Title of Invention	A STRUCTURE FOR FRONT PORTION OF A MOTORCYCLE
Abstract	A structure for the front portion of a motorcycle (10), wherein a front cowl (21) which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen (31), provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay (40) is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a. lower stay (41) and an upper stay (51) attached to said lower stay (41) and said wind screen (31) is supported by said upper stay (51) while said front cowl (21) is supported by said lower stay (41).

Title of Invention

A STRUCTURE FOR FRONT PORTION OF A MOTORCYCLE

Abstract

A structure for the front portion of a motorcycle (10), wherein a front cowl (21) which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen (31), provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay (40) is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a. lower stay (41) and an upper stay (51) attached to said lower stay (41) and said wind screen (31) is supported by said upper stay (51) while said front cowl (21) is supported by said lower stay (41).

Full Text	FORM 2 THE PATENTS ACT 1970 [39 OF 1970] COMPLETE SPECIFICATION [See Section 10] "FRONT COWL iJUPTORTIN^G STRUCTURE AND WIND—SHIELD STRUCTURE FOR MOTORCYCLE" ^ HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, a corporation of Japan, having a place of business at 1-1, Minamiaoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan, The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:- [Detailed Description of the Invention] [Technical Field to which the Invention Pertains] This invention relates to a front cowl supporting structure and a wind shield structure for a front portion of a motorcycle. [Prior Art] A motorcycle of the type wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on the body frame by means of a stay is available. As a motorcycle of the type described, for example, the official gazette of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 62-36708 entitled "Cowling Attaching Apparatus for a Motorcycle" (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 1") is known. The prior art 1 mentioned above relates to a cowling attaching apparatus wherein, as shown in FIG. 1 of the official gazette mentioned above, to a front portion of a frame 1 (the reference numeral recited in the official gazette is cited. This similarly applies in the following description), a holding piece 3 as a stay is attached, and a meter 11 and a cowling 2 are attached to the holding piece 3 while a screen 6 is attached to an upper portion of the cowling 2. Further a motorcycle of a comparatively large size which includes a leg shield, a wind screen and a meter panel provided at a front portion of a vehicle body and can run at a high speed is available. Since the motorcycle can run at a high speed, the wind shielding property for a driver must be taken into consideration. As a motorcycle which includes a wind shield apparatus of the type described, for example, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 203453 entitled "Wind Shield Apparatus for a Scooter Type Vehicle" (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 2") is known. The prior art 2 mentioned above relates to a scooter type vehicle 1 wherein, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 of the official gazette mentioned above, a handle bar 7 (the reference numeral recited in the official gazette is cited. This similarly applies in the following description) has a handle bar cover 33 and a wind screen 34 provided thereon and a screen garnish 35 is provided at a lower portion of a front face of the wind screen 34 while a wind inlet opening 35a is provided in a front face of the screen garnish 35 and a wind guide path 37 is provided between the front face of the handle bar cover 33 and a rear face of the wind screen 34. Running wind (front face flow) Fw generated on the front face of the screen garnish 35 during running of the scooter type vehicle 1 enters the wind inlet opening 35a and passes the wind guide path 37 and then flows as rear face flow Rw to locations upwardly and sidewardly of the rear face of the wind screen 34. The front face flow Fw flowing over the wind screen 34 joins together with the rear face flow Rw so that the negative pressure to be generated on the rear face of the wind screen 34 is reduced thereby to raise the wind shielding effect (wind protection effect). [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Usually, in order to assure an appearance of a motorcycle, the holding piece 3 is disposed in the cowling 2. The holding piece 3 disposed in the narrow cowling 2 undergoes restriction by the layout of other parts such as the meter 11. Accordingly, it cannot be avoided that the holding piece 3 is small in size so that it may not interfere with any other part. Even if the holding 3 is small, fixed rigidity is required so that it can sufficiently support the cowling 2. Further, since the wind pressure acting upon the screen 6 during high speed running is comparatively high, the screen 6 must be supported sufficiently. Moreover, in order to further raise the wind shielding effect for a driver, it is demanded not only to moderate the front face flow Fw coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen 34 but also to moderate the front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield. Therefore, it is the first object of the present invention to provide a technique wherein a front cowl and a wind screen can be supported more sufficiently by means of a stay. It is the second object of the present invention to provide a technique which can further raise the wind shielding effect for a driver of a motorcycle. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to attain the first object described above, according to claim 1, a front cowl supporting structure for a motorcycle wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on the body frame by means of a stay is characterized in that the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay and an upper stay attached to the lower stay, and the wind screen is supported by the upper stay while the front cowl is supported by the lower stay. Since the stay to be disposed in a small space within the front cowl is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay can be formed in a large size. Since the stay can be formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay can be raised readily to support the front cowl and the wind screen more sufficiently. Besides, since the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be assigned to the lower stay and the upper stay such that the lower stay supports the front cowl while the upper stay supports the wind screen, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose. Claim 2 is characterized in that the front cowl has a meter panel provided thereon and the upper stay is passed forwardly from the meter panel in the inside of the front cowl. After the meter panel is assembled to the vehicle body, it is possible to pass the upper stay into a free space forwardly from the meter panel, assemble the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay to the body frame and thereafter fit the front cowl from the front side to assemble the front cowl to the lower stay. In this manner, the upper stay can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl without interfering with the meter panel. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay can be raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay and front cowl are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented. Claim 3 is characterized in that the meter panel extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that the meter panel overlaps below the handle bar cover as viewed from the side. Since the meter panel is disposed in an overlapping relationship with the handle bar cover, a wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover can be reduced. As a result, the wind shielding effect for a driver rises. In order to attain the second object described above, according to claim 4, a motorcycle wherein a leg shield, a wind screen and a meter panel are provided at a front portion of a vehicle body is characterized in that a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel, and a wind outlet opening is provided around a meter of the meter panel. Running wind (front face flow) generated during running of the motorcycle and coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen can be moderated with rear face flow from the wind inlet opening provided at least in the front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel. Further, front face flow coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be generally moderated with rear face flow from the wind outlet opening provided around the meter of the meter panel. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Claim 5 is characterized in that a handle bar of the motorcycle is covered with a handle bar cover, and a wind outlet opening is provided in the handle bar cover. Front face flow coming around from the front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the handle bar cover in addition to rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and which blows out from an appropriate location. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Claim 6 is characterized in that the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover overlap with each other. Running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) is passed through the inside of the handle bar cover from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel, and consequently, the ' running wind can be blown out efficiently. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Accordingly, the present invention relates to a structure for the front portion of motorcycle wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay and an upper stay attached to said lower stay and said wind screen is supported by said upper stay while said front cowl is supported by said lower stay. [Brief Description of the/brawings] [FIG: 1] •^ FIG. 1 is a view showing an appeaxance of the left side of a motorcycle according to the "p'f'eseht" invention. [FIG. 2] . • FIG.. 2 is a view showing ^an appearance of the right side of the' motorcycle according to the present invention [FIG. .3] FIG. 3 is a side elevational sectiona-1 view of the motorcycle according to the present invention. " [FIG. .4] FIG. 4 is a side elevational sectional view of a front -upper portion of the motorcyc'le according;.^ to the present invention. [FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of members around a front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a side elevational sectional view of members around a garnish according to the present invention. [FIG. 7] FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a meter panel according to the present invention. [FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7. [FIG. 9] FIG. 9 is a view as viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark of FIG. 8. [FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a handle bar cover according to the present invention. [FIG. 11(a) and 11(b)] FIG. 11(a) and 11(b) are views showing a configuration of the handle bar cover according to the present invention. [FIG. 12] FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of members around a front fork, a stay and a partition plate according to the present invention. [FIG. 13] FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the partition plate according to the present invention. [FIG. 14] FIG. 14 is a side elevational section view of members around the meter panel according to the present invention. [FIG. 15] FIG. 15 is a view illustrating operation of members around the front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 16] FIG. 16 is a view illustrating operation (part 1) of the members around the front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 17] FIG. 17 is a view illustrating operation (part 2) of the members around the front cowl according to the present invention. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention] An embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to the accompahyTiTg drawings. It is to be noted that "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" are defined as directions as viewed from the driver. Further, the drawings should be viewed in the direction of the reference characters. FIG. 1 is an appearance view of the left side of a motorcycle according to the present invention and shows that the motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle having a low type floor 25. A body cover '2 0 which covers the entire body frame of the motorcycle 10 includes a front cowl 21 which covers a front portion of the body frame which is hereinafter described and an upper portion of a front wheel, an upper cover 22 which covers an upper opening of the front cowl 21, an inner cover 23 which covers a rear portion of the front cowl 21, a center cover 24 which extends rearwardly from a rear end of the inner cover 23 and covers a longitudinally middle portion of the body frame, a low type floor 25 extending outwardly from each of outer edges of a lower end of the center cover 24 for receiving the feet of the driver placed thereon, a floor skirt 2 6 extending downwardly from an outer edge of the low type floor 25, a rear side cover 27 which extends rearwardly from the center cover 24 and covers rear side portions of the body frame, and a rear cover 2 8 which extends rearwardly from a rear end of the rear side cover 27 and covers a rear portion of the body frame. The front cowl 21 has a transparent wind screen 31 provided at an upper portion thereof. The inner cover 23 includes a leg shield 91 which covers front portions of the legs of the driver. Further, the motorcycle 10 includes a handle bar 203 provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and includes a seat 208 and a step holder 300 provided at a rear portion of the vehicle body. The seat 208 is a double seat including a seat front portion 208a on which a driver is to be seated and a seat rear portion 208b on which a passenger is to be seated. The step holder 300 is disposed in the proximity of a rear portion of the center cover 24, and a pillion step 310 ^step fox a passeTigex^ on \?bicti a foot of the passenger should be placed is attached for accommodation and exposition to the step holder 300. In the figure, reference numeral 261 denotes a headlamp, 262 a winKer, 263, 263 denote each a mirror, 264 denotes a front fender, 265 a seat locking lock, 266 a rear air spoiler, 267 a tail lamp, 268 a rear fender, 269 a sub stand, and 320 a main stand. It is to be noted that reference numerals 271 and 272 denote master cylinders, which generate a braking fluid pressure by operation of a brake lever 273 or 274. FIG. 2 is an appearance view of the right side of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows that a meter panel 92 is provided at an upper portion of the front cowl 21 and located in a rearward position of the wind screen 31. As apparent from the foregoing description, the wind screen 31, leg shield 91 and meter panel 92 can be provided at a front portion of the vehicle body. Further, this figure shows that a step holder 300 including a pillion step 310 is disposed also on the right side of the motorcycle 10. Reference numeral 275 denotes a silencer for exhaust gas. FIG. 3 is a side elevational sectional view of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows the motorcycle 10 as viewed from the left side. The motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle including, as principal components, a body frame 110, a front fork 201 attached for leftward and rightward swinging motion on a head pipe 111 of the body frame 110, a front wheel 202 attached to the front fork 201, the aforementioned handle bar 203 connected to the front fork 201, an engine 211 attached to a rear portion of the body frame 110, a power transmission mechanism 212 attached for upward and downward swinging motion around a crankshaft of the engine 211 as a center independently of the engine 211, a rear wheel 205 attached to a rear portion of the power transmission mechanism 212, a rear cushion unit 206 suspending a rear end portion of the power transmission mechanism 212 on the body frame 110, an accommodation box 207 attached to an upper portion of a rear portion of the body frame 110, and the seat 208 disposed above the accommodation box 2 07 and attached for opening/closing movement. The body frame 110 includes a pair of left and right upper frames 113 extending rearwardly downwards from the head pipe 111 and a pair of left and right down tubes 114 extending downwardly from