Indian Patents
Title of Invention

FOLDABLE TWO-WHEEL VEHICLE
Abstract A seat 13 capable of opening and closing an opening portion of a storange net is disposed at an upper portion of the strong net, a stopper release lever for opening and closing the seat 13 is provided at a front portion of the seat 13, a handle post 23 and a handle 17 are disposed on the front side of the stopper release lever so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the handle post 23 is provided with a main switch for locking in a folded condition, whereby the handle post 23 and the handle 17 folded to cover a front portion of the stopper release lever are locked with the main switch to thereby make the stopper release laever unoperatable. When the front portion of the seat is covered with the handle means, the seat cannot be opened or closed, prevention of mischief upon the stronger net under the seat can be contrived, the two-wheel vehicle can be made compact, and since the wheels are not locked, the two-wheel vehicle can be moved and transported.
Full Text FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10]
"FOLDABLE TWO-WHEEL VEHICLE"

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 pertains]
The present invention relates to a foldable two-wheel vehicle which can be moved or transported even in a folded condition, for example, in the case of being
mounted on a vehicle, which is contrived to be compact,
and which is provided with a measure against theft and
mischief.
[0002]
As a two-wheel vehicle in which a handle can be
folded, there is known, for example, Japanese Patent
Laid-open No. Hei 10-129556 "Antitheft Bicycle".
FIG. 2 of the above publication shows an antitheft
bicycle in which a handle 1 (Symbols described in the
publication are used here as they are) is folded and
fixed between spokes 2, 2 of the front wheel, and a lock
3 for preventing the handle 1 from being returned to its
original condition is provided.
[0003]
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]]
When the handle 1 is folded and fixed between the
spokes 2, 2 of the front wheel as mentioned above, it is
difficult to move or transport the bicycle in this
condition. However, in the case of transporting such a
bicycle by mounting it on a four-wheel vehicle or the
like, the bicycle must be put into the four-wheel vehicle
by, for example, lifting it up; therefore, a further
improvement is required.
In addition, in the case of mounting such a bicycle


or other two-wheel vehicle on a vehicle, compactness is demanded for effectively utilize a limited space.
Furthermore, it is desired that the two-wheel vehicle is provided with a contrivance for preventing mischief or the like.
[0004]
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enable a foldable two-wheel vehicle to be moved or transported even in a folded condition in the case of, for example, mounting it on a vehicle, to contrive compactness, and to provide a contrivance for, for example, protection of a luggage container under the seat.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to attain the above object, claim 1 is characterized in that a seat capable of opening and closing an opening portion of a storage portion is disposed at an upper portion of the storage portion, a seat opening/closing lever for opening and closing the seat is provided at a front portion of the seat, handle means is provided on the front side of the seat opening/closing lever so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the handle means is provided with lock means


for locking the handle means in a folded condition, whereby the handle means folded so as to cover a front portion of the seat opening/closing lever is locked with the lock means so that the seat opening/closing lever cannot be operated. [0006]
In the condition where the two-wheel vehicle with the handle folded is mounted on a four-wheel vehicle, the seat cannot be opened or closed, so that protection of luggage disposed under the seat can be contrived. Further, a lock is not required for opening or closing the seat in a riding condition, and the operations of opening and closing the seat are very easy.
Besides, the two-wheel vehicle can be made compact by folding the handle means. Further, since the wheels are not locked, the two-wheel vehicle can be moved and transported. [0007]
Claim 2 is characterized in that the seat is fitted to a vehicle body so as to be slidable to the front and rear sides, and the seat can be held by a holding mechanism at a most front side position where the seat is slidden to the most front side, a riding position provided on the rear side of the most front side position


for the rider to ride at the time of running, and an open position where the seat is moved to the most rear side so as to fully open the opening portion of the storage portion. [0008]
By sliding the seat to the most front side position, the two-wheel vehicle with the seat opened can be made compact, and by sliding the seat to the open position, the opening portion of the storage portion can be made large, resulting in that luggage can be easily put in and taken out. In addition, since the seat is of a slide type, opening and closing of the seat and putting luggage into and out of the storage portion can be performed where the rider is not seated on the seat but standing astride the seat, so that convenience in use can be enhanced. [0009]
Claim 3 is characterized in that a front portion of the seat opening/closing lever is covered at the most front side position.
The foldable two-wheel vehicle can be made compact, and the luggage under the seat can be protected. [0010]
Claim 4 is characterized in that the seat opening/closing lever is disposed at a front portion of

the seat and on the lower side of a seat bottom plate, whereby a hand cannot be inserted to the lower side of the seat bottom plate in the condition where the handle means is folded.
The seat opening/closing lever can be made unoperatable, with a simple constitution. [0011]
Claim 5 is characterized in that a tail lamp is integrally fitted to a rear portion of the seat.
Since the tail lamp can be slidden forward together with the seat, the seat and the tail lamp are brought near to the center of the vehicle body, and compactness of the two-wheel vehicle can be further contrived. [0012]
Claim 6 is characterized in that the handle means includes a left-right pair of handle bar portions foldable in the vehicle width direction, and a handle post portion for supporting the handle bar portions, and in the condition where the handle bar portions and the handle post portion are folded, the front side of the seat is closed in a roughly U-shaped form with an upper portion of the handle post portion and the left and right handle bar portions.
The front side of the seat can be covered with the

handle post portion without a crevice and the handle bar portions, so that protection of the luggage under the seat becomes more favorable. [0013]
Claim 7 is characterized in that the lock means functions also as switch means for turning ON and OFF a power source of the vehicle.
With the lock means functioning also as the switch means, the number of component parts can be reduced as compared with, for example, the case where switch means is specially provided independently of the lock means; therefore, parts cost and assembly cost can be suppressed. In addition, since the power source would not be turned ON at the folded position, useability with carefree manner is ensured. [0014]
Claim 8 is characterized in that the lock means is provided on the front side of the handle means and in the vicinity of a folding shaft for folding the handle means to the rear side of the vehicle body.
Since the distance between the lock means and the folding shaft is short, the lock means and the folding shaft or the vicinity thereof can be easily connected to each other, and the structure of the lock means can be


made simple. In addition, since the lock is located on the front side of the handle means, a series of operations of, for example, unlocking and returning the handle means to its original position can be easily carried out. [0015]
Claim 9 is characterized in that, in the two-wheel vehicle according to claim 5, a front wheel support member for supporting a front wheel is fitted to the vehicle body so as to be foldable to the rear side, and a rear wheel support member for supporting a rear wheel is fitted to the vehicle body so as to be foldable to the front side.
In addition to the features that the handle means is foldable to the rear side and the seat is slidable to the front and rear sides, the front wheel support member is foldable to the rear side and the rear wheel support member is foldable to the front side, whereby more compactness of the two-wheel vehicle can be contrived, and the two-wheel vehicle becomes extremely favorable for being mounted on a four-wheel vehicle. [0016] [Mode for Carrying out the Invention]
A preferred embodiment of the present invention


will be described below based on the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are to be looked at according to the posture of symbols.
[Brief Description of the Drawings] [FIG. 1]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.

[FIG. 2]
FIG. 2 is a side view of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 3]
FIG. 3 is an action view (former half) for illustrating the folding of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 4]
FIG. 4 is an action view (latter half) for illustrating the folding of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 5]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the condition where the two-wheel vehicle is mounted on a four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 6]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing two kinds of two-wheel vehicles mounted on the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 7]
FIG. 7 is an action view (former half) for illustrating the actions of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention.

[FIG. 8]
FIG. 8 is an action view (latter half) for illustrating the actions of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention. [FIG. 9]
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a lift device provided in a door of the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 10]
FIG. 10 is an action view (former half) for illustrating another action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention. [FIG. 11]
FIG. 11 is an action view (latter half) for illustrating another action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention. [FIG. 12]
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing a wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 13]

FIG. 13 is a sectional view (exploded view) showing the wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 14]
FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 15]
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a major part on the front wheel side of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 16]
FIG. 16 is a perspective view for illustrating a front swing arm of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 17]
FIG. 17 is a sectional view for illustrating a swing arm lock mechanism for the front swing arm according to the present invention. [FIG. 18]
FIG. 18 is a side view of a major part showing a front portion of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 19]

FIG. 19 is a side view of a major part showing a rear portion of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 20]
FIG. 20 is a flowchart for illustrating the main points of folding the front and rear wheels of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 21]
FIG. 21 is an action view for illustrating the action of the swing arm lock mechanism according to the present invention. [FIG. 22]
FIG. 22 is an action view for illustrating the folding action for the front and rear wheels according to the present invention. [FIG. 23]
FIG. 23 is a flowchart for illustrating the main points of unfolding the front and rear wheels of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 24]
FIG. 24 is an action view for illustrating the condition of a lock detection switch according to the present invention. [FIG. 25]

