Title of Invention

MOTORCYCLE

Abstract

1. A motorcycle constructed such that a rear wheel power transmission mechanism built-in type swing unit is fitted vertically swingably to a vehicle frame, with the swing unit being extended rearward, a swing arm is extended rearward from midway in the longitudinal direction of the swing unit, a rear wheel is supported between a rear port of the swing arm, and a caliper of a hydraulic rear disc brake is fitted to the swing arm, wherein an engine exhaust muffler is passed by the outer side of said swing arm, and said caliper is disposed in the lower part of the swing arm.

Full Text

FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10] "MOTORCYCLE" HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, a corporation of Japan, having a place of business at 1-1, Minamiaoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:- [Detailed Description of the Invention | [ 0001 ] [Technical Field to which the Invention Belongs] The present invention relates to a motorcycle, and more specifically, relates to an improvement in a rear braking device. [0002] [Related Art] In the art related 10 a rear braking device of a motorcycle, there is known, for example, '"Oil hydraulic braking device of a scooter-type motorcycle" described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2757921. In the above related art, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in the publication, there is disclosed a motorcycle I (reference symbols are cited from the publication) wherein a front part of an engine unit 6 is fitted vertically swingably to a vehicle frame 2, with the engine unit 6 being extended rearward, a rear arm 8 in a triangular shape seen in side view is extended rearward from midway in the longitudinal direction of the engine unit 6, a rear wheel 9 is supported between a rear part of the engine unit 6 and a rear part of the rear arm 8, and a caliper 22 of an hydraulic braking device is fitted to an oblique side portion 8g on the upper side of the rear arrn 8. This construction makes it easy to ensure a fitting space for the caliper 22, compared to a case where the caliper 22 is fitted to the engine unit 6. [0003] [Problems To Be Solved By The Invention] With the above-described related art, a silencer 6d (corresponding to a muffler) is passed by the outer side of the rear arm 8 and the outside of the caliper 22. To secure a large banking angle of the motorcycle 1, it is desired to pull the silencer 66 toward the center of the body. For that purpose, the silencer 6d may be arranged at as high a position as possible. However, since the caliper 22 is disposed in the upper part of the rear arm 8, the silencer 6d being a heat source is brought close to the caliper 22. Therefore, consideration should be given so that the caliper 22 is not affected by the heat from the silencer 6d, and there is room for improvement in this respect. [0004J It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to make it possible to suppress the influence of heat from a muffler on a caliper as much as possible. [0005] [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a motorcycle constructed such that a rear wheel power transmission mechanism built-in type swing unit is fitted vertically swingably to a vehicle frame, with the swing unit being extended rearward, a swing-arm is extended rearward from midway in the longitudinal direction of the swing unit, a rear wheel is supported between a rear part of the swing unit and a rear part of the swing arm, and a caliper of a hydraulic rear disc brake is fitted to the swing arm, wherein an engine exhaust muffler is passed by the outer side of the swing arm, and the caliper is disposed in the lower part of the swing arm. [0006] With respect to the muffler and the caliper, a relatively large muffler is disposed outside the swing arm, and a small caliper is disposed in the lower part of the swing arm. As a result, a distance between the muffler being a heat source and the caliper becomes large, and hence the influence of heat from the muffler on the caliper can be suppressed. Moreover, the caliper does not interfere with the muffler, thereby making it easier to ensure a fitting space for the caliper. Furthermore, since the large muffler can be pulled toward the center of the vehicle, a large banking angle of the motorcycle, can be secured. [ Brief Description of Drawings ] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a left side view of a vehicle frame and a swing unit according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of a structure in which a rear wheel is fitted to a swing unit according to present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a construction of a caliper in a hydraulic rear disc brake according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a left side sectional view