JP3821248B2 - Front fork holder fixing structure - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a holder fixing structure for a front fork in a motorcycle or the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-72774, an inner tube is slidably fitted into an outer tube, and an axle bracket is screwed and fixed to the outer tube. A ring-shaped holder that forms a portion is fastened and fixed to the outer periphery of the outer tube, and a disc brake hose, a speedometer cable, and the like are attached to the front fork via this holder.
[0003]
In the above-described front fork holder fixing structure, after the axle bracket is screwed and fixed to the outer tube, the rib formed on the outer periphery of the outer tube is swaged to form a convex portion in the axial direction. A notch formed on the end surface in the direction is engaged with the convex portion to position the holder and prevent rotation, and then the holder is tightened and fixed to the outer tube.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the above-described prior art, since the holder is attached to the outer tube in contact with the rib formed on the outer periphery of the outer tube, the rib is exposed in the attached state of the holder, and the appearance of the front fork is good. Absent.
[0005]
The subject of this invention is made in view of the above-mentioned situation, and is providing the holder fixing structure of the front fork which can improve the external appearance of the front fork to which the holder was attached.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the axle bracket is screwed and fixed to the outer tube fitted to the inner tube, and the ring-shaped holder formed with the tightening portions at both ends is fastened and fixed to the outer periphery of the outer tube. In the holder fixing structure of the front fork, either the inner periphery of the holder or the outer periphery of the outer tube is formed with a substantially ring-shaped fitting groove and an engaging convex portion where this fitting groove is not formed, On the other of the outer circumference of the outer tube and the inner circumference of the holder, a fitting rib that is substantially ring-shaped and can be fitted into the fitting groove, and the fitting rib is not formed and is engaged with the engaging convex portion. The engaging recess is formed, and the holder is fixed to the outer tube by engaging the engaging protrusion with the engaging recess and fitting the fitting rib into the fitting groove. To be Those were.
[0007]
The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the fitting groove or the fitting rib of the holder is formed at a central position in the axial direction of the holder, and the holder sandwiches the front wheel. It is formed in the shape of the left and right mirror image object.
[0008]
The invention described in claim 1 has the following action.
Since the holder is fixed to the outer tube with the fitting groove or fitting rib formed on the inner circumference of the holder fitted to the fitting rib or fitting groove on the outer circumference of the outer tube, the holder is attached. In the state, the fitting rib or the fitting groove of the outer tube is hidden by the holder. As a result, the appearance of the front fork to which the holder is attached can be improved.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 2 has the following effects.
Since the fitting groove or fitting rib of the holder is formed at the center position in the axial direction of the holder, and the holder is formed on the left and right mirror image objects with the front wheel in between, the holder attached to either the left or right front fork is If it is flipped up and down along the axial direction, it can be attached to the other front fork. As described above, since the holder can be shared by the left and right front forks, it is possible to prevent erroneous assembly of the holder to the left and right front forks and to reduce the cost.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a half sectional view showing one (left side) front fork to which one embodiment of a holder fixing structure for a front fork according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a part of the outer tube of FIG. 1 viewed from the opposite side (outside). FIG. 3 is a front view showing the holder of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 5A is a VA arrow view of FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VB-VB of FIG. FIG. 6 is a half side cross-sectional view showing an outer tube, a holder and the like of the other (right) front fork to which the holder of FIG. 1 is applied. FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the outer tube of FIG. 6. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.
[0011]
A front fork assembly such as a motorcycle holds left and right front forks 10 (left front fork 10A (FIG. 1), right front fork 10B (FIG. 6)) at both ends of a steering bracket 13 (FIG. 1). A front fork 10 (10A, 10B) rotatably supports the front wheels, and a steering bracket 13 is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so that the front wheels can be steered.
[0012]
The front fork 10 has the same structure in both the left front fork 10A and the right front fork 10B. An inner tube 12 is slidably fitted in the outer tube 11, and the inner tube 12 is interposed via a steering bracket 13. A front axle is supported by a bearing portion 15 of an axle bracket 14 of the outer tube 11 (an axle bracket 14A on the left front fork 10A side and an axle bracket 14B on the right front fork 10B side) of the outer tube 11, and is suspended inside. The spring 16 and the damper device 17 are accommodated.