FIG. 25 is an action view for illustrating the action of the swing arm lock mechanism according to the present invention. [FIG. 26]
FIG. 26 is a sectional view showing another mode of carrying out the swing arm lock mechanism according to the present invention. [FIG. 27]
FIG. 27 is a sectional view of a seat of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 28]
FIG. 28 is a sectional view of a slide mechanism and a stopper mechanism provided additionally to the seat according to the present invention. [FIG. 29]
FIG. 29 is an action view for illustrating the action of the seat of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 30]
FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing the condition of the surroundings of handles of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 31]
FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the handles of the


two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 32]
FIG. 32 is a view taken along arrow 32 of FIG. 30. [FIG. 33]
FIG. 33 is a sectional view taken along line 33-33 of FIG. 32. [FIG. 34]
FIG. 34 is a sectional view taken along line 34-34 of FIG. 32. [FIG. 35]
FIG. 35 is a sectional view taken along line 35-35 of FIG. 32. [FIG. 36]
FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing major parts of the handles and a knob according to the present invention. [FIG. 37]
FIG. 37 is an action view for illustrating the action of the knob of a handle support mechanism according to the present invention. [FIG. 38]
FIG. 38 is an action view for illustrating the actions of a handle clamp lever of the handle support mechanism and peripheral component parts according to the

present invention. [FIG. 39]
FIG. 39 is a front view showing the folded condition of the handles according to the present invention. [FIG. 40]
FIG. 40 is an illustration for illustrating the folding of rearview mirrors according to the present invention. [FIG. 41]
FIG. 41 is a side view (partly sectional) for illustrating a folding mechanism of a handle post of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. [FIG. 42]
FIG. 42 is a sectional view taken along line 42-42 of FIG. 41. [FIG. 43]
FIG. 43 is a first action view for illustrating the action of a handle folding mechanism according to the present invention. [FIG. 44]
FIG. 44 is a second action view for illustrating the action of the handle folding mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a foldable two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and the foldable two-wheel vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as "the two-wheel vehicle 10") is a foldable-type vehicle which can be partly folded to reduce the outside dimension thereof and can be mounted, for example, on a four-wheel vehicle or the like. [0017]
In the two-wheel vehicle 10, a front wheel 11 and a rear wheel 12 can respectively be moved, namely, folded in the directions of arrows (1), (2), a seat 13 can be moved forward (in the direction of arrow (3) , projecting portions, for example, floor steps 15, 16 (the floor step 16 on the deep side is not shown) as foot rests for the driver, handles 17, 18 and rearview mirrors 21, 22 can respectively be folded in the directions of arrows (4) to (8) so as to be within the width B of a license number plate 14 (hereinafter referred to simply as "the number plate 14") fitted to a rear portion, and a handle post 23 for supporting the handles 17, 18 can be folded to the rear side of the vehicle body (in the direction of arrow (9).


[0018]
Here, numeral 24 denotes a motor operating switch provided on the handle 18 for operating an electric motor, which is incorporated in the rear wheel 12 and will be described later, at a low speed to fold the front and rear wheels 11, 12 or return the front and rear wheels 11, 12 from the folded conditions to the original positions for running (this operation will hereinafter be expressed as "unfold the front and rear wheels 11, 12"); the front and rear wheels 11, 12 can be folded by tilting a movable portion (not shown) of the motor operating switch 24 to the side of a mark "FOLD", and the front and rear wheels 11, 12 can be unfolded by tilting the movable portion to the side of a mark "UNFOLD".
[0019]
FIG. 2 is a side view of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. The two-wheel vehicle 10 has a construction in which a head pipe 26 is fitted to the front end of a vehicle body frame 25, a handle shaft 27 is rotatably fitted to the head pipe 26, an upper portion arm 28 is fitted to the upper end of the handle shaft 27, the handle post 23 as a handle post portion is fitted to the upper portion arm 28 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body,

a left-right pair of handles 17, 18 (for the handle 18 on the deep side, see FIG. 1) as handle bar portions are fitted to an upper portion of the handle post 23 so as to be swingable vertically, the rearview mirrors 21, 22 (the rearview mirror 22 on the deep side is not shown) are respectively fitted to the respective tip ends of the handles 17, 18 so as to be rotatable and swingable, a lower portion arm 36 is fitted to the lower end of the handle post 27, a front swing arm 37 as a front wheel support member is swingably fitted to a rear portion of the lower portion arm 36, the front wheel 11 is rotatably fitted to an end portion of the front swing arm 37, and an upper portion of the front wheel 11 is covered with a front fender 38.
The handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 are members constituting the handle means according to claim 1.
[0020]
In addition, the two-wheel vehicle 10 has a construction in which, as shown, a battery 41 is fitted to an intermediate portion of the vehicle body frame 25, a rear swing arm 42 as a rear wheel support member is swingably fitted to a rear portion of the vehicle body frame 25, the rear wheel 12 is rotatably fitted to an end

portion of the rear swing arm 42, an upper portion of the rear wheel 12 is covered with a rear fender 43, a seat post 44 is erected from a rear portion of the vehicle body frame 25, a seat frame 45 and seat rails 46 are fitted to the upper end of the seat post 44, a seat 13 is fitted to the seat rails 46 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, a tail lamp 47 is fitted to a rear portion of the seat 13, the number plate 14 is fitted to a lower portion of the tail lamp 47 through a bracket 48, a stand 51 is vertically swingably fitted to a lower portion of the vehicle body frame 25, and the floor steps 15, 16 (the floor step 16 on the deep side is not shown) are upwardly swingably fitted to lower portions of both side portions of the vehicle body frame 25.
[0021]
Here, numeral 57 denotes a front swing shaft for the front swing arm 37, 58 denotes a rear swing shaft for the rear swing arm 42, 61 denotes a head lamp, 62 denotes a front cover, and 63 and 64 denote side covers (the side cover 64 on the deep side is not shown), 66 denotes a storage net as a storage portion for storing small articles which is provided on the lower side of the seat rails 46, and 67 denotes a control unit.

[0022]
The rear wheel 12 is a wheel-in motor type wheel in which an electric motor which is driven by the battery 41 and will be described later is incorporated in a wheel 68.
The seat 13 opens Che upper side of the storage net 66 by being slidden from the position shown in the figure to the rear side of the vehicle body, whereby small articles and the like can be put into the storage net 66. [0023]
A folding action of the two-wheel vehicle 10 described above will be briefly described.
FIG. 3 is an action view for illustrating the folding of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and description will be made sequentially in correspondence with arrows (1) to (7) shown in FIG. 1.
1) In the condition shown in FIG. 2, a brake of the front wheel 11 is first applied to lock the front wheel 11, and then a switch for operating the electric motor of the rear wheel 12 is made. Namely, the rear wheel 12 is rotated in the same rotating direction as at the time of running (this is the forward direction); by this, the rear wheel 12 approaches the front wheel 11 in FIG. 3, so that the front swing arm 31 on the side of the front wheel 11 and the rear swing arm 42 on the side of

the rear wheel 12 are swung in the directions of arrows ®, (2) with the front swing shaft 57 and the rear swing shaft 58 as centers, respectively. When the above-mentioned switch is made, the control unit drives the motor after releasing lock mechanisms for the front and rear wheels, in the procedure which will be described later. [0024]
2) The handles 17, 18 (the handle 18 on the deep
side is not shown) are folded to the inside as indicated
by (3), the rearview mirrors 21, 22 (the rearview mirror 22
on the deep side is not shown) are folded as arrow (4), the
handle post 23 is tilted to the rear side of the vehicle
body as arrow (5), and the handles 17, 18 and the rearview
mirrors 21, 22 are contained into the vehicle body
through the above-mentioned opening portion. In this case,
the storage net 66 and the handles 17, 18 do not
interfere with each other, so that folding can be
performed even with the luggage contained in the storage
net 66.
[0025]
3) The seat 13 is moved forward as arrow (6).
4) The steps 15, 16 (the step 16 on the deep side is not shown) are kicked up to the upper side as arrow (7).
[0026]

By this, folding of the two-wheel vehicle 10 is completed. The sequence of folding is not limited to the above, and, for example, the handle post 23 may be tilted to the rear side together with the folded handles 17, 18 after the seat 13 is moved forward.
By the folding of the front wheel 11 and the rear wheel 12, the minimum height from the ground of the vehicle body becomes greater than the minimum height from the ground at the time of running which is shown in FIG. 2, and, therefore, the stand 51 is fixed at a position further swung downwards from the position shown in FIG. 2. [0027]
FIG. 4 is a side view showing the folded condition of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.
In the condition where the two-wheel vehicle 10 is folded, the two-wheel vehicle 10 has a roughly rectangular parallelopiped form which is flat to the left and right and has a width roughly equal to the width 17 0 mm of the number plate of the motorcycle. According to the two-wheel vehicle 10 can be easily contained in a component member of the four-wheel vehicle, particularly, in an outer plate, whereby both reinforcing of the four-wheel vehicle and mounting of the two-wheel vehicle are

possible at the same time. [0028]
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the condition where the two-wheel vehicle is mounted on the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the two-wheel vehicle 10 is contained in a door 72 fitted to a side body 71 constituting the vehicle body of the four-wheel vehicle 70.
The two-wheel vehicle 10 has component portions so folded that the vehicle width is contained within the width of the number plate, as described above. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the width of the containing space and to reduce the thickness of the door 72, so that a vehicle compartment space of the four-wheel vehicle 70 can be sufficiently secured. [0029]
The four-wheel vehicle 70 has a construction in which the door 72 as a vehicle body component member and side walls 73, 74 as vehicle body component members are provided with outer panels 76, 77, 78 as transparent or translucent outer panel members permitting the inside to be seen therethrough. Therefore, the two-wheel vehicle 10 mounted on the four-wheel vehicle 70 can be visually recognized from the outside, and the four-wheel vehicle

70 permitting the folded two-wheel vehicle 10 mounted thereon to be recognized at a glance has a characteristic design, which can enhance the attractiveness of the article of commerce. [0030]
The above-mentioned four-wheel vehicle 70 includes an on-vehicle generator 301 disposed in a lower portion space S of the side wall 74. The on-vehicle generator 301 is a multi-pole alternator which is of a water-cooled 4-cycle engine integral type and incorporates a starter, and will be detailed later. [0031]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing two kinds of two-wheel vehicles mounted on the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the two-wheel vehicle 10 is contained in the door 72 on the left side of the four-wheel vehicle 70 and a foldable two-wheel vehicle 80 (hereinafter referred to simply as "the two-wheel vehicle 80") is contained in the door 79 on the right side. The two-wheel vehicle 80 will be detailed later.
Thus, the four-wheel vehicle 70 can contain a plurality of the two-wheel vehicles 10, 80 in the doors 72, 79 or in other vehicle body component members.

