Title of Invention	STRADDLE-TYPE VEHICLE
Abstract	A straddle-type vehicle is provided. The straddle-type vehicle includes: a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover. Said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. A gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl.

Title of Invention

STRADDLE-TYPE VEHICLE

Abstract

A straddle-type vehicle is provided. The straddle-type vehicle includes: a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover. Said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. A gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl.

Full Text	Straddle-Type Vehicle This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-338784 filed on December 28, 2007. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a straddle-type vehicle and particularly relates to structures of an under cowl and a side cowl. 2. Description of the Related Art Some straddle-type vehicles are equipped with a cowl for reduction of air resistance and as a windshield during running. Examples of the cowl include a cowl called bikini cowl attached to a handle portion and covering up a headlamp. There is also known a straddle-type vehicle including the bikini cowl and configured to also include an under cowl covering up surroundings of a cylinder block and a cylinder head of the engine (see, for example, JP-A-3-62590) . In such a vehicle, the under cowl is provided to cover up both of left and right sides of the engine on which a lower connection fin passing transversely across front sides of lower portions of a crankcase and an exhaust pipe is built. The under cowl of this type can advantageously introduce cooling air into the engine during running. The straddle-type vehicle is often configured so that a side cover is provided in rear of an upper side of the under cowl to form an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle. Furthermore, if a component (such as an electric component) to be frequently subjected to maintenance is arranged inside of the side cover, it is desirable that the side cover is easily detachable. On the other hand, if an attachment structure of the side cover is easily recognizable from the appearance, the straddle-type vehicle often looks cheap in terms of design. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention proposes an attachment structure of a side cover that can facilitate attaching and detaching the side cover while concealing the attachment structure apparently. A straddle-type vehicle according to the present invention includes a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of the body frame and forming external shapes of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of the under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of the side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of the side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of the tail cover, the side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side, and a gap enabling the side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of the side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of the tail cover is formed between the side cover and the under cowl. According to this straddle-type vehicle, the side cover is provided to be movable forward on the lower side, and the gap enabling the side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of the side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of the tail cover is formed between the side cover and the under cowl. This can facilitate detaching the side cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings: Fig. 1 is a left side view of a straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a left side view of the straddle-type vehicle with an under cowl detached according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a front view of the straddle-type vehicle with the under cowl attached to the body according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to a body frame; Fig. 4 is a left side view showing parts of the under cowl, a side cowl, and a side cover of the straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along V-V and showing the side cover and an attachment structure of the tail cover of the straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 6 is a left side view of the straddle-type vehicle with the side cover moved forward on a lower side according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter based on drawings. In the drawings, members or regions exhibiting the same functions are denoted by the same reference symbols, respectively. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Moreover, if expressions such as "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" are used for the straddle-type vehicle, they are according to directions as seen from a rider in a state in which the rider rides on the straddle-type vehicle in an ordinary riding posture, respectively. Furthermore, a front side of the vehicle is denoted by "Fr", a rear side thereof is denoted by "Rr", a left side thereof is denoted by "L", and a right side thereof is denoted by "R" as necessary. Each drawing is shown on premise that the drawing is seen in a direction of reference symbols. As shown in Fig. 1, a straddle-type vehicle 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an under cowl 300, a side cover 410, and a tail cover 420. More specifically, in this embodiment, the straddle-type vehicle 1000 includes a small-sized cowl 530 (bikini cowl) covering up a headlamp 520 attached to a handle 510 as shown in Fig.l. A fuel tank 540 is provided in rear of a head pipe 101 of a body frame 100 to which the handle 510 is attached and a seat 542 is provided in rear of the fuel tank 540. Moreover, small-sized side cowls 550 are attached to both side of a front portion of the fuel tank 540, respectively. Fig. 2 shows the straddle-type vehicle 1000 with the under cowl 300 detached. As shown in Fig. 2, the engine 200 is arranged below the fuel tank 540. In this embodiment, the engine 200 is attached to the body frame 100 in a space between a front wheel 601 and a rear wheel 602 of the straddle-type vehicle 1000 and below the fuel tank 540. The engine 200 is arranged so that a crankcase 201 is located at a lower position and a cylinder 202 is located at an upper position. An oil reservoir 210 in which oil circulating in the engine 200 is accumulated is provided below the engine 200. A crankshaft is arranged in the crankcase 201 to be oriented in a vehicle width direction. The engine 200 is attached to the body frame 100 via a plurality of brackets 121, 122, and 123. In this embodiment, a lower portion of the engine 200 is attached to the brackets 121 and 123 and an upper portion of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200 is attached to the bracket 122. Although not shown, a pair of left and right brackets 122 is provided to attach the upper portion of the cylinder 202 to the body frame 100, respectively. In this engine 200, a plurality of fins are provided outside of the cylinder 202. Brackets (footrest brackets 132) to which each footrest 131 is attached are attached to a lower portion of the body frame 100. Further, attachment portions 133 to which the under cowl 300 is attached are provided in the left and right footrest brackets 131, respectively. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 1, an operation pedal 250 performing transmission operation from a position at which each footrest 131 is attached toward a front side is provided. As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the under cowl is provided with a left side member 301, a right side member 302, a front side member 303 and a stay 304. As shown in Fig. 1, the left side member 301 covers up at least a part of a left side of the engine 200. More specifically, in this embodiment, the left side member 301 partially covers up a left side of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200 and a front side of a left side of the crankcase 201. The region is formed into a gently curved shape slightly projecting outward. Further, a lower portion of the left side member 301 extends forward of the lower portion of the body frame 100 and has a vertical width smaller as they get closer to the front side, thus being designed so that it appears to a person seeing the straddle-type vehicle 1000 that the straddle-type vehicle 1000 sharply hurtles. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4, a rear side 301a of the lower portion of the left side member 301 extends between the side portion of the engine 200 and the pedal portion 253 of the operation pedal 250. In this embodiment, the lower portion 316 of the left side member 301 is attached to a bracket attached to the body frame 100 (to be specific, the attachment portion 133 provided on each footrest bracket 312 in this embodiment). As shown in Fig. 3, the right side member 302 is formed to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to the left side member 301 and covers up at least a part of a right side of the engine 200. In this embodiment, although not shown, the right side member 302 partially covers up a right side of the cylinder of the engine 200 and a front side of a right side of the crankcase 201. The region is formed into a gently curved shape slightly protruding outward. Moreover, similarly to the left side member 301, a lower portion of the right side member 302 extends beyond the front of the lower portion of the body frame 100, and a rear side of the lower portion of the right side member 302 is fixed to the bracket attached to the body frame 100 (to be specific, the attachment portion 133 provided on one footrest bracket 312 in this embodiment). Rigidity of the under cowl 300 and attachment position accuracy can be thereby improved. As shown in Fig. 3, the front side member 303 is attached to the body frame 100, extends transversely on the front side of the body frame 100, and connected with the left side member 301 and the right side member 302 respectively. In this embodiment, the front side member 303 includes a rib 331, first winged portions 332 and 333, and second winged portions 334 and 335. An attachment portion 341 attached to the body frame 100 is provided on the rib 331. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 341 is fastened to the bracket 121 by a bolt. The rib 331 extends forward and downward from a region attached to the body frame 100. Further, left and right side surfaces 351 and 352 of the rib 331 are inclined outward in a left and right width direction as being closer to a rear portion, respectively. The first winged portions 332 and 333 extend leftward and rightward from a tip end of the rib 331 in the width direction, respectively. The second winged portions 334 and 335 extend leftward and rightward from a base end portion of the rib 331 at the upper side of the first winged portions 332 and 333. The left first winged portion 332 and the second winged portion 334 are connected to the left side member 301. The right first winged portion 333 is connected to the right side member 302. This front side member 303 is designed to introduce flowing air from the front side of the vehicle into appropriate regions of the engine 200. Namely, in this embodiment, the under cowl 300 is designed to introduce the flowing air into both of right and left sides of the engine 200 through a space surrounded by the left and right side surfaces 351 and 352 of the rib 331, the left and right first winged portions 332 and 333, and the left and right second winged portions 334 and 335. Furthermore, this under cowl 300 is designed so that the flowing air introduced by upper surfaces of the left and right second winged portions 334 and 335 is struck against a plurality of fins provided on an outside of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200. As shown in Fig. 3, the stay 304 is attached to the body frame 100 above the front side member 303 and supports upper portions of the left side member 301 and the right side member 302. As shown in Fig. l, the side cover 410 is arranged rearward of an upper side of the under cowl 300 and forms an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle. The tail cover 420 is arranged in rear of the side cover 410 and forms an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, a gap S1 is provided between an upper edge 311 of the left side member 301 and a lower edge 551 of the side cowl 550 and a gap S2 is provided between an upper edge 312 of the right side member 302 and a front edge 411 of the side cover 410, thus facilitating releasing heat generated in the engine 200 upward. In this embodiment, the engine 200 is arranged inside the under cowl 300. During running, the air introduced from the front side of the under cowl 300 to the inside of the under cowl 300 and passed through the inside of the under cowl 300 passes through rearward of the under cowl 300 by the gap S2 formed in rear of the under cowl 300. It is thereby possible to efficiently take in the flowing air to the inside of the under cowl 300 during running and to efficiently cool the engine 200 by the flowing air. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air heated by the engine 200 inside of the under cowl 300 mainly during halt is emitted to upside of the under cowl 300 by the gap S1 formed upside of the under cowl 300. During the halt, the air can be taken in from downward of the under cowl 300 to follow emission of the air heated by the engine 200 to the upside of the under cowl 300. In this straddle-type vehicle 100, the engine 200 can be thereby efficiently cooled even during halt. In this embodiment, the upper edges 311 and 312 of the left side member 301 and the right side member 302 face the lower edge 551 of the above-stated small-sized side cowl 550 and the front edge 411 of the side cover 410 at substantially constant distances, respectively. Further, the edges facing each other (311 and 551 and 312 and 411) are substantially in parallel. The small-sized side cowl 550, the side cover 410, and the under cowl 300 are designed to appear as if they are connected to each another although these members are apart from each another. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 5, a rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is superimposed on the inside of a front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. In this straddle-type vehicle 1000, the side cover 410 is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. Namely, in this embodiment, a guide 430 guiding the side cover 410 to move obliquely forward on the lower side is provided on the frame 131 for attaching the tail cover 420. A part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is engaged with the guide 430. By thus engagement, the side cover 410 is guided to the frame 131 and, as shown in Fig. 6, moved obliquely forward on the lower side with respect to the tail cover 420. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 6, in a state in which the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side, the part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is disengaged from the guide 430 of the frame 131. Further, when the side cover 410 is attached, it suffices to engage the part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 with the guide 430 of the frame 131 and, as shown in Fig. 4, to move the side cover 410 rearward on an upper side. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the side cover 410 is moved rearward on the upper side with respect to the tail cover 420 and the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is fixed in a state of being superimposed on the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, a fastening portion 416 of the side cover 410 is fastened to a bracket (not shown) fixed to the body frame 100. More specifically, in this embodiment, with the edge 312 of the under cowl 300 facing the edge 411 of the side cover 410, the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side as shown in Fig. 6. When the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side, the edges 312 and 411 of the under cowl 300 and the side cover 410 longitudinally coincide with each other. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the edge 411 of the side cover 410 does not completely coincide in shape with the edge 312 of the under cowl 300 but it suffices that the edges 411 and 312 are formed to be substantially longitudinally superimposed on each other when the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side. It is thereby possible to set a moving amount of the side cover 410 when the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side large as compared with the gap S2 between the under cowl 300 and the side cover 410. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, an electronic component such as a battery unit 561 containing therein a battery and an air cleaner, although not shown, are provided between the left and right side covers 410. Such electronic components are subjected to frequent maintenance, for example, need of checking a state of the component during maintenance or need of regular replacement. Likewise, elements of the air cleaner and the like are components to be replaced frequently. As stated above, according to this straddle-type vehicle 1000, the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is superimposed on the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. As shown in Fig. 5, the side cover 410 is provided to be movable forward on the lower side. The gap S2 enabling the side cover 410 to move to the forward of the lower side and the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 to be detached from the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420 is formed between the side cover 410 and the under cowl 300. As shown in Fig. 6, it is thereby possible to move the side cover 410 to the forward of the lower side, to detach the side cover 410, and to facilitate detaching the side cover 410. Moreover, in this embodiment, the attachment structure of the side cover 410 does not appear to be easily recognizable but looks expensive to the straddle-type vehicle 1000 in terms of design. The straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described so far based on the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-stated embodiment. For example, structures and the like of the under cowl and the tail cover are not limited to the above-stated embodiment and can be variously changed as long as they do not deviate from the concept of the present invention. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-stated embodiment but can be applied to various types of straddle-type vehicles. WE CLAIM: 1. A straddle-type vehicle comprising: a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle, wherein a rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover, said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side, and a gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl. 2. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a guide guiding said side cover to move forward on the lower side is formed on said side cover and said tail cover. 3. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guide has a guide groove provided on one of an outer side surface of the side cover and an inner side surface of the tail cover to guide forward on the lower side and has a protrusion engaged with said guide groove and the protrusion is provided on the other of the one of the outer side surface of the side cover and the inner side surface of the tail cover. 4. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein edges on which said under cowl faces said side cover have shapes longitudinally coincident with each other when said side cover moves forward on the lower side. 5. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein an engine is provided inside of said under cowl, and a gap for passing an air introduced from a front side of said under cowl to an inside of said under cowl and passing the air through the inside of said under cowl during running to rearward of said under cowl is formed in rear of said under cowl. 6. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein a gap for emitting the air heated by the engine on the inside of the under cowl to upward of the under cowl during halt is formed at an upper side of said under cowl. 7. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein a battery unit containing a battery is provided between said left and right side covers. 8. A straddle-type vehicle comprising: a body frame; an engine supported by a lower portion of said body frame; an under cowl attached to the lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; and a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle, wherein a gap through which air passed through an inside of the under cowl during running escapes is formed between said under cowl and said side cover. 9. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein a gap through which the air heated by the engine during halt is passed upward is formed in an upper portion of said under cowl. A straddle-type vehicle is provided. The straddle-type vehicle includes: a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover. Said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. A gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl.