[0013]
The outer tube 11 is obtained by expanding one end side of an aluminum alloy drawn pipe, cutting an outer diameter, and then machining a male screw portion 39 on the other end side, and the axle bracket 14 (14A, 14B). ) Is formed by casting an aluminum alloy. A brake caliper mounting boss 18 for mounting a caliper for a disc brake is formed on the axle bracket 14A. The axle bracket 14 (14A, 14B) is provided with the bearing portion 15 as described above. Further, these axle brackets 14 (14 </ b> A, 14 </ b> B) are screwed and fixed to a male screw portion 39 on the outer periphery of the outer tube 11.
[0014]
In the outer tube 11, a seat pipe 19 is attached to the axle bracket 14 (14 </ b> A, 14 </ b> B) in a standing state via a center bolt 20. The seat pipe 19 is formed with a piston 21 slidably in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube 12 at the distal end, and an orifice 22 is formed at the center position, and a communication hole 23 is opened at the proximal end position. Is done.
[0015]
The damper device 17 includes the seat pipe 19, and the suspension spring 16 is interposed between a piston 21 of the seat pipe 19 and a spring seat 24 fixed to the inner tube 12. The suspension spring 16 absorbs an impact acting on the front wheel from the road surface, and the expansion and contraction vibration of the front fork 10 (the left front fork 10A and the right front fork 10B) at the time of absorbing the impact is a damping force generated by the damper device 17. It is suppressed by.
[0016]
The damper device 17 will be described in further detail. A piston 25 is disposed at the tip of the inner tube 12 with a slight gap between the outer periphery of the seat pipe 19. An upper chamber 26 is formed by being surrounded by the inner tube 12, the seat pipe 19, the piston 21 and the sliding member 25. Further, a lower chamber 27 is formed surrounded by the outer tube 11 and the seat pipe 19. Further, a reservoir chamber 28 is formed inside the seat pipe 19 and the outer tube 11. The upper chamber 26, the lower chamber 27, and the reservoir chamber 28 are filled with hydraulic oil (oil level H).
[0017]
In the compression stroke of the front fork 10 (10A, 10B), the hydraulic oil in the reservoir chamber 28 is guided from the reservoir chamber 28 into the upper chamber 26 through the orifice 22 and a slight gap between the piston 25 and the seat pipe, The negative pressure in the upper chamber 26 is eliminated. Further, in this compression stroke, the inner tube 12 enters the outer tube 11, so that hydraulic oil corresponding to the intrusion volume is guided from the lower chamber 27 into the reservoir chamber 28 through the communication hole 23.
[0018]
In the extension stroke of the front fork 10 (10A, 10B), the hydraulic oil in the upper chamber 26 flows into the reservoir chamber 28 through the orifice 22 and passes through a slight gap between the piston 25 and the seat pipe. Flows into chamber 27. A damping force at the time of extension is generated by the hydraulic oil passing through the clearance in the orifice 22 and the inner periphery of the piston 25. Further, in this extension stroke, the inner tube 12 is retracted from the outer tube 11, so that hydraulic oil corresponding to the retracted volume flows from the reservoir chamber 28 through the communication hole 23 into the lower chamber 27, and the negative pressure in the lower chamber 27 is reduced. Pressure is released.
[0019]
In addition, the code | symbol 29 in FIG. 1 shows a cap, and the code | symbol 30 shows a rebound spring. An oil seal 8 and a dust seal 9 are disposed on the inner periphery of the open end of the outer tube 11, and the front fork 10 is maintained in a liquid-tight state by the wet oil seal 8.
[0020]
Now, an annular holder 31 having the same structure is fixed to the outer tube 11 of the front fork 10 (the left front fork 10A and the right front fork 10B). The holder 31 is made of synthetic resin, and as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, a ring-shaped annular portion 32, a tongue-shaped fastening portion 33 integrally provided at both ends of the annular portion 32, It is comprised.
[0021]
A substantially ring-shaped fitting groove 34 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 32, and an engaging convex portion 35 where the annular groove 34 is not formed is left on the inner peripheral surface of the annular portion 32. As shown in FIG. 5B, the fitting groove 34 is formed at the axial center position of the holder 31, and the engaging convex portion 35 is provided to extend in the axial direction of the holder 31.
[0022]
On the one hand, the tightening portion 33 is insert-molded with a screw member 37 having an outer shape of, for example, a hexagonal shape and formed with a female screw portion 36. A cylindrical sleeve 38 is insert-molded on the other side of the tightening portion 33.
[0023]
When the holder 31 configured as described above is attached to the left front fork 10A and the right front fork 10B, as shown in FIGS. Configured in shape.