[0032]
Loading and unloading action of the two-wheel vehicle shown in FIG. 5 onto and from the four-wheel vehicle will be described referring to FIGS. 6 to 8.
FIGS. 7(a), (b) are action views (former half) for illustrating the action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention, and show the case of unloading the two-wheel vehicle.
In (a), first, the door 72 is opened, and is fixed by a door-fixing mechanism (not shown) so that the door is immobile in a position opened to a predetermined degree. The door 72 includes a slide device 81 for horizontally sliding the two-wheel vehicle 10, and a lift device 82 for raising and lowering the two-wheel vehicle 10.
[0033]
In (b), a slide lock of the slide device 81 is unlocked, and the two-wheel vehicle 10 is drawn out from the inside to the outside of the door 72 by the slide device 81.
The slide device 81 includes a rail member 83 provided at a lower portion of the door 72, a slide plate 84 slidably fitted to the rail member 83 and functioning

for mounting the two-wheel vehicle 10 thereon, and the holding member 85 detachably fitted to an upper portion of an end portion of the slide plate 84 and functioning for holding a rear portion of the two-wheel vehicle 10. [0034]
FIGS. 8(a), (b) are action views (latter half) for illustrating the action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention, and show the case of unloading the two-wheel vehicle.
In (a), the lift device 82 provided in the door 72 is operated, to lower the rail member 83, whereby the two-wheel vehicle 10 mounted on the slide plate 84 is lowered, and the holding member 85 (See FIG. 7(b)) is detached from the slide plate 84. [0035]
The lift device 82 includes a parallel link 87 included of links 86 ... (... represents plurality, here and hereinafter) fitted to the rail member 83, a driving device 88 for driving the parallel link 87, and a gas spring 91 bridgingly disposed between the lower end of the door 72 and the rail member 83 for alleviating a downward force exerted on the parallel link 87. Numeral 92 denotes a stopper member fitted to a front portion of

the slide plate 84 so as to restrain the front wheel 11 of the two-wheel vehicle 10 from moving forward.
[0036]
In (b), the stand (not shown) of the two-wheel vehicle 10 is raised, and the two-wheel vehicle 10 is unloaded from the slide plate 84. By this, the operation of unloading the two-wheel vehicle 10 from the four-wheel vehicle 70 is completed.
An operation of loading the two-wheel vehicle 10 onto the four-wheel vehicle 70 can be carried out by reversing the above-described procedure.
[0037]
Thus, by providing the door 72 with the slide device 81 and the lift device 82, the operations of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle 10 onto and from the four-wheel vehicle 70 can be carried out easily and swiftly.
[0038]
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the lift device provided in the door of the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. The driving device 88 of the lift device 82 includes an electric motor 88a serving as a drive source, a first gear 88b connected to an output shaft of the electric motor 88a, a second gear 88c meshed

with the first gear 88b, a first shaft 88d integrally fitted to the second gear 88c and having both ends rotatably fitted in the door 72, a drive gear 88e fitted to the first shaft 88d, a sector formed driven gear 88f meshed with the drive gear 88e, a second shaft 88h fitted to the driven gear 88f, fitted integrally with the links 86, 86 and having both ends rotatably fitted to frames 88g, 88g in the door 72, and a lift changeover switch 88j for changing over the rotating direction of the above-mentioned electric motor 88a, namely, changing over the raising and lowering of the rail member 83. Symbols 88m and 88n denote movable contacts, 88p, 88q and 88r denote fixed contacts, and 88t denotes a battery. [0039]
For example, where the rail member 83 is lowered by supply of an electric current from the battery 88t to the electric motor 88a when the movable contact 88m is connected to the fixed contact 88p and the movable contact 88n is connected to the fixed contact 88q, the rail member 83 is raised by supply of an electric current from the battery 88t to the electric motor 88a when the movable contact 88m is connected to the fixed contact 88q and the movable contact 88n is connected to the fixed contact 88r.

[0040]
FIGS. 10(a), (b) are action views (former half) for illustrating another action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention, and show the case of loading the two-wheel vehicle.
In (a), a door 94 of the four-wheel vehicle is opened, a rail member 95 is drawn out from the inside of the door 94 to the outside, and the rail member 95 is bridgingly set between the door 94 and the ground.
Thus, the door 94 includes the rail member 95 which can be drawn out and can be bridgingly set between the ground and the door 94 at the times of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle 10. [0041]
In (b), the two-wheel vehicle 10 is mounted on a truck 96, and the truck 9 6 is pushed upwards along the rail member 95 as indicated by the arrow.
The truck 96 includes a mount portion 97 for mounting the two-wheel vehicle 10 thereon, a rear portion stopper 98 provided at a rear portion of the mount portion 97 for holding the rear wheel 12 of the two-wheel vehicle 10, a handle 101 erected from a side portion of the rear end of the mount portion 97, and a plurality of


rollers (not shown) provided on the lower surface of the mount portion 97 so as to roll on the rail member 95.
[0042]
FIGS. 11(a), (b) are action views (latter half) for illustrating another action of loading and unloading the two-wheel vehicle and a constitution therefor according to the present invention, and show the case of loading the two-wheel vehicle.
In (a), the truck 96 is pushed upwards along the rail member 95 by gripping the handle 101, and the two-wheel vehicle 10 together with the truck 96 is pushed into the door 94 as indicated by the arrow.
[0043]
(b) shows the condition where the two-wheel vehicle 10 mounted on the truck 96 is contained in the door 94. At this time, the truck 96 and the two-wheel vehicle 10 are fixed by lock mechanisms (not shown) so that they do not move in the door 94. Therefore, the operation of loading the two-wheel vehicle 10 onto the four-wheel vehicle 70 is completed.
[0044]
FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view showing the wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows the wheel 68 of the rear

wheel 12.
The wheel 68 of the rear wheel 12 includes a sensor ring 106 to be detected by a rotation sensor (not shown) provided on the side of the rear swing arm 42, a rotary magnet body 112 comprising a plurality of permanent magnets 107, 108 alternately arranged on the inside of a magnetic material ring 111, and a fixing ring 113 for fixing the rotary magnet body 112 in the wheel 68, whereas the rear swing arm 42 includes a stator 115. [0045]
The sensor ring 106 is for detecting the rotational frequency of the wheel 68.
The rotary magnet body 112 and the stator 115 are members constituting an electric motor 116. Numeral 117 denotes an axle of the rear wheel 12. [0046]
FIG. 13 is a sectional view (exploded view) showing the wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. The wheel 68 includes a hub portion 121 for receiving the axle 117, a disk portion 122 spreading radially outwards from the hub portion 121, and a rim portion 123 provided at the outer circumference of the disk portion 122, with a tire 124 fitted on the rim portion 123.

The disk portion 122 is a portion integrally formed with a drum 127 constituting a drum brake 126 on the side facing the rear swing arm 42. Numeral 128 denotes a cast iron liner which is insert molded on the inside of the drum 127 for enhancing abrasion resistance, 131 denotes a magnet body fitting portion provided at the inside surface of the rim portion 123 for fitting the rotary magnet body 112, 132 denotes an annular groove for fitting the fixing ring 113, and 133 ... denote positioning pins for positioning the rotary magnet body 112. [0047]
The rear swing arm 42 includes a convex portion 135 provided at the periphery of the axle 117, and the stator 115 fitted to the convex portion 135 by bolts 137 „., in which the convex portion 135 functions also as a brake panel (which is a component part of the drum brake 126).
Namely, the convex portion 135 is a portion for fitting thereto brake shoe shafts 138, 138 (the brake shoe shaft 138 on one side is not shown) which constitute a swing shaft for the brake shoe (not shown) to be pressed against the inner circumferential surface of the cast iron liner 128 of the drum 127, and a cam shaft 143 which is formed at its one end with a cam 141 for moving the brake shoe to the drum side and is integrally fitted

at its other end with an arm member 142 to be swung attendant on a brake operation.
[0048]
FIG. 14 is a sectional view showing the wheel structure of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the axle 117, the stator 115 of the electric motor 116, the brake shoe shafts 138, 138 (symbol 138 on one side is not shown) of the drum brake 126 and the cam shaft 143 are fitted to the convex portion 135 of the rear swing arm 42, the wheel 68 is rotatably fitted to the axle 117 through bearings 145, 146, the drum 127 of the drum brake 126 is integrally formed on the disk portion 122 of the wheel 68, the sensor ring 106 is fitted to the disk portion 122 of the wheel 68 by bolts 147 ..., and the rotary magnet body 112 is fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the rim portion 123. Numeral 148 denotes a collar, 151 and 152 denote oil seals, 153 denotes a washer, 154 denotes a nut, 155 denotes a return spring for the arm member 142, and 156 denotes a tire valve.
[0049]
The above-mentioned wheel 68 has a structure in which the electric motor 116 for driving the wheel 68 is incorporated in the wheel 68, and the drum brake 126 for


