to a motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure for covering a leg of a rider sitting on a seat and for covering a front part of an engine unit respectively, the leg shield being mounted in an upper part on either side of a front part of a body frame of the motorcycle, and the under cover being mounted in a lov^er part on either side of the front part of the body frame.
BACKGROUND ART
There is a conventionally known arrangement for a motorcycle in which a leg shield for covering a leg of a rider is provided in a front part of a body frame in order to prevent the leg of the rider from being directly exposed to rain or wind while traveling (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-16851), and one provided with an under cover (engine cover) for covering a front part of an engine (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 6-278668).
In such a motorcycle, in order to impart thereto multi-purpose features so as to be able to provide for various preferences and intended uses of many users, an arrangement can be considered in which changed exterior configurations are available by mounting both a leg shield and an under cover, removing either one thereof, or removing both thereof. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel leg shield and under cover structure for a motorcycle having the above-mentioned arrangement, the structure giving no disagreeable sensation and having a good

external appearance even when the leg shield is detached from a body frame or when the under cover is detached.
In order to attain this object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a structure in which a main pipe side cover is fixed to a body frame so as to cover a side of a front part of the body frame, a leg shield for covering a leg of a rider is detachably mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover, an under cover for covering a front part of an engine unit is detachably mounted on a lower part of the main pipe side cover, and a lower end part of the leg I shield is disposed in the proximity of a part where a lower end face of the main pipe side cover and an upper end face of the under cover are joined. A motorcycle having such an arrangement can be used in a plurality of modes by selectively mounting the leg shield or the under cover on the main pipe side cover. Furthermore, when the leg shield is mounted, since the position of the lower end of the leg shield can be higher than the part where the main pipe side cover and the under cover are joined, it is possible to secure a wide space for a foot area of the rider, the degrees of freedom of operation in the foot area increase and, for example, when a change pedal or a brake pedal is operated by placing a foot on a step, their operability improves greatly. Furthermore, the possibility of a lower part of the leg shield colliding with obstacles such as flying stones decreases, thus preventing any damage to the lower part of the leg shield and thereby maintaining the external appearance of the leg shield for a long period of time.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, a second aspect of the present invention provides a structure in which a main pipe side cover is fixed to a body frame so as to cover a side of a front part of the body frame, a leg shield for covering a leg of a rider is detachably mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover, an under cover for covering a front part of an engine

unit is detachably mounted on a lower part of tlie main pipe side cover, and a lower end face of the leg shield is made to substantially coincide with a face where the lower end face of the main pipe side cover and the upper end face of the under cover are joined. A motorcycle having such an arrangement can selectively change its mode of use easily, and the change does not impair the appearance of the motorcycle design. In particular, even when the leg shield is detached, the face where the main pipe side cover and the under cover are joined exhibits as attractive a joining line as the case where the leg shield is mounted, and thus the external appearance is not impaired. When the under cover is detached, the face where the main pipe side cover and the leg shield are joined also exhibits as attractive a joining line as the case in which the under cover is mounted, and there is thus no impairment of the external appearance.
Moreover, In order to achieve the above object, a third aspect of the present invention provides a structure in which a front part of the under cover is mounted on an Inner wall of the main pipe side cover, and a lower part of the leg shield covers, from the outside, a part where the main pipe side cover and the under cover are joined. In accordance with this arrangement, not only is a part where the under cover is mounted on the main pipe side cover invisible, but also, when detaching the under cover from the main pipe side cover, the leg shield does not interfere therewith and there is no need to detach the leg shield. Moreover, since the part where the main pipe side cover and the under cover are joined is covered by the leg shield, a good external appearance can be maintained even when the joint has a slight error due to dimensions, assembly, etc., for example, when the joint has a slight gap or step in it.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the above object, a fourth aspect of the present Invention provides a structure in which the lowest end of the leg shield

