TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a straddle type motorcycle and more particularly but not exclusively to a pillion handle assembly of the straddle type motorcycle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Generally, a straddle type two-wheeled motorcycle comprises a plurality of components aiding the rider to easily access the vehicle. The plurality of components includes the handlebar assembly used by the user to steer the vehicle, a pair of pillion footrest assembly aiding the pillion rider to rest his/her feet. Further, a pillion handle assembly (pillion handle) for the vehicle is disposed at a rear end of the vehicle. Further, the pillion handle assembly is used by the pillion rider to take support while riding pillion in the two-wheeled vehicle. The pillion handle is primarily used by a pillion rider to hold while seated on the vehicle. Furthermore, the pillion handle is used by the rider or the user to handle the vehicle. In particular, during relocation or to put the vehicle in a proper position in parking places, the pillion handle is extensively used.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The above and other features, aspects and advantages of the subject matter will be better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings where:
[0004] Fig. 1.illustrates a side view of a two-wheeled vehicle, for example, a motorcycle according to an embodiment.
[0005] Fig. 2 illustrates a right side view of a rear portion of the motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0006] Fig. 3 illustrates a bottom view of a tail cover assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0007] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the tail cover assembly, the rear fender and the pillion handle assembly.

[0008] Fig 5 illustrates an exploded view of a pillion handle assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom perspective view of a rear portion of the vehicle body frame assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00010] Generally, a pillion handle assembly is also used by the user when a need to manually push the vehicle arises. The need to manually push the vehicle arises under circumstances like parking the vehicle, towing the vehicle or when the vehicle is under breakdown. The pillion handle assembly being a rigid member undergoes deflection during handling of the vehicle. The deflections of the pillion handle assembly accounts to poor aesthetics of the vehicle, which is not desirable by the user. In addition, conventional pillion handle on vehicles can tend to get damaged when the vehicle falls or capsizes either in parked condition or during riding. Typically most saddle type commuter vehicles have pillion handle designed to form aesthetically appealing part of the overall style of the vehicle and are symmetrically placed on the longitudinal plane of the vehicle. Such pillion handles lead to compromise in the aesthetics of the vehicle as well as occupy extra lateral space. These can lead to interference with the body parts of the pillion rider as well as act as hindrance to ease of seating, detrimental to achieving low lateral width of the vehicle and hindrance to ease of seating on the vehicle. Thus, the comfort of the pillion rider is greatly inhibited by use of pillion handle known in prior art. Further, often in high performance bikes, typical symmetric pillion handle is not provided since it leads to increase in lateral width of the vehicle as well as greatly deteriorates the aesthetics of the bike as well as the aerodynamics. Instead, for such bikes a belt / strap type pillion handle is provisioned in the middle portion of the seating area between the rider & pillion. Such solution is difficult to hold for the pillion, since it does not give good confidence to the pillion regarding safety as well as tends to have limitation on the extent of force it can withstand before breakage. Some prior arts have suitable depression formed in the body panels / side panels / tail covers which are economically designed to

enable a pillion to grip with his / her hand / fingers to hold and perform the function of the pillion handle. Such solutions especially for performance bikes are either cumbersome to access as the hand has to reach to cover from the side of the human body width & access the underside provision outside the width of the pillion seat width. Such solution also leads to undercut type design of body panels which are difficult to manufacture as well as need more space in the inner side of the panels to enable human hand to enter the cavity provided. Furthermore, in case of externally provided protruding pillion handles, there arises a need to frequently replace the entire pillion handle assembly due to deflection and damage for reasons cited above and thus known solutions fail to fulfill the requirement. These known solutions call for frequent replacing/servicing of the vehicle including the pillion handle assembly.
[00011] Furthermore, generally, the pillion handle assembly comprises of three or more mounting provisions enabling the mounting of the pillion handle assembly on a vehicle frame assembly at the rear end of the vehicle. The pillion handle assembly is attached to the vehicle frame assembly through a number of fasteners. Generally, in a vehicle assembled condition, a LH side panel, a RH side panel, LH side panel bracket, and RH side panel bracket are disposed in between the pillion handle assembly and the frame mounting brackets. During servicing of the vehicle, particularly to service LH side panel and RH side panel calls for a need to removal of the pillion handle assembly. The removal of pillion handle becomes a tedious job as the process of removal involves removing of more number of fasteners. The concerns that follow the tedious process include increase in service and assembly time after carrying out service of the vehicular parts. Further, the tedious process causes fatigue to the service person. Further, a number of fasteners require more storage space on the vehicle layout. Finally, leads to vehicle layout concerns and poor design flexibility.
[00012] Furthermore, the pillion handle assembly appears to come from inside a pillion seat creating undesired gap between the side panels and a seat assembly.

