US007093569B2 (12) United States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 7,093,569 B2 Nakatsuka et al. (45) Date of Patent: Aug. 22, 2006 (54) POWER UNIT FOR SADDLE-RIDE TYPE 6,257,178 B1 7/2001 Laimbock VEHICLE 6,499,443 B1 * 12/2002 Kawamoto et a1. .... .. 123/4144 (75) Inventors: Masahiko Nakatsuka, Saitama (JP); Kazuhisa Takemoto, Saitama (JP); FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Shigetaro Okano, Saitama (JP); Yoshinobu Ozaki, Saitama (JP) DE 19910271 ‘A1 9/2000 EP 1394382 A1 3/2004 (73) Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Tokyo (JP) JP 3 210019 A 9/1991 JP 2741078 B2 4/1998 ( * ) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. * cited by examiner 21 A 1. N .1 11/063 571 Primary ExamineriHe my C. Yuen ( ) pp 0 ’ Assistant ExamineriHyder Ali (22) Filed: Feb 24, 2005 (74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiBirch, Stewart, Kolasch & B1rch, LLP (65) Prior Publication Data (57) ABSTRACT US 2005/0193965 A1 Sep. 8, 2005 (30) Foreign Application Priority Data An internal combustion engine and a transmission are sup ported by a saddle-ride type vehicle body having a front Mar. 4, 2004 (JP) ........................... .. 2004-060698 Wheel in a from portion thereof‘ An Oil Cooler is installed (51) Int Cl Without interference With other parts such as, for example, FoéB i700 (2006 01) an exhaust pipe and the front Wheel. Further, the distance F011, 5/10 (200601) betWeen a Water pump and the oil cooler is made shorter to FOIM 1/00 (200601) shorten the length of a cooling Water pipe. The poWer unit 52 U 5 Cl ' 123/41 44 123/196 AB includes a crank shaft, an output shaft disposed in a rear ( ) ' ' ' """""""""""""" " ' ’ 123/196 R’ portion of the poWer unit to output torque produced by the _ _ _ crank shaft to the exterior through a transmission, a Water (58) Field of Classi?cation Search ........... .. 123/41.44, pump is adapted to be rotated With the torque transferred _ _ 123/196 AB’ 196 R thereto from the crank shaft, and an oil cooler mounted on See apphcanon ?le for Complete Search hlstory' a rear surface of the poWer unit in a vehicle advancing (56) References Cited direction below the output shaft and at a position lower than the crank shaft. U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS 4,339,964 A 7/1982 lsaka 15 Claims, 16 Drawing Sheets a may", U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 1 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 2 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 ZLF X o O o . 93 91. 90 9160 5s 55 95 FIG. 2 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 3 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 / 56 57 6'5 58 67 B6 55 58 FIG. 3 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 4 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 FIG. 4 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 5 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 11--mm.2 ,1,h uuOI \ omN’l-'\| Q.QRa.iT _x_ Es. at?mm 7§32:m268mm5mGE1| l5..,.__-L_, . N<mu.6“"o “RuoIIII.I.HIW ITlllillll O x/.7m6/i.\. T, OI\\\ - NU_ON UPd._ll |1 .MmmH... _ 2gm;. _4.E AL mu.mu, . 8 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 7 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 FIG. 7 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 8 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 107A U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 9 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 103 96 2 91 105 9s _ 102 105 f 21 FIG. 9 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 10 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 A:.Umh U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 11 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 79 77 78a 78 78b 23 12Gb 122 1268 121 FIG. 11 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 12 0f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 FIG. 12 131 130 132 133 93a 138 139 " 137 ' 131d ‘35 136 130d I 136a FIG. 13 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 13 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 FIG. 14 136 140 FIG. 15 F300’ F40 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 14 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 ———>-Fr FIG. 16 FIG. 17 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 15 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 U.S. Patent Aug. 22, 2006 Sheet 16 6f 16 US 7,093,569 B2 153 163 151 160 162 161 152 15L 150 e / 172A 1728 166 165 \ 167 — 176 168 177 169 170 FIG. 19 US 7,093,569 B2 1 2 POWER UNIT FOR SADDLE-RIDE TYPE According to the present invention there is provided a VEHICLE poWer unit for a saddle-ride