FRONT COWL STRUCTURE OF A SADDLE-RIDING TYPE VEHICLE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001]
vehicle.
The present invention relates to a cowl structure of a saddle-riding type
BAC:Kr.ROT.TND
[0002] Generally, headlight and the speedometer unit of a saddle-ride type vehicle
are mounted on a front cowl structure attached to a front portion of the vehicle. One such
structure is described in an Indian patent application IN250087. The patent application
IN250087 discloses a meter support structure for a saddle-riding type vehicle. The
support structure comprises a stay formed of a synthetic resin for supporting a meter unit
mounted on a front fork steerably supported by a head pipe at a front end of a motorcycle
body frame (F). A meter visor is formed wholly on the stay to cover the meter unit from
a front direction.
[0003] However, in the abovementioned structure, as the weight of the meter unit is
fully supported on the synthetic resin stay or the front cowl structure, there is a chance of
failure ofthe synthetic resin stay or the front cowl structure in case of heavy meter unit.
SUMMARY
[0004] A front cowl structure in a saddle-riding type vehicle is disclosed. In an
embodiment, the front cowl structure comprises a pair of front fork and a stay member.
The pair of front fork is rotatably connected to a head pipe of the saddle-riding type
vehicle through a lower bridge and an upper bridge. The stay member is coupled to the
upper bridge. The stay member comprises a plate like member extending frontwardly in
substantially longitudinal direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle. The plate like
member is adapted to support a console unit of the saddle-riding type vehicle.
[0005] In an embodiment, the front cowl structure further comprises an inner panel.
The inner panel comprises an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the
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inner panel is adapted to be mounted to the plate like member of the stay member and the
lower portion of the inner panel is adapted to be mounted to the lower bridge.
[0006] In an embodiment, the front cowl structure further comprises a visor and a
windscreen. The visor is adapted to be mounted to a front portion of the inner panel. The
windscreen is adapted to be removably mounted to the visor and is partially overlapping
with the visor.
[0007] · In an embodiment, the upper portion of the inner panel compnses a
substantially square-shaped upper portion and the lower portion of the inner panel
comprises a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion. In an embodiment, the
substantially square-shaped upper portion of the inner panel comprises a pocket. The
pocket is configured to accommodate the console unit of the saddle-riding type vehicle.
In an embodiment, the substantially square-shaped upper portion comprises a slot formed
beneath the pocket along a width direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle. The slot is
adapted to receive the plate like member of the stay member. Moreover, when the plate
like member is inserted in the slot, the plate like member of the stay member overlaps
with a bottom surface of the pocket of the inner panel.
[0008] In an embodiment, the console unit is mounted over the plate like member
such that the bottom surface of the pocket of the inner panel is sandwiched between the
console unit and the plate like member of the stay member.
[0009] In an embodiment, the inner panel compnses one or more mounting
provisions and one or more common mounting means. The one or more mounting
provisions are formed in the bottom surface of the pocket. The one or more common
mounting means in combination with the one or more mounting provisions is adapted to
mount the bottom surface of the pocket and the console unit together over the plate like
member. In an embodiment, the one or more mounting provisions are through holes and
the one or more common mounting means comprises screwing means configured to be
screwed through the one or more mounting provisions.
[0010] In an embodiment, the inner panel comprises one or more mounting
provisions on the square shaped upper portion for mounting the visor.
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[0011] In an embodiment, the substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion
of the inner panel comprises one or more mounting provisions for mounting the inner
panel to the lower bridge of the pair of front fork.
[0012] In an embodiment, the stay member is a metallic stay member, and is made
from.resin capable of providing support to the console unit. In an embodiment, the stay
member comprises at least two leg portions removably mounted to the upper bridge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0013] The invention itself, together with further ·features and attended advantages,
will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments of the present
invention are now described; by way of example only, with reference to the
accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in
which:
[0014] Figure 1 is a side view of a front portion of a saddle-riding type vehicle,
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating elements of a front cowl
structure, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] Figure 3 is a rear view of the front cowl structure without a console unit,
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] Figure 4 rear view of the front cowl structure with the console unit, according
to an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0018] Figure 5 is a sectional view of the Figure 4 along the line A-A, according to
an embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] The drawings referred to in this description are notto be understood as being
drawn to scale except if specifically noted, and such drawings are only exemplary in
nature.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications .a nd alternative
forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawing
and will be described below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to
limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the invention is
to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the
scope of the invention.
