US 2010.0044136A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2010/0044136A1 Suzuki (43) Pub. Date: Feb. 25, 2010 (54) STRADDLETYPE VEHICLE HAVING Publication Classification BREATHER DEVICE (51) Int. Cl. B62M 7700 (2010.01) (75) Inventor: Daisuke Suzuki, Shizuoka (JP) FOIL I/02 (2006.01) FOM I/02 (2006.01) Correspondence Address: F02B 77/00 (2006.01) (52) U.S. Cl. .................. 180/219; 123/90.27; 123/196 R: WATCHSTONE P+D, PLLC 123/195 C 1250 CONNECTICUT AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 700 (57) ABSTRACT WASHINGTON, DC 20036-2657 (US) A motorcycle (1) includes an OHC engine (13) and a fuel tank (22) closely above the engine (13). The engine (13) includes (73) Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki a crankcase (17), a cylinder block (18), a cylinder head (19), Kaisha, Iwata-shi (JP) a cylinder head cover (20), and an oil catch tank (37) that is provided on the right side portion of the cylinder head (19) and cylinder head cover (20) and configured to separate oil (21) Appl. No.: 12/538,135 from blow-by gas supplied from the crankcase (17) through the cylinder block (18). The oil catch tank (37) includes lower (22) Filed: Aug. 8, 2009 breather chambers (37a, 37c) formed in the cylinder head (19) and upper breather chambers (37b, 37d) formed in the (30) Foreign Application Priority Data cylinder head cover (20). The oil catch tank (37) is arranged as high as possible regardless of almost no space between the Aug. 8, 2008 (JP) ................................. 2008-206367 cylinder head (19) and the fuel tank (22). FWD (Forward Direction) O 9 1. BWD (Backward Direction) e Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 1 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 2 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 BWD (Backward Direction) FWD (Forward Direction) Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 3 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 BWD (Backward Direction) FWD (Forward Direction) Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 4 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 5 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 35 Left ? 35b Right 43 zSA i? /729, 20b 13 20a E.E. 2S25;2 t - 37b(37) ... 50 E as ?h UP u-LEt St.I U-37; 37e(37) 5. E SYL A. 19C T CE 37(37a) |pow.36 - 232,C - 35a rar S. 222 - &O 2>2N Sb2, 42 s. N222 Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 6 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 All SA err R N g- &Z cy N i aNeissRe-A-Z/S A. stsS NNN &?if4%/2ZZYZZ%224 C3as Sassana Sky NS. Sz Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 7 Of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 }(): (G) Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 8 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 68qÖz 18 Þ18o18QL9e OZ Patent Application Publication Feb. 25, 2010 Sheet 9 of 9 US 2010/0044136 A1 20Z US 2010/0044136 A1 Feb. 25, 2010 STRADDLETYPE VEHICLE HAVING overcoming certain disadvantages and/or providing certain BREATHER DEVICE advantages, such as, e.g., disadvantages and/or advantages discussed herein, while retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein. 0001. This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. SUMMARY S119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-206367 filed 0009. The preferred embodiments of the present invention on Aug. 8, 2008, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated have been developed in view of the above-mentioned and/or herein by reference in its entirety. other problems in the related art. The preferred embodiments of the present invention can significantly improve upon exist BACKGROUND ing methods and/or apparatuses. 0010. Among other potential advantages, some embodi 0002 1. Field of the Invention ments can provide a straddle type vehicle capable of arrang 0003. The preferred embodiments of the present invention ing an oil catch tank in a position as high as possible even relate, interalia, to a straddle type vehicle, and more specifi when there is almost no space between a cylinder head and a cally, to a straddle type vehicle having a breather device (or fuel tank. breather). 