type vehicle Wherein the trans mission is accommodated Within an internal space formed BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION by combining of the left and right crank cases Which constitute the poWer unit. The oil pump is disposed Within at CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED least one of the left and right crank cases, and the oil cooler APPLICATIONS is ?xed to a rear surface in the vehicle advancing direction of the crank case in Which the oil pump is disposed. The present non-provisional application claims priority According to the present invention there is provided a under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. saddle-ride type poWer unit Wherein the output shaft of the 2004-060698 ?led on Mar. 4, 2004 the entire contents transmission is disposed at a position higher than an input thereof is hereby incorporated by reference. shaft of the transmission. 1. Field of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided a The present invention relates to a poWer unit for a poWer unit for a saddle-ride type vehicle Wherein a rotary saddle-ride type vehicle. More particularly, the present shaft of the oil pump and a rotary shaft of the Water pump invention is concerned With a layout of an oil cooler, an oil are coaxially disposed and interlocked With each other. ?lter, an oil pump, a Water pump, and an output shaft. In the present invention, the Water pump and the oil cooler 2. Description of Background Art are disposed beloW the crank shaft, and the oil cooler is According to an example of a conventional poWer unit provided on the rear surface of the poWer unit in the vehicle provided With a V engine, an oil cooler and an oil ?lter are 20 advancing direction and beloW the output shaft. Therefore, provided sideWays of a crank case and project to the exterior the oil cooler can be installed by utiliZing a dead space and of the poWer unit. See, Japanese Patent No. 2741078. When the Water pump can disposed adjacent to the oil cooler, such a V engine is to be mounted on a saddle-ride type Whereby it is possible to shorten the cooling Water passage vehicle such as a tWo-Wheeled motor vehicle, it is necessary and simplify the structure. to ensure an adequate mounting space for other parts While 25 In the present invention, the crank case includes the left avoiding the oil cooler and the oil ?lter. HoWever, in a crank case and the right crank case, and the oil pump and the saddle-ride type vehicle such as a tWo-Wheeled motor oil cooler are disposed in one of the cases. Therefore, the oil vehicle it is not easy to ensure such a mounting space. passage can be disposed intensively Within one crank case According to another conventional example of a layout, and the Water pump can be disposed by effectively utiliZing an oil cooler is disposed beloW a crank shaft, While a Water 30 the resulting empty space in the other crank case. pump is disposed above the crank shaft Japanese Patent No. In the present invention, since the output shaft of the 2741078. In such a layout, a cooling Water passage becomes transmission is disposed at a position higher than the input long and complicated, Which is not desirable in the fabri shaft thereof, it is possible to shorten the overall length of the cation of a poWer unit. poWer unit. 35 In the present invention, since the rotary shaft of the oil SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE pump and rotary shaft of the Water pump are coaxially INVENTION disposed and interlocked With each other, a single drive means suf?ces as a common means. Thus, the structure of The present invention intends to provide means for the poWer unit is simpli?ed. installing an oil cooler and an oil ?lter Without interference 40 Further scope of applicability of the present invention Will With other parts such as, for example, an exhaust pipe and a become apparent from the detailed description given here front Wheel and also intends to position a Water pump and an inafter. HoWever, it should be understood that the detailed oil cooler closer to each other and thereby shorten the length description and speci?c examples, While indicating pre of a cooling Water pipe. ferred embodiments of the invention, are given by Way of The present invention has solved the above-mentioned 45 illustration only, since various changes and modi?cations problems. According to the present invention, in a poWer Within the spirit and scope of the invention Will become unit for a saddle-ride type vehicle, including an internal apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed descrip combustion engine and a transmission and supported by a tion.