The undesired non-uniform gap between the seat assembly and the side panels allow dust entry, entry of mud and water particles.
[00013] However, there also exists a known art of providing a strap on a pillion seat as referred above. The strap on the pillion seat also fails to provide sufficient support to the pillion rider as the length of the pillion seat is not enough for the person to easily access the seat strap, hold the seat strap and as well be seated on the pillion seat. Instead, most of the times, the pillion rider is found seated on the seat strap itself.
[00014] The above said problem can be overcome by providing a new pillion handle assembly as proposed in the present invention. The features and advantages of which are described below.
[00015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a tubular pillion handle assembly is assembled to a frame assembly including a bottom tail cover and a rear fender sandwiched therebetween. The pillion handle assembly is fixedly attached to a pillion handle bracket and is detachably attached to a rear fender bracket, a rear fender, and a bottom tail cover.
[00016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pillion handle assembly appears to be extending outwardly from a bottom portion of the rear fender and not from the side panels. Therefore the pillion handle assembly mountings do not create any undesired non-uniform gap therebetween. Therefore, entry of mud, dust, and rain water is prevented. Such tubular or substantially circular cross section outwardly extending pillion handle with attachment from the underside of the seat provides tremendous number of advantages in terms of ergonomic design flexibility to conform to the human hand requirements, which is comfortably disposed for ease of access to human hand without need to stretch out laterally to reach out to the handle as well as ease of manufacturability in addition to ease and low cost of repair and maintenance. The rounded cross section of the pillion handle avoids excess holding stress on the human hand and makes it comfortable / ergonomic. Such a solution also provides the added advantage of being the first contact point of the vehicle in case of vehicle capsize / falling off

and thereby protects valuable & high cost body panels of the vehicle. Another important advantage of the proposed invention is the safety of the pillion occupant body parts including palm area, fingers, and leg portions which can get trapped between the vehicle body panels and the ground in the absence of such an outwardly projecting pillion handle. The freedom to design such a pillion handle with tubular structure also enables keeping the width of the vehicle to minimum and achieve better aesthetics. The invention also enables having a pillion handle which is detachable and can be implemented by the user based on his needs e.g. though in performance bikes, it is normally intended for the pillion to grab on to the rider for support, often at high speeds and maneuvers, the pillion rider may lack confidence unless a dedicated and robust pillion handle is available. The proposed pillion handle also enables freedom of design of the vehicle body panels as no panel member needs to have any profile or shape conforming to the disposition of the pillion handle and thus providing higher design flexibility. In an alternate embodiment, it is possible to have the body panels to have depression or profile conforming to the contour of the pillion handles with adequate gap to allow for working compliance of the pillion handle.
[00017] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail in conjunction with the figures in the following description.
[00018] Fig. 1 illustrates a side view of a two-wheeled vehicle, for example, a motorcycle according to an embodiment. The motorcycle 100 according to an embodiment includes a front wheel 104 steered by a handlebar 108 and a rear wheel 105 supported by a swing arm 113. Steering assembly parts including the handlebar 108 and the front wheel 104 are supported for pivotal steering operation on a head pipe at the front end of the vehicle body frame 102. The vehicle body frame 102 also includes a rear body frame 103. A rider seat 109 for a rider and a seat for a pillion rider 110 are placed rearward to a fuel tank 116. An engine assembly 101 is disposed below the fuel tank 116. A front fender 115 is provided ■ above the front wheel 104 to avoid the said motorcycle 100 and its occupants

