FRONT FENDER MOUNTING FOR A MOTORCYCLE

Field of invention:

The present invention relates to "Front fender mounting for a motorcycle" and more specifically relates to the front fender mounting for a scooter type motorcycle.

Background:

Motorcycles designed for road use typically include front and rear fenders over the front and rear wheels, respectively. The rear fender is usually rigidly mounted so that it does not move with respect to the motorcycle frame. The front fender, on the other hand, can be rigidly mounted relative to the frame or mounted to with the front wheel.

Some motorcycles include a telescopic fork front suspension. This type of suspension is characterized by upper and lower fork tubes that telescope with each other. The upper fork tube is connected to the frame, and the lower fork tube is retractably connected to the front wheel. A spring and damper mechanism is positioned within the fork tubes to provide shock absorption and suspension to the front wheel. In this arrangement, floating front fenders can be secured directly to the lower fork tube so that as the wheel and lower fork tube move up to absorb an uneven terrain the front fender will also move up the same amount.

In the known art the front fender is mounted above the bridge bracket, which necessitates the fender to be of larger size and hence raises production cost and tool cost.

Object of the invention:

The main objective of the present invention is to provide an improved front fender mounting for a scooter type motorcycle. It is an object of this invention to provide a front fender and fork assembly, which eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art construction as hereinabove pointed out.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide ease in dismantling and assembling the front leg assemblies without the need of removing the front fender from the scooter type motorcycle.

Yet another object of the present invention is to improve the ease of serviceability of the front fender.

Further, an object of the present invention is prevent accumulation of water and slush in the bridge bracket of the front fender thereby preventing corrosion and improving durability of the said part. Two holes provided in the front fender to facilitate fitment and removal of the fork leg assemblies are covered with grommet to prevent entry of water and mud in the area above the fender. Yet another object of the present invention is to reduce the size and thereby the weight of the front fender by mounting the fender below the bridge bracket.

Summary of invention:

It is an object of this invention to provide a front fender and fork assembly, which eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art construction as hereinabove pointed out.

According to this invention, the above object is attained by a front fender and telescopic fork assembly comprising a metallic front fender disposed over a front wheel, and a pair of legs comprising the front telescopic fork provided one on each side of the front wheel, characterized by a pair of lateral projections formed through two holes formed in the metallic fender. The said metallic front fender is fitted below the bridge bracket of the telescopic front fork structure.

Further, a metallic stiffener plate is welded to the main structure of the front fender at the mounting area to improve the rigidity of the front fender. Two holes given in the front fender to facilitate fitment and removal of fork leg assemblies can be covered with grommet to prevent entry of water and mud in the area above the fender.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present subject matter will be better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form. This summary is not intended to be used to identify key features or essential of the claimed subject matter, nor it is intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Brief description of accompanying drawings:

The other objects, features and advantages of the internal combustion engine according to the present invention will be more apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG 1 is the left side view of the scooter type motorcycle according to the present invention.

FIG 2 is the left side view of the front fender of the scooter type motorcycle according to the present invention;

FIG 3 is the front view of the fender of the scooter type motorcycle having a first embodiment of the front fender according to the present invention;

FIG 4 is the top view of the front fender of the scooter type motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG 5 is the left side perspective view of the front fender in accordance to the present invention;

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments:

The present invention is directed to the field of small vehicle such as motorcycles and the like and more specifically to the front fender mounting systems for motorcycles.

The subject matter will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The scooter type motorcycle, as illustrated in Fig 1, can be divided into three major portions, the front portion F, the middle portion M and the rear/tail portion R. The front portion F comprises of the head tube, the handle bar, the front suspension and the front wheel with necessary brakes 1, to which a front fork 2 is connected to hold the front wheel. A front fender 3 is provided to cover the front wheel. The front cover 4 attached to the front portion of the frame structure protects the scooter type motorcycle from damages.

The middle portion IVI comprises of the step through portion 5, which is used to carry objects by rider. A rider's seat 6 is provided in middle portion M of the motorcycle. The motorcycle has a stand 7 to balance the vehicle at stand still. An engine 8 is accommodated under the front portion of rider's seat 6 for fuel combustion.

