Vehicle body-protecting device for two-wheeled motor vehicle

• US 7,055,843 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2002
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Access Corp. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Mifune, Yoshinori, Kan, Makoto, Ochiai, Hideo
• Primary Examiner(s): Morris, Lesley D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEAGLEY, DANIEL S
• Application Number:
  US10/479,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20040251657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 280/288.4, 280/304.3, 280/291, 280/293, 280/298, 280/755, 280/848, 293/105, 293/142, 180/232, D12/167
• US Class Current: 280/304.3
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 27/30 Crash bars; Crash bungs

Abstract

In a vehicle body-protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle, in which a pair of left and right guard members are mounted to a vehicle body frame assembly to overhang laterally outwards, so that when the two-wheeled motor vehicle is turned sideways, said guard members are allowed to be grounded, whereby the grounding of an outer surface of a vehicle body is diminished, each of the guard members is formed by connecting a ground element which is grounded upon the turning-sideways of the two-wheeled motor vehicle to a mounting base secured to the vehicle body frame assembly through an elastic element for swinging movement. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the need for the special strengthening of the vehicle body frame assembly in such a manner that a shock due to the turning-sideways of the two-wheeled motor vehicle can be received on the vehicle body frame assembly, while being buffered.

Claims

1. A vehicle body-protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle, in which a pair of left and right guard members are mounted to a vehicle body frame assembly to overhang laterally outwards, so that when the two wheeled motor vehicle is turned sideways, said guard members are allowed to be grounded, whereby the grounding of an outer surface of a vehicle body is diminished,

wherein each of the guard members is formed by connecting a ground element which is grounded upon the turning-sideways of the two-wheeled motor vehicle to amounting base secured to the vehicle body frame assembly through a deformable elastic element which permits swinging movement of the ground element relative to the mounting base, and which deforms to buffer a shock force from the around element to the mounting base.

2. A vehicle body-protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein said ground element is connected to said mounting base for movement along an axis substantially parallel to an axis of a rear wheel of the two-wheeled motor vehicle, so that said elastic element is deformed even when said ground element is moved toward the mounting base.

3. A vehicle-body protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the ground element is formed of a hard synthetic resin.

4. A vehicle body-protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the elastic element is formed of rubber.

5. A vehicle-body protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the ground clement is positioned outside of the mounting base and the deformable elastic element in a lateral direction of the vehicle body frame.

6. A vehicle-body protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the deformable elastic element is configured to deform in a lateral direction of the vehicle body frame and in a direction inclined relative to the lateral direction of the vehicle body frame so as to buffer a shock force from the ground element when the two wheeled motor vehicle is turned sideways.

7. A vehicle-body protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a device for restricting movement of the ground element is provided on the mounting base, the device configured to:

restrict a movement of the ground element in a laterally outward direction of the vehicle body frame;

permit movement of the ground element in a laterally inward direction of the vehicle body frame; and

permit swinging movement of the ground element.

8. A vehicle body-protecting device for a two-wheeled motor vehicle,

in which a pair of left and right guard members are mounted to a vehicle body frame assembly to overhang laterally outwards, so that when the two wheeled motor vehicle is turned sideways, said guard members are allowed to be grounded, whereby the grounding of an outer surface of a vehicle body is diminished,

wherein each of said guard members is formed by connecting a ground element which is grounded upon the turning-sideways of the two-wheeled motor vehicle to a mounting base secured to the vehicle body frame assembly through an elastic element for swinging movement,

wherein said ground element is connected to said mounting base for movement along an axis substantially parallel to an axis of a rear wheel of the two-wheeled motor vehicle, so that said elastic element is deformed even when said ground element is moved toward the mounting base, and

wherein a pivot including a support shaft substantially parallel to an axis of the rear wheel of the two-wheeled motor vehicle is fitted into a pivot bore which is provided in said mounting base and which extends in a longitudinal direction of the two-wheeled motor vehicle;

said ground element is axially movably mounted to said support shaft; and

said elastic element is interposed among said mounting base, said ground element, and said support shaft.