is positioned above the lowest end of the main pipe side cover. In accordance with this arrangement, the possibihty of a lower part of the leg shield colliding with obstacles such as flying stones is low, thus preventing any damage to the lower part of the leg shield and thereby maintaining a good extemal appearance of the leg shield for a long period of time.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure in which a main pipe side cover is fixed to a body frame so as to cover a side of a front part of the body frame, a leg shield for covering a leg of a rider is detachably mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover, and an under cover for covering a front part of an engine unit is detachably mounted on a lower part of the main pipe side cover, a lower end part of the leg shield being disposed in the proximity of the part where a lower end face of the main pipe side cover and a upper end face of the under cover are joined.
With reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 to FIG. 14 show a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a motorcycle that includes the leg shield structure of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a magnified side view of a front part that includes the leg shield in FIG,1; FIG. 3 is a cross section along line 3-3 in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a cross section along line 4-4 in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a cross section along line 5-5 in FIG. 2; FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a main pipe side cover, a leg shield, a top cover, and an under cover; FIG. 7 is a side view of a body frame; FIG. 8 is a plan view of the body frame; FIG. 9A, 9B, and 9C are a side view, a front view, and a top view of the leg shield; FIG. 10A and 10B are a side view and a front view of the main pipe side cover; FIG. 11A and 11B are a side view and a front view of an inner shield; FIG. 12A, 12B, and 120 are a side view, a front view, and a top view of the under cover; FIG. 13 is a side view of the main pipe side cover and the under cover when the leg shield is detached; and FIG. 14 is a side view of the main pipe side cover and the leg shield when the under cover is detached.
FIG. 15 to FIG. 17 show a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 15 is a side view of a main pipe side cover and a leg shield when an under cover is attached; FIG. 16 is a magnified view of a part of FIG. 15; and FIG. 17 is a cross section along line 17-17 in FIG. 16.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Modes for carrying out the present invention are explained below by reference to embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the attached drawings.
The embodiments show cases where the leg shield and under cover structure of the present invention is applied to a small motorcycle, and in the explanation below 'upper, lower', 'left, right', and 'front, rear' are referred to on the basis of the direction of travel of the motorcycle.
The first embodiment of the present invention is now explained by reference to FIGS. 1 to 14.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 9A, 9B, and 90, a body frame F, which is a motorcycle frame, is formed by integrally joining a front frame Ff and a rear frame Fr. The front frame Ff includes a head pipe 1, and a main pipe 2 integrally extending rearward and downward therefrom. Steerably supported in the head pipe 1 in the usual manner is a front fork 3 having a front wheel Wf rotatably supported at its lower end, and fixed to the upper end of the front fork 3 are handlebars 4. An engine unit Eu is suspendedly supported at the lower end of the main pipe 1 and the lower end of a support frame 5 extending downward from the main pipe 1.
The rear frame Fr includes a rear pipe 10 and a bifurcated seat rail 11 thereabove. The rear pipe 10 has its front end integrally connected to the rear end of the front frame Ff, and extends reanA^ard and upward. The seat rail 11 extends substantially horizontally to the rear above the rear pipe 10, front parts of the seat rail 11 are connected via a cross pipe 12, and rear ends of the seat rail 11 are connected via a tail frame 13. Mounted on top of the seat rail 11 is a seat S for a rider to sit on, the seat S being able to rise and fall.

A swingarm 15 is axially supported in a vertically swingable manner on a rear part of the engine unit Eu, a rear wheel Wr is axially supported in a freely rotatable manner at the rear end of the swingarm 15, and a rear cushion 14 is connected between the swingarm 15 and the rear wheel Wr.
The structure of a leg shield Ls. and the structure by which it is mounted on the body frame F are now explained by reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, 9A, 9B, 9C, 11A, andllB.
A pair of left and right leg shields Ls are detachably mounted on front left and right parts of the body frame F in a symmetrical manner via main pipe side covers 22. The left and right main pipe side covers 22 (described in detail later) each extend in the longitudinal direction of the body frame F so as to cover opposite front sides thereof, and a vertical part on the rear side of each of the main pipe side covers 22 is fixed by a connecting bolt 31 to a bracket 30 projectingly provided integrally with the side of the body frame F (see FIG. 3).
Since the pair of left and right leg shields Ls have an identical structure, the structure of one thereof, that is, the left leg shield Ls, is explained in detail below by reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, 6 to 11 A, and 11B. This leg shield Ls is made of a hard synthetic resin and is formed from a leg shield main body 20 and an inner shield 21 fixed integrally therewith in a hollow, vertically long shape having a triangular cross section. The leg shield main body 20, which forms a main portion of the leg shield Ls, is formed from a front wall portion 20a and a rear wall portion 20b, the front wall portion 20a extending at an angle in a direction away from the body frame F from the front to the rear thereof, and the rear wall portion 20b extending from a rear part of the front wall portion 20a and bending inward at approximately 45^ toward the body frame F so as to face a leg Le of the rider. The cross sectional shape of the leg shield main body 20 is a V-shape having its extremity facing away from the body frame F and its