braking the wheel 68 is disposed on the radially inner side of the electric motor 116. Therefore, the electric motor 116 and the drum brake 126 can be disposed concentrically, the width of the wheel 68 can be made small, and a small-type compact wheel 68 can be achieved.
Such a wheel structure may be adopted for the front wheel 11 (See FIG. 2).
[0050]
In addition, since the electric motor 116 and the drum brake 126 are provided on the same side of the disk portion 122 of the wheel 68, it is possible to enhance the assemblability of the electric motor 116 and the drum brake 126 to the wheel 68 and the maintainability of the electric motor 116 and the drum brake 126.
[0051]
Further, since the rear swing arm 42 as a rear wheel support member for rotatably supporting the wheel 68 functions also as a brake panel of the drum brake 126 and is fitted with the stator 115 of the electric motor 126, the number of component parts can be reduced as compared with the case where a stator-fitting member is provided and/or the brake panel is specially provided. Besides, at the time of manufacture, component parts (the brake shoe shaft 138, the brake shoe, the cam shaft 143,


the arm portion 142, etc.) of the drum brake 126 and the stator 115 can be preliminarily and partly assembled onto the rear swing arm 42, and, separately, the sensor ring 106 and the rotary magnet body 112 can be preliminarily and partly assembled onto the wheel 68; therefore, by the process of fitting the partly assembled wheel 68 to the partly assembled rear swing arm 42, productivity can be enhanced. [0052]
Furthermore, with the wheel 68 provided with the rotary magnet body 112, according to the present invention, a slip ring mechanism or the like for supplying electric current to the stator 115 is unnecessitated and structure is simplified, as compared with the case where, for example, the stator is provided on the side of the wheel. In addition, with the rotary magnet body 112 included of the magnetic material ring 111 and the permanent magnets 107 ..., 108 ... fixed on the magnetic material ring 111, the magnetic material ring 111 on which the permanent magnets 107 ..., 108 ... are preliminarily fixed can be fitted to the wheel 68, whereby assemblability can be enhanced as compared with the case where, for example, the permanent magnets are fitted directly to the wheel.

[0053]
FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a major part on the front wheel side of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows a construction in which the lower portion arm 36 is fitted to a lower portion of the handle shaft 27, the front swing arm 37 is fitted to the lower portion arm 36 through the front swing shaft 57, a window portion 158 is provided at an upper portion of the front swing arm 37, and a projected piece 161 to be inserted into the window portion 158 is provided on a lower surface of the lower portion arm 36. Numerals 162, 162 denote brake shoes respectively swingably fitted to the brake shoe shafts 138, 138 (symbol 138 on one side is not shown). [0054]
FIG. 16 is a perspective view for illustrating the front swing arm of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows a construction in which a swing arm lock mechanism 164 for locking the swinging of the front swing arm 37 is provided at an upper portion of the front swing arm 37.
The swing arm lock mechanism 164 includes an arm lock pin 165, and a cable 166 connected to an end portion of the arm lock pin 165.

[0055]
FIGS. 17(a), (b) are sectional views for illustrating the swing arm lock mechanism of the front swing arm according to the present invention, in which (a) is a sectional view taken along line a-a of FIG. 16, and (b) is a view taken along arrow b of (a).
In (a), the swing arm lock mechanism 164 includes the above-mentioned arm lock pin 165, the cable 166, the above-mentioned projected piece 161 which is inserted through the window portion 158 and to which the tip end of the arm lock pin 165 is connected, and a spring 167 for pushing out the arm lock pin 165 to the tip end side. Numeral 168 denotes a wire movably inserted in the cable 166, and 171 denotes a wire end member for connection to the arm lock pin 165 by fitting to the tip end of the wire 168. [0056]
The projected piece 161 is a member in which a pin penetration member 161b provided with a penetration hole 0.61a for penetration of the arm lock pin 165 therethrough and a stopper member 161c for restricting the tip end position of the arm lock pin 165 are laid over each other with a gap therebetween. Symbol 161d denotes a curved portion provided at the tip end of the pin penetration

member 161b.
The arm lock pin 165 includes a collar portion 165a provided at an intermediate portion thereof, and a tapered portion 165b provided at a tip end portion thereof.
[0057]
In (b), numeral 173 denotes a detection piece provided at an intermediate portion of the arm lock pin 165, and 174 denotes a lock detection switch which is turned ON and OFF by movements of the detection piece 173 attendant on movements of the arm lock pin 165 in the axial direction.
[0058]
The lock detection switch 174 includes a switch main body 174a, a rod 174b capable of coming into and out of the switch main body 174a and pushed outwards by an elastic force of a spring (not shown), and a rollered arm 174c brought into contact with the tip end of the rod 174b. The lock detection switch 174 is turned ON when the rod 174b is pushed in from the outside to the inside, and the lock detection switch 174 is turned OFF when the rod 174b is projected from the inside to the outside. Symbol 174d denotes a stopper pin functioning as a stopper for the rollered arm 174c.

[0059]
In the condition shown in the figure where the arm lock pin 165 is penetrating through the penetration hole 161a of the projected piece 161, namely, in the locked condition, the detection piece 173 pushes in the rod 174b through the rollered arm 174c, so that the lock detection switch 174 is ON. [0060]
FIG. 18 is a side view of a major part showing a front portion of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. A swing arm unlocking mechanism 176 for the front swing arm 37 will be described.
The swing arm unlocking mechanism 176 is for ensuring that the front swing arm 37 shown in FIG. 18 can be swung to the rear side of the vehicle body with reference to the lower portion arm 36 by releasing the connection between the projected piece 161 and the arm lock pin 165 shown in FIGS. 17(a), (b). The figure shows the condition where a wire end member 177 is fitted to an end portion of the wire 168 of the cable 166, and the wire end member 177 is connected to a solenoid-type actuator 178. Numerals 181, 182 denote conductors for passing electric current to the actuator 178, 183 denotes an end portion fitting member provided on the vehicle

body side for fitting an end portion of the cable 166, and 184 denotes a front wheel folding detection switch for detecting the condition where the swing arm 37 is swung most (namely, the folding is completed). [0061]
FIG. 19 is a side view of a major part showing a rear portion of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows the rear swing arm 42 and the rear wheel 12.
A rear wheel folding detection switch 186 for detecting the condition where the rear swing arm 42 is swung most (namely, the folding is completed) is provided in the vicinity of the rear swing shaft 58, on the side of the vehicle body of the two-wheel vehicle 10. The same mechanisms as the swing arm lock mechanism 164 (See FIG. 16) and the swing arm unlocking mechanism 176 (See FIG. 18) provided on the side of the front wheel 11 (See FIG. 18) are provided also on the side of the rear wheel 12.
[0062]
The action of folding the front wheel 11 and the rear wheel 12 described above will be described below.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart for illustrating the main points of folding the front and rear wheels of the two-


wheel vehicle according to the present invention. ST X X represent the step number.
ST01: It is judged whether or not a folding switch (Here, the motor operating switch is referred to as the folding switch in the meaning of using the switch by tilting to the "FOLD" side.) provided on the handle is ON.
When the folding switch is OFF (NO), ST01 is carried out again.
When the folding switch is ON (YES), ST02 is entered. [0063]
ST02: It is judged whether or not the front brake has been operated by gripping a front brake lever.
When the front brake has not been operated (NO), ST02 is again carried out.
When the front brake has been operated (YES), ST03 is entered. [0064]
ST03: It is judged whether or not the rear brake lever has been ungripped and the rear brake has not been operated.
When the rear brake has been operated (NO), ST02 is again carried out.
When the rear brake has not been operated (YES),


ST04 is entered. [0065]
ST04: An electric current is passed to the solenoid to operate the actuator, thereby unlocking the front swing arm and the rear swing arm.
ST05: It is judged whether or not the lock detection switch of the lock pin for locking the front swing arm and the rear swing arm is OFF (namely, whether or not the front swing arm and the rear swing arm are unlocked).
When the lock detection switch is ON (NO) (namely, when the locked condition is detected), ST05 is again carried out.
When the lock detection switch is OFF (YES) (namely, when the unlocked condition is detected), ST06 is entered. [0066]
ST06: An electric current is passed to the electric motor to rotate the rear wheel forward, thereby starting the folding of the front and rear wheels.
ST07: It is judged whether or not the lapse of time t from the start of passage of the electric current to the electric motor is shorter than a predetermined period of time tst.
When t > tst (NO), ST09 is entered.

When t ST08: It is judged whether or not the folding detection switch for the front and rear wheels is ON, namely, whether or not the front and rear wheels have both been completely folded.
When the folding detection switch for the front and rear wheels is OFF (NO), ST07 is again carried out.
When the folding detection switch for the front and rear wheels is ON (YES), ST09 is entered.
ST09: Passage of electric current to the electric motor and the solenoid is stopped. [0068]
Next, the action of folding the front and rear wheels will be described along the flow shown in the flowchart in FIG. 20.
First, in FIG. 1, the motor operating switch 24 provided on the right-side handle 18 is tilted to the "FOLD" side. [0069]
Then, when the front brake is operated by gripping the front brake lever (not shown) provided on the right-side handle 18, the front lever is locked by the brake lock lever which will be described later, and a rear

brake lever (not shown) provided on the left-side handle 17 is ungripped and therefore the rear brake is not operated, it is detected by a front brake operation detection switch (not shown) that the front brake is operated, whereas it is detected by a rear brake operation detection switch (not shown) that the rear brake is not operated, and a control device (not shown) passes an electric current to the solenoid shown in FIG. 18, thereby operating the actuator 178. [0070]
FIGS. 21(a), (b) are action views for illustrating the action of the swing arm unlocking mechanism according to the present invention.
When the actuator 178 (See FIG. 18) is operated, in (a), the arm lock pin 165 is pulled through the wire 168, and is moved as indicated by the arrow, so that the tip end of the arm lock pin 165 is disengaged from the penetration hole 161a of the projected piece 161, and the front swing arm 37 is unlocked.
In (b), when the arm lock pin 165 is disengaged from the penetration hole 161a, the roller of the rollered arm 174c of the lock detection switch 174 comes off from the detection piece 173, so that the lock detection switch 174 is turned OFF.