[0021] The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are
intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that
comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps
but inay include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup,
device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus
proceeded by "comprises ... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence
of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[0022] The terms "front I forward", "rear I rearward", "up I upper/ top", "down I
lower", "left I leftward", "right I rightward" used therein represents the directions as seen
from a saddle-riding type vehicle driver sitting astride and these directions are referred
by arrows Fr, Rr, U, Lr, L, R in the drawing Figures.
[0023] While the front cowl structure has been described in the context of a saddle
· riding type vehicle. However, this is not limited to the saddle type riding vehicle, and the
front cowl structure and the features thereof may be used in any other vehicle.
[0024] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of front portion of a saddle-riding type
vehicle, according to an embodiment of the invention. As illustrated in Figure 1, a front
portion (1 00) of the saddle-riding type vehicle includes a head pipe (1 02) disposed at a
front end of a vehicle body frame. A pair of front fork (1 08a, 1 08b) ((1 08b) not visible in
the Figure 1) rotatably connected to the head pipe (102) in front of a fuel tank (116)
through a lower bridge (104) and an upper bridge (106) enabling free steering. The pair
of front fork (108a, 108b) supports a front wheel (not shown in Figures) at lower end
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thereof and a steering handle bar (118) at upper end thereof. A front cowl structure ( 11 0)
is mounted frontwards to the pair of front fork ( 1 08a, 1 08b ). A headlight unit (112) and
left and right lighting devices (114a, 114b) ((114b) not visible in the Figure 1) are
mounted to the front cowl structure (11 0). In an embodiment, the left and right lighting
devices are the left and right winker of the saddle-riding type vehicle. Further, a console
unit (120) is mounted to the front cowl structure (11 0) through a metal stay. In an
embodiment, the console unit (120) accommodates therein a speedometer, a tachometer,
a fuel gauge, and the like device.
[0025] Figure 2 is an exploded view of the front cowl structure (110) comprising the
pair of front fork (108a, 108b), a stay member (122), an inner panel (124), a visor (126),
the console unit (120), the headlight unit (112) (not shown in the Figure), the left and
right lighting device (114a, 114b), the lower bridge (104), the upper bridge (106)
according to an embodiment of the present invention. The front cowl structure ( 11 0) is
adapted to cover a periphery of the headlight unit (112). The stay member (122) is
mounted to the upper bridge (1 06) of the pair of front fork (1 08a, 1 08b) of the saddleriding
type vehicle. The inner panel (124) is mounted to the stay member (122) and the
lower bridge (104) ofthe pair of front fork (108a, 108b). The visor (126) is then mounted
to the inner panel (124) from the front side and a windscreen (128) is mounted to the
visor (126) so that the windscreen (128) partially overlaps with the visor (126).
[0026] The stay member (122) is removably attached to the upper bridge (106) and
comprises a plate like member (121) extending frontwardly from the upper bridge (106)
in. substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In an example, the stay member
(122) at its one end is removably attached to the upper bridge (106) and then extends
downward towards the .lower bridge (104) and then extends in frontward direction
substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The portion of the stay member
(122) extending frontward in the longitudinal direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle
is the plate like member (121). The plate like member (121) acts as a console unit
support portion, and the area of the plate like member (121) is such that it accommodates
the console unit (120). Hereinafter, the plate like member (121) is also referred to as the
console unit support portion (121). In an embodiment, the stay member (122) is a
metallic stay member. In an embodiment, the stay member (122) is a separate component
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than the inner panel (124) and is made from resin having .sufficient stiffness to provide
support to the console unit (120).
[0027] In an embodiment, the stay member (122) has two leg portions removably
mounted to the upper bridge ( 1 06) of the front fork (1 08a, 1 08b) and extending
frontward parallely therefrom, and then extending downward parallely towards the lower
bridge ( 1 04) and then extending frontward in the longitudinal direction of the saddleriding
type vehicle to form an arc shaped flat plate structure extending in the width
direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle for supporting the console unit (120). With
this structure of the stay member (122), there is minimal material involved for the design
of the stay member (122) and at the same time, the stay member (122) provides a good
mounting support to the console unit (120).