from being splashed with mud. Likewise, a rear fender 114 is placed above the rear wheel 105, and to the outer side in the radial direction of rear wheel 105. The rear fender 114 inhibits rainwater or the like from being thrown up by rear wheel 105.
[00019] The swing arm 113 along with a rear suspension assembly 107 is supported at a rear portion thereof for pivotal motion and upward and downward rocking motion on the rear side of a lower portion of the vehicle body frame 102. A front suspension assembly 106 including a pair of front forks for providing better ride comfort to the rider is provided in two-wheeled motorcycle 100. In general terms, the shock absorbers help cushion vehicles on uneven roads. In the two-wheeled motorcycle, shock absorbers reduce the effect of travelling over rough ground, leading to improved ride quality and vehicle handling. The motorcycle 100 further comprises of a headlamp 111, a tail lamp assembly 112 and at least two turn signal lamps.
[00020] Fig. 2 illustrates a right side view of a rear portion of the motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. A pillion handle assembly 201 is assembled underneath the pillion seat 110 and below the rear fender 114. The mountings for mounting the pillion handle assembly 201 to the rear fender 114 are completely disposed underneath the pillion seat 110. Furthermore, the pillion handle assembly 201 does not create any non-uniform gap around the mounting portions, due to elimination of mounting of the pillion handle assembly 201 in between the seat assembly and the side panels of the motorcycle.
[00021] Fig. 3 illustrates a bottom view of a tail cover assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. The tail cover assembly 200 includes a pair of side covers 200a, 200b configured to cover a right side and a left side of the vehicle rear, further, the pair of side covers 200a, 200b also cover a pair of rear frames (not shown) of the vehicle body frame. Furthermore, the pillion handle assembly 201 is disposed beneath the pair of side covers 200a, 200b such that the pillion handle assembly 201 is disposed substantially away from the pair of side covers 200a, 200b. The deformation that may occur due to closely disposed

pillion handle assembly with the pair of side covers 200a, 200b is efficiently prevented here. Any handling of the pillion handle assembly 201 does not affect the pair of side covers 200a, 200b. The pillion handle assembly 201 includes one or more mountings (not shown) that is disposed underneath the tail cover assembly 200 and a portion of the vehicle body frame (now shown). Further, the one or more mountings (not shown) used to attach the pillion handle assembly 201 is also protected effectively by the rear fender 114.
[00022] According to another embodiment of the present invention, at least one pillion handle assembly 201 includes a gripping portion 201g detachable attached to a pillion handle bracket (not shown). The gripping portion 201g includes a substantially circular cross-section. The circular cross-section provides required strength to the gripping portion 201g preventing any deformation that may be caused during vehicle handling conditions by the user. Furthermore, the at least one pillion handle assembly 201 is each disposed on a right side and a left side of the motorcycle, so that the user can access the at least one pillion handle 201 either on the right side or on the left side of the motorcycle, however the user is comfortable, as it is disposed on both the sides of the motorcycle. Furthermore, the gripping portion 201g is extending beyond the pair of side covers 200a, 200b along a vehicle lateral direction JK, so that the hand of the user, whenever accessing the pillion handle assembly 201 does not interfere with the pair of side covers 200a, 200b and also, the user does not have to bend to have a look at the correct position of the pillion handle assembly 201. The user can blindly just extend his arms towards the pillion handle assembly 201 and quickly grab the' pillion handle assembly 201 without any hindrance.
[00023] Fig. 4 illustrates an exploded view of the tail cover assembly, the rear fender and the pillion handle assembly. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pillion handle assembly 201 is mounted to a frame bracket 204 being an integral part of the rear body frame 103. Further, the rear fender 114 is mounted to a rear fender bracket 202. The rear fender bracket 202, the frame bracket 204, and pillion handle bracket 201a are disposed along a single bracket