[0071]
FIGS. 22(a), (b) are action views for illustrating the action of folding the front and rear wheels according to the present invention.
In (a) and (b), when the lock detection switch 174 (See FIG. 21(b)) is turned OFF, the control device starts passing an electric current to the electric motor 116, and the rear wheel 12 is driven at a low speed by the electric motor 116. The rotating direction of the electric motor 116, namely, of the rear wheel 12 at this time is the forward rotation direction (the rotating direction at the time of running, namely, the direction of the arrow). [0072]
By this, the rear wheel 12 moves to the front side of the vehicle body (the direction of the void arrow (front) is the front side). At this time, the front wheel 11 is in the braked condition and is not moved to the front side of the vehicle body, so that the distance between the front wheel 11 and the rear wheel 12 is decreased, whereby the front swing arm 37 and the rear swing arm 42 respectively unlocked with reference to the vehicle body are tilted with the front swing shaft 57 and the rear swing shaft 58 as centers, respectively.

gradually into folded conditions. [0073]
Then, when the predetermined period of time has elapsed from the start of the passage of electric current to the electric motor 116 or when the front wheel folding detection switch 184 and the rear wheel folding detection switch 186 are both turned ON, the control device stops the passage of electric current to the electric motor 116. By this, the folding of the front and rear wheels 11, 12 is completed. [0074]
Next, the action of unfolding the front wheel 11 and the rear wheel 12 which have been folded will be described below.
FIG. 23 is a flowchart for illustrating the main points of unfolding the front and rear wheels of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. STXX represents a step number.
ST11: It is judged whether or not an unfolding switch (Here, the motor operating switch is referred to as the unfolding switch in the meaning of using the motor operating switch by tilting to the "UNFOLD" side.) provided on the handle is ON.
When the unfolding switch is OFF (NO), ST11 is

carried out again.
When the unfolding switch is ON (YES), ST12 is entered. [0075]
ST12: It is judged whether or not the front brake has been operated by gripping the front brake lever.
When the front brake has not been operated (NO), ST12 is again carried out.
When the front brake has been operated (YES), ST13 is entered. [0076]
ST13: It is judged whether or not the rear brake lever has been ungripped and the rear brake has not been operated.
When the rear brake has been operated (NO), ST12 is again carried out.
When the rear brake has not been operated (YES), ST14 is entered. [0077]
ST14: It is judged whether or not the lock detection switches on the front swing arm side and on the rear swing arm side are OFF.
When the lock detection switches are ON (NO), ST14 is again carried out.

When the lock detection switches are OFF (YES), ST15 is entered. [0078]
ST15: An electric current is passed to the electric motor to rotate the rear wheel reversely, thereby starting to unfold the front and rear wheels.
ST16: It is judged whether or not the lapse of time t from the start of passage of electric current to the electric motor is shorter than a predetermined period of time tst.
When t > tst (NO), ST16 is again carried out.
When t ST17: The passage of electric current to the electric motor is stopped. [0079]
The condition of ST14 mentioned above will be described referring to the following figure.
FIGS. 24(a), (b) are action views for illustrating the condition of the lock detection switch according to the present invention.
In (a), in the condition where the front and rear wheels are folded, the projected piece 161 (See FIG. 21(a)) is located on the outside of the window 158, so that there is nothing that restricts the position of the

tip end of the arm lock pin 165, and the arm lock pin 165 is in the condition of being moved to the most left-side position in the figure by an elastic force of the spring 167. [0080]
In (b), with the arm lock pin 165 moved to the most left-side position, the roller of the lock detection switch 174 comes off from the detection piece 173, so that the lock detection switch 174 is turned OFF.
Based on this OFF condition, the control device starts passing an electric current to the electric motor 116, in FIGS. 22(a) and (b), so that the front and rear wheels 11, 12 are unfolded. [0081]
Next, the condition immediately before completion of the unfolding of the front and rear wheels 11, 12 will be described.
FIGS. 25 (a), (b) are action views for illustrating the action of the swing arm lock mechanism according to the present invention.
(a) shows the condition where the unfolding of the front and rear wheels 11, 12 (See FIGS. 22(a), (b)) has proceeded, the projected piece 161 has entered into the window 158 as indicated by arrow f, and the curved

portion 161d of the projected piece 161 has retreated the arm lock pin 165 in the direction of arrow g. [0082]
(b) shows the condition where the projected piece 161 has further entered into the window 158 from the condition of (a), and the tip end of the arm lock pin 165 has penetrated through the penetration hole 161a of the projected piece 161 to make contact with the stopper member 161c, namely, the front swing arm 37 is locked with reference to the lower portion arm 36.
In this condition, the lock detection switch 174 shown in FIG. 24(b) is ON in the same manner as shown in FIG. 17(b), and based on this ON condition, the passage of electric current to the electric motor 116 (See FIG. 22(b)) is stopped in conjunction with the procedure of ST16 in FIG. 21. [0083]
FIG. 26 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the swing arm lock mechanism according to the present invention.
The swing arm lock mechanism 191 includes an arm lock pin 193 inserted in a pin hole 192 provided in the front swing arm 37, a projected piece 194 inserted through the window portion 158 and connected to a tip end

portion of the arm lock pin 193, and the spring 167 for pushing out the arm lock pin 193 to the tip end portion side.
The arm lock pin 193 is provided at its end portion with a handle 196 for pulling manually. [0084]
FIG. 27 is a sectional view of the seat of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, and shows a part in side view.
The seat 13 is provided additionally with a slide mechanism 201 capable of sliding in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a stopper mechanism 202 as a holding mechanism for restricting the sliding of the seat 13 by the slide mechanism 201. [0085]
The slide mechanism 201 includes a left-right pair of seat rails 46, 46 (the seat rail 46 on one side is not shown) extended in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and roller support members 205, 206 movably fitted to the seat rails 46, 46 through rollers 204 ....
The roller support members 205, 206 are members fitted to a bottom plate 207 provided on the back side of the seat 13. [0086]

The stopper mechanism 202 includes a base member 208 fitted to the bottom plate 207, a support shaft 211 provided on the base member 208, a stopper release lever 212 as a seat opening/closing lever swingably fitted to the support shaft 211, a stopper member 213 fitted to the stopper release lever 212, and front portion insertion holes 215, intermediate portion insertion holes 216 and rear portion insertion holes 217 (the front portion insertion hole 215, the intermediate portion insertion hole 216 and the rear portion insertion hole 217 on the side of the side cover 63 are not shown) provided respectively in upper portions of side covers 63, 64 (the side cover 63 on one side is not shown) for inserting the tip ends of the stopper member 213. Numeral 218 denotes a torsion spring for pressing the stopper release lever 212 and the stopper member 213 downwards. [0087]
The seat position shown in the figure, namely, the position where the lower ends of the stopper member 213 are inserted in the intermediate portion insertion holes 216, 216 (symbol 216 on the deep side is not shown) to restrict the movement of the seat 13, is the position at the time of normal running. [0088]

FIG. 28 is a sectional view of the slide mechanism and the stopper mechanism provided additionally to the seat according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the seat rails 46, 46 roughly U-shaped in section are fitted to the seat frame 45 through brackets 222, 222, roller shafts 223 are fitted respectively to both sides of a roller support member 205, and rollers 204 ... disposed respectively in the seat rails 46, 46 are fitted to the roller shafts 223. Each numeral 224 denotes a small screw for fitting the bracket 222 to the seat frame 45. [0089]
The stopper member 213 is a member U-shaped in front view, in which the tip ends of vertical portions 213a, 213a on both sides are inserted into front portion insertion holes 215, the intermediate portion insertion holes 216 or the rear portion insertion holes 217 shown in FIG. 25 of the side covers 63, 64. [0090]
The action of the seat 13 described above will be described below.
FIG. 29 is an action view for illustrating the action of the seat of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention.