[0028] As can be seen in Figures 4 and 5, the inner panel (124) is a substantially
square-shaped upper portion (132) and a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower
portion (134) which extends downwardly from the upper portion (132) integrally. Here, a
left flange (136a) and a right flange (136b) that curve in the vehicle front direction are
integrally formed with the substantially square-shaped upper portion (132) of the inner
panel (124). The left and right flanges (136a, 136b) have left and right side symmetry of
the inner panel (124). Each of the left and right flanges (136a, 136b) has a provision for
mounting a lighting device (114a, 114b). In an embodiment, the mounting provisions are
in the form of a through hole. In an embodiment, the left and right side winkers (114a,
114b) are mounted to the left and right flanges (136a, 136b) respectively. The inner
panel (124) has one or more mounting provisions (142a, 142b) on the square shaped
upper portion (132) for mounting the visor (126). In an embodiment, four mounting
provisions (142a, 142b, 140a, 140b) are provided towards four comers of the square
shaped upper portion (132) for mounting the visor (126) to the inner panel (124).
[0029] Further, the square-shaped upper portion (132) of the inner panel (124) has a
depression such as it forms a pocket (138) on the upper rear portion thereof. In an
embodiment, the size of the pocket (138) is such that it accommodates the console unit
(120) of the vehicle. A through longitudinal slot is provided below the pocket (138)
along the width direction of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the console unit support
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portion (121) of the stay member (122) protrudes the inner panel (124) through the slot.
In an embodiment, one or more mounting provisions (144a, 144b and 144c) (See, Figure
3) are provided on the bottom of the pocket (138) to mount the inner panel (124) to the
stay member (122). In an embodiment, the mounting provisions (144a, 144b, 144c) are
one or more through holes. As illustrated in enlarge portion 'E' of the sectional view of
Figure 5, the inner panel (124) is mounted to the console unit support portion (121) of
the stay member (122) by means of one or more mounting provisions (144a, 144b and
144c) such that the console unit support portion (121) of the stay member (122) overlaps
with the bottom surface of the pocket (138} of the inner panel (124). Further, the console
unit (120) is mounted on the stay member (122) from the upper side such that the bottom
surface of the pocket (138) ofthe inner panel (124) gets sandwiched between the console
unit (120) and the console unit support portion (121) of the stay member (122) and are
mounted together with one or more common mounting means (123). In an embodiment,
the console unit (120) is mounted on the stay member (122) from the upper side and
bottom surface of the pocket (138) of the inner panel (124) mounted to the stay member
(122) from bottom surface. In an embodiment, a common threaded member (e.g.,
screwing means) passing through the mounting provisions (see, 144a, 144b and 144c) of
the console unit (120) and the stay member (122) from the downward direction are
screwed and the inner panel ( 124) is mounted to the stay member from the bottom
surface using a separate mounting means. In an embodiment, a common threaded
member passing through the mounting provisions of the console unit (120), the inner
panel (124) and the stay member (122) from the downward direction are screwed.
Tightening the threaded members then results in the console unit (120) and the inner
panel (124) being attached to the stay member (122) .. With this arrangement, the inner
·panel (124) and the console unit (120) is mounted to the stay member (122) using the
common mounting means (123} such as bolt and screw thereby eliminating a separate
mounting provision for each of the inner panel (124) and the console unit (120).
[0030] In addition, the inner panel (124) has the one or more mounting provisions
(146a, 146b) at the substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion (134) thereof
for mounting the inner panel (124) to the lower hridge (1.04) of the front fork (108a,
108b). In an embodiment, the two mounting provisions (146a, 146b) are provided at the
inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion (134) of the inner panel (124) for mounting the
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inner panel (124) to the lower bridge (104) ofthe front fork (108a, 108b). Also, the inner
panel (124) has one or more insertion holes, through which one or more wire harness is
passed through. As the inner panel (124) is majorly supported by the stay member (122)
and partially supported by the lower bridge (1 04) of the front fork ( 1 08a, 1 08b ),
therefore, the front cowl structure (11 0) is not prone to failure.
