Straddle Vehicle

• US 20140021695A1
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Watanabe, Daisuke, Takahashi, Taiga, Nakazato, Shinsuke, Yoshikawa, Takakiyo
• Granted Patent: US 9,399,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/279
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 21/06 Bearings specially adapted for steering heads bearings in general F16C
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/08 for front wheel

Abstract

A straddle vehicle includes a steering stem coupled to a handle; a head pipe into which the steering stem is inserted; and a ring-shaped seal member provided at an end portion of the head pipe to seal a gap between the head pipe and the steering stem; wherein the seal member has a lip portion provided on an inner peripheral portion thereof and an engagement portion provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof; wherein the engagement portion is engaged with an inner peripheral surface of the head pipe; and wherein the lip portion is biased to slidably contact an outer peripheral portion of the steering stem.

Claims

1. A straddle vehicle comprising:

a steering stem coupled to a handle;

a head pipe into which the steering stem is inserted; and

a ring-shaped seal member provided at an end portion of the head pipe to seal a gap between the head pipe and the steering stem;

wherein the seal member has a lip portion provided on an inner peripheral portion thereof and an engagement portion provided on an outer peripheral portion thereof;

wherein the engagement portion is engaged with an inner peripheral surface of the head pipe; and

wherein the lip portion is biased to slidably contact an outer peripheral portion of the steering stem.

2. The straddle vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the engagement portion has a ring-shape having a bent cross-section and is in sealing contact with the inner peripheral surface of the head pipe and an end surface of the head pipe;

and

wherein an outer periphery of the engagement portion is positioned radially inward relative to an outer periphery of the end surface of the head pipe.

3. The straddle vehicle according to claim 2,

wherein the seal member has a reinforcement member embedded into the engagement portion, and the reinforcement member has a ring-shape having a bent cross-section.

4. The straddle vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the seal member is inclined in a downward direction from the inner peripheral portion to the outer peripheral portion.

5. The straddle vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the steering stem has on an outer peripheral side a lip contact surface with which the lip portion contacts, and an axial length of the lip contact surface is set longer than a vertical length of the lip portion.

6. The straddle vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a bearing retained in a bearing retaining section provided on an inner peripheral side of the end portion of the head pipe to support the steering stem such that the steering stem is rotatable,

wherein the seal member covers the bearing retaining section and is positioned to be apart from the bearing retained in the bearing retaining section.