0011. According to the first aspect of the present inven 0004 2. Description of the Related Art tion, a straddle type vehicle according to a preferred embodi ment of the present invention includes an OHC engine and a 0005 Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publica fuel tank. The fuel tank is provided closely above the OHC tion No. 2005-16333 (hereinafter referred to as “JP 2005 engine. The OHC engine includes a crankcase, a cylinder 16333 A') discloses a breather device for an internal com block, a cylinder head, a cylinderhead cover, and an oil catch bustion engine Small in Suction amount of oil mist and tank. The cylinder block is provided on the crankcase. The capable of being installed without increasing the height and cylinder head is provided on the cylinder block. The cylinder the total width of the internal combustion engine. The head cover is attached to the cylinder head so as to cover the breather device is provided with a gas-liquid separation cylinderhead. The oil catch tank is arranged on a side portion chamber (hereinafter referred to as an “oil catch tank”) for of the cylinderhead and the cylinderhead cover to separate oil separating oil contained in gas discharged from a crank cham from gas Supplied from the crankcase via the cylinder block. ber at a side portion of a cylinder block or a cylinder head The oil catch tank includes a lower breather chamber formed located on opposite side of a cam chain chamber or a pushrod in the cylinder head and an upper breather chamber formed in chamber with respect to a cylinder hole. Furthermore, in an the cylinder head cover. internal combustion engine equipped with a generator cham 0012. According to the second aspect of the present inven ber accommodating an AC (alternating-current) generator tion, a straddle type vehicle according to a preferred embodi driven by a crankshaft at the end portion of the crankshaft, it ment of the present invention is equipped with an OHC (Over is known that an oil catch tank for separating oil contained in Head Camshaft) engine and a fuel tank provided closely gas discharged from a crank chamber is provided at a side above the OHC engine including a crankcase, a cylinder portion of a cylinder block or a cylinder head and above the block, a cylinderhead, and a cylinderhead cover arranged one generator chamber, while the crank chamber is communi above the other. The straddle type vehicle is provided with an cated with the generator chamber and the generator chamber oil catch tank for separating oil contained in gas discharged from the crankcase, and a passage which communicates the is communicated with the inlet side of the oil catch tank (see, crankcase with the oil catch tank. The oil catch tank is formed e.g., Japanese Patent No. 3,329.331, Japanese Patent No. as one side portion of the cylinder head and the cylinder head 3,917.303, Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publica cover and provided with a plurality of breather chambers tion No. 2002-285817, Japanese Unexamined Laid-open including at least one lower breather chamber formed in the Patent Publication No. 5-179923). cylinder head and one upper breather chamber formed in the 0006. The breather device for the internal combustion cylinder head cover. The plurality of breather chambers is engine disclosed by JP 2005-16333 A has disadvantageous. arranged so that the gas flows in a ZigZag manner there In particular, its internal combustion engine is a four-stroke through. V-type two-cylinder engine. One of the cylinders is laid sub 0013. In this disclosure, it should be understood that the stantially horizontally, and the other cylinder is provided OHC engine also includes, for example, an SOHC (Single substantially vertically. The oil catch tank is provided on a Over Head Camshaft) engine and a DOHC (Double Over side portion of the cylinder block of the upright cylinder. It is, Head Camshaft) engine. The straddle type vehicle includes, however, preferable to provide the oil catch tank in a position for example, an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle). Such as, e.g., a as high as possible since it is also necessary to separate oil three-wheel buggy and a four-wheel buggy in addition to the from gas introduced into the cylinder head. motorcycle as will be detailed. 0007. In a motorcycle, a fuel tank is normally provided 0014. According to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the oil catch tank can be provided in a closely above an engine, and therefore there is no sufficient position as high as possible even if there is almost no space space for arranging the oil catch tank above the cylinderhead. between the cylinder head and the fuel tank. Furthermore, within a cylinder head of an OHC (Over Head 0015 The above and/or other aspects, features and/or Camshaft) engine, a number of components, such as, e.g., advantages of various embodiments will be further appreci camshafts, cams, cam holders, valves, and spark plugs, are ated in view of the following description in conjunction with accommodated, and therefore it would be extremely difficult the accompanying figures. Various embodiments can include to arrange the oil catch tank in the cylinder head. and/or exclude different aspects, features and/or advantages 0008. The description herein of advantages and disadvan where applicable. In addition, various embodiments can com tages of various features, embodiments, methods, and appa bine one or more aspect or feature of other embodiments ratus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to where applicable.