First, in FIG. 27, a hand is put in from the front side of the seat 13 to the lower side of the seat 13, and the stopper release lever 212 is swung upwards. By this, the lower ends of the stopper member 213 are made to come out of the intermediate portion insertion holes 216, so that the seat 13 can be slidden. [0091]
With the stopper release lever 212 left swung upwards, the seat 13 is moved to the most front side portion as indicated by the arrow, as shown in FIG. 29(a). Then, the stopper release lever 212 is lowered, and the tip ends of the stopper member 213 are inserted into the front portion insertion holes 215, whereby the seat 13 can be fixed at the most front side position of sliding.
Such a movement of the seat 13 to the most front side portion is carried out at the time of folding the two-wheel vehicle 10 (See FIG. 2) . [0092]
In addition, in (b), when the stopper release lever 212 is swung upwards, the seat 13 is moved to the most rear side portion as indicated by the arrow, then the stopper release lever 212 is lowered and the tip ends of the stopper member 213 are inserted into the rear portion insertion holes 217, the seat 13 can be fixed at the most

rear side position of sliding.
Such a movement of the seat 13 to the most rear side portion is carried out at the time of containing small articles or the like into the storage net 66 (See FIG. 2) which is a storage portion of the two-wheel vehicle 10 (See FIG. 2) or at the time of taking out small articles or the like from the storage net 66. [0093]
FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing the condition of the surroundings of the handles of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention, in which handle covers fitted over the handles 17, 18 are omitted.
The handles 17, 18 are foldably fitted to the handle post 23, and are supported by a handle support mechanism 227 for locking the handles 17, 18 to prevent the handles 17, 18 from being folded at the time of normal running and for unlocking the handles 17, 18 at the time of folding. Numeral 228 denotes the front brake lever, and 229 denotes the rear brake lever. [0094]
FIG. 31 is a perspective view of the handles of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. The handles 17, 18 are members over which handle covers 231, 232 functioning also as switch cases are fitted, and the


handle covers 231, 232 are provided respectively with winkers 233, 234.
[0095]
Numeral 235 denotes a brake lock lever. When the brake lock lever 235 is operated while gripping the front brake lever 228, the stroked condition of the front brake lever 228 can be maintained (namely, can be locked). When the brake lock lever 235 is again operated, the locked condition of the front brake lever 228 can be released.
[0096]
FIG. 32 is a view taken along arrow 32 of FIG. 30, and shows the condition where meshing portions 17b, 18b provided respectively with tooth portions 17a ..., 18a ... which are meshed with each other are provided at inside end portions of the handles 17, 18. By meshing the tooth portions 17a ..., 18a ... with each other, the respective handles 17, 18 can be folded at the same angle when the handles 17, 18 are folded, and can be returned with high accuracy to original positions at the time of running when the folded handles 17, 18 are unfolded.
[0097]
In addition, the figure shows the condition where a knob 236 as a component part for locking or unlocking the folding of the left and right handles 17, 18 is

disposed on the upper side of a position between the meshing portions 17b, 18b of the handles 17, 18. Numeral 237 denotes a handle clamp lever which will be detailed later. [0098]
FIG. 33 is a sectional view taken along line 33-33 of FIG. 32, and shows the condition where the handle clamp lever 237 is provided with projected walls 241, 241 and projected walls 242, 242, a nut member 244 is connected between the projected walls 241, 241 through a connection pin 243, similarly a nut member 247 is connected between the projected walls 242, 242 through a connection pin 246, the nut members 244, 247 are made to penetrate through penetration holes 248, 248 provided in the handle post 23 from the front side of the vehicle body (the direction of void arrow (front) is the front side of the vehicle body), center holes 17c, 18c provided at centers of the meshing portions 17b, 18b of the handles 17, 18 are adjusted to the thus penetrating nut members 244, 247 from the rear side of the vehicle body of the handle post 23, and center bolts 253, 254 are inserted into the center holes 17c, 18c through Bellville springs 251, 252 and are screwed into the nut members 244, 247.

[0099]
Here, numerals 256, 256 denote rings, 257, 257 denote washers, 258, 258 denote stop rings, 261, 261 denote spacers, 262, 262 denote washers, and 263, 264 denote recessed portions provided in the handle post 23 for containing parts of the handles 17, 18.
[0100]
Returning to FIG. 32, the recessed portions 263, 264 are portions having profiles roughly T-shaped in rear view, and the handles 17, 18 are provided with projected portions 17d, 18d (See FIG. 33) having roughly the same profiles as the recessed portions 263, 264, on the back side of the meshing portions 17b, 18b. When the projected portions 17d, 18d are contained in the recessed portions 263, 264, the handles 17, 18 cannot be rotated and cannot be folded.
[0101]
In FIG. 33, the handle support mechanism 227 is an assembly constituted mainly of the handle clamp levers 237, the connection pins 243, 246, the nut members 244, 247, the Bellville springs 251, 252, the center bolts 253, 254, the washers 262, 262 and the knob 236 (See FIG. 32) mentioned above.
[0102]

FIG. 34 is a sectional view taken along line 34-34 of FIG. 32. The handle clamp lever 237 is a member having a construction in which first end portions 241a, 241a (symbol 241a on one side is not shown) of the projected walls 241, 241 (the projected wall 241 on one side is not shown) are pressed against the washer 262 by an elastic force of the Bellville spring 251, and the distance between the first end portions 241a, 241a and the axis of the connection pin 243 is L1, while the distance between second end portions 241b, 241b (symbol 241b on one side is not shown) of the projected walls 241, 241 and the axis of the connection pin 243 is L2, where L1 > L2 . [0103]
As for the projected walls 242, 242 of the handle clamp lever 237 shown in FIG. 33, similarly, first end portions 242a, 242a are pressed against the washer 262 by an elastic force of a Bellville spring 252, and the distance between the first end portions 242a, 242a and the axis of the connection pin 246 is L1, while the distance between second end portions (not shown) of the projected walls 242, 242 and the axis of the connection pin 246 is L2. [0104]
FIG. 35 is a sectional view taken along line 35-35

of FIG. 32, and is a sectional view showing the fitting condition of the knob 236.
The knob 236 is a member passed through a penetration hole 237a provided in the handle clamp lever 237 and through a cutout portion 23a provided in the handle post 23, and provided at its tip end with a male screw portion 236a to which a bar 266 is fitted and a nut 268 is screw-connected through a washer 267. [0105]
The bar 266 is a member contained in groove portions 23b, 23c formed in the handle post 23. Numeral 271 denotes a spring for pressing the bar 266 against the bottoms of the groove portions 23b, 23c. [0106]
FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing major portions of the handles and the knob according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the bar 266 fitted to the knob 236 is contained in the groove portions 23b, 23c (symbol 23b is not shown) provided in the handle post 23.
The handle post 23 is a member provided with step portions 23d, 23e (symbol 23e is not shown; detailed later), adjacently to the groove portions 23b, 23c. [0107]

The action of the handle support mechanism 227 described above will be described below.
FIGS. 37 (a) to (c) are action views for illustrating the action of the knob of the handle support mechanism according to the present invention, in which (a) is a sectional view, and (b) and (c) are views of the bar 266 and the handle post 23 from direction A of (a).
In (a), the knob 236 is pushed, whereby the bar 266 is lifted from the groove portions 23b, 23c of the handle post 23. [0108]
In (b), with the bar 266 lifted from the groove portions 23b, 23c, the knob 236 comes to be rotatable. Then, the knob 236 is rotated in the direction of the arrow. Since the above-mentioned step portions 23d, 23e are present in the direction of the arrow of each of the groove portions 23b, 23c, the knob 236 can be rotated without interference with the handle post 23. [0109]
In (c), the knob 236 is shown as being rotated by
90° from the position of (b). The bar 266 comes into the condition of being disposed along the cutout portion 23a of the handle post 23, whereby the knob 236 becomes capable of coming out of the cutout portion 23a of the

handle post 23 together with the handle clamp lever 237 (See (a)), namely, the connection between the handle post 23 and the handle clamp lever 237 is released by the knob 236.
FIGS. 38(a), (b) are action views for illustrating the actions of the handle clamp lever and peripheral component parts of the handle support mechanism according to the present invention. While description will be made below based on the constitution on the side of the handle 17, the same action applies also to the side of the handle 18.
In FIGS. 37(a) to (c), the knob 236 is rotated to release the connection between the handle post 23 and the handle clamp lever 237, and, thereafter, in FIG. 38(a), the handle clamp lever 237 is kicked up in the direction of the arrow with the connection pin 243 as a center. [0111]
Returning to FIG. 34, the distance L1 between the first end portion 241a of the handle clamp lever 237 and the axis of the connection pin 243 is greater than the distance L2 between the second end portion 241b and the axis of the connetion pin 343, and ,therefore, in FIG. 38(a), a gap with a distance C is generated between the

second end portion 241b and the washer 262 by the kick-up of the handle clamp lever 237. [0112]
With the gap with the distance C thus generated, in (b), the handle 17 can be moved in the direction of the arrow together with the nut member 244 and the center bolt 253, and the projected portion 17d of the handle 17 can be disengaged from the recessed portion 263 of the handle post 23, whereby restriction on the rotation of the handle 17 is eliminated, and the handle 17 can be folded. [0113]
FIG. 39 is a front view showing the folded condition of the handles according to the present invention, and shows the condition where the handles 17, 18 are folded to the greatest extent.
Thus, by folding the handles 17, 18, the maximum width WH (The maximum width WH is smaller than the width of the above-mentioned number plate.) of the handles 17, 18 can be made to be very small, as compared with the maximum width of the handles 17, 18 before folding, which is markedly advantageous as to the containing space, particularly, the containing width in the case of mounting the two-wheel vehicle on a vehicle.

[0114]
FIG. 40 is an illustration for illustrating the folding of the rearview mirrors according to the present invention. After the folding of the handles 17, 18 is completed, the rearview mirrors 21, 22 are rotated in the directions of the arrows so as to have roughly the same width as the width in the vehicle width direction of the handles 17, 18 (namely, the interval of the handles 17, 18) . Here, after the rearview mirrors 21, 22 are rotated, the reflective surfaces of the rearview mirrors 21, 22 are directed to the lateral sides of the vehicle body. Where the maximum width of the rearview mirrors 21, 22 at this time is WM, the maximum width WM is smaller than the width of the above-mentioned number plate.
[0115]
FIG. 41 is a side view (partly sectional) for illustrating a folding mechanism for the handle post of the two-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. The handle post 23 is a member foldably fitted to the upper portion arm 28, and is provided with a handle post folding mechanism 274 for releasing the connection with the upper portion arm 28 and enabling folding, and a main switch 275, in the vicinity of a connecting portion for connection with the upper portion arm 28.