the head pipe 111 below the pair of upper frames 113. The front fork 201 is a gate-shaped fork disposed below the head pipe 111. An upper portion of the front fork 201 and the head pipe 111 are covered with the front cowl 21. The engine 211 is a water-cooled two-cylinder engine disposed substantially horizontally and including two left and right cylinder heads 215 inclined a little forwardly upwards. The power transmission mechanism 212 is a belt converter non-stage transmission with a centrifugal clutch for transmitting power of the engine 211 to the rear wheel 205. The accommodation box 207 is a box elongated in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body so that two helmets Hf and Hr can be accommodated forwardly and backwardly, and includes a lower box 207a and an upper box 207b placed at a rear upper portion of the lower box 207a. In the motorcycle 10 having such a configuration as described above, the engine 211 is disposed at a rear portion of the low type floor 25 (refer to FIG. 1) while the engine cooling radiator 221 is disposed at a front portion of the floor 25, and a fuel tank 230 is disposed between the engine 211 and the radiator 221. This figure shows that the front of the radiator 221 is covered with a front lower cover 93 and the bottoms of the radiator 221 and the fuel tank 230 are covered with an under cover 94 and that an oil feeding lid 330 which is opened when fuel is to be supplied into the fuel tank 230 through a fuel filler 234 and a checking liquid 360 which is opened when an ignition plug (not shown) of the engine 211 is to be checked are provided on the body cover 20. In the figure, reference numeral 281 denotes an air cleaner disposed in the side portion of the accommodation box 207, 282 a connecting tube, 283 an air chamber disposed forwardly from the accommodation box 207, 284 a throttle valve, 285 an inlet pipe, and 286 a battery. FIG. 4 is a side elevational sectional view of a front upper portion of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows a front upper portion of the motorcycle 10 as viewed from the left side. This figure shows that two wind inlet openings 21a are provided on the left and the right of a front face of the front cowl 21 and an attaching portion of the wind screen 31 to the front cowl 21 is covered therearound with a garnish 32, which has a wind inlet opening 32a provided at a middle portion of a front face thereof, and a wind inlet opening 96 is provided at least in the front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92. The wind inlet opening 32a is communicated with the wind inlet opening 96. More particularly, the wind inlet openings 21a of the front cowl 21 are holes which extend forwardly and rearwardly through the front cowl 21 for introducing running wind into the front cowl 21. The wind inlet opening 32a of the garnish 32 is a hole which extends forwardly and rearwardly through the garnish 32 for introducing running wind to a rear face of the wind screen 31. A meter cover 95 is a cover member extending from an upper portion of the meter panel 92 to a lower portion of the wind screen 31 along an inner face of the wind screen 31. The wind inlet opening 96 between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92 is a wind introduction path for introducing running wind introduced from the wind inlet opening 32a of the garnish 32 into a location between a rear face of the wind screen 31 and an upper face of the meter panel 92 to the rear face of the wind screen 31. By the way, the handle bar 203 has such a shape that grips 203a, 203a thereof are positioned comparatively high and drawn rearwardly. The handle bar 203 is covered with a handle bar cover 101. A detailed structure of the handle bar cover 101 is hereinafter described. Further, this figure shows that an upper stay (cowl stay) 40 is threaded in front of the meter panel 92 in the inside of the front cowl 21. The stay 40 is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay 41 removably mounted on a cowl stay bracket Ilia of the head pipe 111, and an upper stay 51 removably attached to the lower stay 41. The lower and upper stays 41 and 51 are a combination structure of round bars or/and pipes. By removably attaching an inner face of a front portion of the front cowl 21 to the first cowl attaching portion 42 of the lower stay 41 and removably attaching an inner face of an upper portion of the front cowl 21 to a second cowl attaching portion 43 of the lower stay 41, the front cowl 21 can be attached to the body frame 110 through the stay 40, The present invention is characterized in that the inside of the front cowl 21 is partitioned into upper and lower portions by a partition plate 60 extending horizontally on a fork bridge 201a of the front fork 201. The lower portion of the inside of the front cowl 21 below the partition plate 60 is an open space, and the upper portion above the partition plate 60 is a generally closed space which is communicated with the wind inlet openings 21a. It is to be noted that spare attaching portions 52, ... (... signifies that a plurality of such members are provided. This similarly applies in the following description.) are provided at an upper portion of the upper stay 51 and used in order to attach a wind screen 31 having a different size. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of members around the front cowl according to the present invention and shows the front cowl 21, the wind screen 31, the garnish 32, a garnish seal member 33, the meter panel 92, the meter cover 95, the front lower cover 93, the lower stay 41 and the upper stay 51. The front cowl 21 has screen attaching portions 21b, ... provided on the left and the right of an upper portion thereof. The wind screen 31 has attaching portions 31a, ... provided thereon for attaching the wind screen 31 to the screen attaching portions 21b, ... of the front cowl 21. The front lower cover 93 has a plurality of radiator wind inlet openings 93a, ... provided on a front face thereof. The stay 40 can be integrated into a unitary member by fastening a front coupling portion 53 of the upper stay 51 to a front coupling portion 44 of the lower stay 41 by means of a bolt and fastening a rear coupling portion 54 of the upper stay 51 to a rear coupling portion 45 of the lower stay 41 by means of a bolt. The lower stay 41 is a three-dimensional structure of pipes formed from a combination of an upper stay portion 47 of a substantially hollow square shape as viewed in plan on a lower stay portion 46 of a substantially channel shape open forwardly as viewed in plan. The lower stay portion 46 is a unitary molded part including left and right side members 48, 48 and a cross member 49 extending between a rear end of the left side member 48 and a rear end of the right side member 48. The upper stay 51 includes left and right upright portions 55, 55 erected uprightly, a front cross member 56 extending between front ends of the left and right upright portions 55, 55, a rear cross member 57 extending between rear ends of the left and right upright portions 55, 55, a left cross member 58 extending between a left end of the front cross member 56 and a left end of the rear cross member 57, and a right cross member 59 extending between a right end of the front cross member 56 and a right end of the rear cross member 57. FIG. 6 is a side elevational section view of members around the garnish according to the present invention and shows that a lower portion of the wind screen 31 is attached to an upper portion of the front cowl 21 by means of a bolt 35 with a rubber bush 34 interposed therebetween to obtain a rubber mount and a front face of the mount portion is covered with the garnish 32. Reference character 35a denotes an insert nut, The wind screen 31 can be supported by the upper stay 51 by supporting an upper portion of the front cowl 21, that is, the screen attaching portions 21b by the left and right cross members 58 and 59 on the rear face of the mount portion. Particularly during high speed running, the wind pressure acting upon the wind screen 31 is comparatively high. Against this, the wind screen 31 can be supported sufficiently by the upper stay 51. It is to be noted that it is arbitrary whether or not a gap should be provided between an upper portion of the front cowl 21 and the upper stay 51, and the gap may be provided if necessary. FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the meter panel according to the present invention and shows a structure as viewed from the driver's side. The meter panel 92 is a unitary molded part made of a resin and including a central panel portion 92a having various meters 85 to 88 provided thereon, side extensions 92b, 92b extending to the left and the right from the panel portion 92a, and a rear extension 92c extending rearwardly (to the nearer side in the figure) from the panel portion 92a. The left and right side extensions 92b, 92b have first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d provided therein. Each of the first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d includes a large number of louvers (baffles) 92e, .... The rear extension 92c is a portion extending toward the upper cover 22 indicated by an imaginary line and has a second wind outlet opening 92f provided at a base portion thereof at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. Further, the rear extension 92c has a pair of left and right third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g provided rearwardly of the left and the right of the second wind outlet opening 92f, and has an arcuate opening recessed portion 92h provided at an end thereof at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. Each of the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g has a large number of louvers 92i, ... provided thereon. In this manner, the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g can be provided around the meters 85 to 88 of the meter panel 92. Further, the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92 is extended rearwardly, that is, toward the handle bar cover 101 indicated by an imaginary line and the handle bar cover 101 is placed on the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92. Therefore, the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and a lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 can overlap with each other forwardly and backwardly on the left and the right. In particular, since the meter panel 92 is disposed in an overlapping relationship below the handle bar cover 101, the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover 101, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover 101 can be reduced, Therefore, the wind shielding effect for the driver rises. The upper cover 22 indicated by an imaginary line is a cover member extending rearwardly from the meter panel 92 and has an arcuate opening recessed portion 22a provided at an end thereof at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. An upper opening 97 can be formed by adjusting the opening recessed portion 92h of the meter panel 92 and the opening recessed portion 22a of the upper cover 22 so as to register with each other. In the figure, reference characters 92j, 92k, 92m and 92n denote meter indication openings, and 92o, 92o denote attaching portions for attaching a front end of the upper cover 22. Running wind generated while the motorcycle 10 is running is introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4) and flows to the rear side of the meter panel 92. The running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 can be blown out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the left and right first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d, central second wind outlet opening 92f and left and right third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and shows that the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92 is extended rearwardly from a lower end of the panel portion 92a and the second wind outlet opening 92f is perforated at a base portion of the rear extension 92c such that it extends upwardly and downwardly through the base portion. FIG. 9 is a view as viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark 9 of FIG. 8 and shows that the second wind outlet opening 92f is a hole elongated in the vehicle widthwise direction and that a large number of louvers 92p, ... extending in the forward and backward direction across the second wind outlet opening 92f are provided on a lower face of the rear extension 92c. FIG. 10 is ari exploded view of the handle bar cover according to the present invention. The handle b^r cover 101 includes left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 for covering left and right lower portions of the handle bar 203, and an upper handle bar cover IO3 having a substantially V-shape as viewed in front elevation for covering an upper portion of the handle bar 203. More particularly, left and right upright portions 203b, 203b of the handle bar 203 are covered with left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 and side plate portions 103a, 103a of the upper handle bar cover 103. By remoable attaching the left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 to the upper handle bar cover 103, they can be integrated with each other. Further, by fastening the upper handle bar cover 103 to the handle bar 203 by means of a bolt, the handle bar cover 101 can be removably attached to the handle bar 203. (a) and (b) of FIG. 11 are schematic views showing a configuration of the handle bar cover according to the present invention, and (a) shows a left side face structure of the handle bar cover 101 and (b) shows a structure on a section taken along line b-b of (a). (a) shows that the inside of the handle bar cover 101 which covers the handle bar 203 is formed as a cavity 104, that a lower end of the handle bar cover 101 is open to form the lower opening 105, and that a vertically elongated wind outlet opening 102a is provided at each of the left and right upright portions of the handle bar cover 101. In other wordSj the vertically elongated wind outlet opening 102a is provided at each of the upright portions of the left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102. The lower opening 105 is greater than the upper opening 97 provided at a joining portion between the meter panel 92 and the upper cover 22 shown in FIG. 7. The wind outlet opening 102a is formed in the lower handle bar cover 102 such that it is opened to the outer side in the vehicle widthwise direction. (b) shows that the upright portion 203b of the handle bar 203 is covered with the upright portion of the handle bar cover 101 and that a louver 102b directed obliquely rearwardly is provided in the wind outlet opening 102a. Running wind generated during running of the motorcycle 10 is introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4) and flows upwardly through the upper opening 97, and then enters the cavity 104 from the lower opening 105. The flow of the running wind in the cavity 104 is put in order by the louver 102b and can be blown out obliquely rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a. FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of members around the front fork, stay and partition plate according to the present invention, and shows that the partition plate 60 extends on the fork bridge 201a of the gate-shaped front fork 201 and is divided into two left and right portions and two hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 extend through an opening 60b provided at the split portion 60a of the partition plate 60. The hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are hoses connecting between the master cylinders 271 and 272 and brakes for the front and rear wheels 202 and 205 described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the partition plate according to the present invention and shows the partition plate 60 as viewed from the rear face. The partition plate 60 is a combination structure of a left partition plate 61 disposed on the left side and a right partition plate 71 disposed on the right side, The left and right partition plates 61 and 71 are molded parts of resin in which the openings 62 and 72 opposed to the split portion 60a are formed, respectively. The partition plate 60 integrated as a unitary member can be obtained by removably coupling front and rear coupling portions 73 and 74 of the right partition plate 71 to front and rear coupling portions 63 and 64 of the left partition plate 61 by means of screws 83, 83 at the split portion 60a. By coupling the left and right partition plates 61 and 71, the left and right openings 62 and 72 provided at the split portion 60a are communicated with each other thereby