FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a two-wheeled vehicle
and particularly, but not exclusively, to a taU cover assembly.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A two-wheeled vehicle conventionally has a frame that serves as a
skeletal member enabling mounting of components of the two-wheeled vehicle. Typically, the two-wheeled vehicle has a tail cover assembly having a plurality of panels assembled to a rear portion of the frame to cover the structural & critical internal parts of the vehicle from external environment like mud, dust etc. as well as provide good external appearance.
[0003] Manufacturing variations are bound to occur during mass
production of the frame and the plurality of panels comprising the tail cover assembly. Due to said variations, gaps tend to form, on assembly, between one or more of said plurality of panels or between the plurality of panels and the frame of the two-wheeled vehicle. Misalignment of the plurality of panels during assembly also results in formation of gaps in the assembled tail cover assembly.
[0004] Gaps formed as mentioned during assembly allow entry of water,
dirt and dust into the inner portion of the tail cover assembly. Such an unwanted entry of dirt, dust and water results in accumulation of the same in areas inaccessible for cleaning or vacuuming without necessitating removal of one or more of the plurality of panels of which the tail cover assembly is comprised.
[0005] Besides, components that are housed in the inner portion of the tail
cover assembly suffer from damage, failure and reduced Lifetime due to exposure to and accumulation of water, dirt and dust.
[0006] The plurality of panels, of which the tail cover assembly is
comprised, which covers the two-wheeled vehicle on the lower side of the rear portion of the frame is exposed not only to- the elements of weather and

environment, but also to water, dirt and dust being splashed up by a rear wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0007] Mud or water is splashed up tangentially by the rear wheel striking
the plurality of panels of which the tail cover assembly is comprised. Such tangential striking causes water, dirt and dust enter through the gaps present with force. Such a propelled entry drastically increases the volume of dirt, dust and water to which the inner portion of the tail cover assembly are exposed to, in the event of gaps being formed due to misalignment in assembly of the plurality of panels to the rear portion of the frame. For all practical purposes, it is not feasible to have a design of panels with zero gap considering manufacturing tolerance requirements and physical phenomenon like warpage and spring back that are . prevalent irrespective of the material used for manufacture of the tail cover assembly. Thus an operable gap is essential to enable manufacturing of the panels as well as to enable assembly of the parts. Smaller the requirement on the gaps, the more difficult the manufacturing and assembly of the parts as well as higher the cost of the product. Therefore, a challenge exists to keep the cost to the minimum, achieve good functional and operable clearance, eliminate failures and still achieve acceptable aesthetics of the product. Moreover, tail cover members when assembled with little or no gap between tend to rub against each other when the two-wheeled vehicle is in a running condition causing wearing off of edges of the tail cover members which are in contact with each other.
[0008] Apart from the mentioned problems, another difficulty arises in
frames of two-wheeled vehicles that slope upwards towards a rear end. The rear end usually houses a tool-kit beneath the seat of a pillion rider, the tool-kit being supported by the rear end of the frame. Due to the rear end of the frame sloping upwards, the tool-kit tends to slide down into an inner recess of the area beneath the seat. This make's it difficult for the rider to retrieve the tool-kit from said inner recess which is beyond arm's reach. There is a need to resolve this problem and prevent the tool-kit from sliding out of its intended position.

[0009] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a solution to overcome all
the above cited problems such as that of water, dirt and dust entering through gaps present after assembling the plurality of panels of which the tail cover assembly is comprised.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010] The detailed description of the present subject matter is described
with reference to the accompanying figures. Same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components.
[0011] Figure 1 illustrates a side view of an exemplary two-wheeled
vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. •
[0012] Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a tail cover assembly of
the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0013] Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the tail cover assembly of
the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0014] Figure 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tail cover
assembly (102) of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
DETADLED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Generally, a two-wheeled vehicle has a tail cover assembly
comprising a plurality of panels. The tail cover assembly is disposed towards the rear side of the two-wheeled vehicle. A frame provides mounting and skeletal-support to the two-wheeled vehicle. The' tail cover assembly is adapted to be mounted on a rear portion of the frame.