of a structure in which a caliper is fitted to a swing arm-according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a rear elevation of a structure in which a rear wheel is fitted to a swing unit and a swing arm according to present invention. [Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "up" and "down" are directions as seen by a rider. In addition, il is assumed that figures are viewed in the direction of symbols. [0008] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle according to the present invention. The motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle comprising a vehicle frame 11, a front fork 13 fitted to a head pipe 12 of the vehicle frame 11, a front wheel 14 fitted to the front fork 13, a handle 15 coupled to the front fork 13, a swing unit 16 fitted to the rear upper part of the vehicle frame 11, a rear wheel 17 fitted to the rear part of the swing unit 16, a seat-18 disposed on the rear upper part of the vehicle frame 11, and a body cover 20 for covering the vehicle frame 11, as main constituents. [0009] The body cover 20 comprises a front cover 21 covering the front part of a head pipe 12 and the upper part of the front wheel 14, an inner cover 22 covering the rear part of the front cover 21, right and left floor steps 23 as low slung footrests on which driver's feet are placed (in this figure, only this side is shown), right and left floor skirts 24 extended downward from outer rims of the floor steps 23, an undercover covering a space between sills of the floor skirts 24; a center cover 26 extended rearward from the inner cover 22 and covering the center in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle frame 11, and a side cover 27 extended rearward from the center cover 26 and covering both sides of the rear part of the vehicle frame 11. [0010] In the figure, reference numeral 31 denotes a hydraulic front disc brake, 32 denotes a front fender, 33. denotes a head lamp, 34 denotes a windscreen, 35 denotes a handle cover, 36 denotes a handle grip, 37 denotes a mirror, 41 denotes a fuel tank, 42 denotes an engine cooling radiator, 43 denotes a collapsible bar step for a pillion rider, 44 denotes a main stand, 45 denotes an air cleaner, 46 denotes a tail lamp, 47 denotes a rear fender and 48 denotes a container box. [0011] FIG. 2 is a left side view of the vehicle frame and the swing unit according to the present invention, and shows that a front part of the swing unit 16 is fitted vertically swingably to the rear upper part of the cradle type vehicle frame 11 via a link .mechanism 51, with the swing unit 16 being extended rearward, a bracket 52 is fitted to a rear end of the vehicle frame 11, and the rear end side of the swing unit 16 is suspended from the bracket 52 by a rear suspension 53. The suspension structure of the rear suspension 53 will be described later in detail. [0012] The swing unit 16 is a rear wheel power transmission mechanism built-in type swing- style power unit wherein a transmission mechanism 60 at the rear is integrally combined with an engine 54 at the front, so that the power of the engine 54 is transmitted to the rear wheel via the rear wheel power transmission mechanism (not shown) built into a transmission case 61 of the transmission mechanism 60. An exhaust port of the engine 54 is connected to an engine exhaust muffler 82 passing by the right side of the vehicle (the other side of this figure), via an exhaust pipe 81. [0013] FIG. .3 is a plan sectional view of a structure in which a rear wheel is fitted to the swing unit according to present invention. The left rear part of the swing unit 16 (one side), that is, the left rear part 62 of the transmission case 61 is constituted such that the left side from the vehicle center (center of the vehicle width) CL is extended rearward along the vehicle center CL. As a result, the transmission case 61 has the left rear part 62 longer than the right rear part (the other side) in the rearward direction. [0014] This figure shows that the front part of the swing arm 70 is fitted in midway in the longitudinal direction of the swing unit 16, that is, to the right rear end 63 of the transmission case 61, by means of a bolt .71, with the swing arm 70 being further extended rearward, an axle shaft 78 is rotatably supported by the left rear part 62 of the transmission case 61 and the rear part of the swing arm 70, and the rear wheel 17 is fitted to this axle shaft 78. As a result, the rear wheel 17 can be supported by the rear part of the swing unit 16 and the rear part of the swing arm 70. The motive power of the above-described rear wheel power transmission mechanism is transmitted to the axle shaft 78. [0015] In the rear part of the motorcycle 10, a rear brake 90 and a wheel speed detection device 120 are provided. The rear brake 90 is a hydraulic rear disc brake