to form the leftwardly and rightwardly elongated opening 60b. The left and right partition plates 61 and 71 have hooks 65 and 75 integrally formed on the rear faces thereof, respectively, and the hooks 65 and 75 can be hooked on the cross member 49 of the lower stay 41. FIG. 14 is a side elevational section view of members around the meter panel according to the present invention and shows that a meter box 84 is attached to the rear face of the meter panel 92 and that the front and rear cross members 56 and 57 of the upper stay 51 extend in front of the meter panel 92 in the inside of the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4). The meter box 84 has the meters 85 to 88 (refer to FIG. 7) built therein. Further, this figure shows that left and right rear end portions of the meter panel 92 are attached to a front end of the upper cover 22 by means of screws 98 and that left and right upper end portions of the meter panel 92 are attached to a rear end of the meter cover 95 by means of screws 98. Now, a procedure of assembly of the front cowl supporting structure having the configuration described above is described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 14. (1) First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front fork 201 and the handle bar 2 03 are assembled to the body frame 110, and the brake levers 273 and 274, master cylinders 271 and 272 and hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 (refer to FIG. 12) are assembled to the handle bar 203, and then the handle bar cover 101 is assembled to the handle bar 203. (2) Then, the meter box 84 (meters 85 to 88) is assembled to the meter panel 92 as shown in FIG. 14. (3) Then, the lower stay 41 is assembled to the cowl stay bracket Ilia of the head pipe 111 as shown in FIG. 4 (4) Then, the upper cover 22 is assembled to the body frame 110 and the meter panel 92 is inserted from the front-lower side into and assembled to the upper cover 22 (body side) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 14. (5) Thereafter, the upper stay 51 is passed into the free space forwardly from the meter panel 92 to pass the front cross member 56 forwardly upwardly from the meter panel 92 and pass the rear cross member 57 forwardly upwardly from the meter box 84 as shown in FIG. 14. (6) Then, the upper stay 51 is attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 4. (7) Then, the meter cover 95 is attached to the meter panel 92 as shown in FIG. 14. (8) Then, the two leftwardly and rightwardly split two-piece partition plate 60 is attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 12. (9) Thereafter, the front cowl 21 on which the wind screen 31 is provided is fitted from the front side with and attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 4. In this manner, the upper stay 51 can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl 21 without interfering with the meter panel 92. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay 40 can be raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel 92, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay 40 and front cowl 21 are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented. Since the stay 40 to be disposed in the small space within the front cowl 21 is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay 40 in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay 40 is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay 40 can be formed in a large size. Since the stay 40 can be formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay 40 can be raised readily to support the front cowl 21 and the wind screen 31 more sufficiently. Furthermore, an influence of vibrations and so forth during running can be reduced to the utmost. Besides, since the stay 40 is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be assigned to the lower stay 41 and the upper stay 51 such that the lower stay 41 supports the front cowl 21 while the upper stay 51 supports the wind screen 31, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose. Furthermore, since the partition plate 60 is structured such that it is divided into two left and right portions and the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are threaded through the opening 60b provided at the split portion 60a of the partition plate 60, the partition plate 60 can be attached after the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are laid. Accordingly, the performance in assembly of the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 is augmented. Subsequently, operation of the motorcycle 10 having the configuration described above is described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 15 to 17. FIG. 15 is a view illustrating operation of members around the front cowl according to the present invention. During running of the motorcycle 10, running wind (front face flow) Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 enters the wind inlet openings 21a and flows to the portion above the partition plate 60 in the front cowl 21, and part of it blows out to a rear location around the handle bar cover 101 as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92 while the other part blows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101. Meanwhile, the running wind Fw flowing to the portion below the front cowl 21 is intercepted by the partition plate 60. Further, the running wind (front face flow) Fw flowing toward the front face of the garnish 32 enters the wind inlet opening 32a and flows as rear face flow Rw upwardly and sidewardly of the rear face of the wind screen 31 from the wind inlet opening 96 of the rear face of the wind screen 31. A large amount of the running wind Rw from the rear face of the wind screen 31 joins together with the front face flow Fw having flowed across the wind screen 31. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the rear face of the wind screen 31 is further reduced. Therefore, since the force for sucking the front face wind Fw to the rear face side of the wind screen 31 becomes weak, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the wind screen 31 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is raised. Meanwhile, when the running wind Fw blows to a lower portion of the front cowl 21, the running wind Fw can be intercepted by the partition plate 60. Therefore, the running wind Fw does not pass through the inside of the front cowl 21. In this manner, even where the opening area of the lower portion of the front cowl 21 is large, it is possible to prevent the running wind Fw from entering the front cowl 21. As a result, the influence of the running wind Fw blowing to the lower portion of the front cowl 21 "can be reduced to the utmost with the simple structure. Further, since an upper portion and a front portion of the front cowl 21 are attached to the body frame 110 by means of the stay (cowl stay) 40 as shown in FIG. 15, when the running wind Fw blows to the lower portion of the front cowl 21, the front cowl 21 can be supported firmly by means of the stay 40. FIG. 16 is a view of operation (part 1) of members around the front cowl according to the present invention. Running wind Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 during running of the motorcycle 10 enters the wind inlet openings 21a and flows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101. A large amount of the rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a joins together with the front face flow Fw which has flowed over left and right upper rear ends of the front cowl 21, that is, the upper side ends of the leg shield 91. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the upper portion rear face of the leg shield 91 is further reduced. Consequently, since the force for sucking the front face flow Fw to the upper portion rear face side of the leg shield 91 is reduced, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the upper portion of the leg shield 91 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is augmented. FIG. 17 is a view of operation (part 2) of members around the front cowl according to the present invention. During running of the motorcycle 10, running wind Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 enters the wind inlet openings 21a (refer to FIG. 16) of the front cowl 21 and blows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92. A large amount of the running wind Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g joins together with the front face flow Fw which has flowed over left and right upper rear ends of the front cowl 21, that is, the upper side ends of the leg shield 91. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the upper portion rear face of the leg shield 91 is further reduced. Consequently, since the force for sucking the front face flow Fw to the upper portion rear face side of the leg shield 91 is reduced, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the upper portion of the leg shield 91 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is augmented. As apparent from the foregoing description, since the wind inlet opening 96 is provided between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92, the front face flow Fw coming around the peripheral edge of the wind screen 31 can be moderated with the rear face flow Rw from the wind inlet opening 96. Besides, since the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g are provided around the meters 85 to 88 of the meter panel 92, also front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the front cowl 21 and the leg shield 91 can be generally moderated with rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Further, since the wind outlet opening 102a is provided also for the handle bar cover 101 disposed in the proximity of the driver, front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the front cowl 21 and the leg shield 91 can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101 in addition to rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92 and which blows out from appropriate locations. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Furthermore, since the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 are overlapped with each other forwardly and backwardly and leftwardly and rightwardly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 (or from the front side of the vehicle body), that is, running wind introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 15), is passed through the inside of the handle bar cover 101 from the wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the upper opening 97, and consequently, the running wind can be blown out efficiently. In other words, running wind passed through the inside of the handle bar cover 101 can be blown out efficiently from the wind outlet openings 102a shown in FIG. 11. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Since the •wind shielding effect is high in this manner, there is no necessity to provide a wind shielding apparatus which projects from the motorcycle 10. Since there is no projecting wind shielding apparatus, the shape and the size in appearance of the motorcycle 10 do not vary, and accordingly, increase of the size of the motorcycle 10 can be suppressed and a good appearance of the motorcycle 10 can be promoted. It is to be noted that the motorcycle 10 in the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited to a scooter type vehicle. Further, if wind outlet openings 99, ... are provided at suitable positions of the upper cover 22 and/or the inner cover 23 as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2 so that rear face flow Rw may blow out from the wind outlet openings 99, ..., then the wind shield effect is further raised. Furthermore, a hole for a horn and a water amount checking hole for a reservoir tank for a radiator not shown may be perforated in the partition plate 60. [Effects of the Invention] Since the present invention has the configuration described above, it exhibits the following effects. According to claim 1, since the stay to be disposed in a small space within the front cowl is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay can be formed in a large size. Since the stay can be formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay can be raised readily to support the front cowl and the wind screen more sufficiently. Besides, since the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be assigned to the lower stay and the upper stay such that the lower stay supports the front cowl while the upper stay supports the wind screen, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose. According to claim 2, since the upper stay is passed forwardly from the meter panel in the inside of the front cowl, after the meter panel is assembled to the vehicle body, it is possible to pass the upper stay into a free space forwardly from the meter panel, assemble the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay to the body frame and thereafter fit the front cowl from the front side to assemble the front cowl to the lower stay. In this manner, the upper stay can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl without interfering with the meter panel. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay can be raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay and front cowl are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented. According to claim 3, since the meter panel extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that the meter panel overlaps below the handle bar cover as viewed from the side, a wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover can be reduced. As a result, the wind shielding effect for a driver rises. According to claim 4, since a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel and a wind outlet opening is provided around a meter of the meter panel, front face flow coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen can be moderated, and also front face flow coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be generally moderated with rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. According to claim 5, since a handle bar of the motorcycle is covered with a handle bar cover and a wind outlet opening is provided also in the handle bar cover, front face flow coming around from the front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the handle bar cover in addition to rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and which blows out from an appropriate location. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. Accbr^iiig to claim 6, since the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover overlap with each other, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) is passed through'the inside of the handle bar cover from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel, and consequently, the running wind can be blown out efficiently. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented. We Claim: 1. A structure for the front portion of a motorcycle (10), wherein a front cowl (21) which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen (31), provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay (40) is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a. lower stay (41) and an upper stay (51) attached to said lower stay (41) and said wind screen (31) is supported by said upper stay (51) while said front cowl (21) is supported by said lower stay (41). 2. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said front cowl (21) has a meter panel provided thereon, and said upper stay (51) is passed forwardly from said meter panel in the inside of said front cowl (21). 3. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said meter panel (92) extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that said meter panel overlaps below said handle bar cover as viewed from the side. 4. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in any of preceding claim, wherein said front portion is provided with a leg shield (91) a wind screen (31) and a meter panel (92) on said front portion (208a) of said vehicle body, a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of said vehicle body between said wind screen and said meter panel, and a wind outlet opening is provided around a meter of said meter panel. 5. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 4 wherein said handle bar is covered with a handle bar cover and said wind outlet opening is provided in said handle bar cover. 6. A structure for front portion of motorcycle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said wind outlet opening of said meter panel and a lower opening of said handle bar cover overlap with each other. 7. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings.

