Rear arm for motorcycle

• US 20050206122A1
• Filed: 09/16/2003
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanou, Yasunobu, Takahata, Tatsumi, Ichihara, Hisashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,226,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/284
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/283 for cycles without a pedal crank, e.g. motorcycles

Abstract

A rear arm 15 for a motorcycle obtained by weld-bonding left and right arm molded bodies 2 and 3 made of aluminum alloy die-cast, which are formed by dividing pivot sections 2b and 3b and cross member sections 2c and 3c into left and right parts along a body central line, in the pivot sections and the cross member sections is provided, in which left and the right arm sections 2a and 3a are formed in substantially a triangular shape in side view and formed in substantially C shape opening toward an inner side in a width direction of the vehicle in cross-sectional view, and the cross member sections 2c and 3c are formed in a closed sectional shape extending from vertexes 2g and 3g of the triangular shapes to bases thereof.

Claims

1. A rear arm for a motorcycles comprising:

left and right arm molded bodies made of aluminum alloy die-cast, which are formed by dividing pivot sections and cross member sections into left and right parts along a body central line, and obtained by weld-bonding the left and the right arm molded bodies in the pivot sections and the cross member sections, and

left and the right arm sections formed in substantially a triangular shape viewed from sides of the motorcycle and formed in substantially a C shape opening toward an inner side in a width direction of the viewed from sides of the motorcycle in cross section,

wherein the cross member sections are formed in vertically long closed sectional shape and have rear vertical walls of an arc shape extending along a front edge of a rear wheel viewed from sides of the motorcycle.

2. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the cross member sections have front vertical walls that are formed such that lengthwise spaces between the front vertical walls and the rear vertical walls are minimized in intermediate parts in a vertical direction and are widened toward upper or lower parts thereof.

3. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein one of the left and the right cross member sections is fit and inserted into the other of the left and the right cross member sections, and the fit and inserted part is welded.

4. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein a support boss section, to which a link member of a rear wheel suspension system is coupled, is integrally formed on bottom surfaces of the cross member sections, and the support boss section is constituted by bringing integrally formed left and right boss sections into abutment against opposed surfaces of the left and the right cross member sections and weld-bonding the left and the right boss sections to each other.

5. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the left and the right arm sections have main arm sections, which constitute bases of triangles formed by providing openings at the rear of the cross member sections, and reinforcing arm sections, which constitute hypotenuses of the triangles, and reinforcing plates are bonded to the left and the right arm sections at least in parts at the rear of the cross member sections of the main arm sections so as to close the openings of a C shape in cross section.

6. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 5, wherein plural reinforcing ribs crossing one another are integrally formed on sidewalls of a C shape of the left and the right arm sections, dampers consisting of an elastic member are locked in crossing parts of the reinforcing ribs, so as to cover the reinforcing ribs, and the dampers are nipped in a compressed state by reinforcing plates and the reinforcing ribs.

7. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the left and the right arm molded bodies are cast by using die-cast molds having plural molten metal inlets, which are arranged along bases or hypotenuses of triangles of the left and the right arm sections, and molten metal outlets, which are arranged so as to correspond to the molten metal inlets, and supplying molten metal in a direction traversing the triangles.

8. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 7, wherein edges of the openings of a C shape in cross section is set thicker than the other parts, the molten metal inlets are formed at edges of the openings of main arm sections constituting the bases, and the molten metal outlets are formed at edges of openings of the reinforcing arm sections constituting the hypotenuses.

9. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, further comprising left and right arm sections.

10. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 9, further comprising pivots sections of a closed sectional shape that bond front ends of the left and right arm sections to each other.

11. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 10, wherein the cross member sections are of a closed sectional shape that bond sections between the pivot sections and rear wheel front edges of the left and the right arm sections to each other.

12. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 11, wherein the pivot sections are pivotally supported by a body frame so as to swing freely in a vertical direction.

13. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 12, further comprising a rear wheel being axially supported between rear ends of the left and the right arm sections.

14. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 1, further comprising left and right bearing boss sections integrally formed at ends on an outer side of the left and right pivot sections.

15. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 14, wherein the left and right bearing boss sections are supported by a pivot shaft.

16. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 8, further comprising tuning plates arranged so as to close the openings on the inner side of the C shape.

17. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 16, wherein the tuning plates are provided on front sides of the cross member sections.

18. The rear arm for a motorcycle according to claim 6, wherein the dampers include an elastic member disposed in compressed state between a tuning plate and the reinforcing ribs.

19. A method for manufacturing a rear arm for a motorcycle, comprising:

casting by using die-cast molds having plural molten inlets, left and right arm molded bodies made of aluminum alloy, which are formed by dividing pivot sections and cross member sections into left and right parts along a body central line, and obtained by weld-bonding the left and the right arm molded bodies in the pivot sections and the cross member sections;

forming the left and the right arm sections in substantially a triangular shape viewed from sides of the motorcycle and in substantially a C shape opening toward an inner side in a width direction of the viewed from sides of the motorcycle in cross section; and

forming the cross member sections in a vertically long closed sectional shape and having rear vertical walls of an arc shape extending along a front edge of a rear wheel viewed from sides of the motorcycle.

20. A method for manufacturing a rear arm for a motorcycle, comprising:

casting by using die-cast molds having plural molten inlets, left and right arm molded bodies made of aluminum alloy, which are formed by dividing pivot sections and cross member sections into left and right parts along a body central line, and obtained by weld-bonding the left and the right arm molded bodies in the pivot sections and the cross member sections;

forming the left and the right arm sections in substantially a triangular shape viewed from sides of the motorcycle and in substantially a C shape opening toward an inner side in a width direction of the viewed from sides of the motorcycle in cross section;

forming the cross member sections in a vertically long closed sectional shape and having rear vertical walls of an arc shape extending along a front edge of a rear wheel viewed from sides of the motorcycle; and

forming front vertical walls such that lengthwise spaces between the front vertical walls and the rear vertical walls are minimized in intermediate parts in a vertical direction and are widened toward upper or lower parts thereof.