j i
[0016] Use of the plurality of panels instead of a single panel enables easy
manufacturing and assembling of the tail cover assembly. However, due to variations during manufacture and misalignment during assembly, gaps tend to occur between the plurality of panels or between one or more of the plurality of
panels and the frame of the two-wheeled vehicle. ;
i
[0017] Gaps in any part of the tail cover assembly is disadvantageous as it J
allows ingress of dust, dirt and water through said gaps in course of usage of the
two-wheeled vehicle. Apart from the environmental and weather related sources,
contaminants such as dirt, dust and water is also incident on the lower side of the
two-wheeled vehicle due to mud splashed up by a rear wheel, usually the driven
wheel of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0018] Water and mud splashed up tangentially by the rear wheel strikes
the lower side of the two-wheeled vehicle with a certain amount of force, thereby
vastly increasing the amount of contaminants entering through gaps exposed on |
the lower side of the tail cover assembly and accumulating in inner portion of the |
tail cover assembly. The inner portion of the tail cover assembly are inaccessible
for cleaning or removal of contaminants without having to remove at least one of
the plurality of panels of which the tail cover assembly is comprised, making it
highly unserviceable and inconvenient for maintenance of the two-wheeled
vehicle.
[0019] Contaminant entry or accumulation in the inner portion of the two-
wheeled vehicle affects the functioning capabilities of components housed in said inner portion of the tail cover assembly. Such ingress of contaminants like dirt, dust and water and their subsequent accumulation reduces lifetime of the components leading to sudden failures of said components apart from, causing immediate failure and damage of sensitive components. Failure of vital components like a battery is not merely a disadvantage but could prove hazardous as well, especially when the two-wheeled vehicle is running. Therefore, a tail cover assembly which does not have a gap that allows entry of contaminants is -desirable in the art.

[0020] The present invention discloses a tail cover assembly of a two-
wheeled vehicle comprising a bracket tail cover, a bottom tail cover and a lower tail cover. The bottom tail cover is mounted between the bracket tail cover and the lower tail cover. The bracket tail cover is operable to bridge any operable gap which may form after assembly of the tail cover assembly.
[0021] In an embodiment, the lower tail cover of the tail cover assembly
extends rearwards with an upward inclination. The lower tail cover is disposed directly above the rear wheel in such a manner as to receive mud and water splashed up by the rear wheel on its outer face. The lower tail cover is adapted to protect the two-wheeled vehicle from ingress of mud, dirt and water. The bracket tail cover is adapted to bridge the gap between the lower tail cover and the upper tail cover.
[0022] In an embodiment, the bottom tail cover extends in a rearward
direction with an upward inclination and the lower tail cover extends in a rearward direction with an upward inclination. The bracket tail cover bridges the gap between the bottom tail cover and the lower tail cover.
[0023] In an embodiment, the bottom tail cover is mounted between the
bracket tail cover and the lower tail cover. The described sandwich mounting of the bottom tail cover provides additional firmness to the tail cover assembly.
[0024] Thus, the present subject matter provides a solution to the problem
of water, dirt or dust entering through gaps formed between the plurality of panels of the tail cover assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle. The tail cover assembly, comprising of said' plurality of panels, aids in ease of assembly as opposed to a single tail cover element.
[0025] Such an arrangement has the advantage of preventing
contamination of components protected by said plurality of panels of which the tail cover assembly is comprised, thereby increasing the longevity of the components and reducing probability of their failure.
[0026] The present invention advantageously discloses a tail cover
assembly comprising a plurality of panels, including a bracket tail cover, wherein
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said bracket tail cover prevents ingress of mud, water or dust from entering the tail cover assembly through any gap which may form between said plurality of panels due to misalignment during assembly or during use of the two-wheeler or any functionally operable gaps.
[0027] The present invention also has the advantage of the bracket tail
cover holding the lower tail cover and the bottom tail cover at a uniform distance from each other, thereby, preventing the ends of the bottom tail cover and the lower tail cover from rubbing off due to constant friction between each other. It also has an additional advantage of ensuring uniformity of assembly of the plurality of panels of the tail cover assembly.
[0028] The present invention has another advantage where the disclosed
bracket tail cover acts as a stopping member to prevent a tool-kit placed beneath a
rear seat, at an upper portion of a rear frame configured to slop downwards
towards the front end of the two-wheeled vehicle. The bracket tail cover prevents
the tool-kit from slipping into inner recesses of the two-wheeled vehicle, on "^
account of the downward slope. Such slippage of the tool-kit into an inner recess will make it difficult for the rider to retrieve the tool-kit from said inner recess which is beyond arm's reach. This advantage is particularly relevant in two-wheeled vehicles that have a rear frame that slops upward towards the rear end, such that a downward slope is present from the rear end towards the front end of the two-wheeled vehicle. The tool-kit conventionally comprises tools required for minor adjustment of fasteners of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0029] . Therefore, the present invention addresses the drawbacks prevalent in the state of the art. Further, it has the added advantage of increasing the ease of assembly of the two-wheeled vehicle. Apart from the advantages already mentioned, the described invention has several advantages over conventional arrangements prevalent in state of the art.
[0030] An embodiment of the present invention is described in further
detail in conjunction with the figures in the following description. The tail cover assembly comprises of a lower tail cover, a bracket tail cover, a bottom tail cover,