Full Text

Straddle-Type Vehicle
This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-338784 filed on December 28, 2007.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a straddle-type vehicle and particularly relates to structures of an under cowl and a
side cowl.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some straddle-type vehicles are equipped with a cowl for reduction of air resistance and as a windshield during running. Examples of the cowl include a cowl called bikini cowl attached to a handle portion and covering up a headlamp. There is also known a straddle-type vehicle including the bikini cowl and configured to also include an under cowl covering up surroundings of a cylinder block and a cylinder head of the engine (see, for example, JP-A-3-62590) . In such a vehicle, the under cowl is provided to cover up both of left and right sides of the engine on which a lower connection fin passing transversely across front sides of lower portions of a crankcase and an exhaust pipe is built. The under cowl of this type can advantageously introduce cooling air into the engine during running.
The straddle-type vehicle is often configured so that a side cover is provided in rear of an upper side of the under cowl to form an external shape of each of both of left and right

sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle. Furthermore, if a component (such as an electric component) to be frequently subjected to maintenance is arranged inside of the side cover, it is desirable that the side cover is easily detachable. On the other hand, if an attachment structure of the side cover is easily recognizable from the appearance, the straddle-type vehicle often looks cheap in terms of design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention proposes an attachment structure of a side cover that can facilitate attaching and detaching the side cover while concealing the attachment structure apparently.
A straddle-type vehicle according to the present invention includes a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of the body frame and forming external shapes of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of the under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of the side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of the side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of the tail cover, the side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side, and a gap enabling the side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of the side cover to be detached from the inside

of the front portion of the tail cover is formed between the side cover and the under cowl.
According to this straddle-type vehicle, the side cover is provided to be movable forward on the lower side, and the gap enabling the side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of the side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of the tail cover is formed between the side cover and the under cowl. This can facilitate detaching the side cover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a left side view of a straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a left side view of the straddle-type vehicle with an under cowl detached according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a front view of the straddle-type vehicle with the under cowl attached to the body according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to a body frame;
Fig. 4 is a left side view showing parts of the under cowl, a side cowl, and a side cover of the straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along V-V and showing the side cover and an attachment structure of the tail cover of the straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 6 is a left side view of the straddle-type vehicle with the side cover moved forward on a lower side according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter based on drawings. In the drawings, members or regions exhibiting the same functions are denoted by the same reference symbols, respectively. Further, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Moreover, if expressions such as "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" are used for the straddle-type vehicle, they are according to directions as seen from a rider in a state in which the rider rides on the straddle-type vehicle in an ordinary riding posture, respectively. Furthermore, a front side of the vehicle is denoted by "Fr", a rear side thereof is denoted by "Rr", a left side thereof is denoted by "L", and a right side thereof is denoted by "R" as necessary. Each drawing is shown on premise that the drawing is seen in a direction of reference symbols. As shown in Fig. 1, a straddle-type vehicle 1000 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an under cowl 300, a side cover 410, and a tail cover 420. More specifically, in this embodiment, the straddle-type vehicle 1000 includes a small-sized cowl 530 (bikini cowl) covering up a headlamp 520 attached to a handle 510 as shown in Fig.l. A fuel tank 540 is provided in rear of a head pipe 101 of a body

