TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present subject matter relates generally to a step through type two-wheeled vehicle. More particularly but not exclusively, the present subject matter relates to a frame structure for a two-wheeled vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Typically, vehicle layout design for a scooter features a step-through frame and a defined space to accommodate a flat surface called as a floorboard for disposing the rider's feet. Further, the scooter features bodywork, including a front leg shield and body that conceals all or most of the mechanisms. Since, most of the parts in the scooter are concealed by the body, the body parts are to be designed such that optimum utilization of space in the scooter is achieved. Generally, in a conventional two-wheeled vehicle, an under seat space is occupied by various vehicular components including an engine assembly, a storage compartment and other electrical components including a TCI unit. Further, a fuel tank is located below the seat assembly. The fuel tank is placed above an engine area adjacent to the storage compartment situated below the seat assembly. The storage compartment is provided for the convenience of the rider. The rider to place helmet and any other articles to meet the requirements of the rider may use the storage compartment. Further, the under seat space can be utilized by for packaging of various other vehicular components. The storage compartment to a part of a vehicle frame assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0004] Fig. 1 shows a side view of a body frame structure for a two-wheeled vehicle with parts laid thereon.
[0005] Fig. 2(a) shows a right rare perspective view of the fuel tank supporting structure mounted to a head tube of the two-wheeled vehicle body frame structure.
[0006] Fig. 2(b) shows a rare perspective view of the two-wheeled vehicle employing the present invention.
[0007] Fig. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of a step-through type two-wheeled vehicle.
[0008] Fig. 4 shows a detailed view of the fuel tank supporting structure.
[0009] Fig. 5(a) shows a rare perspective view of the at least one crash resistant structure according to an embodiment.
[00010] Fig. 5(b) shows a side perspective view of the at least one crash resistant structure according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[00011] The conventional two-wheeler having a storage compartment disposed below the seat assembly is subject to space constraints due to the fuel tank situated adjacently. Further, the area surrounding an engine assembly is subject to

enormous amount of heat generated during operation of the engine. The heat generated by the engine affects the normal functioning parts that are situated in the surrounding area. Thereby, reducing the efficiently of the various vehicular parts disposed in the surrounding areas to the engine assembly. Further, the fuel tank disposed near to the engine assembly is subject to the heat emitted due to the engine operation. The heat emitted due to the engine operation passes on to the fuel tank surface leading to increased evaporation of the fuel inside the fuel tank. The fuel vapors escape into the atmosphere leading to increased pollution in the atmosphere. Hence, in a conventional two-wheeler, the space in the utility box is restricted and the rider may be subject to discomfort if his/her requirements are not met. The fuel tank situated in the engine area is subject to heat generated due to the engine operation, leading to increased evaporation of fuel in the fuel tank. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to prevent escaping of the fuel vapors into the atmosphere due to excessive heating up of the fuel tank.
[00012] It is therefore an objective of the present invention to prevent the evaporative fuel vapors from escaping into the atmosphere. It is another objective of the present invention to increase the space of the utility box disposed under the seat assembly. The proposed invention can be understood in detail by the following description and the accompanying figures.
[00013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the under seat space is increased by displacing the fuel tank from the under seat space. The fuel tank is disposed at a vehicle front end and is supported by the head tube. The fuel tank is disposed above the front fender assembly and below the handlebar

assembly at the vehicle front. Further, the fuel tank assembly is protected by a fuel tank supporting structure.
[00014] The fuel tank disposed at a vehicle front end is often subject to damages that may occur due to road accidents including head-on collision, encounter with other vehicle while riding the vehicle. The previously mentioned instances may lead to damage of the fuel tank disposed at the vehicle front end. In order to protect the fuel tank from being damaged, a fuel tank supporting structure is disposed around the fuel tank. The fuel tank supporting structure includes at least one crash resistant structure capable of covering at least a portion of the fuel tank. The at least one crash resistant structure is supported by a base member attached at a front portion of the head tube. The at least one crash resistant structure is disposed on the head tube such that, the at least one crash resistant structure lies forwardly to the head tube. The fuel tank supporting structure is capable of retaining the fuel tank therewithin. Hence, the fuel tank disposed at the vehicle front is protected from damages occurring due to external impacts.
[00015] Furthermore, according to an embodiment, a front portion of the at least one crash resistant structure includes one or more provisions to facilitate mounting of the front panel of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[00016] Further, during vehicle riding/ vehicle idling condition, the fuel tank enclosed within the fuel tank supporting structure is subject to vibrations resulting in poor durability of the fuel tank. The vibrations lead to friction between the contact point of the fuel tank and the at least one crash resistant structure. Therefore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, plurality of

