JPS6323036B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a front fork for suspending the front wheels of a two-wheeled vehicle, etc. on the vehicle body side, and particularly relates to a front fork that allows the vehicle height to be adjusted without changing the shock absorbing characteristics. .

The height of motorcycles and the like has been adjusted by adjusting the set length of the front fork's cushion spring or the pressure of the charged gas.

However, adjusting the vehicle height using this method inevitably involves a change in the shock absorbing characteristics, which not only makes it impossible to obtain an appropriate shock absorbing characteristic, but also complicates the adjustment device and makes adjustment cumbersome and difficult. .

In view of the above-mentioned problem in adjusting the vehicle height of a front fork, the present inventor has devised the present invention to effectively solve the problem. A rod is rotatably inserted between the upper end cap of the sliding pipe and the upper end cap of the inner cylinder, and the rod is screwed onto the upper end cap of the inner cylinder, thereby improving the cushioning properties. To provide a front fork which can easily adjust the vehicle height without making any changes and can simplify the vehicle height adjustment mechanism.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The drawing is a longitudinal cross-sectional side view of the upper part of the front fork 1 according to the present invention. In the drawing, 2 is an inner cylinder, and the inner cylinder 2 is slidably fitted into an outer cylinder (not shown). is filled with hydraulic oil.

A fork cap 3 is fixed at an intermediate position on the inner circumference of the inner cylinder 2 with a stopper ring 4.
A cap 5 is screwed onto the upper end of the inner cylinder 2, and a valve (not shown) for generating a damping force is provided below the inner cylinder 2. Incidentally, the cap 5 is provided with a ventilation hole 5a.

A cushion spring 6 is stretched between the fork cap 3 in the inner cylinder 2 and the outer cylinder.
Due to the relative expansion and contraction movement between the front fork and the outer cylinder, the hydraulic oil sealed inside flows through the valve, and the loss of oil flow at this time generates a required damping force in the front fork 1, as is known.

By the way, a sliding pipe 8 is slidably fitted to the upper outer periphery of the inner cylinder 2 via ring-shaped guide bushes 7, 7 fitted above and below the inner periphery. An upper bracket 9 and an under bracket 10 are fitted above and below, respectively. A cap 11 is screwed onto the upper end of the sliding pipe 8, and a dust boot 12 is interposed between the outer periphery of the lower end of the cap 11 and the outer periphery of the upper end of the outer cylinder so as to cover the sliding part of the inner cylinder 2 from the outside. ing.

On the other hand, a rod 13 is rotatably inserted between the cap 11 of the sliding pipe 8 and the cap 5 of the inner tube 2 as shown in the figure. This rod 13 is screwed into the cap 5, and a stopper 14 is fixed to the lower end of the rod 13, which projects downward from the cap 13, with a nut 15. On the other hand, cap 1 of rod 13
A handle 16 is fixed to the upper end portion of the handle 16 projecting upward from the handle 1 with a nut 17.

The sliding pipe 8 is connected to the vehicle body side through an upper bracket 9 and an under bracket 10 provided on the outer periphery thereof, and the lower end of the outer cylinder is connected to the wheel side.

Next, vehicle height adjustment in the front fork 1 will be explained.

The drawing shows the vehicle height adjusted to its highest level,
From this state, when the rod 13 is rotated in a predetermined direction using the handle 16, the rod 13 passes through the cap 5 and moves downward, since it is threadedly engaged with the cap 5. The sliding pipe 8 is moved by the downward movement of this rod 13.
moves downward along the outer periphery of the inner cylinder 2 together with the rod 13, and as the sliding pipe 8 moves downward, the vehicle body connected to the sliding pipe 8 via brackets 9 and 10 also moves downward together. , the vehicle height is adjusted lower.

The vehicle height can be adjusted until the lower end of the rod 13 comes into contact with the upper end of the fork cap 3, and therefore the vehicle height adjustment range is within the range Δh shown in the figure.

In order to adjust the vehicle height higher from such a state, the rod 13 is rotated in the opposite direction using the handle 16, and the rod 13 is moved upward.

Furthermore, the cap 5 and fork cap 3 inside the inner cylinder 2
Since the gas chamber S formed between the rods is always in communication with the atmosphere through the ventilation holes 5a, as the rod 13 moves up and down, the air in the chamber S flows through the ventilation holes 5a, and therefore the rod 13 can be moved up and down smoothly without any resistance.

In the above-mentioned vehicle height adjustment, the set length of the spring 6 is kept constant, so that the cushioning characteristics of the front fork 1 are not affected in any way by the vehicle height adjustment, which is advantageous.

In addition, the vehicle height adjustment mechanism includes a sliding pipe 8, a cap 5,
11, a rod 13, a handle 16, etc., and the vehicle height can be adjusted simply by operating the handle 16 and rotating the rod 13, making the adjustment work easier and faster.

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, a sliding pipe is slidably fitted to the upper outer periphery of the inner cylinder,
A rod is slidably inserted between the upper end cap of the sliding pipe and the upper end cap of the inner cylinder, and the rod is screwed onto the upper end cap of the inner cylinder, so that there is no change in the shock absorbing characteristics of the front fork. The vehicle height can be easily adjusted, and the vehicle height adjustment mechanism can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawing is a longitudinal sectional side view of the upper part of a front fork showing an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawing, 2 is an inner cylinder, 5 and 11 are caps, 6 is a cushion spring, 8 is a sliding pipe, 13 is a rod, and 16 is a handle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a front fork formed by slidably fitting an inner cylinder and an outer cylinder, a sliding pipe is slidably fitted to the outer periphery of the inner cylinder, and a cap is fixed to the upper end of the sliding pipe. A rod is rotatably inserted between the cap fixed to the upper end of the inner cylinder, and the rod is screwed to the cap of the inner cylinder, and a fork cap is fixed to the inner periphery of the middle part of the inner cylinder, thereby tightening the fork. A front fork characterized in that a gas chamber is formed between the cap and the cap at the upper end of the inner cylinder, and a ventilation hole is formed in the cap at the upper end of the inner cylinder to communicate the gas chamber with the outside.