Full Text

FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See Section 10]
"FRONT COWL iJUPTORTIN^G STRUCTURE AND WIND—SHIELD
STRUCTURE FOR MOTORCYCLE" ^

HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, a corporation of Japan, having a place of business at 1-1, Minamiaoyama 2-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan,

The following specification particularly describes the nature of the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed:-

[Detailed Description of the Invention]
[Technical Field to which the Invention Pertains]
This invention relates to a front cowl supporting structure and a wind shield structure for a front portion of a motorcycle. [Prior Art]
A motorcycle of the type wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported

on the body frame by means of a stay is available. As a motorcycle of the type described, for example, the official gazette of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Sho 62-36708 entitled "Cowling Attaching Apparatus for a Motorcycle" (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 1") is known.
The prior art 1 mentioned above relates to a cowling attaching apparatus wherein, as shown in FIG. 1 of the official gazette mentioned above, to a front portion of a frame 1 (the reference numeral recited in the official gazette is cited. This similarly applies in the following description), a holding piece 3 as a stay is attached, and a meter 11 and a cowling 2 are attached to the holding piece 3 while a screen 6 is attached to an upper portion of the cowling 2.
Further a motorcycle of a comparatively large size which includes a leg shield, a wind screen and a meter panel provided at a front portion of a vehicle body and can run at a high speed is available. Since the motorcycle can run at a high speed, the wind shielding property for a driver must be taken into consideration. As a motorcycle which includes a wind shield apparatus of the type described, for example, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 203453 entitled "Wind

