Fuel tank for motorcycle, and process for producing the same

• US 6,069,337 A
• Filed: 12/23/1998
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fujinami, Joji, Takase, Yoshimitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Clifford C.
• Application Number:
  US09/219,845
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 219/83, 219/117.1, 219/81, 219/82
• US Class Current: 219/83
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/065 for welding curved planar seams
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 35/00 Fuel tanks specially adapted for motorcycles or engine-assisted cycles; Arrangements thereof fuel tanks forming part of cycle frames B62K11/00; tanks in general B60K ; closure caps for fuel tanks B60K15/0406

Abstract

A fuel tank for a motorcycle includes a body panel, and a bottom plate. The bottom plate occludes an opening at a lower end of the panel and has an outer surface which is recessed inwards of the panel. A first junction flange portion which is integrally formed on a peripheral edge of the opening at the lower end of the body panel and a second junction flange portion which is integrally formed on an outer peripheral edge of the bottom plate, are superposed on each other and seam-welded to each other. The first and second junction flange portions are formed turned toward the center of the opening at the lower end of the body panel, so that they are not visible from the sides of the tank. Thus, the appearance of the fuel tank can be improved to enhance marketability, while enhancing the air-tightness of the tank and welding operability.

Claims

1. A process for producing a fuel tank for a motorcycle, comprising the steps of:

temporarily fixing a body panel and a bottom plate in a state in which junction flanges thereof have been turned toward a center of an opening at a lower end of said body panel;

superposing said junction flanges on each other; and

seam-welding said junction flanges to each other over their entire peripheries after the temporary fixing,

wherein said seam-welding including the steps of placing one of a pair of electrode rings of a seam-welding machine and at least a portion of an electrode support for rotatably supporting said one electrode ring down into a recessed portion of said bottom plate, and sandwiching said junction flanges between said one electrode ring and the other electrode ring which is disposed outside said body panel.