opening facing the body frame F (see FIG. 3). In going from the top to the bottom this leg shield main body 20 tapers and goes rearward relative to the body frame F. A plurality of first mounting bosses 20c are projectingly provided at intervals in the vertical direction on an inner face of the leg shield main body 20 in the vicinity of the rear wall portion 20b, these mounting bosses 20c extending lengthwise in the lateral direction toward the body frame F, and the ends thereof being fixed by screws h to the main pipe side cover 22, which will be described later (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Furthermore, a plurality of second mounting bosses 20d are projectingly provided at intervals in the vertical direction on the inner face of the leg shield main body 20 in the vicinity of the front end of the front wall portion 20a, these second mounting bosses 20d extending (less than the first bosses 20c) in the lateral direction toward the body frame F, and the ends of the second mounting bosses 20d being fixed by screws b to the inner shield 21 (forming a part of the leg shield Ls), which will be described later (see FIGS. 3 and 4). As shown in FIG. 3, the front wall portion 20a of the leg shield main body 20 is formed in an outwardly protruding smooth convex shape, and the rear wall portion 20b thereof has an inner face, which faces the leg Le of the rider, formed in a fon/vardly recessed concave shape, thus ensuring that the leg Le of the rider can move freely, and the free edge of the rear wall portion 20b faces the outer face of the main pipe side cover 22 across a slight gap.
The inner shield 21, which is detachably fixed to the leg shield main body 20 and forms a part of the leg shield Ls, is made of the same hard synthetic resin as that of the leg shield Ls, and is formed into a vertically long plate so as to cover an open front half of the leg shield main body 20 as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 11 A, and 11B. The inner shield 21 has in its front edge part a plurality of front mounting holes 21a vertically spaced and arranged in a row, and in its rear

edge part a plurality of rear mounting holes 21 b vertically spaced and arranged in a row. The inner shield 21 is fixed to the front half of the open inside face of the leg shield main body 20 by securing the front mounting holes 21a to the second mounting bosses 20d with screws b. The rear edge part of the inner shield 21 is detachably fixed to the main pipe side cover 22 (described later), by screws h via the rear mounting holes 21 b.
As described above, the leg shield Ls, which is preassembled by fixing the inner shield 21 to the leg shield main body 20, is detachably mounted on a front part of the body frame via the main pipe side cover 22. The motorcycle can therefore be used in a state in which the leg shield Ls having the above-mentioned arrangement is mounted on the front part of the body frame as well as In a state in which the leg shield Ls is detached.
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 10A, and 10B, the main pipe side cover 22 extends in the front-to-rear direction along the side of the body frame F so as to cover the side of the main pipe 2 of the body frame F. A front edge part of the main pipe side cover 22 is formed as an angled face that goes rearward in going from the front to the rear of the main pipe side cover 22 so as to follow the rear edge part of the inner shield 21, a plurality of mounting bosses 22a are arranged in a row on the front edge part, and as described above the rear edge part of the inner shield 21 is detachably fixed to these mounting bosses 22a by screws t2. Mounting holes 22b are bored at intervals in the vertical direction in a middle section of the main pipe side cover 22, and the leg shield main body 20 is detachably fixed to the main pipe side cover 22 by fixing these mounting holes 22b to the first bosses 20c with screws b.
An upper edge part of the main pipe side cover 22 is formed with a convexly curved face, a front top cover 23 is fixed to the upper edge part, a rear edge of the main pipe side cover 22 is formed in a concavely curved shape so

