INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-184554 filed on Sep. 28, 2018. The content of the application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to front-wheel suspension devices for saddle riding vehicles.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, there are some known front-wheel suspension devices for saddle riding vehicles in which a swing arm is composed of an upper arm and a lower arm and the swing arm connects a body frame and a support member (fork holder) which rotatably supports a front fork, and a cushion member (buffer) spans between the body frame and the lower arm (see, e.g., Patent literature 1).

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature

[Patent Literature 1] JP-A No. 2016-179796

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

According to Patent Literature 1, the coupling of a lower end of the buffer to the lower arm places a constraint on the shape of the lower arm, and this makes difficult to ensure a clearance between the underside of the lower arm and a shoulder of the front fork which is rotated when the front wheel is steered through the handlebar, and therefore the steering angle of the front wheel is limited. Further, even in the front-wheel suspension device in which the front-wheel side area is supported through the swing arm by the body frame, an improvement in the riding comfort of the vehicle is desired.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a front-wheel suspension device of a saddle riding vehicle in which widening of a steering angle and an increase in riding comfort of the vehicle are achieved.

Solution to Problem

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a front-wheel suspension device of a saddle riding vehicle includes: a swing arm (161) including an upper arm (165) and a lower arm (166) that are mounted to a body frame (11) in a swingable manner; a fork holder (162) that is coupled to the upper arm (165) and the lower arm (166) in a swingable manner; a front fork (53) that is steerably supported by the fork holder (162) and also that supports a front wheel (14); and a buffer (58) that has one end coupled to the body frame (11). In the front-wheel suspension device of the saddle riding vehicle, the buffer (58) has the other end coupled to the fork holder (162).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the lower arm (166) may be coupled at a coupling site (122) to the body frame (11), and, as viewed in the side view of the vehicle, the coupling site (122) may be placed in front of a cylinder section (68) of an engine (41).

According to a third aspect of the present invention, further, the lower arm (166) may be coupled at a coupling site (122) to the body frame (11), and, as viewed in the side view of the vehicle, the coupling site (122) may be placed forward of a handlebar grasping portion (45d).

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, further, the fork holder (162) and the buffer (58) may be coupled at a coupling site (168), and, as viewed in the side view of the vehicle, the coupling site (168) may be placed upward of a coupling site (122) of the lower arm (166) to the body frame (11).

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, further, the coupling site (168) between the fork holder (162) and the buffer (58) may be placed upward of the lower arm (166).

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the first aspect of the present invention, because the other end of the buffer is coupled to the fork holder, an increase in the degree of freedom in the design of a shape of the lower arm can be enabled. This facilitates ensuring clearance between the lower arm and a part of the front fork which is rotated when the handlebar is steered, and therefore a wider steering angle can be enabled. Further, the load that acts from a road surface toward the fork holder is divided by the load that acts downward from the lower coupling site of the buffer to the fork holder, and the load ratio (cushion ratio) obtained by the dividing can be increased. This enables an improvement in operability of the buffer, and in turn an improvement in the riding comfort of the vehicle.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the coupling site of the lower arm to the body frame is placed in front of the cylinder section of the engine as viewed in the side view of the vehicle. Because of this, the lower arm can be located near the cylinder section of the engine so that the front section of the vehicle body can be made compact in size.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, further, the coupling site of the lower arm to the body frame is placed forward of the handlebar grasping portion as viewed in the side view of the vehicle. Because of this, the front section of the vehicle body can be made compact in size by placing the lower arm near the rider who holds the handlebar grasping portions.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, further, as viewed in the side view of the vehicle, the coupling site between the fork holder and the buffer is placed upward of the coupling site of the lower arm to the body frame. Because of this, when one end of the buffer is attached to or detached from the fork holder, the buffer can be readily attached to or detached from the fork holder from above, and thus the working efficiency can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, further, because the coupling site between the fork holder and the buffer is placed upward of the lower arm, the buffer can be readily attached to or detached from the fork holder, and thus the working efficiency can be improved.

