FRONT COVER ASSEMBLY FOR A SADDLE TYPE VEHICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a front cover for a saddle
type vehicle, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a front cover assembly for a saddle type vehicle with a swinging power unit.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A saddle type vehicle with a swinging power unit is provided with
a front cover and a rear cover which conceal the members of the front frame of the vehicle. Conventionally, various components like beeper, wiring harness, vehicle lock are suspended within the space provided between the front cover and the rear cover. Hence, it is difficult to access these components and service them properly without completely removing the front cover. For example, the front cover has to be disassembled frequently for servicing the upper ball race of the steering tube. The upper ball race requires frequent servicing due to rusting caused due to water entry in the see through gap between the front cover and the front headlamp unit during rain. The upper ball race may also catch rust during complete vehicle wash during servicing the vehicle. Similarly, for servicing the beeper device, the front licence number plate mounted on the frame has to be separately removed before disassembling the front cover. Further, the front turn signal lamps housed behind the front cover cannot be accessed without completely removing the front cover. Thus, there are several serviceability and component accessibility issues

associated with the conventional front cover construction of such saddle type vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to make the front
cover more service friendly with respect to the components disposed behind the front cover without compromising its functionality and aesthetic potential of the vehicle. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a front cover providing better accessibility for the components disposed behind the front cover.
[0004] To this end, the present invention discloses a saddle type vehicle
with swinging power unit comprising a tripartite front cover assembly having an upper cover member disposed at an upper portion, an intermediate cover member disposed at a middle portion and a lower cover member disposed at a lower portion of the front cover assembly. The upper cover member, the intermediate cover member and the lower cover member are individual components detachably connected with each other and assembled together to form the front cover assembly. The upper cover member further comprises of a rearwardly protruding flange partially covering an upper ball race of a steering tube. The intermediate cover member includes a license plate mounting bracket supporting a licence plate, and the lower cover member comprises of a plurality of partitioned windows configured to receive a human hand.
[0005] The foregoing objectives and summary is provided to introduce a
selection of concepts in a simplified form, and is not limiting. To fully appreciate

these and other objects of the present subject matter as well as the subject matter itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the ensuing detailed description of the subject matter and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] 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:
[0007] FIG. 1 shows a side elevational view of a two wheeled vehicle.
[0008] FIG. 2 shows a side elevational view of the vehicle with the frame
assembly.
[0009] FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of a front cover assembly
supported on the vehicle.
[00010] FIG. 4 shows a rear perspective view of an upper cover member of
the front cover assembly.
[00011] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the vehicle with the assembled upper
cover member.
[00012] FIG. 6 illustrates an inner suface of an intermediate cover member
of the front cover assembly.
[00013] FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the intermediate cover member
showing the mounting of a license number plate on the intermediate cover
member.

[00014] FIG. 8 shows a front view of a lower cover member of the front
cover assembly.
[00015] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the lower cover member.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[00016] The present invention relates to a front cover assembly for a saddle
type vehicle with a swinging power unit which is exemplified with a two wheeled scooter type motorcycle for better illustration. It is to be noted that "front" and "rear", and "left" and "right" referred to in the ensuing description of the illustrated embodiment refer to front and rear, and left and right directions as seen in a state of being seated on a seat of the scooter type motorcycle. Furthermore, a longitudinal axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers to a front to rear axis relative to the said motorcycle, while a lateral axis, except otherwise mentioned, refers generally to a side to side, or left to right axis relative to the said motorcycle. Various other features and embodiments of the present subject matter here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. The detailed explanation of the constitution of parts other than the subject matter which constitutes an essential part has been omitted at suitable places.
[00017] FIG. 1 shows a side elevation view of the scooter type motorcycle
(hereinafter 'motorcycle'). The motorcycle 1 includes a frame assembly made up of several tubes welded together supporting the body of said motorcycle. A lower half of the front portion of the motorcycle 1 has a steerable front wheel 2 and a driven rear wheel 4 driven by driving force generated by a power unit 14. The front wheel 2 of the motorcycle 1 is axially supported at a lower end of a front

fork 3, and the front fork 3 is pivoted in a steerable manner in a head pipe 43 (FIG. 2) of the motorcycle frame.
[00018] The upper half of the front portion of the motorcycle 1 comprises
of a handle bar 7 attached to an upper end of the head pipe 43. The handle bar 7 and a seat 12 are supported at opposing ends of the frame assembly and a generally open area is defined there between known as floorboard 9 which functions as a step through space. The seat 12 for a driver and a pillion is placed forward to a fuel tank and rearwardly of the floorboard 9. A utility box (not shown) is provided below the seat 12 for storing useful articles. A side trim member 13 laterally beneath the floorboard 9 is provided to cover the lower frame members from being visible. The side trim member 13 is laterally present on both sides of the motorcycle; however, only one is visible in the side view. A side stand fixed to the left side of the frame supports the motorcycle such that motorcycle can incline to the left side without falling.
[00019] In the said motorcycle, the power unit 14 is configured to drive,
and is swingably supported on, the rear wheel 4. The power unit 14 is integrally formed with a forwardly inclined engine and a transmission system, and the rear wheel 4 is connected to a drive shaft at the rear of the power unit 14. In an embodiment of the present invention, the engine is a four stroke single cylinder internal combustion engine.
[00020] FIG. 2 shows a side elevational view of the vehicle 1 with the
frame assembly. The frame assembly of the vehicle 1 is an elongated structure, which typically extends from a forward end to a rearward end of the vehicle. It is