as to follow an upper face of the main pipe 2, and a main pipe top cover 24 is fixed to the rear edge.
Fixing means for fixing the front top cover 23 and the main pipe top cover 24 to the main pipe side cover 22 are no different from conventionally known means, and detailed explanation thereof is therefore omitted.
Mounting holes 22c are bored in an upper part of the rear edge part and a rear end part of the main pipe side cover 22 for mounting it on the body frame F. As described above, the main pipe side cover 22 is fixed to brackets 30 on the side of the main pipe 2 of the body frame F by screws h via the mounting holes 22c. Bored in a lower edge part of the main pipe side cover 22 are mounting holes 22d and 22e for mounting an under cover 25 (described below).
The under cover 25 is for covering a front part of the engine unit Eu; it is used as required by mounting it on the main pipe side cover 22, and is made of the same material as that of the leg shield Ls and the main pipe side cover 22.
As shown in FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C, the under cover 25 has a U-shaped form having an open rear face, its opposite outer sides 25a gradually widening in a divergent shape from the front to the rear relative to the body frame F, and the outer faces of the outer sides 25a being formed as convexly curved faces. This under cover 25 is detachably mounted on the mounting holes 22d and 22e at the lower end of the main pipe side cover 22 by screws h via mounting pieces 25b and 25c at an upper edge of the under cover 25. The rear end of a lower part of the main pipe side cover 22 and the upper end of a rear part of the under cover 25 are mounted on the engine unit Eu by means of the hole 22d and the piece 25b with an appropriate fixing member such as a bolt (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 6). As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a front part of the under cover 25 is tightened to and mounted on the Inner wall of the main pipe side cover 22 with screws h via the mounting hole 22e and the piece 25c. In

accordance with this structure, not only is the mounting part invisible, but also when detaching the under cover 25 the leg shield 22 does not interfere, and there is no need to detach the leg shield.
As a result, in a state in which the under cover 25 is mounted on the main pipe side cover 22, as shown in FIG. 13, the lower end face of the main pipe side cover 22 and the upper end face of the under cover 25 form a continuous, smooth joining face f; when the leg shield Ls is detached, the joining face f is exposed to the outside as a continuous, smooth curve, and thus even when the leg shield Ls is detached, the joining face f of the main pipe side cover 22 and the under cover 25 exhibits a united, attractive, continuous curve without impairing the appearance of the design.
In a state in which the leg shield Ls is mounted on the main pipe side cover 22, as shown in FIG. 14, a lower end face f" of the leg shield Ls substantially coincides with the joining face f, and when the under cover 25 is detached, the lower end face f" of the leg shield Ls is exposed to the outside as a continuous, smooth curve in line with the joining face f. As a result, even when the under cover 25 is detached, the lower end face f" of the leg shield Ls exhibits a united, attractive, continuous curve in line with the joining face f without impairing the appearance of the design.
The second embodiment of the present invention is now explained by reference to FIGS. 15 to 17, and in this embodiment the same reference numerals and symbols as in the first embodiment are used for similar parts.
In the second embodiment, the structure of a lower part of a leg shield Ls Is slightly different from that in the first embodiment. That is, the lower part of the leg shield Ls is disposed in the proximity of a joint where a lower end face of a main pipe side cover 22 and an upper end face of an under cover 25 are joined, so as to cover the joint. As shown in FIG. 16, a lower end face f of the