axis PQ. Therefore, the rear fender 114 is sandwiched between the frame bracket 204 and the rear fender bracket 202. However, the sandwich mounting between the rear fender bracket 202, the rear fender 114, the frame bracket 204 and the pillion handle assembly 201 is achieved through one or more fastening members 202m. Therefore, just by accessing the one or more fastening members 202m, the servicing of the pillion handle assembly 201 and the rear fender 114 is achieved easily.
[00024] Furthermore, the removal and replacement of the deformed or damaged pillion handle assembly 201 also is easier due to involvement of reduced number of one or more fastening members 202m. In particular, the one or more fastening members 202m are effectively protected by a lower rear fender 114a, hence, the one or more fastening members 202m and the portion of attachment of the pillion handle assembly 201 is protected from splashing of mud, rain water and other dust particles during vehicle running condition. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the one or more fastening members 202m are one or more bolting members.
[00025] Furthermore, the lower rear fender 114a is completely juxtaposed with a pillion handle bracket 201a when viewed from a vehicle bottom view. The pillion handle bracket 201a is configured to receive the pillion handle assembly 201. Hence, during vehicle running condition, any of the rain water, dust, mud, sharp stones and other objects from the road is prevented from hitting and reaching the pillion handle bracket 201a by the lower rear fender 114a. Therefore, the pillion handle bracket 201a becomes more durable and reliable due to the protection provided.
[00026] Fig 5 illustrates an exploded view of a pillion handle assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. The pillion handle assembly 201 includes one end 201c being bent to form a curved portion to form a *U' shaped bend enabling gripping to the user's hand while sitting on the vehicle and vehicle getting out of the vehicle. Further, a pillion handle gripping member 201g is disposed at a proximity to the seat assembly (not shown). So that, the person

riding pillion can easily and quickly grab the pillion handle gripping member 201g whenever required. The 'U' shaped bend being the pillion handle gripping member 201g is a rigid member fixedly attached to a pillion handle bracket 201a. Further, another end of the pillion handle assembly 201 includes a pillion handle bracket 201a fixedly attached, for example welded to another end of the pillion handle assembly 201. The pillion handle bracket 201a also includes one or more mounting members 201m welded to the pillion handle bracket 201a. These one or more mounting members 201m provide rigid attachment of the pillion handle assembly 201 with the frame bracket (not shown) through the one or more mounting members 201m (not shown). The rigid attachment of the one or more mounting members 201m on the pillion handle bracket 201a prevents the pillion handle assembly 201 from loosening out of the mounting portion. Thereby, providing a reliable functioning of the pillion handle assembly 201. Furthermore, the one or more mounting members 201m are configured to receive the one or more mounting members 201m.
[00027] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pillion handle bracket 201a has a 'IT shaped cross-section. Another end 201b of a rod portion of the pillion handle assembly 201 is fixedly attached within the 'U' shaped cross-section.
[00028] According to the proposed invention, the one or more mounting members 201m being welded to the pillion handle bracket 201a provide a reliable handling to the vehicle. The above said statement can be understood through the following example: For example, the pillion handle gripping member 201g being a structural member is always being held by the pillion rider during riding pillion, wherein his/her entire strength is being imposed on the pillion handle assembly 20l, further, the pillion handle assembly is used by the user of the vehicle to put the vehicle in a proper space during parking of the vehicle in a parking lot. In this case, the entire weight of the vehicle is handled by the user solely through the pillion handle assembly 201. In these particular cases, the pillion handle assembly should not undergo any deflection/ displacement with respect to the pillion handle