generally convex in shape, as viewed from a side elevational view. The vehicle frame is comprised of a downpipe 44 extending downwards from the head pipe 43, a lower pipe 45 supporting the low-slung floorboard 9 extending rearwards from a lower end of the downpipe 44, and a rear pipe 46 formed by curving a rear end section of the lower pipe 45 diagonally upwards. The rear pipe 46 is made of an inclined section extending diagonally upwards from a rear end of the lower pipe 45, and a horizontal section extending rearwards substantially horizontally from the inclined section. A steering tube is disposed partially inside the head pipe 43 and rotatably connected to it through an upper ball race assembly. The upper ball race assembly comprises of an upper ball race 42. The steering tube is manoeuvrable and manually controlled by a vehicle rider through the handlebar 7. In the description, the term 'head pipe' and 'steering tube' has been used interchangeably. Therefore at places, steering tube is referred by the numeral 43. A lubricant, e.g. grease, is generally applied within the upper ball race assembly to keep it lubricated to rotate swiftly around the head tube.
[00021] As further shown in FIG. lr the vehicle frame assembly is covered
by a plurality of motorcycle body covers including a front cover assembly 16, a rear cover 8, an under seat cover 13, a left side cover 6, a right side cover and a bottom cover 12. The right side cover is symmetrical to the left side cover and hence not shown. The rear cover 8 acts as a leg shield. A see through gap 47 is visible between the front cover assembly 16 and the headlamp unit 5 when seen from the front perspective view of the vehicle. The front cover assembly 16 covers the head pipe 43 and comprises of a plurality of cover members detachably

connected to each other. In a preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the front cover assembly 16 has a tripartite construction where the cover members include an upper cover member 17, an intermediate cover member 25 and a lower cover member 35. The cover members are individual components and removably connected to each other to develop into the complete front cover assembly.
[00022] The respective constituents of the front cover assembly 16 are now
described. FIG. 4 shows a rear perspective view of the upper cover member 17 disposed towards an upper portion of the front cover assembly. The upper cove member 17 is inclinedly disposed with respect to the steering tube 43 and comprises of a broader upper portion 19 and a narrow lower portion. The upper cove member 17 further comprises of an inner surface 18 facing the outer circumferential surface of the steering tube 43, and a flange 20 protruding rearwardly and formed integrally with the inner surface 18 of the upper cover member 17 facing the steering tube 43. Adequate space or clearance is maintained between said flange 20 and the outer circumferential surface of the steering tube 43 so that the flange 20 does not interfere during the turning of the steering tube 43.
[00023] According to an aspect of the front cover assembly, the flange 20 is
protrudes in a rear direction from the upper portion 19 of the upper cover member 17. Preferably, the flange 20 is located upwardly of the upper ball race 42. Thus, the flange 20 partially covers the upper ball race 42 of the steering tube 43 from the top direction as shown in FIG. 5 and effectively covers the see through gap 47 between the front cover assembly 16 and the headlamp unit 5 when seen from the

front perspective view of the vehicle. The flange 20 avoids the water entry towards the upper ball race 42 during rain or vehicle wash from the top direction. Also, by partially covering the upper ball race 42 from the front to rear direction, the protruding flange 20 helps in retaining the lubricants that are applied on the upper ball race 42 of the steering tube 43. Orientation wise, the flange 20 is preferably parallel to the ground in an embodiment. However, in another embodiment, the flange 20 is inclined to effectively drain the water through its edges. Further, by substantially closing the see through gap 47, the flange 20 prevents the components between the front cover assembly 16 and the rear cover 8 from being seen by an onlooker. In this way, the aesthetic potential of the vehicle is also improved. The upper cover member 17 is inclinedly disposed with respect to the steering tube 43. Therefore, by providing the flange 20 near the upper portion 19, the length of the flange 20 needed to cover the upper ball race 42 is minimized.
[00024] Conventionally, the upper ball race 42 cannot be serviced without
removing the front cover. However, in said front cover assembly 16 due to the presence of the flange 20, the water entry towards the upper ball race is prevented and therefore frequent servicing of upper ball race 42 of the steering tube is avoided. Consequently, the need for frequent disassembling of the front cover assembly 16 reduces.
[00025] FIG. 6 shows the inner surface of the intermediate cover member
25. The intermediate cover member 25 is provided at the middle portion of the front cover assembly and is disposed between the upper cover member 17 and the

