JPH07102829B2 - Front fender of scooter - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a front fender fixed to a vehicle body side that covers an upper portion of one steering front wheel.

(Background of the Invention) There are two or three-wheel scooters in which a front fender that covers the upper side of one steering front wheel is fixed to the vehicle body side. In this way, in the front fender fixed to the vehicle body side (hereinafter referred to as the fixed front fender),
During traveling, turbulence is generated by the traveling wind and the wind carried by the front wheels inside the front fender. Since this turbulent flow increases running resistance, it is desirable to rectify it as much as possible. In particular, since the upper edge of the front wheels is twice as fast as the vehicle speed, if the traveling wind hits it, the air resistance will increase and the turbulence in the front fender will also become stronger.

Further, in the case of such a fixed front fender, traveling wind may hit the lower edge of the front fender to generate noise, particularly whistling noise. It is considered that the cause of this noise is that the air vibrates at a constant frequency due to the vortex of the air hitting the downstream of the front fender.

Since this noise is generated immediately before the driver, the more the engine noise is reduced, the more the noise is felt, and it is desired to reduce the noise.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is possible to reduce running resistance by weakening turbulent flow generated inside a fixed front fender and prevent noise generated from the front fender. Aims to provide a front fender for a scooter that can.

(Construction of the Invention) According to the present invention, an object of the present invention is to provide a scooter fixed to the vehicle body side so as to cover a single steering front wheel from above and to form a narrow width from a rear portion having substantially the same width as a lower leg shield toward the front. In the front fender, the lower edge is located near the upper edge of the front wheel, while the inner surface near the left and right lower edges is formed with a wall surface that projects substantially horizontally inward, and the wall surface is inclined downward to the front. A front fender of a scooter characterized in that it gradually approaches the edge and gradually widens rearward and away from the lower edge.

That is, by positioning the lower edge of the front fender near the upper edge of the front wheel, the running wind that flows between the front fender and the upper portion of the front wheel is reduced. Further, by forming a wall surface inside the lower edges of the left and right front fenders, which rises rearward and gradually widens rearward, the vortex of air entrained inward from the lower front edge of the front fender is guided to the rear side by this wall surface.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a front view in which a part of a front fender of a two-wheel scooter which is an embodiment of the present invention is shown in section, FIG. 2 is a right side view, and FIG.
The figure is an enlarged side view, and FIG.
(A), (B), (C) are AA line and BB, respectively.
A line and a C-C line cross section are shown. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front fender.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 10 is a frame. This frame 10
Includes a steering shaft tube 12, a front frame 14, and a pair of left and right rear frames 16 (only one is shown) extending obliquely upward and rearward from the lower end of the front frame 14.

Reference numeral 18 denotes a power unit in which a forced air cooling type two-cycle engine 20 and a transmission case 22 are integrally assembled. The front portion of the transmission case 22 is vertically swingably connected to the rear frame 16 via a link (not shown). The rear portion of the transmission case 22 is elastically supported by the buffer unit 24. Reference numeral 26 is a rear wheel attached to the rear part of the transmission case 22.

A steering shaft (not shown) is rotatably held in the steering shaft cylinder 12, and a steering bar handle 28 is fixed to the upper end of the steering shaft. A handle cover 30 is attached to the steering bar handle 28.

Steering front wheels 34 are rotatably attached to a pair of left and right front forks 32 (only one is shown) fixed to the lower end of the steering shaft via a bottom link type suspension device. Last fork
A substantially hemispherical wheel cover 36 that covers the side surface of the front wheel 34 is attached to the 32 to reduce air resistance.

38 is a driving seat. The driving seat 38 includes a seating portion 40 that supports the weight of the driver from below and a backrest portion 42 that supports the vicinity of the lumbar vertebra of the driver. The backrest portion 42 is formed in a substantially fan shape such that the width is narrow at the lower portion and wide at the upper portion. The front surface of this wide upper portion is curved in an arc shape that opens forward when viewed from above (see FIG. 2).

Reference numeral 44 denotes a substantially flat plate-shaped footrest located below the steering bar handle 28 and the driving seat 38 in the handlebar cover 30. The footrest space where the upper part of the footrest 44 crosses in the left-right direction.
It is 46. Reference numeral 48 denotes a rear cover that covers the upper side of the power unit 18 and the rear wheel 26, and 50 denotes a tail light incorporated in the rear portion of the rear cover 48. Reference numeral 52 is a leg shield that covers the front part of the steering shaft tube 12 and the front frame 14 from the front and back.

The leg shield 52 is formed of a rear plate 52a whose lower portion is integrally continuous with the footrest 44 and a front plate 52b having a substantially semicircular cross section, and the lower portion of the front plate 52b is located above the front wheel 34. It is a fender 54 before fixing to cover. Ie the last fender 54
Has a width substantially the same as that of the lower part of the leg shield 52, and the width is gradually narrowed toward the front thereof.