frame 100 to which the handle 510 is attached and a seat 542 is provided in rear of the fuel tank 540. Moreover, small-sized side cowls 550 are attached to both side of a front portion of the fuel tank 540, respectively.
Fig. 2 shows the straddle-type vehicle 1000 with the under cowl 300 detached. As shown in Fig. 2, the engine 200 is arranged below the fuel tank 540. In this embodiment, the engine 200 is attached to the body frame 100 in a space between a front wheel 601 and a rear wheel 602 of the straddle-type vehicle 1000 and below the fuel tank 540. The engine 200 is arranged so that a crankcase 201 is located at a lower position and a cylinder 202 is located at an upper position. An oil reservoir 210 in which oil circulating in the engine 200 is accumulated is provided below the engine 200. A crankshaft is arranged in the crankcase 201 to be oriented in a vehicle width direction. The engine 200 is attached to the body frame 100 via a plurality of brackets 121, 122, and 123. In this embodiment, a lower portion of the engine 200 is attached to the brackets 121 and 123 and an upper portion of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200 is attached to the bracket 122. Although not shown, a pair of left and right brackets 122 is provided to attach the upper portion of the cylinder 202 to the body frame 100, respectively. In this engine 200, a plurality of fins are provided outside of the cylinder 202. Brackets (footrest brackets 132) to which each footrest 131 is attached are attached to a lower portion of the body frame 100. Further, attachment portions 133 to which the under cowl 300 is attached

are provided in the left and right footrest brackets 131, respectively. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 1, an operation pedal 250 performing transmission operation from a position at which each footrest 131 is attached toward a front side is provided.
As shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the under cowl is provided with a left side member 301, a right side member 302, a front side member 303 and a stay 304.
As shown in Fig. 1, the left side member 301 covers up at least a part of a left side of the engine 200. More specifically, in this embodiment, the left side member 301 partially covers up a left side of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200 and a front side of a left side of the crankcase 201. The region is formed into a gently curved shape slightly projecting outward. Further, a lower portion of the left side member 301 extends forward of the lower portion of the body frame 100 and has a vertical width smaller as they get closer to the front side, thus being designed so that it appears to a person seeing the straddle-type vehicle 1000 that the straddle-type vehicle 1000 sharply hurtles. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 4, a rear side 301a of the lower portion of the left side member 301 extends between the side portion of the engine 200 and the pedal portion 253 of the operation pedal 250. In this embodiment, the lower portion 316 of the left side member 301 is attached to a bracket attached to the body frame 100 (to be specific, the attachment portion 133 provided on each footrest bracket 312 in this embodiment).
As shown in Fig. 3, the right side member 302 is formed

to be substantially bilaterally symmetric to the left side member 301 and covers up at least a part of a right side of the engine 200. In this embodiment, although not shown, the right side member 302 partially covers up a right side of the cylinder of the engine 200 and a front side of a right side of the crankcase 201. The region is formed into a gently curved shape slightly protruding outward. Moreover, similarly to the left side member 301, a lower portion of the right side member 302 extends beyond the front of the lower portion of the body frame 100, and a rear side of the lower portion of the right side member 302 is fixed to the bracket attached to the body frame 100 (to be specific, the attachment portion 133 provided on one footrest bracket 312 in this embodiment). Rigidity of the under cowl
300 and attachment position accuracy can be thereby improved.
As shown in Fig. 3, the front side member 303 is attached to the body frame 100, extends transversely on the front side of the body frame 100, and connected with the left side member
301 and the right side member 302 respectively. In this
embodiment, the front side member 303 includes a rib 331, first
winged portions 332 and 333, and second winged portions 334 and
335. An attachment portion 341 attached to the body frame 100
is provided on the rib 331. In this embodiment, the attachment
portion 341 is fastened to the bracket 121 by a bolt. The rib
331 extends forward and downward from a region attached to the
body frame 100. Further, left and right side surfaces 351 and
352 of the rib 331 are inclined outward in a left and right width
direction as being closer to a rear portion, respectively.