Shield Apparatus for a Scooter Type Vehicle" (hereinafter referred to as "prior art 2") is known.
The prior art 2 mentioned above relates to a scooter type vehicle 1 wherein, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 of the official gazette mentioned above, a handle bar 7 (the reference numeral recited in the official gazette is cited. This similarly applies in the following description) has a handle bar cover 33 and a wind screen 34 provided thereon and a screen garnish 35 is provided at a lower portion of a front face of the wind screen 34 while a wind inlet opening 35a is provided in a front face of the screen garnish 35 and a wind guide path 37 is provided between the front face of the handle bar cover 33 and a rear face of the wind screen 34.
Running wind (front face flow) Fw generated on the front face of the screen garnish 35 during running of the scooter type vehicle 1 enters the wind inlet opening 35a and passes the wind guide path 37 and then flows as rear face flow Rw to locations upwardly and sidewardly of the rear face of the wind screen 34. The front face flow Fw flowing over the wind screen 34 joins together with the rear face flow Rw so that the negative pressure to be generated on the rear face of the wind screen 34 is reduced thereby to raise the wind shielding effect (wind

protection effect).
[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
Usually, in order to assure an appearance of a motorcycle, the holding piece 3 is disposed in the cowling 2. The holding piece 3 disposed in the narrow cowling 2 undergoes restriction by the layout of other parts such as the meter 11. Accordingly, it cannot be avoided that the holding piece 3 is small in size so that it may not interfere with any other part. Even if the holding 3 is small, fixed rigidity is required so that it can sufficiently support the cowling 2. Further, since the wind pressure acting upon the screen 6 during high speed running is comparatively high, the screen 6 must be supported sufficiently.
Moreover, in order to further raise the wind shielding effect for a driver, it is demanded not only to moderate the front face flow Fw coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen 34 but also to moderate the front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield.
Therefore, it is the first object of the present invention to provide a technique wherein a front cowl and a wind screen can be supported more sufficiently by means

of a stay.
It is the second object of the present invention to provide a technique which can further raise the wind shielding effect for a driver of a motorcycle. [Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to attain the first object described above, according to claim 1, a front cowl supporting structure for a motorcycle wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on the body frame by means of a stay is characterized in that the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay and an upper stay attached to the lower stay, and the wind screen is supported by the upper stay while the front cowl is supported by the lower stay.
Since the stay to be disposed in a small space within the front cowl is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay can be formed in a large size. Since the stay can be

formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay can be raised readily to support the front cowl and the wind screen more sufficiently.
Besides, since the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be assigned to the lower stay and the upper stay such that the lower stay supports the front cowl while the upper stay supports the wind screen, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose.
Claim 2 is characterized in that the front cowl has a meter panel provided thereon and the upper stay is passed forwardly from the meter panel in the inside of the front cowl.
After the meter panel is assembled to the vehicle body, it is possible to pass the upper stay into a free space forwardly from the meter panel, assemble the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay to the body frame and thereafter fit the front cowl from the front side to assemble the front cowl to the lower stay. In this manner, the upper stay can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl without interfering with the meter panel. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay can be

raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay and front cowl are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented.
Claim 3 is characterized in that the meter panel extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that the meter panel overlaps below the handle bar cover as viewed from the side.
Since the meter panel is disposed in an overlapping relationship with the handle bar cover, a wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover can be reduced. As a result, the wind shielding effect for a driver rises.
In order to attain the second object described above, according to claim 4, a motorcycle wherein a leg shield, a wind screen and a meter panel are provided at a front portion of a vehicle body is characterized in that a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel, and a wind outlet opening is provided around a

meter of the meter panel.
Running wind (front face flow) generated during running of the motorcycle and coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen can be moderated with rear face flow from the wind inlet opening provided at least in the front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel. Further, front face flow coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be generally moderated with rear face flow from the wind outlet opening provided around the meter of the meter panel. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.
Claim 5 is characterized in that a handle bar of the motorcycle is covered with a handle bar cover, and a wind outlet opening is provided in the handle bar cover.
Front face flow coming around from the front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the handle bar cover in addition to rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and which blows out from an appropriate location. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.

Claim 6 is characterized in that the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover overlap with each other.
Running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) is passed through the inside of the handle bar cover from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel, and consequently, the ' running wind can be blown out efficiently. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a structure for the front portion of motorcycle wherein a front cowl which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay and an upper stay attached to said lower stay and said wind screen is supported by said upper stay while said front cowl is supported by said lower stay.

[Brief Description of the/brawings]
[FIG: 1]
•^ FIG. 1 is a view showing an appeaxance of the left side of a motorcycle according to the "p'f'eseht" invention. [FIG. 2] . •
FIG.. 2 is a view showing ^an appearance of the right side of the' motorcycle according to the present invention [FIG. .3]
FIG. 3 is a side elevational sectiona-1 view of the motorcycle according to the present invention. " [FIG. .4]
FIG. 4 is a side elevational sectional view of a front -upper portion of the motorcyc'le according;.^ to the present invention.

[FIG. 5]
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of members around a front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 6]
FIG. 6 is a side elevational sectional view of members around a garnish according to the present invention. [FIG. 7]
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a meter panel according to the present invention. [FIG. 8]
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7. [FIG. 9]
FIG. 9 is a view as viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark of FIG. 8. [FIG. 10]
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of a handle bar cover according to the present invention. [FIG. 11(a) and 11(b)]
FIG. 11(a) and 11(b) are views showing a configuration of the handle bar cover according to the present invention. [FIG. 12]

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of members around a front fork, a stay and a partition plate according to the present invention. [FIG. 13]
FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the partition plate according to the present invention. [FIG. 14]
FIG. 14 is a side elevational section view of members around the meter panel according to the present invention. [FIG. 15]
FIG. 15 is a view illustrating operation of members around the front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 16]
FIG. 16 is a view illustrating operation (part 1) of the members around the front cowl according to the present invention. [FIG. 17]
FIG. 17 is a view illustrating operation (part 2) of the members around the front cowl according to the present invention.

[Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]
An embodiment of the present invention is described
below with reference to the accompahyTiTg drawings. It is
to be noted that "front", "rear", "left", "right",
"upper", and "lower" are defined as directions as viewed
from the driver. Further, the drawings should be viewed
in the direction of the reference characters.
FIG. 1 is an appearance view of the left side of a motorcycle according to the present invention and shows that the motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle having a low type floor 25.
A body cover '2 0 which covers the entire body frame of the motorcycle 10 includes a front cowl 21 which covers a front portion of the body frame which is

hereinafter described and an upper portion of a front wheel, an upper cover 22 which covers an upper opening of the front cowl 21, an inner cover 23 which covers a rear portion of the front cowl 21, a center cover 24 which extends rearwardly from a rear end of the inner cover 23 and covers a longitudinally middle portion of the body frame, a low type floor 25 extending outwardly from each of outer edges of a lower end of the center cover 24 for receiving the feet of the driver placed thereon, a floor skirt 2 6 extending downwardly from an outer edge of the low type floor 25, a rear side cover 27 which extends rearwardly from the center cover 24 and covers rear side portions of the body frame, and a rear cover 2 8 which extends rearwardly from a rear end of the rear side cover 27 and covers a rear portion of the body frame.
The front cowl 21 has a transparent wind screen 31 provided at an upper portion thereof. The inner cover 23 includes a leg shield 91 which covers front portions of the legs of the driver.
Further, the motorcycle 10 includes a handle bar 203 provided at a front portion of the vehicle body, and includes a seat 208 and a step holder 300 provided at a rear portion of the vehicle body.
The seat 208 is a double seat including a seat

front portion 208a on which a driver is to be seated and a seat rear portion 208b on which a passenger is to be seated. The step holder 300 is disposed in the proximity of a rear portion of the center cover 24, and a pillion step 310 ^step fox a passeTigex^ on \?bicti a foot of the passenger should be placed is attached for accommodation and exposition to the step holder 300.
In the figure, reference numeral 261 denotes a headlamp, 262 a winKer, 263, 263 denote each a mirror, 264 denotes a front fender, 265 a seat locking lock, 266 a rear air spoiler, 267 a tail lamp, 268 a rear fender, 269 a sub stand, and 320 a main stand.
It is to be noted that reference numerals 271 and 272 denote master cylinders, which generate a braking fluid pressure by operation of a brake lever 273 or 274.
FIG. 2 is an appearance view of the right side of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows that a meter panel 92 is provided at an upper portion of the front cowl 21 and located in a rearward position of the wind screen 31. As apparent from the foregoing description, the wind screen 31, leg shield 91 and meter panel 92 can be provided at a front portion of the vehicle body.
Further, this figure shows that a step holder 300

including a pillion step 310 is disposed also on the right side of the motorcycle 10. Reference numeral 275 denotes a silencer for exhaust gas.
FIG. 3 is a side elevational sectional view of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows the motorcycle 10 as viewed from the left side.
The motorcycle 10 is a scooter type vehicle including, as principal components, a body frame 110, a front fork 201 attached for leftward and rightward swinging motion on a head pipe 111 of the body frame 110, a front wheel 202 attached to the front fork 201, the aforementioned handle bar 203 connected to the front fork 201, an engine 211 attached to a rear portion of the body frame 110, a power transmission mechanism 212 attached for upward and downward swinging motion around a crankshaft of the engine 211 as a center independently of the engine 211, a rear wheel 205 attached to a rear portion of the power transmission mechanism 212, a rear cushion unit 206 suspending a rear end portion of the power transmission mechanism 212 on the body frame 110, an accommodation box 207 attached to an upper portion of a rear portion of the body frame 110, and the seat 208 disposed above the accommodation box 2 07 and attached for opening/closing movement.