comprising a brake disc 91 in a disc form, bolted on the right side of a hub 17a of the rear wheel 17, and a caliper 92 bolted to the swing arm 70 for controlling braking of the brake disc 91. The wheel speed detection device 120 comprises a pulser ring 121 bolted on the right side of the hub 17a of the rear wheel 17, and a sensor 122 bolted on the swing arm 70. The wheel speed can be detected by detecting the existence or nonexistence of a space between a plurality of slits made in the pulser ring 121. [0016] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing a construction of the caliper of the hydraulic rear disc brake according to the present invention, and (a) is a right side view of the caliper and (b) is a sectional view taken along the line b-b of (a). In FIG. 4(b), the caliper 92 operates a piston 96 in a caliper housing 95 by the pressure of a braking liquid generated by a master cylinder 94 in response to the operation of a rear brake operation member 93, and as a result, presses the brake disc 91 between pads 97 to control braking by means of a frictional force thereof. The rear brake operation member 93 is, for example, a rear brake lever fitted to the handle 15 (see FIG. 1). 98 denotes a hose. [0017] Moreover, a brake lock mechanism 101 can be incorporated in the end portion of the caliper 92, by bolting a brake lock housing 105, extending in the same direction as the piston 96, to the end portion of the caliper housing 95. The brake lock mechanism 101 is a mechanical brake lock mechanism wherein an arm 104 is rotated by operating a brake lock lever 102 to pull a brake lock cable 103, and a pin 106 in the brake lock housing 105 is moved depending on the amount of rotation of the arm 104 to push a rod 107, to thereby operate the piston 96 in the caliper 92, and as a result, the brake disc 91 is pressed between the pads 97 for controlling braking by the brake lock by means of a frictional force thereof. [0018] The caliper 92 can be fitted to the swing arm 70 by fitting a caliper bracket 112 to the . swing arm 70 shown by an imaginary line by a bolt 111, and by fitting the caliper housing 95 to the caliper bracket 112-by a bolt 113. Between the caliper housing 95 and the caliper bracket 112, vibration is absorbed and heat transfer is interrupted by a rubber bush 114. In FIG. 4(a), 115 is a bolt hole opened in the caliper bracket 112 for fitting to the swing arm 70. [0019] FIG. 5 is a left side sectional view of a structure in which a caliper is fitted to a swing arm according to the present invention, wherein the swing unit 16 and the rear wheel 17 are omitted. This figure shows that the caliper 92 is disposed in the lower part of the swing arm 70. In more detail, the swing arm 70 is a substantially triangular plate that becomes narrower towards the rear seen in side view, wherein a base is fitted to the swing unit 16 with two upper and lower bolts 71, a recess 73 depressed upward is formed ahead of the axle" shaft 78 in the lower oblique side 72, and the caliper 92 is disposed in the recess 73. [0020] The caliper 92 can be disposed in the lower front of the axle shaft 78, by fitting the caliper bracket 112 provided in the rear part of the caliper 92 to the swing arm 70 by two upper and lower bolts 111. As a result, the fitting distance from the fitting base of the swing arm 70 with respect to the swing unit 16 to the caliper 92 can be decreased. Since the fitting distance is small, when a braking reaction force of the rear wheel 17 acts on the swing arm 70 via the caliper 92, the moment is small, which is advantageous. [0021] Moreover, this figure shows that the slender muffler 82 extending in the upper rearward direction is disposed at a slightly higher position than the axle shaft 78, and fitted to the swing arm 70 with four bolts 83. 84 and 85 denote muffler brackets. As is obvious from this figure, it is seen that the muffler 82 slightly overlaps on the caliper 92, seen in side view. [0022] FIG. 6. is a rear elevation of a structure in which a rear wheel is fitted to a swing unit and a swing arm according to present invention. With respect to the muffler 82 and the caliper 92, the relatively large muffler 82 is passed by the outer side of the swing arm 70, and the small caliper 92 is disposed in the lower, part of the swing arm 70. As a result, the distance from the muffler 82 being a heat source to the caliper 92 becomes relatively large. Moreover, since the muffler 82 and the caliper 92 are fitted to the swing arm 70, even if the swing arm 70 swings together with the swing unit 16, the gap between the muffler 82 and the caliper 92 is always constant. [0023] Since the muffler 82 is not directly coupled to the caliper 92, heat transfer from the muffler 82 being a heat source to the caliper 92 is suppressed. Moreover, since the .heat radiated from the muffler 82 