[0116]
FIG. 42 is a sectional view taken along line 42-42 of FIG. 41. The handle post folding mechanism 274 includes a cylinder portion 277 provided on the handle post 23, a lock pin 278 movably inserted in the cylinder portion 277, a first lock pin insertion hole 281 provided in the upper portion arm 28 for inserting the tip end of the lock pin 278 therein, a spring 282 for pressing the lock pin 278 against the first lock pin insertion hole 281, an L-shaped arm 286 having its one end portion 286a connected to an end portion small diameter portion 283 (283a is a collar portion) of the lock pin 278 and being swingably fitted to a support shaft 284, a push rod 288 having a small diameter portion 287 connected to the other end portion 286b of the L-shaped arm 286, and a guide portion 291 for guiding the push rod 288. [0117]
Here, numeral 293 denotes an arm portion which is fitted to an end portion of the main switch 275, and which is a member rotated integrally with a key 294 (See FIG. 41) when the key 294 inserted in the main switch 275 is turned. Numeral 295 denotes a socket bolt for connecting the handle post 23 and the upper portion arm 28 to each other, 296 denotes a nut screw-connected to an

end portion of the socket bolt 295, and 297 (See FIG. 41) denotes a second lock pin insertion hole for inserting the tip end of the lock pin 278 when the handle post 23 is folded. [0118]
The action of the handle post folding mechanism 274 described above will be described below.
FIGS. 43(a), (b) are first action views for illustrating the action of the handle folding mechanism according to the present invention.
In (a), first, the push rod 288 is pushed in the direction of arrow a. By this, the L-shaped arm 286 connected to the tip end of the push rod 288 is swung in the direction of arrow b with the support shaft 284 as a center, and the lock pin 278 connected to the end portion 286a of the L-shaped arm 286 is moved in the direction of arrow c. As a result, the tip end of the lock pin 278 comes out of the first lock pin insertion hole 281, and the handle post 23 becomes swingable with reference to the upper portion arm 28. [0119]
In (b), the handle post 23 is tilted down in the direction of the arrow, namely, the handle post 23 is folded. The tip end of the lock pin 278 fronts on the

second lock pin insertion hole 297. [0120]
FIGS. 44(a), (b) are second action views for illustrating the action of the handle folding mechanism according to the present invention.
In (a), when the hand is put off from the push rod 288 having been pushed at the time of folding the handle post 23, the lock pin 278 is moved in the direction of the arrow by an elastic force of the spring 282, and the tip end of the lock pin 278 is projected into the second lock pin insertion hole 297. By this, the folded handle post 23 comes into a locked condition, and is in the condition of being fixed to the upper portion arm 28. [0121]
In FIG. 43(a), the arm portion 293 of the main switch 275 has been in the condition of extending to the lower side. But, in FIG. 44(b), when the key 294 (See FIG. 41) is inserted into the main switch 275 and the key 294 is turned to rotate the arm portion 293 in the direction of the arrow and to extend it to the side of the push rod 288, an end portion of the arm portion 293 approaches the tip end of the push rod 288, so that the push rod 288 cannot be pushed even if tried. Therefore, the lock pin 278 cannot be disengaged from the first lock pin

insertion hole 297, and the folded handle post 23 cannot be erected.
[0122]
This condition is the condition of FIG. 4, in which an end portion of the handle post 23 covers a front portion of the seat 13 together with base portions of the handles 17, 18, so that an operation of the stopper release lever 212 (See FIG. 27) provided at a front portion of the seat 13 for sliding the seat 13 cannot be performed, and the inside of the storage net 66 (See FIG. 2) under the seat 13 can be protected from mischief.
[0123]
As has been described referring to FIGS. 2, 27 and 41, the present invention is firstly characterized in that the seat 13 capable of opening and closing the opening portion of the storage net 66 is disposed at an upper portion of the storage net 66, the stopper release lever 212 as the seat opening/closing lever for opening and closing the seat 13 is provided at a front portion of the seat 13, the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 as the handle means are disposed on the front side of the stopper release lever 212 so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the handle post 23 is provided with the main switch 275 as the lock means for locking in the

folded condition, whereby the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 folded to cover the front portion of the stopper release lever 212 are locked with the main switch 275 to thereby make the stopper release lever 212 unoperatable.
[0124]
For example, in the case where the two-wheel vehicle 10 is utilized by mounting it on a vehicle, the two-wheel vehicle 10 is required to be capable of being moved and transported for mounting on the vehicle, to be capable of preventing theft and mischief, and to be compact.
[0125]
In the present invention, the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 can be folded to the rear side, the front portion of the stopper release lever 212 can be covered with the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 in the folded condition, and they can be locked in the folded condition. As a result, the seat 13 cannot be opened or closed, and it is possible to prevent mischief onto the storage net 66 disposed under the seat 13. In addition, by folding the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18, the two-wheel vehicle 10 can be made compact. Further, since the wheels are not locked, the two-wheel

vehicle 10 can be moved and transported.
[0126]
The present invention is secondly characterized in that the seat 13 is fitted to the side of the vehicle body frame 25 so as to be slidable to the front and rear sides, and the seat 13 can be held by the stopper mechanism 202 at the most front side position where the seat 13 is slidden to the most front side portion, the riding position provided on the rear side of the most front side position for the rider to ride at the time of running, and the open position where the seat 13 is moved to the most rear side portion to fully open the opening portion of the storage net 66.
[0127]
By sliding the seat 13 to the most front side position, the two-wheel vehicle 10 can be made compact, and by sliding the seat 13 to the open position, the opening portion of the storage net 66 can be enlarged, and luggage can be easily put in and taken out. In addition, since the seat 13 is of the slide type, the opening and closing of the seat 13 and the putting in and taking out of luggage into and from the storage net 66 can be carried out in the condition where the rider is not seated on the seat 13 but is standing astride the

seat 13, so that useability can be enhanced. [0128]
The present invention is thirdly characterized in that the front portion of the stopper release lever 212 is covered at the most front side position.
The two-wheel vehicle 10 which can be made compact can be provided with crime preventing properties. [0129]
The present invention is fourthly characterized in that the stopper release lever 212 is disposed at the front portion of the seat 13 and on the lower side of the bottom plate 207, whereby a hand cannot be inserted to the lower side of the bottom plate 207 in the condition where the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 are folded.
The stopper release lever 212 can be made unoperatable, with a simple constitution. [0130]
The present invention is fifthly characterized in that the tail lamp 17 is integrally fitted to a rear portion of the seat 13.
When the tail lamp 47 is slidden to the front side together with the seat 13, the seat 13 and the tail lamp 47 become nearer to the center of the vehicle body, so

that compactness of the two-wheel vehicle 10 can be contrived. [0131]
The present invention is sixthly characterized in that the handle means includes the left-right pair of handles 17, 18 foldable in the vehicle width direction, and the handle post 23 supporting the handles 17, 18, and, in the condition where the handles 17, 18 and the handle post 23 are folded, the front side of the seat 13 is covered in a roughly U-shaped form with an upper portion of the handle post 23 and the left and right handles 17, 18.
The front side of the seat 13 can be covered with the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 without a crevice. [0132]
The present invention is seventhly characterized in that the main switch 275 as the lock means functions also as the switch means for turning ON and OFF the power source of the two-wheel vehicle 10.
By using the main switch 275 also as the switch means, the number of component parts can be reduced as compared with, for example, the case of specially providing switch means independently from the main switch

275, whereby parts cost and assembly cost can be suppressed.
[0133]
The present invention is eighthly characterized in that the main switch 275 is provided on the handle post 23 and in the vicinity of the socket bolt 295 for folding the handle post 23 to the rear side of the vehicle body.
[0134]
Since the distance between the main switch 275 and the socket bolt 295 is short, the main switch 275 and the socket bolt 295 or the vicinity thereof can be easily connected to each other, and the structure of the main switch 275 can be simplified. In addition, a series of operations of folding the handle 23 and the handles 17, 18 and locking them or unlocking the handle post 23 and the handles 17, 18 and returning them to their original positions can be carried out smoothly.
[0135]
The present invention is ninthly characterized in that the front swing arm 37 for supporting the front wheel 11 is fitted to the vehicle body frame 25 so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the rear swing arm 42 for supporting the rear wheel 12 is fitted to the vehicle body frame 25 so as to be foldable to the front side.

