Abstract: An air bag apparatus for a compact vehicle, having an air bag that is capable of restraining an operator on a seat from a front direction, in response to an expansion of the air bag, wherein it is possible to securely restrain the operator on the seat without a need for enlarging the expansion volume of the air bag, even if a yaw behavior and/or a rolling behavior of the vehicle body are/is large. The air bag and the vehicle to the rear of the seat are linked via a pair of restraining belts at the right and left, which are stored in the vehicle body, when the air bag is in a state of being folded, and which come into a state of tension, at the right and left exterior sides of the operator on the seat, when the air bag expands.

Abstract: An air bag apparatus for a compact vehicle, having an air bag that is capable of restraining an operator on a seat from a front direction, in response to an expansion of the air bag, wherein it is possible to securely restrain the operator on the seat without a need for enlarging the expansion volume of the air bag, even if a yaw behavior and/or a rolling behavior of the vehicle body are/is large. The air bag and the vehicle to the rear of the seat are linked via a pair of restraining belts at the right and left, which are stored in the vehicle body, when the air bag is in a state of being folded, and which come into a state of tension, at the right and left exterior sides of the operator on the seat, when the air bag expands.

Abstract: A gear having a high fatigue strength can be produced relatively inexpensively. The gear is produced by plastic working using a steel material containing C.ltoreq.0.01 wt %, Si.ltoreq.1 wt %, 0.05 wt %.ltoreq.Mn.ltoreq.0.5 wt %, P.ltoreq.0.1 wt %, S.ltoreq.0.03 wt %, 0.02 wt %.ltoreq.sol.Al.ltoreq.0.1 wt %, 0.8 wt %.ltoreq.Cu.ltoreq.1.7 wt %, and 0.02 wt %.ltoreq.Ti.ltoreq.0.1 wt %, the balance being Fe and inevitable elements. The gear is subjected to soft nitriding, serving as artificial aging, after a solution treatment. The resulting gear has a sufficiently deep, surface hardened layer. Further, the gear may be produced inexpensively since the simultaneous performance of the artificial aging and soft nitriding saves energy.

Abstract: A motorcycle has a frame assembly including a main frame supporting front and rear wheels on a central line thereof a connecting member is mounted on the main frame between the front and rear wheels, and a subframe is mounted on the connecting member and being capable of banking laterally about the connecting member. At least one of the front and rear wheels is a drive wheel. At least the drive wheel is capable of preventing the main frame from banking laterally. Centrifugal forces generated upon cornering are counterbalanced by centripetal forces produced when only the subframe banks laterally. The drive wheel supported on the main frame which does not bank has an increased road gripping force. Thus, high-speed cornering is made possible.

Abstract: A motorcycle has a frame assembly including a main frame supporting front and rear wheels on a central line thereof. A connecting member is mounted on the main frame between the front and rear wheels, and a subframe is mounted on the connecting member and is capable of banking laterally about the connecting member. At least one of the front and rear wheels is a drive wheel. At least the drive wheel is capable of preventing the main frame from banking laterally. Centrifugal forces generated upon cornering are counterbalanced by centripetal forces produced when only the subframe banks laterally. The drive wheel supported on the main frame which does not bank has an increased road gripping force. Thus, high-speed cornering is made possible.

Abstract: A motorcycle has a frame assembly including a main frame supporting front and rear wheels on a central line thereof. A connecting member is mounted on the main frame between the front and rear wheels, and a subframe is mounted on the connecting member and is capable of banking laterally about the connecting member. At least one of the front and rear wheels is a drive wheel. At least the drive wheel is capable of preventing the main frame from banking laterally. Centrifugal forces generated upon cornering are counterbalanced by centripetal forces produced when only the subframe banks laterally. The drive wheel supported on the main frame which does not bank has an increased road gripping force. Thus, high-speed cornering is possible.

Abstract: A motorcycle has a frame assembly including a main frame supporting front and rear wheels on a central line thereof. A connecting means mounted on the main frame between the front and rear wheels, and a subframe is mounted on the connecting member and being capable of banking laterally about the connecting member. At least one of the front and rear wheels is a drive wheel. At least the drive wheel is capable of preventing the main frame from banking laterally. Centrifugal forces generated upon cornering are counterbalanced by centripetal forces produced when only the subframe banks laterally. The drive wheel supported on the main frame which does not bank has an increased road gripping force. Thus, high-speed cornering is made possible.

Abstract: A motorcycle exhibiting improved cornering clearance has its front and rear wheels mounted to a fixed frame portion via front and rear suspensions. A moveable frame portion including the motorcycle seat is moveably mounted to the fixed frame portion and moves under control of the rider further inside a corner during cornering in order to shift the effective center of gravity of the motorcycle further inside the corner and thus further increase the lean angle of the entire motorcycle. Movement is provided via a pivot, slidable shaft, or a pair of parallel linkages. The moveable frame portion may include only the motorcycle seat or may include the tank, seat, and entire motorcycle fairing.

Abstract: A V-pulley is adapted for a continuously variable transmission which uses a chain belt composed of a plurality of chain blocks connected in its longitudinal direction, and a pair of V-pulleys operatively connected to each other through the chain belt. The V-pulley comprises a pair of conical pulley faces that the chain belt contacts, each of which is provided with a rough surface and a combination pattern of abrasion-prone and abrasion-resistant sections alternatively arranged at intervals shorter than the contact length and width of each chain block.