goes upwards, the heat is unlikely to be transferred to the caliper 92. The distance from the muffler 82 to the caliper 92 is also relatively large. As a result, the influence of heat from the muffler 82 on the caliper 92 is . extremely small, and hence the caliper 92 can always operate in an optimum condition. [0024] In addition, the caliper 92 does not interfere with the muffler 82, and the fitting space of the caliper 92 can be more easily ensured, as well as enabling easy maintenance and inspection of the caliper 92. Moreover, since the large-scale muffler 82 can be pulled toward the vehicle center CL side, a banking angle 8 of the motorcycle 10 can be set large. [0025] Furthermore, the caliper 92 extends toward the right, which is the outside of the swing arm 70 in the width direction of the vehicle (toward the side where the muffler 82 is disposed), and the brake lock mechanism 101 extends from the right end toward the right. As a result, there is an arrangement relation that the caliper 92 overlaps on the muffler 82 on the right and left sides. However, since the muffler 82 is arranged above the caliper 92 and the brake lock mechanism 101, these do not interfere with each other. As a result, the muffler 82 can be further pulled toward the vehicle center CL side, hence the width of the motorcycle 10 can be decreased. As a result, the banking angle 0 of the motorcycle 10 can be set further large. [0026] This figure further shows that a bracket 74 is formed at the rear end of the swing arm 70, and the bracket 74 is suspended from the bracket 52 of the vehicle frame 11, via the rear suspension 53. Therefore, the swing arm 70 and the swing unit 16 fitted with the swing arm 70 can be suspended from the vehicle frame 11. [0027] Here, in the embodiment of the present invention described above, the motorcycle 10 is not limited to the scooter type motorcycle. Moreover, the rear suspension 53 may be one for suspending the swing unit 16. [0028] '•;... [Effects of the Invention] The present invention brings about, the following effects with the above-described construction. With the invention described in claim 1, with respect to the muffler and the caliper, the relatively large-scale muffler is passed by the outer side of the swing arm, and the small caliper is arranged in the lower part of the swing arm. As a result, the distance from the muffler being a heat source to the caliper becomes large, and the influence of heat from the muffler on the caliper can be suppressed to the utmost. Moreover, the caliper does not interfere with the muffler, and the fitting space for the caliper can be ensured more easily. Furthermore, since the large muffler can be pulled toward the vehicle center side, the banking angle of the motorcycle can be set large. [Brief Description of the Reference Symbols] 10 Motorcycle 1 1 Vehicle frame 16 Swing unit 17 Rear wheel 70 Swing arm 82 Engine exhaust muffler 90 Hydraulic rear disc brake (rear brake) 91 Brake disc 92 Caliper WE CLAIM: 1. A motorcycle constructed such that a rear wheel power transmission mechanism built-in type swing unit is fitted vertically swingably to a vehicle frame, with the swing unit being extended rearward, a swing arm is extended rearward from midway in the longitudinal direction of the swing unit, a rear wheel is supported between a rear port of the swing arm, and a caliper of a hydraulic rear disc brake is fitted to the swing arm, wherein an engine exhaust muffler is passed by the outer side of said swing arm, and said caliper is disposed in the lower part of the swing arm. 2. A motorcycle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 14th day of June, 2000. [RITUSHKA NEGI] Of REMFRY & SAGAR ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANT

Documents:

755-mum-2000-cancelled page(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-claim(granted)-(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-claims(granted)-(11-05-2005).doc

755-mum-2000-correspondence(14-03-2006).pdf

755-mum-2000-correspondence(ipo)-(14-05-2004).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 1(14-08-2000).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 19(16-04-2004).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 2(granted)-(11-05-2005).doc

755-mum-2000-form 2(granted)-(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 3(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 3(14-08-2000).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 3(15-03-2001).pdf

755-mum-2000-form 5(14-08-2000).pdf

755-mum-2000-other document(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-petition under rule 137(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-petition under rule 138(12-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-power of authority(11-05-2005).pdf

755-mum-2000-power of authority(28-11-2000).pdf