The body frame 110 includes a pair of left and right upper frames 113 extending rearwardly downwards from the head pipe 111 and a pair of left and right down tubes 114 extending downwardly from the head pipe 111 below the pair of upper frames 113.
The front fork 201 is a gate-shaped fork disposed below the head pipe 111. An upper portion of the front fork 201 and the head pipe 111 are covered with the front cowl 21.
The engine 211 is a water-cooled two-cylinder engine disposed substantially horizontally and including two left and right cylinder heads 215 inclined a little forwardly upwards.
The power transmission mechanism 212 is a belt converter non-stage transmission with a centrifugal clutch for transmitting power of the engine 211 to the rear wheel 205.
The accommodation box 207 is a box elongated in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle body so that two helmets Hf and Hr can be accommodated forwardly and backwardly, and includes a lower box 207a and an upper box 207b placed at a rear upper portion of the lower box 207a.
In the motorcycle 10 having such a configuration as

described above, the engine 211 is disposed at a rear portion of the low type floor 25 (refer to FIG. 1) while the engine cooling radiator 221 is disposed at a front portion of the floor 25, and a fuel tank 230 is disposed between the engine 211 and the radiator 221.
This figure shows that the front of the radiator 221 is covered with a front lower cover 93 and the bottoms of the radiator 221 and the fuel tank 230 are covered with an under cover 94 and that an oil feeding lid 330 which is opened when fuel is to be supplied into the fuel tank 230 through a fuel filler 234 and a checking liquid 360 which is opened when an ignition plug (not shown) of the engine 211 is to be checked are provided on the body cover 20.
In the figure, reference numeral 281 denotes an air cleaner disposed in the side portion of the accommodation box 207, 282 a connecting tube, 283 an air chamber disposed forwardly from the accommodation box 207, 284 a throttle valve, 285 an inlet pipe, and 286 a battery.
FIG. 4 is a side elevational sectional view of a front upper portion of the motorcycle according to the present invention and shows a front upper portion of the motorcycle 10 as viewed from the left side.
This figure shows that two wind inlet openings 21a

are provided on the left and the right of a front face of the front cowl 21 and an attaching portion of the wind screen 31 to the front cowl 21 is covered therearound with a garnish 32, which has a wind inlet opening 32a provided at a middle portion of a front face thereof, and a wind inlet opening 96 is provided at least in the front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92. The wind inlet opening 32a is communicated with the wind inlet opening 96.
More particularly, the wind inlet openings 21a of the front cowl 21 are holes which extend forwardly and rearwardly through the front cowl 21 for introducing running wind into the front cowl 21. The wind inlet opening 32a of the garnish 32 is a hole which extends forwardly and rearwardly through the garnish 32 for introducing running wind to a rear face of the wind screen 31. A meter cover 95 is a cover member extending from an upper portion of the meter panel 92 to a lower portion of the wind screen 31 along an inner face of the wind screen 31.
The wind inlet opening 96 between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92 is a wind introduction path for introducing running wind introduced from the wind inlet opening 32a of the garnish 32 into a location between a

rear face of the wind screen 31 and an upper face of the meter panel 92 to the rear face of the wind screen 31.
By the way, the handle bar 203 has such a shape that grips 203a, 203a thereof are positioned comparatively high and drawn rearwardly. The handle bar 203 is covered with a handle bar cover 101. A detailed structure of the handle bar cover 101 is hereinafter described.
Further, this figure shows that an upper stay (cowl stay) 40 is threaded in front of the meter panel 92 in the inside of the front cowl 21. The stay 40 is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a lower stay 41 removably mounted on a cowl stay bracket Ilia of the head pipe 111, and an upper stay 51 removably attached to the lower stay 41. The lower and upper stays 41 and 51 are a combination structure of round bars or/and pipes.
By removably attaching an inner face of a front portion of the front cowl 21 to the first cowl attaching portion 42 of the lower stay 41 and removably attaching an inner face of an upper portion of the front cowl 21 to a second cowl attaching portion 43 of the lower stay 41, the front cowl 21 can be attached to the body frame 110 through the stay 40,

The present invention is characterized in that the inside of the front cowl 21 is partitioned into upper and lower portions by a partition plate 60 extending horizontally on a fork bridge 201a of the front fork 201. The lower portion of the inside of the front cowl 21 below the partition plate 60 is an open space, and the upper portion above the partition plate 60 is a generally closed space which is communicated with the wind inlet openings 21a.
It is to be noted that spare attaching portions 52, ... (... signifies that a plurality of such members are provided. This similarly applies in the following description.) are provided at an upper portion of the upper stay 51 and used in order to attach a wind screen 31 having a different size.
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of members around the front cowl according to the present invention and shows the front cowl 21, the wind screen 31, the garnish 32, a garnish seal member 33, the meter panel 92, the meter cover 95, the front lower cover 93, the lower stay 41 and the upper stay 51.
The front cowl 21 has screen attaching portions 21b, ... provided on the left and the right of an upper portion thereof. The wind screen 31 has attaching portions 31a, ...

provided thereon for attaching the wind screen 31 to the screen attaching portions 21b, ... of the front cowl 21. The front lower cover 93 has a plurality of radiator wind inlet openings 93a, ... provided on a front face thereof.
The stay 40 can be integrated into a unitary member by fastening a front coupling portion 53 of the upper stay 51 to a front coupling portion 44 of the lower stay 41 by means of a bolt and fastening a rear coupling portion 54 of the upper stay 51 to a rear coupling portion 45 of the lower stay 41 by means of a bolt.
The lower stay 41 is a three-dimensional structure of pipes formed from a combination of an upper stay portion 47 of a substantially hollow square shape as viewed in plan on a lower stay portion 46 of a substantially channel shape open forwardly as viewed in plan. The lower stay portion 46 is a unitary molded part including left and right side members 48, 48 and a cross member 49 extending between a rear end of the left side member 48 and a rear end of the right side member 48.
The upper stay 51 includes left and right upright portions 55, 55 erected uprightly, a front cross member 56 extending between front ends of the left and right upright portions 55, 55, a rear cross member 57 extending between rear ends of the left and right upright portions

55, 55, a left cross member 58 extending between a left end of the front cross member 56 and a left end of the rear cross member 57, and a right cross member 59 extending between a right end of the front cross member 56 and a right end of the rear cross member 57.
FIG. 6 is a side elevational section view of members around the garnish according to the present invention and shows that a lower portion of the wind screen 31 is attached to an upper portion of the front cowl 21 by means of a bolt 35 with a rubber bush 34 interposed therebetween to obtain a rubber mount and a front face of the mount portion is covered with the garnish 32. Reference character 35a denotes an insert nut,
The wind screen 31 can be supported by the upper stay 51 by supporting an upper portion of the front cowl 21, that is, the screen attaching portions 21b by the left and right cross members 58 and 59 on the rear face of the mount portion. Particularly during high speed running, the wind pressure acting upon the wind screen 31 is comparatively high. Against this, the wind screen 31 can be supported sufficiently by the upper stay 51.
It is to be noted that it is arbitrary whether or not a gap should be provided between an upper portion of the front cowl 21 and the upper stay 51, and the gap may

be provided if necessary.
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the meter panel according to the present invention and shows a structure as viewed from the driver's side.
The meter panel 92 is a unitary molded part made of a resin and including a central panel portion 92a having various meters 85 to 88 provided thereon, side extensions 92b, 92b extending to the left and the right from the panel portion 92a, and a rear extension 92c extending rearwardly (to the nearer side in the figure) from the panel portion 92a.
The left and right side extensions 92b, 92b have first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d provided therein. Each of the first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d includes a large number of louvers (baffles) 92e, ....
The rear extension 92c is a portion extending toward the upper cover 22 indicated by an imaginary line and has a second wind outlet opening 92f provided at a base portion thereof at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. Further, the rear extension 92c has a pair of left and right third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g provided rearwardly of the left and the right of the second wind outlet opening 92f, and has an arcuate opening recessed portion 92h provided at an end thereof

at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. Each of the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g has a large number of louvers 92i, ... provided thereon.
In this manner, the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g can be provided around the meters 85 to 88 of the meter panel 92.
Further, the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92 is extended rearwardly, that is, toward the handle bar cover 101 indicated by an imaginary line and the handle bar cover 101 is placed on the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92. Therefore, the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and a lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 can overlap with each other forwardly and backwardly on the left and the right.
In particular, since the meter panel 92 is disposed in an overlapping relationship below the handle bar cover 101, the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover 101, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover 101 can be reduced, Therefore, the wind shielding effect for the driver rises.