a left tail cover, a right tail cover and central tail cover. It is obvious to a person . ordinarily skilled in the art that other embodiments of the present invention are possible within the scope of the same.
[0031] ' Figure 1 illustrates a left side view.of an exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) has a frame assembly comprising a main frame (128), a head tube (not shown),' a rear sub frame (not shown) and a swing arm (131). The head tube (not shown) is disposed of towards the front portion of the two-wheeled vehicle (100). The main frame (128) extends from the head tube (not shown). The rear sub frame (not shown) and the swing arm (131) are secured pivotally to the other end of the main frame (128). The head tube (not shown) is configured to rotatably support a steering tube (124). The steering tube (124) supports a handle bar assembly (127)1.
[0032] Two telescopic front suspension system (122) is attached to a
bracket (not shown) on the lower part of the steering tube (124) on which is supported the front wheel (121). The upper portion of the front wheel (121) is covered by a front fender (125) mounted to the lower portion of the steering shaft (124). A fuel tank (129) is disposed between a seat (130) and the handle.bar assembly (127). The internal combustion (IC) engine (not shown) is disposed towards the front portion of the vehicle below the fuel tank (129) and behind the head tube (not shown) of the two-wheeled vehicle (100).
[0033] A prop stand (150) is mounted on the lower portion of the frame
assembly. The prop stand (150) is movably secured to an attaching plate (not shown) which mounts the prop stand (150) onto the frame assembly through a prop stand spring (not shown). The rear sub-assembly (not shown) comprises a seat (130) on which a rider may sit, a tail cover assembly (102) and a rear fender (110) on which rear tail lights (111) are mounted.
[0034] The exhaust emission system (not shown) is disposed at the side
extending rearward coupled to the frame assembly. There is front brake (123) and rear brake (not shown) arranged on the front wheel (121) and a rear wheel (109)

respectively. The rear wheel (109) is shrouded by a rear wheel hugger (168) and mounted on the swing arm (131). A rear suspension system (108) provides shock absorption to the rear portion of the two-wheeled vehicle.
[0035] Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of a tail cover assembly
(102) of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter, showing a tail cover assembly (102) comprising a plurality of tail covers (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210) including a left tail cover (201), a right tail cover (202), a central tail coyer (203), a bottom tail cover (204), a lower tail cover (205), a front tail cover (206) and a bracket tail cover (210). The left tail cover (201) and the right tail cover (202), as seen in the figure are attached to the central tail cover (203) on one end. The bottom tail cover (204) is sandwiched between the bracket tail cover (210) on the top and lower tail cover (205) on the bottom. Any gap between the bottom tail cover (204) and the lower tail cover (205) is bridged by the bracket tail cover (210), as may be seen in the figure. The front tail cover (206) is placed over the bottom tail cover (204) and joins the left tail cover (201) and the right tail cover (202) at a rear end, as shown in the figure.
[0036] Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the tail cover assembly
(102) of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter, showing particularly the plurality of tail covers (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210) with the exception of the front tail cover (206) which is not included in Figure 3 to show the bracket tail cover (210),' the lower tail cover (205) and the bottom tail cover (204) with greater clarity. The bottom tail cover (204) is mounted between the bracket tail cover (210) and the lower tail cover (205). The bottom tail cover (204) is also secured to the left tail cover (201), the right tail cover (202) and the central tail cover (203). The bracket tail cover (210) is fastened to the lower tail cover (205) through a fastener (301). The lower tail cover (205) is additionally secured to the left tail cover (201) and the right tail cover (202).