The rear/tail portion R comprises of a fuel tank 10 under the rear portion of rider's seat 6 to store enough quantity of fuel. The swing arm 11 is connected from rear wheel to the middle portion M in order to bind the rear wheel to middle portion M of the scooter type motorcycle. A suspension 12 is mounted between the shaft of rear wheel and rider's seat 6 to increase the comfort of the rider's seat 6. The rear fender 13 is attached to the rear/tail portion R of the scooter type motorcycle so as to protect the rear portion from damages.

An embodiment of the scooter type motorcycle is shown in Fig. 2 from left side of the vehicle. The front portion of a scooter type motorcycle includes the headlamp housing 14, where the headlamp 15 is mounted. The front portion is covered with a metal front cover 4 in order to avoid damages to the elements housed in the front. A bridge bracket 16 connects the front fork 2 to the upper part of the front portion in the scooter type motorcycle. The front fender 3 is fixed to the bridge bracket 16 in order to protect the body parts from mud and water splashes. The said front fender 3 is fitted on to the front suspension fork.

The scooter type motorcycle as shown in Fig. 2 has a plastic rear panel 31, used to carry objects by the rider with comfort. A floorboard 30 is provided with more space in the scooter type motorcycle. The seat 6 is accommodated in middle portion of the said vehicle. Both left and right sides of the scooter type motorcycle are covered by metal covers 20, which are more effective than side covers of the normal motorcycle. The scooter type motorcycle has a stand 7 to balance the motorcycle at stand still. An engine 8 is accommodated under the front portion of seat 6 for fuel combustion.

As shown in Fig. 2, the front wheel 32 of a two-wheeled vehicle such as a motorcycle or a scooter is provided with a front fender 3 which covers the upper part thereof for the purpose of preventing mud splashing on the vehicle and rider caused by the rotation of the front wheel. In the following, the mounting structure of the front fender 3 of the present invention will be described in detail. The front fender and telescopic fork assembly 200 as shown in Fig. 3 comprises of a metallic front fender 3 disposed over a front wheel 32, and a pair of legs 201 and 202 comprising the front telescopic fork 2 provided one on each side of the front wheel 32, characterized by a pair of lateral projections formed through two holes 203 and 204 formed in the metallic fender 3, as shown in Fig. 4. The said metallic front fender 3 is fitted below the bridge bracket 16 of the telescopic front fork 2 structure. The fender is made up of two identical halves joined together by welding. Further, a metallic stiffener plate 205 is welded to the main structure of the front fender 3 at the mounting area to improve the rigidity of the front fender 3.

Since the front fender 3 is mounted below the bridge bracket 16, it is smaller in size when compared to the known art, where the front fender 3 is mounted above the bridge bracket 16, which necessitates the fender 3 to be of larger size. Smaller size front fender 3 is lower in cost because of lesser weight and smaller mould. Further, the front fender 3 according to the present invention prevents the accumulation of water and slush in the bridge bracket 16 of the front fork 2 thereby preventing corrosion and improving durability of the part. Two holes 203 and 204 given in the front fender 3 to facilitate fitment and removal of fork leg 201 and 202 assemblies can be covered with grommets. 208 and 209 to prevent entry of water and mud in the area above the fender 3.

Fig. 5 of the present invention shows the front fender 3 made up of two equal halves and provided with holes 203 and 204, a stiffener plate 205 and an additional pair of holes 206 and 207 to provide entry for cables.

The front leg assemblies 201 and 202 of present intervention can be dismantled without the need to remove the front fender 3 from the vehicle. This improves ease of assembly and serviceability.

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.

CLAIMS

I / We claim:

1. A front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle comprising a bridge bracket connected to a pair of fork legs holding the wheel assembly wherein a front fender is fixedly attached to the bottom portion of the bridge bracket such that the pair of fork legs pass through the holes provided at the top of the fender.

2. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said front fender is made of metal.

3. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said front fender is made of identical halves.

4. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said front fender halves are joined together by welding.

5. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said front fender is joined with a stiffener plate provided at the topmost portion of the said fender.

6. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said front fender has two holes to allow the fork legs to pass through.

7. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle as claimed in claim 1 .wherein a grommet is provided between the fork leg and the fender hole.

8. The front fork assembly for a two wheeled vehicle substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.