The upper cover 22 indicated by an imaginary line is a cover member extending rearwardly from the meter panel 92 and has an arcuate opening recessed portion 22a provided at an end thereof at the center in the vehicle widthwise direction. An upper opening 97 can be formed by adjusting the opening recessed portion 92h of the meter panel 92 and the opening recessed portion 22a of the upper cover 22 so as to register with each other.
In the figure, reference characters 92j, 92k, 92m and 92n denote meter indication openings, and 92o, 92o denote attaching portions for attaching a front end of the upper cover 22.
Running wind generated while the motorcycle 10 is running is introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4) and flows to the rear side of the meter panel 92. The running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 can be blown out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the left and right first wind outlet openings 92d, 92d, central second wind outlet opening 92f and left and right third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and shows that the rear extension 92c of the meter panel 92 is extended rearwardly from a lower end of the panel portion 92a and the second wind outlet opening 92f

is perforated at a base portion of the rear extension 92c such that it extends upwardly and downwardly through the base portion.
FIG. 9 is a view as viewed in the direction indicated by an arrow mark 9 of FIG. 8 and shows that the second wind outlet opening 92f is a hole elongated in the vehicle widthwise direction and that a large number of louvers 92p, ... extending in the forward and backward direction across the second wind outlet opening 92f are provided on a lower face of the rear extension 92c.
FIG. 10 is ari exploded view of the handle bar cover according to the present invention.
The handle b^r cover 101 includes left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 for covering left and right lower portions of the handle bar 203, and an upper handle bar cover IO3 having a substantially V-shape as viewed in front elevation for covering an upper portion of the handle bar 203.
More particularly, left and right upright portions 203b, 203b of the handle bar 203 are covered with left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 and side plate portions 103a, 103a of the upper handle bar cover 103. By remoable attaching the left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102 to the upper handle bar cover 103, they

can be integrated with each other. Further, by fastening the upper handle bar cover 103 to the handle bar 203 by means of a bolt, the handle bar cover 101 can be removably attached to the handle bar 203.
(a) and (b) of FIG. 11 are schematic views showing a configuration of the handle bar cover according to the present invention, and (a) shows a left side face structure of the handle bar cover 101 and (b) shows a structure on a section taken along line b-b of (a).
(a) shows that the inside of the handle bar cover 101 which covers the handle bar 203 is formed as a cavity 104, that a lower end of the handle bar cover 101 is open to form the lower opening 105, and that a vertically elongated wind outlet opening 102a is provided at each of the left and right upright portions of the handle bar cover 101. In other wordSj the vertically elongated wind outlet opening 102a is provided at each of the upright portions of the left and right lower handle bar covers 102, 102.
The lower opening 105 is greater than the upper opening 97 provided at a joining portion between the meter panel 92 and the upper cover 22 shown in FIG. 7. The wind outlet opening 102a is formed in the lower handle bar cover 102 such that it is opened to the outer

side in the vehicle widthwise direction.
(b) shows that the upright portion 203b of the handle bar 203 is covered with the upright portion of the handle bar cover 101 and that a louver 102b directed obliquely rearwardly is provided in the wind outlet opening 102a.
Running wind generated during running of the motorcycle 10 is introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4) and flows upwardly through the upper opening 97, and then enters the cavity 104 from the lower opening 105. The flow of the running wind in the cavity 104 is put in order by the louver 102b and can be blown out obliquely rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a.
FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of members around the front fork, stay and partition plate according to the present invention, and shows that the partition plate 60 extends on the fork bridge 201a of the gate-shaped front fork 201 and is divided into two left and right portions and two hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 extend through an opening 60b provided at the split portion 60a of the partition plate 60. The hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are hoses connecting between the master cylinders 271 and 272 and brakes for the front and

rear wheels 202 and 205 described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the partition plate according to the present invention and shows the partition plate 60 as viewed from the rear face.
The partition plate 60 is a combination structure of a left partition plate 61 disposed on the left side and a right partition plate 71 disposed on the right side, The left and right partition plates 61 and 71 are molded parts of resin in which the openings 62 and 72 opposed to the split portion 60a are formed, respectively.
The partition plate 60 integrated as a unitary member can be obtained by removably coupling front and rear coupling portions 73 and 74 of the right partition plate 71 to front and rear coupling portions 63 and 64 of the left partition plate 61 by means of screws 83, 83 at the split portion 60a. By coupling the left and right partition plates 61 and 71, the left and right openings 62 and 72 provided at the split portion 60a are communicated with each other thereby to form the leftwardly and rightwardly elongated opening 60b.
The left and right partition plates 61 and 71 have hooks 65 and 75 integrally formed on the rear faces thereof, respectively, and the hooks 65 and 75 can be

hooked on the cross member 49 of the lower stay 41.
FIG. 14 is a side elevational section view of members around the meter panel according to the present invention and shows that a meter box 84 is attached to the rear face of the meter panel 92 and that the front and rear cross members 56 and 57 of the upper stay 51 extend in front of the meter panel 92 in the inside of the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 4). The meter box 84 has the meters 85 to 88 (refer to FIG. 7) built therein.
Further, this figure shows that left and right rear end portions of the meter panel 92 are attached to a front end of the upper cover 22 by means of screws 98 and that left and right upper end portions of the meter panel 92 are attached to a rear end of the meter cover 95 by means of screws 98.
Now, a procedure of assembly of the front cowl supporting structure having the configuration described above is described with reference to FIGS. 1, 3, 4 and 14.
(1) First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the front fork 201 and the handle bar 2 03 are assembled to the body frame 110, and the brake levers 273 and 274, master cylinders 271 and 272 and hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 (refer to FIG. 12) are assembled to the handle bar 203, and then the handle bar cover 101 is assembled to the handle bar

203.
(2) Then, the meter box 84 (meters 85 to 88) is assembled to the meter panel 92 as shown in FIG. 14.
(3) Then, the lower stay 41 is assembled to the cowl stay bracket Ilia of the head pipe 111 as shown in FIG. 4
(4) Then, the upper cover 22 is assembled to the body frame 110 and the meter panel 92 is inserted from the front-lower side into and assembled to the upper cover 22 (body side) as shown in FIGS. 4 and 14.
(5) Thereafter, the upper stay 51 is passed into the free space forwardly from the meter panel 92 to pass the front cross member 56 forwardly upwardly from the meter panel 92 and pass the rear cross member 57 forwardly upwardly from the meter box 84 as shown in FIG. 14.
(6) Then, the upper stay 51 is attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 4.
(7) Then, the meter cover 95 is attached to the meter panel 92 as shown in FIG. 14.
(8) Then, the two leftwardly and rightwardly split two-piece partition plate 60 is attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 12.
(9) Thereafter, the front cowl 21 on which the wind screen 31 is provided is fitted from the front side with and attached to the lower stay 41 as shown in FIG. 4.

In this manner, the upper stay 51 can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl 21 without interfering with the meter panel 92. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay 40 can be raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel 92, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay 40 and front cowl 21 are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented.
Since the stay 40 to be disposed in the small space within the front cowl 21 is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay 40 in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay 40 is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay 40 can be formed in a large size. Since the stay 40 can be formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay 40 can be raised readily to support the front cowl 21 and the wind screen 31 more sufficiently. Furthermore, an influence of vibrations and so forth during running can be reduced to the utmost.
Besides, since the stay 40 is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be

assigned to the lower stay 41 and the upper stay 51 such that the lower stay 41 supports the front cowl 21 while the upper stay 51 supports the wind screen 31, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose.
Furthermore, since the partition plate 60 is structured such that it is divided into two left and right portions and the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are threaded through the opening 60b provided at the split portion 60a of the partition plate 60, the partition plate 60 can be attached after the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 are laid. Accordingly, the performance in assembly of the hydraulic brake hoses 81 and 82 is augmented.
Subsequently, operation of the motorcycle 10 having the configuration described above is described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 15 to 17.
FIG. 15 is a view illustrating operation of members around the front cowl according to the present invention.
During running of the motorcycle 10, running wind (front face flow) Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 enters the wind inlet openings 21a and flows to the portion above the partition plate 60 in the front cowl 21, and part of it blows out to a rear

location around the handle bar cover 101 as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92 while the other part blows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101. Meanwhile, the running wind Fw flowing to the portion below the front cowl 21 is intercepted by the partition plate 60.
Further, the running wind (front face flow) Fw flowing toward the front face of the garnish 32 enters the wind inlet opening 32a and flows as rear face flow Rw upwardly and sidewardly of the rear face of the wind screen 31 from the wind inlet opening 96 of the rear face of the wind screen 31. A large amount of the running wind Rw from the rear face of the wind screen 31 joins together with the front face flow Fw having flowed across the wind screen 31. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the rear face of the wind screen 31 is further reduced. Therefore, since the force for sucking the front face wind Fw to the rear face side of the wind screen 31 becomes weak, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the wind screen 31 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is raised.
Meanwhile, when the running wind Fw blows to a

lower portion of the front cowl 21, the running wind Fw can be intercepted by the partition plate 60. Therefore, the running wind Fw does not pass through the inside of the front cowl 21. In this manner, even where the opening area of the lower portion of the front cowl 21 is large, it is possible to prevent the running wind Fw from entering the front cowl 21. As a result, the influence of the running wind Fw blowing to the lower portion of the front cowl 21 "can be reduced to the utmost with the simple structure.
Further, since an upper portion and a front portion of the front cowl 21 are attached to the body frame 110 by means of the stay (cowl stay) 40 as shown in FIG. 15, when the running wind Fw blows to the lower portion of the front cowl 21, the front cowl 21 can be supported firmly by means of the stay 40.
FIG. 16 is a view of operation (part 1) of members around the front cowl according to the present invention.
Running wind Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 during running of the motorcycle 10 enters the wind inlet openings 21a and flows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101.
A large amount of the rear face flow Rw from the