[0031] Further, the visor (126) is mounted to the inner panel (124) to the
substantially square-shaped upper portion (132) of the inner panel (124) from the
frontward direction. The visor (126) comprise a headlight unit surrounding section that
surrounds the headlight unit (112) and an opening hole (125) extending in the
longitudinal direction of the vehicle through which the headlight unit (112) is visibly
formed in the visor (126). In an embodiment, the surrounding section that surrounds the
headlight unit (112) has one or more mounting provision and the headlight unit (112) is
adapted to be mounted to the visor (126) using the one or more mounting provisions. In
an embodiment, an elastic member may be fitted to the visor (126), and the elastic
member may be sandwiched between an outer periphery edge section of the headlight
unit (112) and an inner periphery edge section of the opening hole (125) of the visor
(126). In an embodiment, the headlight unit (112) is disposed forw.ardly of the visor
(126) and is swingably supported by the visor (126). When the visor (126) is mounted to
the inner panel (124) it forms a housing between the rear side of the visor (126) and the
frontward ofthe inner panel (124) to accommodate the rear portion of the headlight unit
(112).
[0032] The windscreen (128) is removably mounted to the v1sor (126) in the
frontw~d direction such that windscreen (128) partially overlaps with the visor (126). In
the assembled state of the front cowl structure (110), the windscreen (128) covers the
console unit (120) from frontward direction. As the console unit (120) and the inner
panel (124) are majorly supported by the stay member (122), therefore, such
arrangement provides a more compact and robust cowl structure. Also, the headlight unit
(112) is mounted to the visor (126), therefore, the weight of the headlight unit (112) is
solely supported by the visor (126).
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[0033] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features
of this invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that
many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the
principles of the invention. For example, various types of inner panel and visor having
different shapes and profiles may be used in the cowl structure. These and other
modifications in the nature of the invention or the preferred embodiments will be
apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be
distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted mr.rely rts
illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation.

CLAIMS
We claim:
1. A front cowl structure in a saddle-riding type vehicle, the front cowl structure
compnsmg:
a pair of front fork rotatably connected to a head pipe of the saddle-riding type
vehicle through a lower bridge and an upper bridge; and
a stay member coupled to the upper bridge, the stay member comprising a plate
like member extending frontwardly in substantially longitudinal direction of the saddleriding
type vehicle, wherein the plate like member is adapted to support a console unit
of the saddle-riding type vehicle.
2. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
an inner panel comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion
of the inner panel adapted to be mounted to the plate like member of the stay member
and the lower portion ofthe inner panel adapted to be mounted to the lower bridge.
3. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:
a visor adapted to be mounted to a front portion of the inner panel; and
a windscreen adapted to be removably mounted to the visor, the windscreen
partially overlapping with the visor.
4. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the upper portion of the
inner panel comprises a substantially square-shaped upper portion and the lower portion
of the inner panel comprises a substantially inverse-triangular-shaped lower portion.
5. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the substantially squareshaped
upper portion of the inner panel comprises a pocket, wherein the pocket is
configured to accommodate the console unit of the saddle-riding type vehicle.
6. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the substantially squareshaped
upper portion comprises a slot formed beneath the pocket along a width
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r----------------------------------------------- ---------,
direction of the saddle-riding type vehicle, wherein the slot is adapted to receive the
plate like member of the stay member, wherein when the plate like member is inserted
in the slot, the plate like member of the stay member overlaps with a bottom surface of
the pocket of the inner panel.
7. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the console unit is
mounted over the plate like member such that the bottom surface of the pocket of the
inner panel is sandwiched between the console unit and the plate like member of the
stay member.
8. The front cowl structure as claimed in claims 5 or 6 or 7, wherein the inner panel
comprises:
one or more mounting provisions formed in the bottom surface of the pocket; and
one or more common mounting means in combination with the one or more
mounting provisions adapted to mount the bottom surface of the pocket and the console
unit together over the plate like member.
9. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more mounting
provisions are through holes and the one or more common mounting means comprise
screwing means configured to be screwed through the one or more mounting provisions.
10. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the inner panel comprises
one or more mounting provisions on the substantially square shaped upper portion for
mounting the visor.
11. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the substantially inversetriangular-
shaped lower portion of the inner panel comprises one or more mounting
provisions for mounting the inner panel to the lower bridge of the pair of front fork.
12. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stay member is a
metallic stay member.
13. The front cowl structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stay member is i11ade
from resin capable of providing support to the console unit.
14. The front cowl structure a~ claimed in claim 1, wherein the stay member further
comprises at least two leg portions removably mounted to the upper bridge.