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EP-4737280-A1 - SADDLE-TYPE VEHICLE

EP4737280A1EP 4737280 A1EP4737280 A1EP 4737280A1EP-4737280-A1

Abstract

A saddle-type vehicle (1) includes: a fuel tank (40) configured to include a fuel storage space; a cover member (50) configured to cover the fuel tank from outside; and a cushion (74, 75) configured to be installed on a side of the fuel tank. The cover member is formed with knee grip portions (67) that are pinched by knees of a driver. The cushion faces an inner surface of the knee grip portion.

Inventors

  • TOKUNAGA, KATSUHIKO
  • TANAKA, HIROSHI
  • SATO, TOSHIHIKO

Assignees

  • Suzuki Motor Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20250822

Claims (10)

  1. A saddle-type vehicle (1), comprising: a fuel tank (40) configured to include a fuel storage space; a cover member (50) configured to cover the fuel tank from outside; and a cushion (74, 75) configured to be installed on a side of the fuel tank, wherein the cover member is formed with knee grip portions (67) that are pinched by knees of a driver, and the cushion faces an inner surface of the knee grip portion.
  2. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fuel tank is formed by joining an upper panel and a lower panel, and the cushion is attached to a flange that is a joint between the upper panel and the lower panel.
  3. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cushion includes a front cushion and a rear cushion spaced apart from each other in a front-rear direction, and the front cushion faces a front side of the inner surface of the knee grip portion, and the rear cushion faces a rear side of the inner surface of the knee grip portion.
  4. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover member is formed of a tank cover that covers the fuel tank from above and a pair of side covers that cover the fuel tank from both sides, and the knee grip portion is formed across the tank cover and the side cover.
  5. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein at seams between the tank cover and the pair of side covers, a step is provided in one of the tank cover and the pair of side covers, and an overlapping edge that overlaps the step is provided in the other of the tank cover and the pair of side covers.
  6. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a hook hole is formed in the step and a hook is formed on the overlapping edge, and the hook is slid and latched to the hook hole along the seams between the tank cover and the pair of side covers.
  7. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of latched points are provided along seams between the tank cover and the pair of side covers.
  8. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of extension portions extend from the pair of side covers so as to overlap the tank cover, and the plurality of extension portions and the tank cover are fastened together.
  9. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of extension portions are a first extension portion overlapping the tank cover from an outer side and a second extension portion overlapping the tank cover from an inner side.
  10. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the pair of side covers are fixed to a vehicle body frame at the knee grip portions.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a saddle-type vehicle. BACKGROUND ART A saddle-type vehicle is known in which a fuel tank is covered with a cover member (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). The fuel tank described in Patent Literature 1 has an upper and lower split structure made up of an upper panel and a lower panel, and a flange of the upper panel and a flange of the lower panel are seam-welded. The cover member is attached to a vehicle body so as to hide a flange-shaped joint between the upper panel and the lower panel. The cover member is formed by combining right and left metal side covers and a resin center cover, and the metal side covers increase rigidity against knee grip. CITATION LIST PATENT LITERATURE Patent Literature 1: JP2022-184501A In the saddle-type vehicle described in Patent Literature 1, the fuel tank is covered with the cover member, so a tank width is restricted and a tank capacity tends to be small. Also, there is a problem in that a cover structure becomes complicated in order to increase the rigidity against knee grip. SUMMARY The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described point, and has an object to provide a saddle-type vehicle that can ensure a sufficient tank capacity while also ensuring sufficient rigidity against knee grip with a simple configuration. A saddle-type vehicle of an aspect of the present invention includes: a fuel tank configured to include a fuel storage space; a cover member configured to cover the fuel tank from outside; and a cushion configured to be installed on a side of the fuel tank, where the cover member is formed with knee grip portions that are pinched by knees of a driver, and the cushion faces an inner surface of the knee grip portion. According to the saddle-type vehicle of the aspect of the present invention, the fuel tank is prevented from coming into direct contact with the cover member by the cushion on the side of the fuel tank. As a result, the side of the fuel tank is brought closer to an inner surface of the cover member, a tank capacity of the fuel tank is ensured, and a width dimension of the knee grip portion can be reduced. Furthermore, even when the cover member is deformed inward due to a knee grip force, the cover member is supported from the inside by the fuel tank via the cushion. In this manner, deformation of the cover member can be suppressed with a simple configuration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a left side view of a saddle-type vehicle according to an example.FIG. 2 is a left side view of a periphery of a cover member according to the example.FIG. 3 is a top view of the periphery of the cover member according to the example.FIG. 4 is a left side view of a periphery of a fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 5 is a top view of the periphery of the fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 6 is a rear view of the cover member according to the example.FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a latched state of the cover member according to the example.FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating a latched state of the cover member according to the example.FIG. 9 is a side view illustrating a knee grip state according to the example.FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a front portion of a vehicle body of FIG. 9 taken along a line A-A. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS In a saddle-type vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention, a fuel storage space is formed in a fuel tank, and the fuel tank is covered from the outside by a cover member. A cushion is installed on a side of the fuel tank, and the cover member is formed with knee grip portions that are pinched by knees of a driver. The cushion faces an inner surface of the knee grip portion, and the cushion on the side of the fuel tank prevents the fuel tank from coming into direct contact with the cover member. As a result, the side of the fuel tank is brought closer to an inner surface of the cover member, a tank capacity of the fuel tank is ensured, and a width dimension of the knee grip portion can be reduced. Furthermore, even when the cover member is deformed inward due to a knee grip force, the cover member is supported from the inside by the fuel tank via the cushion. In this manner, deformation of the cover member can be suppressed with a simple configuration. Example Hereinafter, a saddle-type vehicle according to this example will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a left side view of the saddle-type vehicle according to the example. In the following drawings, an arrow Fr indicates the front of the vehicle, an arrow Re indicates the rear of the vehicle, an arrow L indicates the left side of the vehicle, and an arrow R indicates the right side of the vehicle. In FIG. 1, a driver is indicated by a two-dot chain line. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a saddle-type vehicle 1 is configured by mounting an engine 30, an electrical system, and various other components on a vehicle body f