In this front fender 54, the substantially horizontal lower edge 54a is located on the front wheel 3
It is located near the upper edge of 4, i.e., slightly below the upper edge, as is clear from the figure. That is, the front fender 54 overlaps the front wheel 34 when viewed from the side. On the inner side surface near the lower edge 54a, a wall surface 54b protruding inward from above the lower edge 54a.
Is formed, and the wall surface 54b is inclined downward toward the front end 54c of the lower edge 54a. At the left and right side portions of the outer surface of the front fender 54, a wind regulating plate 56 that is long in the vertical direction faces the outer surface with a gap. The lower end of the air conditioning plate 56 has an outer step portion 5 formed outside the wall surface 54b of the outer surface of the front fender 54.
8 (see FIG. 4 (C)). At the rear of the rear edge of the air flow regulating plate 56, a vertically long opening 60 is formed which is directed toward the rear side.

The front parts on the left and right sides of the footrest stand 44 extend forward, and the front wheels 34
It is facing diagonally above and to the side. Therefore, the front part of the footrest 44 overlaps the front wheel 34 when viewed from the side. Further, the left and right lower edges of the footrest 44 are formed obliquely along a straight line B passing through the ground contact point A when the front wheel 34 is fully bumped (virtual line position) as shown in FIG. Therefore, the footrest 44 can be lowered while ensuring a sufficient bank angle θ when turning in the full bump state.

In this embodiment, since the front edge of the front fender 54 is located below the upper edge of the front wheel 34, the running wind that directly hits the upper edge of the front wheel 34 is reduced. Further, since the wall surface 54b is raised rearward, the traveling wind hitting the front lower edge 54a of the front fender 54 generates a vortex in the space surrounded by the inner surface of the lower edge 54a and the wall surface 54b as shown in FIG. This vortex is on the left and right sides of this wall
Guided by 54b. Therefore, the air carried to the upper edge of the front wheel 34 is carried forward in the front fender 54, and the front fender 54
A turbulent flow is generated here by hitting the running wind from below. However, this turbulent flow is divided into left and right by the wall surface 54b and is carried backward. Therefore, the turbulent flow generated in the front fender 54 is weakened, and the running resistance is reduced.

In this embodiment, the front wheel 34 has a substantially hemispherical wheel cover.
Since the 36 is provided, the traveling wind is guided to the curved surface of the wheel cover 36. Since the air flow guided to the rear side by the wall surface 54b is guided to the curved surface of the wheel cover 36 and rectified, the turbulent flow in the front fender 54 is further reduced. In this case, the above effect can be obtained even if the lower half of the wheel cover 36 is omitted.

On the other hand, the vortex generated at the inner edge of the lower edge 54a of the front fender 54 is promptly carried to the rear side by the wall surface 54b, so that air vibration of a constant frequency is hardly generated. Therefore, whistling noise is less likely to occur during noise.

Further, in this embodiment, when the front wheel 34 is set to the maximum left steering angle in the full bump state, the vicinity of the upper edge of the front wheel 34 approaches the lower edge 54a of the front fender 54 as shown by the phantom line in FIG. However, since the wall surface 54b is formed on the inner side surface near the lower edge 54a, the front wheel 34 does not contact the front fender 54. Further, the lower edge 54a of the front fender 54 hangs downward on the outside of the wall surface 54b, and the lateral width of the wall surface 54b gradually expands rearward, so that the mud and water splashed by the front wheel 34 drooped down. The lower edge 54a and the wall surface 54b are well captured, and the mud and water splashing around are reduced, and the function as the front fender is improved.

Further, the present invention is applied to a substantially horizontal portion of the front half of the front fender when the rear portion of the front fender is inclined obliquely upward and rearward of the front wheel, and includes such a thing.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, since the lower edge of the front fender is located near the upper edge of the front wheel, traveling wind is less likely to hit the upper edge of the front wheel. Further, since the rear rising wall surface is provided on both sides of the lower edge of the front fender, the vortex of the air that hits the lower edge and is generated on the inner surface thereof is guided to the rear side by the wall surface. Therefore, the traveling wind that directly hits the upper edge of the front wheel is reduced, and the turbulent flow generated by the collision of this traveling wind and the air carried forward by the upper edge of the front wheel is guided to the rear side by the wall surface. As a result, the turbulent flow generated in the front fender is weakened and the running resistance is reduced.

Further, since the air vortex generated inside the lower edge is quickly carried by the wall surface, air vibration of a constant frequency is unlikely to occur.
Therefore, noise is less likely to occur.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view in which a part of a front fender of a two-wheel scooter according to an embodiment of the present invention is sectioned, FIG. 2 is a right side view, and FIG.
The figure is an enlarged side view, and FIG.
(A), (B), (C) are AA line and BB, respectively.
A line and a C-C line cross section are shown. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the front fender. 34 ... front wheel, 54 ... front fender, 54a ... lower edge, 54b ... wall surface.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A front fender of a scooter fixed to the vehicle body so as to cover a single steering front wheel from a rear portion having substantially the same width as the lower portion of the leg shield and extends toward the front, and a lower edge of the front fender is provided. On the inner surface near the left and right lower edges, a wall surface that protrudes substantially horizontally inward is formed, while the wall is located near the upper edge of the front wheel.The wall surface slopes downward to the front, approaches the lower edge, and faces rearward. A front fender of a scooter characterized by gradually widening and gradually separating from the lower edge.