[0024]
By the way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a holder mounting groove 40 is formed by cutting or the like on the opening end side of the front fork 10 (10A, 10B) shown in FIGS. In the holder mounting groove 40, a substantially ring-shaped fitting rib 41 projects from the axial center position of the outer tube 11. Further, the holder mounting groove 40 is provided with an engaging recess 42 where the fitting rib 41 is not formed. Specifically, the engaging recess 42 is formed by forming the fitting rib 41 in a ring shape in the circumferential direction of the holder mounting groove 40 and then cutting out a part thereof. Further, the fitting rib 41 is provided so as to be able to fit into the fitting groove 34 of the holder 31, and the engagement recess 42 is provided so as to be engageable with the engagement protrusion 35.
[0025]
Next, the procedure for assembling the axle bracket 14 and the holder 31 to the outer tube 11 of the left front fork 10 will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) First, the axle bracket 14A is screwed and fixed to the male thread portion 39 of the outer tube 11 of the left front fork 10A.
[0026]
(2) Next, the tightening portion 33 of the holder 31 is located at an appropriate position on the rear side with respect to the traveling direction of the vehicle, that is, the tightening portion 33 of the holder 31 is at the same position in the circumferential direction as the brake caliper mounting boss 18 of the axle bracket 14. In this manner, a part of the ring-shaped fitting rib 41 in the outer tube 11 of the front fork 10A (a part corresponding to the engaging convex part 35 of the holder 31) is cut out to form the engaging concave part 42.
[0027]
(3) Next, the fitting ribs 41 of the outer tube 11 are inserted into the fitting grooves 34 of the holder 31 while positioning the engaging projections 35 of the holder 31 by engaging with the engaging recesses 42 of the outer tube 11. Fit.
[0028]
(4) Finally, the disc brake hose 44 extending from the disc brake caliper already attached to the brake caliper mounting boss 18 of the axle bracket 14 is inserted into the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43 shown in FIG. Then, the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43 is brought into contact with the other fastening portion 33 on the side where the sleeve 38 is disposed, and the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43, the sleeve 38 and the screw member are started from the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43 side. The mounting bolts 45 are sequentially inserted through 37, and the mounting bolts 45 are screwed into the screw members 37. Thus, the holder 31 is fastened and fixed to the holder mounting surface 42 of the outer tube 11 of the left front fork 10A, and the disc brake hose 44 is held by the left front fork 10A via the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43.
[0029]
(5) By assembling the holder 31, the disc brake hose 44 is held at an appropriate position on the rear side with respect to the vehicle traveling direction in the left front fork 10A as shown in FIG. Further, when the holder 31 is attached to the front fork 10A, the engagement convex portion 35 of the holder 31 is engaged with the engagement concave portion 42 of the outer tube 11 in the left front fork 10A, thereby preventing rotation.
[0030]
Next, the procedure for assembling the axle bracket 14B and the holder 31 to the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10B will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1) First, the axle bracket 14B is screwed and fixed to the male thread portion 39 of the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10B.
[0031]
(2) Next, a part of the ring-shaped fitting rib 41 in the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10 </ b> B (the above-mentioned The engaging recess 42 is formed by cutting out the portion corresponding to the engaging projection 35 of the holder 31.
[0032]
(3) Next, the holder 31 is flipped up and down along the axial direction with respect to the state in which the holder 31 is attached to the left front fork 10A, and the holder 31 is attached to the right front fork 10B and the left front fork 10A. Positioning is performed by engaging the engaging convex portion 35 of the holder 31 with the engaging concave portion 42 of the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10B so that the attached holder 31 is a mirror image object with the front wheel 1 interposed therebetween. The fitting rib 41 of the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10B is fitted into the fitting groove 34 of the holder 31.
[0033]
(4) Finally, the speedometer cable 46 extending from the already installed speedometer is sandwiched between the speedometer cable mounting brackets 47 shown in FIG. Then, the speedometer cable mounting bracket 47 is brought into contact with the other fastening portion 33 on the side where the sleeve 38 is disposed, and the speedometer cable mounting bracket 47, the sleeve 38 and the screw member are arranged from the speedometer cable mounting bracket 47 side. The mounting bolts 45 are sequentially inserted through 37, and the mounting bolts 45 are screwed into the screw members 37. Thus, the holder 31 is fastened and fixed to the holder mounting groove 40 in the outer tube 11 of the right front fork 10B, and the speedometer cable 46 is held by the right front fork 10B via the speedometer cable mounting bracket 47.