padding elements are disposed at the various contact points in between the fuel tank and the at least one crash resistant structure. The padding elements absorb any vibrations generated and prevent the vibrations from being transmitted to the fuel tank. Hence, the durability of the fuel tank is preserved
[00017] Further, according to another embodiment, a canister unit to collect the fuel vapors escaping out of the fuel tank is coupled to the fuel tank. The at least one crash resistant structure covers at least a portion of the canister unit. Hence, the canister unit is protected from damages occurring due to external impacts.
[00018] Further, the fuel tank includes a hose assembly to facilitate easy routing of the fuel hose for the flow of fuel to the engine assembly disposed under seat. A hose assembly is attached to the fuel tank. The hose assembly includes a first hose, a second hose, and a third hose attached to a T-joint of the hose assembly.
[00019] Further, the fuel tank disposed in the fuel tank supporting structure is configured to include a fuel tank cap facing the rider to facilitate easy fill of the fuel into the fuel tank.
[00020] Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment, the fuel tank supporting structure including the at least one crash resistant structure is capable of retaining a roll over valve therewithin.
[00021] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail in conjunction with the figures in the following description.

[00022] Fig. 1 illustrates a frame structure for a two-wheeled vehicle. The two-wheeled vehicle, for example, a step-through vehicle, comprises of a vehicle frame assembly 107. The vehicle frame assembly 107 is provided with a head tube 115 in a forefront portion thereof, a main tube 120 extending rearwardly inclined from the head tube in a vehicle longitudinal direction and is constituted by a down tube 117 extending from a rear lower portion of the head tube 115 towards a rear downward portion and extending in a substantially horizontal direction towards a rear portion from an intermediate portion thereof, and a pair of right and left rear frames 116 extending towards a rear upper portion from a rear end side of the down tube 117. A base member 119 is provided in the vehicle frame assembly 107 for mounting of a crash resistant structure. The base member 119 is welded/or the like to the vehicle frame assembly 107. An engine assembly 114 is arranged in a substantially central lower portion of the pair of right and left rear frames 116. The engine assembly 114 is integrally provided with an engine main body 114a and a transmitting case 114b rearward extending from a left side
toward one side of the engine main body 114a, that is, a forward moving direction
>
of the vehicle in the present embodiment. The transmission case 114b commonly serves as a swing arm. A rear wheel 110 as a driving wheel is pivoted to a rear end of the transmission case 114b. An air cleaner 113 is provided for sucking the external air to make it clean before letting it inside the engine assembly 114. A handle unit 111 is disposed at the rear end of the two-wheeler type vehicle for the convenience of the pillion. A front fork 108 rotatably supporting a front wheel 109, a handle bar 103 and the like are provided in the head tube 115. The front

wheel 109 is rotatably steered to right and left by the handle bar 103. A front fender 106 is disposed above the front wheel 109. A fuel tank supporting structure 101 is disposed above the front fender 106 and mounted to the head tube 115. The fuel tank assembly 101 includes a fuel tank cap 104. A fuel hose assembly 112 extending downwardly from the fuel tank supporting structure 101 and is connected to the engine assembly 114. A structure, for example, a bracket 118 is mounted on the vehicle frame assembly 107 for clamping the fuel hose assembly 112 to the vehicle frame assembly 107. The bracket 118 is provided to prevent the fuel hose assembly 112 from rubbing against the parts situated in the surrounding area and to provide uninterrupted fuel flow to the engine assembly 114.
[00023] Fig. 2(a) shows a right rear perspective view of the fuel tank supporting structure 101 according to an embodiment. The fuel tank supporting structure 101 is mounted to an anterior portion of the head tube 115 of the two wheeled vehicle frame assembly 107. At least one crash resistant structure 105 is designed to retain the fuel tank 201 of approximately equivalent size. The at least one crash resistant structure 105 encloses at least a portion of the fuel tank 201. A canister unit 102 is coupled to the fuel tank 201 of the fuel tank supporting structure 101. The canister unit 102 is placed parallel to the vertical axis of the fuel tank 201. The canister unit 102 is covered by at least a portion of the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The canister unit 102 can also be positioned in a horizontal plane. The placement of the canister unit 102 in a horizontal plane may limit the fuel tank 201 capacity. Hence, the placement of the canister unit 102 in the vertical axis is