In addition to the structure in which the handle post 23 is foldable to the rear side and the seat 13 is slidable to the front and rear sides, the front swing arm 37 is foldable to the rear side and the rear swing arm 42 is slidable to the front side, whereby more compactness of the two-wheel vehicle 10 can be contrived. [0136]
FIG. 45 is a perspective view for illustrating a major part of the four-wheel vehicle according to the present invention. An on-vehicle generator mounted in the side wall 74 of the four-wheel vehicle 70 shown in FIG. 5 will be described.
The on-vehicle generator 301 is a multi-pole alternator which is of a water-cooled 4-cycle engine integral type and incorporating a starter and which is fitted to a frame 302 in the side wall 74 (See FIG. 5). A battery charger is connected to an output terminal of the on-vehicle generator 301, and a battery of the two-wheel vehicle 10 (See FIG. 5) is connected to the battery charger, whereby the battery is charged. [0137]
In the figure, numeral 304 denotes an engine, 305 is a power meter for indicating output, 306 denotes an inverter unit for converting generated AC to DC and for

raising the voltage, 307 denotes an air cleaner, 308 denotes a radiator, 311 denotes a muffler, 313 denotes a base for fixing the on-vehicle generator 301, 314, 314 denote rods for supporting the on-vehicle generator 301, and 316 to 319 are tail lamps. [0138]
The engine 304 is provided with a fuel piping connected to a fuel tank of the four-wheel vehicle 70, and a fuel is supplied from the fuel tank to the engine 304.
The muffler 311 includes an exhaust port projected into the space under the floor in the vicinity of the side wall 74, for discharging exhaust gas to the outside. [0139] [Effects of the Invention]
The present invention, constituted as described above, displays the following effects.
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 1 has a structure in which the seat capable of opening and closing the opening portion of the storage portion is disposed at an upper portion of the storage portion, the seat opening/closing lever for opening and closing the seat is provided at a front portion of the seat, the handle means is disposed on the front side of the seat

opening/closing lever so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the handle means is provided with the lock means for locking in the folded condition. Therefore, in the condition where the two-wheel vehicle is mounted on the four-wheel vehicle with the handle folded, the seat cannot be opened or closed, so that protection of luggage disposed under the seat can be contrived. Further, in the riding condition, a lock is not required for opening or closing the seat, and the operations of opening and closing the seat are extremely easy.
Besides, the two-wheel vehicle can be made compact by folding the handle means, and, since the wheels are not locked, the two-wheel vehicle can be moved and transported. [0140]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 2 has a structure in which the seat is fitted to the vehicle body so as to be slidable to the front and rear sides, and the seat can be held by the holding mechanism at the most front side position where the seat is sliddedn to the most front side portion, the riding position provided on the rear side of the most front side position for the rider to ride at the time of running, and the open position where the seat is moved to the most

rear side portion to fully open the opening portion of the storage portion. Therefore, by sliding the seat to the most front side position, the two-wheel vehicle at the time of opening the seat can be made compact, and, by sliding the seat to the open position, the opening portion of the storage portion can be enlarged, and luggage can be easily put in and taken out. In addition, since the seat is of the slide type, the opening and closing of the seat and the putting in and taking out of the luggage into and from the storage portion can be carried out in the condition where the rider is not seated on the seat but is standing astride the seat, so that convenience in use can be enhanced.
[0141]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 3 has a construction in which a front portion of the seat opening/closing lever is covered at the most front side position. Therefore, the foldable two-wheel vehicle can be made compact, and the luggage under the seat can be protected.
[0142]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 4 has a structure in which the seat opening/closing lever is disposed at a front portion of the seat and on the

lower side of the seat bottom plate, whereby a hand cannot be inserted to the lower side of the seat bottom plate in the condition where the handle means is folded. Therefore, the seat opening/closing lever can be made unoperatable, with a simple constitution.
[0143]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 5 has a structure in which the tail lamp is integrally-fitted to a rear portion of the seat. Therefore, the tail lamp can be slidden to the front side together with the seat, so that the seat and the tail lamp are disposed nearer to the center of the vehicle body, and more compactness of the two-wheel vehicle can be contrived.
[0144]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 6 has a structure in which the handle means includes the left-right pair of handle bar portions foldable in the vehicle width direction, and the handle post portion for supporting the handle bar portions, and, in the condition where the handle bar portions and the handle post portion are folded, the front side of the seat is closed in a roughly U-shaped form with an upper portion of the handle post portion and the left and right handle bar portions. Therefore, the front side of the seat can be covered with

the handle post portion without a crevice and the handle bar portions, so that the luggage under the seat is protected more favorably.
[0145]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 7 has a structure in which the lock means functions also as the switch means for turning ON and OFF the power source of the vehicle. Therefore, the number of component parts can be reduced as compared with, for example, the case of specially providing switch means independently from the lock means, and parts cost and assembly cost can be suppressed. In addition, since the power source cannot be turned ON at the folded position, useability with carefree manner is achieved.
[0146]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 8 has a structure in which the lock means is provided on the handle means and in the vicinity of the folding shaft for folding the handle means to the rear side of the vehicle body. Therefore, since the distance between the lock means and the folding shaft is short, the lock means and the folding shaft or the vicinity thereof can be easily connected to each other, and the structure of the lock means can be simplified. In addition, since the lock

is located on the front side of the handle means, a series of operations of, for example, releasing the lock and returning the handle means to its original position can be easily carried out. [0147]
The foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 9 has a structure in which the front wheel support member for supporting the front wheel is fitted to the vehicle body so as to be foldable to the rear side, and the rear wheel support member for supporting the rear wheel is fitted to the vehicle body so as to be foldable to the front side. Therefore, in addition to the structure in which the handle means is foldable to the rear side and the seat is slidable to the front and rear sides, the front wheel support member is foldable to the rear side and the rear wheel support member is foldable to the front side, whereby more compactness of the two-wheel vehicle can be contrived, and the two-wheel vehicle is extremely favorable for mounting on a four-wheel vehicle.

[Description of Reference Numerals]
10: foldable two-wheel vehicle; 11: front wheel; 12: rear wheel; 13: seat; 17, 18: handle bar portion (handle); 23: handle post portion (handle post); 25: vehicle body (vehicle body frame); 37: front wheel support member (front swing arm); 42: rear wheel support member (rear swing arm); 47: tail lamp; 66: storage portion (storage net); 202: holding mechanism (stopper mechanism); 207: bottom plate; 212: seat opening/closing lever (stopper release lever); 215: front portion insertion hole; 216: intermediate portion insertion hole; 217: rear portion insertion hole; 275: lock means (main switch); 295: folding shaft (socket bolt)

We claim:
1. A foldable two-wheel vehicle (10) wherein
a seat (13) capable of opening and closing an opening portion of a storage portion (66) is disposed at an upper portion of said storage portion,
a seat opening/closing lever (212) for opening and closing said seat is provided at a front portion of said seat,
characterized in that handle means is disposed on the front side of said seat opening/closing lever (212) so as to be foldable to the rear side,
lock means (275) for locking said handle means in a folded condition is provided, a front portion of said seat opening/ closing lever is covered at the folded position of said handle means,
and said seat opening/closing lever (212) is made to be unoperatable by locking with said lock means (275).
2. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said seat (13)
is fitted to a vehicle body so as to be slidable to the front and rear sides,
and said seat can be held by a holding mechanism at a most front side
position where said seat is slidden to the most front side, a riding
position provided on the rear side of said most front side position for the
rider to ride at the time of running, and an open position where said seat
is moved to the most rear side to fully open said opening portion so that
luggage can be put into and taken out of said storage portion (66).

3. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said front portion of said seat opening/closing lever (212) is covered at said most front side position.
4. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said seat opening/closing lever is disposed at said front portion of said seat and on the lower side of a seat bottom plate so that a hand cannot be inserted to the lower side of said seat bottom plate in the condition where said handle means is folded.
5. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said seat is integrally fitted with a tail lamp (47) at a rear portion thereof.
6. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said handle means comprises a left-right pair of handle bar portions (18) foldable in the vehicle width direction, and a handle post portion (23) for supporting said handle bar portions, and, in the condition where said handle bar portions and said handle post portion are folded, the front side of said seat is closed in a roughly U-shaped form with an upper portion of said handle post portion and said left and right handle bar portions.
7. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said lock means functions also as switch means for turning ON and OFF a power source of the vehicle.
8. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claims 1 to 7, wherein said lock means (275) is provided on the front side of said handle means and in the vicinity of a folding shaft (295) for folding said handle means to the rear side of said vehicle body.


9. A foldable two-wheel vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a front wheel support member for supporting a front wheel is fitted to said vehicle body so as to be foldable to the rear side, and a rear wheel (12) support member for supporting a rear wheel is fitted to said vehicle body so as to be foldable to the front side.
10. A foldable two-wheel vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 6th day of August, 2002
JAYANTA PAL
OF REMFRY & SAGAR
ATTORANEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Documents:

703-mum-2002-cancelled pages(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(26-12-2007).doc

703-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-correspondence(24-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(20-7-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-drawings(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 1(6-8-2002).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 13(6-8-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 18(12-7-2006).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(26-12-2007).doc

703-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 3(15-4-2004).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 3(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 3(6-8-2002).pdf

703-mum-2002-form 5(6-8-2002).pdf

703-mum-2002-petition under rule 137(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-petition under rule 138(26-12-2007).pdf

703-mum-2002-power of authority(16-10-2002).pdf

703-mum-2002-power of authority(26-12-2007).pdf

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Patent Number 215216
Indian Patent Application Number 703/MUM/2002
PG Journal Number 13/2008
Publication Date 28-Mar-2008
Grant Date 22-Feb-2008
Date of Filing 06-Aug-2002
Name of Patentee HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Applicant Address 1-1, MINAMIAOYAMA 2- CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 MASAYOSHI ORITA C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA, JAPAN
2 SEIICHI KUROHORI C/o Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Gijutsu Kenkyusho 4-1,Chuo 1-chome, Wako-shi, Saitama
3 HIROMI FURUHASHI C/o Kabushiki Kaisha Honda Gijutsu Kenkyusho 4-1,Chuo 1-chome, Wako-shi, Saitama
PCT International Classification Number B62K15/00
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 2001-268140 2001-09-04 Japan