[0034]
(5) Also in this case, the speedometer cable 46 is held at an appropriate position on the rear side with respect to the vehicle traveling direction in the right front fork 10B as shown in FIG. The Also in this case, when the holder 31 is attached to the right front fork 10B, the engaging convex portion 35 of the holder 31 engages with the engaging concave portion 42 of the outer tube 11 in the right front fork 10B to prevent rotation. Is fulfilled.
[0035]
According to the above embodiment, the following effects (1) and (2) are obtained.
(1) The fitting groove 34 formed on the inner circumference of the holder 31 is fitted to the fitting rib 41 formed on the holder mounting groove 40 on the outer circumference of the outer tube 11 in the front fork 10 (10A, 10B). Thus, since the holder 31 is fixed to the outer tube 11, the fitting rib 41 of the outer tube 11 is hidden by the holder 31 when the holder 31 is attached. As a result, the appearance of the front fork 10 (10A, 10B) to which the holder 31 is attached can be improved.
[0036]
(2) Since the fitting groove 34 of the holder 31 is formed at the center position in the axial direction of the holder 31 and the holder 31 is formed as a left and right mirror image object with the front wheel interposed therebetween, either the left or right front forks 10A, 10B If the holder 31 attached to is inverted up and down along its axial direction, it can also be attached to the other front forks 10B and 10A. Thus, since the holder 31 can be shared by the left and right front forks 10A and 10B, erroneous assembly of the holder 31 to the left and right front forks 10A and 10B can be prevented, and the cost can be reduced.
[0037]
In the embodiment described above, the fitting groove 34 and the engaging projection 35 are formed in the holder 31, and the fitting rib 41 and the engaging recess 42 are formed in the outer tube 11 of the front fork 10A or 10B. As described above, the fitting groove 34 and the engaging convex portion 35 may be formed in the outer tube 11, and the fitting rib 41 and the engaging concave portion 42 may be formed in the holder 31. Further, the disc brake hose mounting bracket 43 and the speedometer cable mounting bracket 47 may be integrally formed with the tightening portion 33 of the holder 31 on the sleeve 38 arrangement side. Further, the holder 31 may be attached to the left front fork 10A and the right front fork 10B so that the tightening portion 33 is in an appropriate position on the front side with respect to the vehicle traveling direction.
[0038]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the front fork holder fixing structure according to the present invention can improve the appearance of the front fork to which the holder is attached.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a half sectional view showing one (left side) front fork to which one embodiment of a front fork holder fixing structure according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a part of the outer tube of FIG. 1 as viewed from the opposite side (outside).
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the holder of FIG. 1;
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3;
5A is a view taken along arrow VA in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line VB-VB in FIG.
6 is a half side cross-sectional view showing an outer tube, a holder, and the like of the other (right side) front fork to which the holder of FIG. 1 is applied.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged side view showing a part of the outer tube of FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Front fork 10A Left front fork 10B Right front fork 11 Outer tube 12 Inner tube 14, 14A, 14B Axle bracket 15 Bearing 31 Holder 32 Holder annular part 33 Holder fastening part 34 Fitting groove 35 Engaging convex part 39 Outer tube Male screw portion 40 Outer tube holder mounting groove 41 Fitting rib 42 Engaging recess 43 Disc brake hose mounting bracket 44 Disc brake hose 45 Mounting bolt 46 Speedometer cable 47 Speedometer cable mounting bracket

Claims (2)

In the front fork holder fixing structure in which the axle bracket is screwed and fixed to the outer tube fitted to the inner tube, and the ring-shaped holder formed with the tightening portions at both ends is fixed to the outer periphery of the outer tube.
Either one of the inner periphery of the holder or the outer periphery of the outer tube is formed with a substantially ring-shaped fitting groove and an engaging convex portion where this fitting groove is not formed,
On the other of the outer circumference of the outer tube and the inner circumference of the holder, a fitting rib that is substantially ring-shaped and can be fitted into the fitting groove, and the fitting rib is not formed and is engaged with the engaging convex portion. A mating engagement recess is formed,
The holder of the front fork, wherein the holder is fixed to the outer tube by engaging the engaging convex portion with the engaging concave portion and fitting the fitting rib into the fitting groove. Fixed structure. 2. The front fork according to claim 1, wherein the fitting groove or the fitting rib of the holder is formed at a center position in the axial direction of the holder, and the holder is formed in a shape of a left-right mirror image object with a front wheel interposed therebetween. Holder fixing structure.

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