most preferred. The invention as described above overcomes the disadvantages present in the conventional two-wheeled vehicle.
[00024] The at least one crash resistant structure 105, according to one of the embodiments, is designed such that the front portion of the two-wheeler vehicle does not appear bulky and the at least one crash resistant structure 105 is capable of easy mounting of a front panel. Further, the at least one crash resistant structure 105 is configured such that the fuel tank 201 is easily accommodated. Additionally, the at least one crash resistant structure 105 configured to provide the functionality of protecting the fuel tank 201 and the canister unit 102. However, the at least one crash resistant structure according to another embodiment can have any other structure that provides the functionality of protecting the fuel tank 201 and the other members of the fuel tank supporting structure 101.
[00025] Therefore, by mounting the at least one crash resistant structure 105 retaining fuel tank 201 to the anterior portion of the head tube 115, the fuel tank 201 is not subject to the heat generated during the operation of the engine assembly 114 as in the conventional two wheeler vehicles. The evaporation of the fuel from the fuel tank 201 can be reduced to a considerable amount by employing the present proposed invention. The present invention also provides reduced conversion of fuel in the fuel tank 201 into fuel vapors, thereby decreasing the escaping of fuel vapors into the atmosphere. Further, in order to prevent the fuel tank 201 from fatal damages that may occur due to, for example, head on collision or incidences that may occur due to poor vehicle handling, the fuel tank 201 is

protected by the at least one crash resistant structure 105 covering at least one portion of the fuel tank 201. In addition, the space of the utility box disposed under the seat assembly is increased substantially due to displacement of the fuel tank 201 from under the seat assembly. The requirements of the rider are met by increasing the space in the utility box making the rider more satisfied.
[00026] Further, according to an embodiment, referring to Fig. 2(b), the mounting of the fuel tank supporting structure 101 on the anterior portion of the head tube 115 decreases the connectivity length of the connecting means for example, wiring harness 203 between a fuel level indicator system 202 and the fuel tank 201. Further, the fuel tank 201 is designed to have a structure similar to that of the . at least one crash resistant structure 105. The similar structure of the fuel tank 201 saves the assembly time involved in the assembly of the fuel tank 201 into the at least one crash resistant structure 105.
[00027] Fig.3 illustrates a front perspective view of a step through type two-wheeled vehicle. The at least one crash resistant structure 105 includes one or more provision(s) 125 for mounting of the front panel at the front end of the vehicle. Hence, the fuel tank supporting structure 101 is disposed beneath the front panel. The fuel tank supporting structure 101 securely retains the fuel tank 201 therewithin providing necessary safety to the fuel tank 201.
[00028] Fig.4 shows an enlarged view of the fuel tank supporting structure 101 and the various components included in the fuel tank supporting structure 101 according to an embodiment. The fuel tank 201 is covered by the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The canister unit 102 is coupled to the fuel tank 201

and is covered by the at least one crash resistant structure 105. A roll over valve 401 is coupled to the fuel tank 201 and is fitted to the at least one crash resistant structure 105 such that the at least one crash resistant structure 105 provides protection to the roll over valve 401. The at least one crash resistant structure 105 protects the fuel tank 201 and the canister unit 102 of the fuel tank supporting
r
structure 101 from impacts that may occur due to colliding of the vehicle or impacts that may occur due to poor vehicle handling. The at least one crash resistant structure 105 includes the plurality of padding elements 301 interposed between the fuel tank 201 and the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The plurality of padding elements 301 provide necessary support to the fuel tank 201 and also provides proper positioning of the fuel tank 201 in the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The plurality of padding elements 301 also provide cushioning effect to the fuel tank 201 disposed detachably inside the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The fuel tank supporting structure 101 is mounted to a base member 119 provided on the vehicle frame assembly 107. The fuel tank supporting structure 101 includes a fuel tank 201 comprising of a fuel tank cap 104. The fuel tank cap 104 is disposed on the fuel tank 201 to face the rider and is easy to re-fuel the fuel tank 201 as per the requirement of the rider. The fuel tank supporting structure 101 includes a fuel hose assembly 112. The fuel hose assembly 112 comprises of a T-joint. A second hose 112b from the fuel tank 201 is connected to the engine assembly 114 to provide fuel to the engine assembly 114 through the T-joint. A second hose 112b from the canister unit 102 is connected to the T-joint. The fuel from the fuel tank 201 and the canister unit 102