The first winged portions 332 and 333 extend leftward and rightward from a tip end of the rib 331 in the width direction, respectively. The second winged portions 334 and 335 extend leftward and rightward from a base end portion of the rib 331 at the upper side of the first winged portions 332 and 333. The left first winged portion 332 and the second winged portion 334 are connected to the left side member 301. The right first winged portion 333 is connected to the right side member 302. This front side member 303 is designed to introduce flowing air from the front side of the vehicle into appropriate regions of the engine 200. Namely, in this embodiment, the under cowl 300 is designed to introduce the flowing air into both of right and left sides of the engine 200 through a space surrounded by the left and right side surfaces 351 and 352 of the rib 331, the left and right first winged portions 332 and 333, and the left and right second winged portions 334 and 335. Furthermore, this under cowl 300 is designed so that the flowing air introduced by upper surfaces of the left and right second winged portions 334 and 335 is struck against a plurality of fins provided on an outside of the cylinder 202 of the engine 200. As shown in Fig. 3, the stay 304 is attached to the body frame 100 above the front side member 303 and supports upper portions of the left side member 301 and the right side member 302.
As shown in Fig. l, the side cover 410 is arranged rearward of an upper side of the under cowl 300 and forms an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle. The tail cover 420 is arranged in rear

of the side cover 410 and forms an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle.
In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, a gap S1 is provided between an upper edge 311 of the left side member 301 and a lower edge 551 of the side cowl 550 and a gap S2 is provided between an upper edge 312 of the right side member 302 and a front edge 411 of the side cover 410, thus facilitating releasing heat generated in the engine 200 upward. In this embodiment, the engine 200 is arranged inside the under cowl 300. During running, the air introduced from the front side of the under cowl 300 to the inside of the under cowl 300 and passed through the inside of the under cowl 300 passes through rearward of the under cowl 300 by the gap S2 formed in rear of the under cowl 300. It is thereby possible to efficiently take in the flowing air to the inside of the under cowl 300 during running and to efficiently cool the engine 200 by the flowing air. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air heated by the engine 200 inside of the under cowl 300 mainly during halt is emitted to upside of the under cowl 300 by the gap S1 formed upside of the under cowl 300. During the halt, the air can be taken in from downward of the under cowl 300 to follow emission of the air heated by the engine 200 to the upside of the under cowl 300. In this straddle-type vehicle 100, the engine 200 can be thereby efficiently cooled even during halt.
In this embodiment, the upper edges 311 and 312 of the left side member 301 and the right side member 302 face the lower edge 551 of the above-stated small-sized side cowl 550 and the

front edge 411 of the side cover 410 at substantially constant distances, respectively. Further, the edges facing each other (311 and 551 and 312 and 411) are substantially in parallel. The small-sized side cowl 550, the side cover 410, and the under cowl 300 are designed to appear as if they are connected to each another although these members are apart from each another. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 5, a rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is superimposed on the inside of a front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. In this straddle-type vehicle 1000, the side cover 410 is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. Namely, in this embodiment, a guide 430 guiding the side cover 410 to move obliquely forward on the lower side is provided on the frame 131 for attaching the tail cover 420. A part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is engaged with the guide 430. By thus engagement, the side cover 410 is guided to the frame 131 and, as shown in Fig. 6, moved obliquely forward on the lower side with respect to the tail cover 420. Moreover, as shown in Fig. 6, in a state in which the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side, the part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is disengaged from the guide 430 of the frame 131. Further, when the side cover 410 is attached, it suffices to engage the part 412a of the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 with the guide 430 of the frame 131 and, as shown in Fig. 4, to move the side cover 410 rearward on an upper side. In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the side cover 410 is moved rearward on the upper side with respect to the tail cover 420 and the rear portion 412 of the side cover

410 is fixed in a state of being superimposed on the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, a fastening portion 416 of the side cover 410 is fastened to a bracket (not shown) fixed to the body frame 100.
More specifically, in this embodiment, with the edge 312 of the under cowl 300 facing the edge 411 of the side cover 410, the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side as shown in Fig. 6. When the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side, the edges 312 and 411 of the under cowl 300 and the side cover 410 longitudinally coincide with each other. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the edge 411 of the side cover 410 does not completely coincide in shape with the edge 312 of the under cowl 300 but it suffices that the edges 411 and 312 are formed to be substantially longitudinally superimposed on each other when the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side. It is thereby possible to set a moving amount of the side cover 410 when the side cover 410 moves forward on the lower side large as compared with the gap S2 between the under cowl 300 and the side cover 410.
In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 5, an electronic component such as a battery unit 561 containing therein a battery and an air cleaner, although not shown, are provided between the left and right side covers 410. Such electronic components are subjected to frequent maintenance, for example, need of checking a state of the component during maintenance or need of regular replacement. Likewise, elements of the air