lower cover member 35. The intermediate cover member 25 at its upper portion has a receiving groove 26 to accommodate the upper cover member 17. The contour of the receiving groove 26 corresponds to that of the lower portion of the upper cover member 17. The intermediate cover member 25 is also provided with turn signal grooves 27a, 27b on both sides to contour corresponding turn signals in the lower cover member 35. The inner surface of the intermediate cover member 25 facing the headpipe 43 comprises a plurality of progressive snaps 29 through which the intermediate cover member 25 is locked onto the lower cover member 35 in one assembly operation thus reducing the number of fasteners for connection and also decreasing the assembly time.
[00026] The intermediate cover member 25 directly mounts a licence
number plate 34 which is shown in FIG- 7. For this purpose, a spacer 31 and one or more licence number plate mounting brackets 32 protruding forwardly from the intermediate cover member are provided. In an embodiment, at least two laterally spaced number plate mounting brackets 32 are supported on the intermediate cover member 25. Each number plate mounting bracket 32 is a cylindrical structure and includes metal inserts. The spacer 31 is mechanically connected to each number plate mounting bracket 32 on its lateral ends and also secured to them through fasteners 33. Each fastener 33 passes through a first recess(es) 31b provided in the lower portion of the spacer 31 and is received in the metal insert provided in the number plate mounting bracket 32. In an embodiment, the spacer 31 is welded to the number plate mounting brackets 32 thus making the spacer 31 and the one or more number plate mounting brackets 32 as one subassembly. Int

his subassembly, the spacer 31 is disposed just forwardly of the number plate mounting brackets 32.
[00027] The spacer 31 is further provided with a second recess 31a at each
lateral upper edgeportion behind which a nut is welded. The license number plate 34 is secured to the spacer 31 through the fasteners which are received in the second recess(es) 31a and tightened against the nut(s). Thus, the license number plate 34 is directly mounted on the spacer 31 and supported on the intermediate cover member 25. The license number plate 34 and intermediate cover member 25 thus form a sub assembly and can be disassembled together to service a beeper provided behind the front cover assembly 16. This removes additional processes involved in beeper serviceability as the license number plate 34 in the present invention is directly mounted on, and removable with, the intermediate cover member 25 rather than the head pipe conventionally.
[00028] FIG. 8 shows a front view of the lower cover member 35 which is
disposed below the intermediate cover member 25 at a lower portion of the front cover assembly 16. The lower cover member 35 comprises a plurality of partitioned windows configured to receive a human hand for the accessibility of turn signal lamps. According to an embodiment, at least two windows 36a, 36b are provided to allow a mechanic to access each of the turn signal lamps on each side of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the window 36a is provided toward a left side of the lower cover member 35 and the window 36b is provided toward a right side of the lower cover member 35. The windows 36a, 36b have an approximately vertically oriented partition plate 37 between them and are supported on the upper

side through a strengthening plate 38. The strengthening plate 38 supports the lower cover member 35 on the head pipe 43 through a metal bracket protruding forwardly from the head pipe. As shown by arrow in FIG. 9, a mechanic in the service centre can quickly access the turn signal lamp 40 from inside the respective window 36b by removing the intermediate cover member 25. Thus, the entire front cover assembly 16 need not be dismantled. The dimensions of the windows are such that it is easily capable to receive a human hand.
[00029] The present subject matter is thus described. The description is not
intended to be exhaustive nor is it intended to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified in light of the above description. The embodiments described are chosen to provide an illustration of principles of the invention and its practical application to enable thereby one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. Therefore the forgoing description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that described in the appended claims.

We claim:
1. A saddle type vehicle (1) having a tripartite front cover assembly (16)
comprising an upper cover member (17) disposed at an upper portion,
an intermediate cover member (25) disposed at a middle portion, and a
lower cover member (35) disposed at a lower portion, the covers being
individual components and detachably connected with each other,
wherein,
the upper cover member (17) comprises a rearwardly protruding flange (20) partially covering the upper ball race (42) of a steering tube (43);
the intermediate cover member (25) supporting a license plate (34) through one or more licence number plate mounting brackets (32) and a spacer (31); and,
the lower cover member (35) comprises a plurality of partitioned windows (36a, 36b) configured to receive a human hand.
2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protruding flange (20) of the upper cover member (17) is formed integrally with an inner surface (18) of the upper cover member.
3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the protruding flange is disposed in an upper portion (19) of the upper cover member (17) and located upwardly of the upper ball race (42).

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper cover member (17), the intermediate cover member (25) and the lower cover member (35) are made of plastic resin or metal alloy.
5. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the saddle type vehicle is powered by a swinging power unit.