bracket 201a. The fixedly attached one or more mounting members 201m enables such a reliable functioning of the pillion handle assembly 201. For example, the one or more mounting members 201m are one or more nuts.
[00029] Fig. 6 illustrates a bottom perspective view of a rear portion of the vehicle body frame assembly. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle body frame 102 includes a pair of rear frames 102a, 102b extending rearwardly towards a vehicle rear. The pair of rear frames 102a, 102b is attached through a cross-member 203 at a rearmost end of the vehicle. The cross member 203 is configured to support the pillion seat (not shown). A bottom surface 203b of the cross-member 203 is capable of supporting an attachment of the pillion handle bracket 201a configured to rigidly support the pillion handle gripping member 201g of the pillion handle assembly 201. Therefore, the pillion handle assembly 201 is assembled directly on to the frame assembly 102 and attachment beneath the side covers is prevented. Further, the pillion handle assembly 201 does not have any contact with the side covers, because of which the stress experienced by the pillion handle 201 while handling the vehicle is not transferred to the side covers, hence, the side covers remain aesthetically unaffected even in case of working compliance and deformation of the pillion handle.
[00030] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pillion handle assembly 201 is made of a material selected from the group of metals including steel, cast iron, aluminium alloy and the like.
[00031] Although the subject matter has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the subject matter, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the subject matter. It is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present subject matter as defined.

We claim:
1. A motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof, said
motorcycle (100) comprising:
a vehicle body frame (102) including at least one pair of rear frames (102a, 102b) extending rearwardly towards a vehicle rear;
a seat assembly (109, 110) supported by said at least one pair of rear frames (102a, 102b);
a pair of side covers (200a, 200b) disposed beneath said seat assembly (109,110), said pair of side covers (200a, 200b) conceal at least a portion of said pair of rear frames (102a, 102b);
a rear fender (114) disposed underneath said seat assembly (109, 110); and
a cross-member (203) disposed perpendicularly to and between said pair of rear frames (102a, 102b),
wherein, said cross-member (203) comprises a bottom surface (203b) including a pillion handle bracket (201a) configured to rigidly support a pillion handle gripping member (201g).
2. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pillion handle bracket (210a) includes one or more mounting members (201m) fixedly attached thereto, said one or more mounting members (201m) are configured to receive one or more fastening members (202m) through a rear fender bracket (202).
3. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear fender (114) is supported by a frame bracket (204) attached to said vehicle body frame (102), said rear fender (114) and said frame bracket (204) are sandwich mounted between said pillion handle bracket (201a) and said rear fender bracket (202).
4. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rear fender (114) includes a lower rear fender (114a) juxtaposed completely with the pillion handle bracket (201a) of the pillion handle assembly (201) when viewed from a vehicle rear direction.
5. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of side covers (200a, 200b) is disposed away from said pillion handle assembly (201).
6. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pillion handle bracket (201a) includes a

*U' shaped cross-section configured to receive another end (201b) of said pillion handle assembly (201).
7. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pillion handle assembly (201) is made of a material selected from the group of metals including steel, cast iron, aluminium alloy and the like.
8. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pillion handle gripping member (201g) is bent at one end (201c), said pillion handle gripping member (201g) is at a proximity to said seat assembly (109,110).
9. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more mounting members (201m) are one or more nuts fixedly attached to said pillion handle bracket (201a).
10. The motorcycle (100) and a pillion handle assembly (201) thereof as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said rear fender bracket (202), said frame bracket (204), and said pillion handle bracket (201a) are disposed along a bracket axis (PQ) such that said rear fender bracket (202), said frame bracket (204), and said pillion handle bracket (201a) each are configured to receive said one or more fastening members (202m).
11. At least one pillion handle assembly (201) for a motorcycle (100), said at least one pillion handle assembly (201) comprising:
a gripping member (201g) detachably attached to a pillion handle bracket (201a), said gripping member (201g) includes a substantially circular cross-section.
12. The at least one pillion handle assembly (201) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said at least one pillion handle assembly (201) is each disposed on a right side and a left side of said motorcycle (100).
13. The at least one pillion handle assembly (201) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said gripping member (201g) is substantially extending beyond a pair of side covers (200a, 200b) of the motorcycle (100) along a vehicle lateral axis (JK).