leg shield Ls extends slightly downward from the joint, and the lowest end of the leg shield Ls is positioned above the lowest end of the main pipe side cover 22. This arrangement of the lower end of the leg shield Ls relative to the main pipe side cover 22 and the under cover 25 enables the position of the lower end of the leg shield to be raised relative to the part where the main pipe side cover and the under cover are joined when the leg shield is mounted, thus ensuring a wide space for a foot area of a rider and thereby increasing the degrees of freedom of operation in the foot area. For example, when a change pedal or a brake pedal is operated by placing a foot on a step, the operability improves greatly. Furthermore, the possibility of the lower part of the leg shield colliding with obstacles such as flying stones decreases, thus preventing any damage to the lower part of the leg shield and thereby maintaining the external appearance of the leg shield for a long period of time. Moreover, covering the joint between the main pipe side cover and the under cover with the leg shield can maintain a good external appearance even when there is a slight error in the joint due to dimensions, assembly, etc., for example, a slight gap or step in the joint. Furthermore, since the lowest end of the leg shield is positioned above the lowest end of the main pipe side cover, the possibility of the lower part of the leg shield colliding with obstacles such as flying stones is low, thus preventing any damage to the lower part of the leg shield and thereby maintaining a good external appearance of the leg shield for a long period of time.
Although embodiments of the present invention are explained above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the leg shield is formed from the leg shield main body and the inner shield, but this may be formed from the

leg shield main body alone, and in this case the leg shield main body is directly mounted on the main pipe side cover. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned embodiments, the leg shield main body has its front wall portion and rear wall portion formed integrally, but they may be formed separately. Moreover, In the above-mentioned embodiments, the front and rear parts of the inner shield are secured by screws to the leg shield main body and the main pipe side cover, but one thereof may be engaged using a latch and an engagement hole, and the other thereof may be secured by a screw. Furthermore, since the leg shield is formed so as to be hollow, it is possible to utilize the hollow interior as a container, and in this case its opening is desirably formed where it is difficult for it to be seen from the outside, for example, in a rear wall portion of the leg shield.




WE CLAIMS
1. A motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure in which a main pipe
side cover (22) is fixed to a body frame (F) so as to cover a side of a front part
of the body frame (F), a leg shield (Ls) for covering a leg of a rider is detachably
mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover (22), and an under cover
(25) for covering a front part of an engine unit (Eu) Is detachably mounted on a
lower part of the main pipe side cover (22),
a lower end part of the leg shield (Ls) being disposed in the proximity of a part where a lower end face of the main pipe side cover (22) and an upper end face of the under cover (25) are joined.
2. A motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure in which a main pipe
side cover (22) is fixed to a body frame (F) so as to cover a side of a front part
of the body frame (F), a leg shield (Ls) for covering a leg of a rider is detachably
mounted on a side part of the main pipe side cover (22), and an under cover
(25) for covering a front part of an engine unit (Eu) is detachably mounted on a
lower part of the main pipe side cover (22),
a lower end face (f) of the leg shield (Ls) being made to substantially coincide with a face (f) where the lower end face of the main pipe side cover (22) and the upper end face of the under cover (25) are joined.
3. The motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure according to claim
1 wherein a front part of the under cover (25) is mounted on an inner wall of the
main pipe side cover (22), and a lower part of the leg shield (Ls) covers, from
the outside, a part where the main pipe side cover (22) and the under cover
(25) are joined.

The motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure according to claim 1 wherein the lowest end of the leg shield (Ls) is positioned above the lowest end of the main pipe side cover (22).
The motorcycle leg shield and under cover structure according to claim 1 wherein the leg shield (Ls) is made hollow and gradually tapered from the top to the bottom.
A motorcyle leg shield and under cover structure substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.


Documents:

1172-chenp-2003-abstract.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-claims duplicate.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-claims original.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-correspondnece-others.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-correspondnece-po.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-description(complete) duplicate.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-description(complete) original.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-drawings.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-form 1.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-form 19.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-form 26.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-form 3.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-form 5.pdf

1172-chenp-2003-pct.pdf


Patent Number 198071
Indian Patent Application Number 1172/CHENP/2003
PG Journal Number 27/2006
Publication Date 07-Jul-2006
Grant Date 01-Mar-2006
Date of Filing 29-Jul-2003
Name of Patentee HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Applicant Address 1-1, Minami Aoyama 2-chome Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8556
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 NE NE
PCT International Classification Number B62J17/06
PCT International Application Number PCT/JP2001/009328
PCT International Filing date 2001-10-24
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 2001-1322 2001-01-09 Japan