gets collected at the T-joint and is collectively routed to the engine assembly 114 through a third hose 112c. The fuel hose assembly 112 comprising of a plurality of hoses including a first hose 112a, a second hose 112b, and a third hose 112c is disposed in the two-wheeler vehicle such that the hose assembly 112 is isolated i from the wiring harness 203. The isolation of the fiiel hose assembly 112 from the wiring harness 203 protects the plurality of hoses 112a, 112b, 112c carrying fuel from any hazards that may occur due to for example, short circuit in the wiring harness 203. Additionally, the isolation of the wiring harness 203 facilitates easy serviceability of the wiring harness 203 during occurrence of any fault in the
► wiring harness 203. A fuel pump module assembly 302 is mounted on a bottom
surface of the fuel tank.
[00029] In the conventional two wheeled vehicles, the fuel vapors collected in the canister unit are routed directly to the carburetor present in the engine assembly. For this purpose, a provision exclusively to receive the fuel from the canister unit
► has to provide in the carburetor. Whereas, in the proposed invention, the fuel
vapors collected by the canister unit 102 are sent to the carburetor disposed in the
engine assembly 114 via the hose assembly 112 unlike in the conventional two
wheeled vehicles.
[00030] Therefore, the present invention unlike in the conventional two wheeled
► vehicle, provides the flexibility of routing the fuel vapors collected in the canister
unit and the fuel from the fuel tank 201 collectively through the common third
hose 112c of the fuel hose assembly 112.

[00031] Fig. 5(a) shows a rare perspective view of the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The bottom portion of the at least one crash resistant structure 105 is provided with the base member 119 for mounting the at least one crash resistant structure 105 to the vehicle frame assembly 107 of the two wheeled vehicle. Referring to the figure it can be observed that the base member 119 acts as a base for seating of the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The base member 119 provides support to the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The base member 119 also acts as a protective member by preventing direct impact on the at least one crash resistant structure 105 retaining the fuel tank 201 in situations like, for example, failure of the front fork 108. The failure of the front fork 108 of the two wheeled vehicle may lead to crash landing of the at least one crash resistant structure 105 on the road. The base member 119 prevents direct impact if any on the crash resistant structure 105.
[00032] Fig. 5(b) shows a side perspective view of the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The at least one crash resistant structure 105 capable of retaining the fuel tank 201 provides protection to the fuel tank 201. The proper positioning of the fuel tank 201 in the at least one crash resistant structure 105 is ensured by a plurality of padding elements 301 provided in the at least one crash resistant structure 105. The plurality of padding elements 301 also acts as shock absorber and curtails the effect of any vibrations from reaching the fuel tank 201 that may occur due to vehicle operation. The plurality of padding elements 301 also provides cushioning effect to the fuel tank 201.

[00033] The at least one crash resistant structure 105 is capable of mounting a front panel of the two wheeled vehicle.
[00034] Although the subject matter has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, other embodiments are possible. It is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the features described herein. Rather, the features are disclosed as embodiments of the vehicle frame assembly 107 for a two-wheeled vehicle 1.

I/We claim:
1. A fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step-through type two-wheeled
vehicle (1), said fuel tank supporting structure (101) comprising:
a base member (119) attached to an anterior portion of a head tube
(115) situated at a front end of a vehicle frame assembly (107) of the
step-through type two-wheeled vehicle (1); and
at least one qrash resistant structure (105) securely enclosing at least
a portion of a fuel tank (201), said at least one crash resistant
structure (105) is supported by and extends above the base member
(119).
2. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step-through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel tank supporting structure (101) includes a canister unit (102) coupled to the fuel tank (201) and said canister unit (102) is enclosed by at least a portion of the at least one crash resistant structure (105).
3. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel tank (201) and the at least one crash resistant structure (105) comprises of a plurality of padding elements (301) interposed therebetween.
4. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim I, wherein said base member (119) is rigidly attached to the anterior portion of the head tube (115).
5. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type

two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one crash resistant structure (105) is capable of retaining a roll over valve (401).
6. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one crash resistant structure (105) is configured to include one or more provisions (125) to hold a front panel of the step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1), said front panel covers a front portion of the step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1).
7. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel tank (201) includes a hose assembly (112) extending downwardly from the fuel tank (201) and connecting to an engine assembly (114).
8. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 6, wherein said fuel hose assembly (112) includes a T-joint (112d) comprising.of a first hose (112a), a second hose (112b), and a third hose (112c).
9. The fuel tank supporting structure (101) for a step through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fuel tank (201) comprises of a fuel tank cap (104) configured to face the rider and to facilitate easy fill of the fuel.
10. A step-through type two-wheeled vehicle (1) comprising:

a front fork assembly (108) having a rotatable front wheel (109) at a lower position thereof and a handlebar assembly (103) at an upper position thereof;
a front fender assembly (106) disposed above the front wheel (109) and supported by the front fork assembly (108); and a head tube (115) at a front end of a vehicle frame assembly (117), said head tube (115) supports the front fork assembly (108); wherein,
a base member (119) supporting a fuel tank supporting structure (101) capable of retaining a fuel tank (201) therewithin is attached to an anterior portion of the head tube (115) situated below the handlebar assembly (103) and above the front fender assembly (106).