[0037] In an embodiment, a tool-kit is placed in a space formed between
the bottom tail cover (204) and the front tail cover (206). The bracket tail cover (210) stops said tool-kit from slipping into a recess above the lower tail cover (205), said recess being conventionally beyond arm's reach of an average person.
[0038] Figure 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the tail cover
assembly (102) of the exemplary two-wheeled vehicle (100), in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. Figure 4 particularly shows the mounting arrangement of the bottom tail cover (204), the bracket tail cover (210) and the lower tail cover (205). The bottom tail cover (204) is sandwiched between the bracket tail cover (210) on the top and the lower tail cover (205) on the bottom with the fastener (301) passing through the bracket tail cover (210), the bottom tail cover (204) and the lower tail cover (205).
[0039] In the present embodiment, a clip-nut (401) is used to additionally
secure the lower tail cover (205) to the fastener (301).
[0040] It is to be understood that the aspects of the embodiments are not
necessarily limited to the features described herein. Many modifications and variations of the present subject matter are possible in the light of above disclosure. Therefore, within the scope of claims of the present subject matter, the present disclosure may be practiced other than as specifically described.

We claim:
1. A two-wheeled vehicle (100) comprising:
a main frame (128) adapted to provide skeletal support to the two-wheeled
vehicle (100);
a seat (130) disposed over said main frame (128);
a tail cover assembly (102) disposed towards a rear portion of the
seat(130); characterized in that, said tail cover assembly (102) includes a plurality of tail covers (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210), said plurality of tail covers including a bracket tail cover (210), a bottom tail cover (204) and a lower tail cover (205), said bracket tail cover (210) adapted to bridge a gap formed between the bottom tail cover (210) and the lower tail cover (205).
2. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of tail covers (201,202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 210) of the tail cover assembly (102) includes a left tail cover (201), a right tail cover (202), a central tail cover (203), the bottom tail cover (204), the lower tail cover (205), a front tail cover (206) and the bracket tail cover (210).
3. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the left tail cover (201) and the right tail cover (202) are secured to the central tail cover (203) on a rear end of the left tail cover (201) and a rear end of the right tail cover (202).
4. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the left tail cover (201) and at least a portion of the right tail cover (202) are secured to the front tail cover (206).
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5. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the left tail cover (201) and at least a portion of the right tail cover (202) are secured to the bottom tail cover (204).
6. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least a portion of the left tail cover (201) and at least a portion of the right tail cover (202) are secured to the lower tail cover (205).
7. The two-wheeled vehicle (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom tail cover (204) is mounted between the bracket tail cover (210) and the lower tail cover (205).
8. A method of assembling a tail cover assembly (102) to a two-wheeled vehicle (100), said method comprising the steps of:
attaching a bottom tail cover (204) of the tail cover assembly (102) and the bracket tail cover (210) of the tail cover assembly (102) through a fastener (301), said bracket tail cover (210) being located above the bottom tail cover , (204);
attaching a lower tail cover (205) of the tail cover assembly (102) and the bottom tail cover (204) through the fastener (301), said bottom tail cover (204) .being located between the lower tail cover (205) and the bracket tail cover (210), said lower tail cover (205) being located below the bottom tail cover (204).
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, said method comprising a step of mounting
a left tail cover (201) and a right tail cover (202) to a central tail cover (203)
on a rear end of the left tail cover (201) and a rear end of the right tail cover
(202) respectively, said plurality of tail covers (201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206,
210) of the tail cover assembly (102) including the left tail cover (201), the
right tail cover (202), the central tail cover (203), the bottom tail cover (204),

the lower tail cover (205), a front tail cover (206) and the bracket tail cover (210).
10. The method as claimed in claim 8 or claim 9, said method comprising steps of
securing at least a portion of the left tail cover (201) and at least a portion of the right tail cover (202) to the bottom tail cover (204);
securing at least a portion of the left tail cover (201) and at least a portion of the right tail cover (202) to the lower tail cover (205);