cleaner and the like are components to be replaced frequently. As stated above, according to this straddle-type vehicle 1000, the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 is superimposed on the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420. As shown in Fig. 5, the side cover 410 is provided to be movable forward on the lower side. The gap S2 enabling the side cover 410 to move to the forward of the lower side and the rear portion 412 of the side cover 410 to be detached from the inside of the front portion 421 of the tail cover 420 is formed between the side cover 410 and the under cowl 300. As shown in Fig. 6, it is thereby possible to move the side cover 410 to the forward of the lower side, to detach the side cover 410, and to facilitate detaching the side cover 410. Moreover, in this embodiment, the attachment structure of the side cover 410 does not appear to be easily recognizable but looks expensive to the straddle-type vehicle 1000 in terms of design.
The straddle-type vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described so far based on the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-stated embodiment.
For example, structures and the like of the under cowl and the tail cover are not limited to the above-stated embodiment and can be variously changed as long as they do not deviate from the concept of the present invention. Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-stated embodiment but can be applied to various types of straddle-type vehicles.

WE CLAIM:
1. A straddle-type vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle;
a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and
a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle,
wherein a rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover,
said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side, and
a gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl.
2. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a guide guiding said side cover to move forward
on the lower side is formed on said side cover and said tail cover.
3. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said guide has a guide groove provided on one of an outer side surface of the side cover and an inner side surface of the tail cover to guide forward on the lower side and has a protrusion engaged with said guide groove and the protrusion is provided on the other of the one of the outer side surface of the side cover and the inner side surface of the tail cover.
4. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1,
wherein edges on which said under cowl faces said side
cover have shapes longitudinally coincident with each other when said side cover moves forward on the lower side.
5. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1,
wherein an engine is provided inside of said under cowl,
and
a gap for passing an air introduced from a front side of said under cowl to an inside of said under cowl and passing the air through the inside of said under cowl during running to rearward of said under cowl is formed in rear of said under cowl.
6. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 5,
wherein a gap for emitting the air heated by the engine
on the inside of the under cowl to upward of the under cowl during halt is formed at an upper side of said under cowl.
7. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a battery unit containing a battery is provided

between said left and right side covers.
8. A straddle-type vehicle comprising:
a body frame;
an engine supported by a lower portion of said body frame;
an under cowl attached to the lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; and
a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle,
wherein a gap through which air passed through an inside of the under cowl during running escapes is formed between said under cowl and said side cover.
9. The straddle-type vehicle as claimed in claim 8,
wherein a gap through which the air heated by the engine
during halt is passed upward is formed in an upper portion of said under cowl.

A straddle-type vehicle is provided. The straddle-type vehicle includes: a body frame; an under cowl attached to a lower portion of said body frame and forming an external shape of both of left and right sides of a lower portion of the vehicle; a side cover provided in rear of an upper side of said under cowl and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of an intermediate portion of the vehicle; and a tail cover provided in rear of said side cover and forming an external shape of each of both of left and right sides of a rear portion of the vehicle. A rear portion of said side cover is superimposed on an inside of a front portion of said tail cover. Said side cover is arranged to be movable forward on a lower side. A gap enabling said side cover to move forward on the lower side and the rear portion of said side cover to be detached from the inside of the front portion of said tail cover is formed between said side cover and said under cowl.

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=iyhz9Be4TNx5VUioJKd8wQ==&loc=wDBSZCsAt7zoiVrqcFJsRw==

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Patent Number

271559

Indian Patent Application Number

2007/KOL/2008

PG Journal Number

09/2016

Publication Date

26-Feb-2016

Grant Date

25-Feb-2016

Date of Filing

17-Nov-2008

Name of Patentee

YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Applicant Address

2500 SHINGAI, IWATA-SHI, SHIZUOKA

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	TAKAAKI MIYAZAKI	C/O YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA 2500 SHINGAI, IWATA-SHI, SHIZUOKA 438-8501

PCT International Classification Number

B62K11/14; B62K21/12; B62K11/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	2007-338784	2007-12-28	Japan