wind outlet openings 102a joins together with the front face flow Fw which has flowed over left and right upper rear ends of the front cowl 21, that is, the upper side ends of the leg shield 91. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the upper portion rear face of the leg shield 91 is further reduced. Consequently, since the force for sucking the front face flow Fw to the upper portion rear face side of the leg shield 91 is reduced, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the upper portion of the leg shield 91 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is augmented.
FIG. 17 is a view of operation (part 2) of members around the front cowl according to the present invention.
During running of the motorcycle 10, running wind Fw flowing toward the front face of the front cowl 21 enters the wind inlet openings 21a (refer to FIG. 16) of the front cowl 21 and blows out rearwardly as rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92.
A large amount of the running wind Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g joins together with the front face flow Fw which has flowed over left and right upper rear ends of the front cowl 21, that is, the upper

side ends of the leg shield 91. As a result, the negative pressure generated on the upper portion rear face of the leg shield 91 is further reduced. Consequently, since the force for sucking the front face flow Fw to the upper portion rear face side of the leg shield 91 is reduced, the front face flow Fw does not come around from the edge of the upper portion of the leg shield 91 but flows rearwardly as it is. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is augmented.
As apparent from the foregoing description, since the wind inlet opening 96 is provided between the wind screen 31 and the meter panel 92, the front face flow Fw coming around the peripheral edge of the wind screen 31 can be moderated with the rear face flow Rw from the wind inlet opening 96.
Besides, since the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g are provided around the meters 85 to 88 of the meter panel 92, also front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the front cowl 21 and the leg shield 91 can be generally moderated with rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g.
Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.

Further, since the wind outlet opening 102a is provided also for the handle bar cover 101 disposed in the proximity of the driver, front face flow Fw coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the front cowl 21 and the leg shield 91 can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 102a of the handle bar cover 101 in addition to rear face flow Rw from the wind outlet openings 92d, 92f and 92g of the meter panel 92 and which blows out from appropriate locations. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.
Furthermore, since the third wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the lower opening 105 of the handle bar cover 101 are overlapped with each other forwardly and backwardly and leftwardly and rightwardly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel 92 (or from the front side of the vehicle body), that is, running wind introduced into the front cowl 21 (refer to FIG. 15), is passed through the inside of the handle bar cover 101 from the wind outlet openings 92g, 92g of the meter panel 92 and the upper opening 97, and consequently, the running wind can be blown out efficiently. In other words, running wind passed through

the inside of the handle bar cover 101 can be blown out efficiently from the wind outlet openings 102a shown in FIG. 11. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.
Since the •wind shielding effect is high in this manner, there is no necessity to provide a wind shielding apparatus which projects from the motorcycle 10. Since there is no projecting wind shielding apparatus, the shape and the size in appearance of the motorcycle 10 do not vary, and accordingly, increase of the size of the motorcycle 10 can be suppressed and a good appearance of the motorcycle 10 can be promoted.
It is to be noted that the motorcycle 10 in the embodiment of the present invention described above is not limited to a scooter type vehicle.
Further, if wind outlet openings 99, ... are provided at suitable positions of the upper cover 22 and/or the inner cover 23 as described hereinabove with reference to FIG. 2 so that rear face flow Rw may blow out from the wind outlet openings 99, ..., then the wind shield effect is further raised.
Furthermore, a hole for a horn and a water amount checking hole for a reservoir tank for a radiator not shown may be perforated in the partition plate 60.

[Effects of the Invention]
Since the present invention has the configuration described above, it exhibits the following effects.
According to claim 1, since the stay to be disposed in a small space within the front cowl is formed from an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, it is easy to form the stay in a suitable configuration so that it may not interfere with any other part. Therefore, the restriction to the layout of the other parts in arrangement of the stay is comparatively moderated. As a result, the stay can be formed in a large size. Since the stay can be formed in a suitable configuration of a large size, the rigidity of the stay can be raised readily to support the front cowl and the wind screen more sufficiently.
Besides, since the stay is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay, different roles can be assigned to the lower stay and the upper stay such that the lower stay supports the front cowl while the upper stay supports the wind screen, and each of them can be formed with a suitable structure for the respective supporting purpose.
According to claim 2, since the upper stay is passed forwardly from the meter panel in the inside of

the front cowl, after the meter panel is assembled to the vehicle body, it is possible to pass the upper stay into a free space forwardly from the meter panel, assemble the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay to the body frame and thereafter fit the front cowl from the front side to assemble the front cowl to the lower stay. In this manner, the upper stay can be passed readily into the small space within the front cowl without interfering with the meter panel. Accordingly, the rigidity of the upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay can be raised further readily. Besides, even if the meter panel, upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay and front cowl are large in size, they can be assembled readily, and therefore, the assembling performance is augmented.
According to claim 3, since the meter panel extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that the meter panel overlaps below the handle bar cover as viewed from the side, a wind outlet opening of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar cover can be overlapped with each other. Accordingly, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) can be passed through the inside of the handle bar cover, and the air resistance of the handle bar cover can be reduced. As a result, the

wind shielding effect for a driver rises.
According to claim 4, since a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of the vehicle body between the wind screen and the meter panel and a wind outlet opening is provided around a meter of the meter panel, front face flow coming around a peripheral edge of the wind screen can be moderated, and also front face flow coming around from a front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be generally moderated with rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.
According to claim 5, since a handle bar of the motorcycle is covered with a handle bar cover and a wind outlet opening is provided also in the handle bar cover, front face flow coming around from the front portion of the vehicle body including the leg shield can be moderated with rear face flow of a greater amount which is formed from rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the handle bar cover in addition to rear face flow from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel and which blows out from an appropriate location. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.

Accbr^iiig to claim 6, since the wind outlet opening
of the meter panel and a lower opening of the handle bar
cover overlap with each other, running wind from the rear side of the meter panel (or from the front side of the vehicle body) is passed through'the inside of the handle bar cover from the wind outlet opening of the meter panel, and consequently, the running wind can be blown out efficiently. Accordingly, the wind shielding effect for the driver is further augmented.

We Claim:
1. A structure for the front portion of a motorcycle (10), wherein a front cowl (21) which covers a front portion of a body frame and has a wind screen (31), provided at an upper portion thereof is supported on said body frame by means of a stay, characterized in that said stay (40) is an upwardly and downwardly split two-piece stay including a. lower stay (41) and an upper stay (51) attached to said lower stay (41) and said wind screen (31) is supported by said upper stay (51) while said front cowl (21) is supported by said lower stay (41).
2. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said front cowl (21) has a meter panel provided thereon, and said upper stay (51) is passed forwardly from said meter panel in the inside of said front cowl (21).
3. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 2, wherein said meter panel (92) extends toward a handle bar cover which covers a handle bar such that said meter panel overlaps below said handle bar cover as viewed from the side.
4. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in any of preceding claim, wherein said front portion is provided with a leg shield (91) a wind screen (31) and a meter panel (92) on said front portion (208a) of said vehicle body, a wind inlet opening is provided at least in a front face of said vehicle body between said wind screen and said meter panel, and a wind outlet opening is provided around a

meter of said meter panel.
5. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle as claimed in claim 4 wherein said handle bar is covered with a handle bar cover and said wind outlet opening is provided in said handle bar cover.
6. A structure for front portion of motorcycle as claimed in claim 5, wherein said wind outlet opening of said meter panel and a lower opening of said handle bar cover overlap with each other.
7. A structure for front portion of a motorcycle substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings.

Documents:

208-mum-2002-cancelled pages(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(24-12-2004).doc

208-mum-2002-claims(granted)-(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-correspondence(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-correspondence(ipo)-(9-4-2007).pdf

208-mum-2002-drawing(5-3-2002).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 1(5-3-2002).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 19(7-4-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(24-12-2004).doc

208-mum-2002-form 2(granted)-(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 3(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 3(5-3-2002).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 3(6-4-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-form 5(5-3-2002).pdf

208-mum-2002-petition under rule 137(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-petition under rule 138(24-12-2004).pdf

208-mum-2002-power of authority(20-5-2002).pdf

208-mum-2002-power of authority(24-12-2004).pdf

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Patent Number

205720

Indian Patent Application Number

208/MUM/2002

PG Journal Number

43/2008

Publication Date

24-Oct-2008

Grant Date

09-Apr-2007

Date of Filing

05-Mar-2002

Name of Patentee

HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Applicant Address

BUSINESS AT 1-1, MINAMIAOYAMA 2-CHOME, MINATO-KU, TOKYO.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	KATSUICHI YAGISAWA	C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA.
2	NOBUYUKI KONDO	C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA.
3	TSUTOMU TAKEUCHI	C/O KABUSHIKI KAISHA HONDA GIJUTSU KENKYUSHO, 4-1, CHUO 1-CHOME, WAKO-SHI, SAITAMA.

PCT International Classification Number

B62J 17/04

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	2001-094289	2001-03-28	Japan
2	2001-094341	2001-03-28	Japan