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EP-4737282-A1 - SADDLE-TYPE VEHICLE

EP4737282A1EP 4737282 A1EP4737282 A1EP 4737282A1EP-4737282-A1

Abstract

A saddle-type vehicle (1) includes: a pair of tank rails (12) extending rearward from a head pipe (11); a fuel tank (40) supported from below by the pair of tank rails (12); and a pair of relay members (60) attached to both side surfaces of the fuel tank (40). A support surface (45) supported by the pair of tank rails (12) is formed on a bottom surface of the fuel tank (40). The fuel tank (40) is supported by the pair of tank rails (12) via the pair of relay members (60) at a position offset from the support surface (45) in a front-rear direction.

Inventors

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

Assignees

  • Suzuki Motor Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20250825

Claims (18)

  1. A saddle-type vehicle (1), comprising: a pair of tank rails (12) extending rearward from a head pipe (11); a fuel tank (40) supported from below by the pair of tank rails; and a pair of relay members (60) attached to both side surfaces of the fuel tank, wherein a support surface (45) supported by the pair of tank rails is formed on a bottom surface of the fuel tank, and the fuel tank is supported by the pair of tank rails via the pair of relay members at a position offset from the support surface in a front-rear direction.
  2. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pair of relay members each have a base portion having hard properties and serving as a support and a cushion portion installed on the base portion, and the cushion portion is interposed between the base portion and the fuel tank.
  3. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the fuel tank is made up of an upper panel and a lower panel, and a flange is formed at a joint between the upper panel and the lower panel, and the flange is supported by the relay member, and the cushion portion is interposed between the base portion and the flange.
  4. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the pair of relay members are located at a location where the flange and the pair of tank rails overlap in a plan view and where the flange and the pair of tank rails are spaced apart in an up-down direction in a side view.
  5. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 3, wherein a predetermined range of the flange in the front-rear direction is folded back downward, and the pair of relay members are inserted inside the folded portion.
  6. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the cushion portion has an inner cushion disposed on an inner surface of the base portion, and the base portion is in contact with a side surface of the fuel tank via the inner cushion.
  7. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 6, wherein a step portion is formed on the side surface of the fuel tank, and the inner cushion is in contact with the step portion.
  8. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the cushion portion has an outer cushion disposed on an outer surface of the base portion, and the outer cushion and the inner cushion extend below an upper surface of the tank rail.
  9. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 8, wherein a pair of side covers are provided to cover the fuel tank from outside in a vehicle width direction, and the outer cushion is in contact with an inner surface of the side cover.
  10. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the outer cushion is formed with a guide groove for holding a cable.
  11. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of rail cushions are provided on the pair of tank rails, and the fuel tank is supported on the pair of tank rails via the plurality of rail cushions.
  12. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 11, wherein a step portion is formed on a side surface of the fuel tank, and the plurality of rail cushions are interposed between the step portions and the pair of tank rails.
  13. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 11, wherein boss holes are formed in the pair of tank rails, and bosses to be inserted into the boss holes are formed in the plurality of rail cushions.
  14. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of rail cushions are fastened from outside to outer circumferential surfaces of the pair of tank rails by holding members.
  15. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of rail cushions are provided with holding grooves along the outer circumferential surfaces of the pair of tank rails, and the holding member is a spring band that fits into the holding groove.
  16. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a tank side bracket is provided at a front end or a rear end of the fuel tank, a pair of rail side brackets are provided on the pair of tank rails, the tank side bracket and the pair of rail side brackets are laterally fastened together by a bolt, and a through hole of at least one of the tank side bracket and the pair of rail side brackets is an elongated hole extending in an up-down direction.
  17. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the tank side bracket is floatingly fixed to the fuel tank.
  18. The saddle-type vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the tank side bracket is supported swingably about the bolt with respect to the pair of rail side brackets.

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 above-described saddle-type vehicle, it is desirable for the fuel tank to be supported on a tank rail of a vehicle body frame. However, depending on an installation posture or a shape of the fuel tank, the fuel tank may not be appropriately supported by the tank rail. SUMMARY The present invention is made in consideration of the above-described point, and has an object to provide a saddle-type vehicle in which a fuel tank can be appropriately supported by a tank rail. A saddle-type vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention includes a pair of tank rails extending rearward from a head pipe, a fuel tank supported from below by the pair of tank rails, and a pair of relay members attached to both side surfaces of the fuel tank, where a support surface supported by the pair of tank rails is formed on a bottom surface of the fuel tank, and the fuel tank is supported by the pair of tank rails via the pair of relay members at a position offset from the support surface in a front-rear direction, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. According to the saddle-type vehicle of the aspect of the present invention, the support surface of the fuel tank is supported by the pair of tank rails. At a position which is offset from the support surface of the fuel tank in the front-rear direction and at which the fuel tank is separated from the pair of tank rails due to the fuel tank's posture, shape, or the like, the fuel tank is supported on the pair of tank rails using the pair of relay members. As a result, a load of the fuel tank is distributed over a wide area of the pair of tank rails via the support surface and the pair of relay members, and the fuel tank is stably supported on the pair of tank rails. 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 fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the periphery of the fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 4 is a left side view of a front portion of the fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the front portion of the fuel tank in FIG. 4 taken along a line A-A.FIG. 6 is a left side view of a rear portion of the fuel tank according to the example.FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the rear portion of the fuel tank in FIG. 6 taken along a line B-B.FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a mounting bracket of the example.FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a relay member of the example as viewed from a front surface side.FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the relay member of the example as viewed from a rear side.FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the relay member on a right side of the example taken along the line B-B.FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the front portion of the fuel tank in FIG. 3 taken along a line C-C. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS In a saddle-type vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention, a pair of tank rails extend rearward from a head pipe, and a fuel tank is supported from below by the pair of tank rails. A pair of relay members are attached to both side surfaces of the fuel tank. A support surface is formed on a bottom surface of the fuel tank, and the support surface of the fuel tank is supported by the pair of tank rails. At a position which is offset from the support surface of the fuel tank in the front-rear direction and at which the fuel tank is separated from the pair of tank rails due to the fuel tank's posture, shape, or the like, the fuel tank is supported on the pair of tank rails using the pair of relay members. As a result, a load of the fuel tank is distributed over a wide area of the pair of tank rails (and the fuel tank) via the support surface and the pair of relay members, and the fuel tank is stably supported on the pair of tank rails. 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