Abstract: A fuel injection type multiple cylinder engine unit includes an oil lubricating device including an oil tank and the oil in the oil tank is pumped up by a pump having an oil drain side to which pipes are connected for supplying the oil near the injectors. Each of the pipe has a front nozzle portion disposed at a portion near the front fuel jetting end of the injector and the fuel and the oil independently injected in an intake device of the engine unit are atomized and mixed with suitable mixture ratio. The intake device of the engine unit is provided with a surge tank which comprises a main surge tank formed integrally with an inlet manifold and sub-surge tanks formed by forming recesses between the respective adjacent intake pipes in association with the inlet manifold. The main surge tank and the sub-surge tanks are communicated with each other to thereby increase the total inner volume of the surge tank.

Abstract: A power steering system for an outboard motor for steering an outboard motor disposed outside of a rear portion of a hull and usually including a manual steering system mounted upon the hull for operating a steering element so as to manually steer the outboard motor body, is disclosed. A power unit is operatively connected to the manual steering system and includes an electric motor for applying a steering assist force to the manual steering system. The power unit is located at the portion of the hull capable of effectively utilizing the inner space of the hull and the electric motor of the power unit is controlled by means of a control unit in accordance with the navigation conditions of the hull and the operating conditions of the outboard motor as detected by means of suitable sensors. The sensors comprise various sensors such as, for example, a steering torque sensor and an engine speed sensor.

Abstract: An exhaust gas cleaning device is disposed within an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust port of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas cleaning device comprises an inner pipe disposed coaxially within the exhaust pipe with an annular space defined therebetween, the inner pipe being provided with a plurality of perforations, and laminated structures disposed upon the inner and outer surfaces of the inner pipe and including a catalyst for cleaning unburned components of the exhaust gas flowing within the exhaust pipe, each of the laminated structures being formed of a material which is not deleterious to the catalyst. The laminated structure includes a catalyst carrier layer formed by, in accordance with one method, fusibly injecting a catalyst including a solution onto an intermediate layer formed upon the inner and outer surfaces of the inner pipe and drying the same so as to remove the liquid component therefrom.

Abstract: A gear knocking sound preventing device for a transmission having a rotatable main shaft and a forward stage low speed shift shaft, a forward stage high speed shift shaft, and a forward stage maximum speed and reverse shift shaft. These latter three shift shafts are selectively axially movable by actuation of a shift and select lever mounted on a shift and select shaft. A gear knocking sound preventing device is provided and includes a cam mechanism having a first cam disposed on the shift and select shaft, and a second cam disposed on the forward stage low speed shift shaft so as to be engagable and disengagable with the first cam. The first cam is activated by rotation of the shift and select shaft and is brought into engagement with the second cam during reverse shifting so that the forward stage low speed shift shaft is moved slightly axially to activate a forward stage synchronous meshing mechanism to thereby stop the rotation of the main shaft of the transmission.

Abstract: A fuel injection system of an outboard motor is provided with a vapor separator as a fuel tank disposed in the outboard motor and the system includes a fuel return pipe connected to the vapor separator, a fuel supply pipe connected to the vapor separator for supplying fuel to the fuel injector and a vent means connected to the vapor separator. The vent means is connected to a port formed to the throttle body through a connection hose on an upstream side of the throttle valve. The port formed to the throttle body is opened at a portion at which an air flows in the throttle body with highest flowing speed and upstream and downstream sides of the throttle valve are communicated through a by-pass passage which is provided with a port on the upstream side of the throttle valve opened near the port formed to the throttle body.

Abstract: A front and rear wheel drive motorcycle includes an engine unit including a cylinder assembly and a crank shaft and first and second speed change belt mechanisms mounted to one end of the crank shaft for driving the front and rear wheels, respectively. The first and second speed change belt mechanisms are operatively connected to first and second speed change gear mechanisms through first and second speed change gear mechanisms through first and second driven pulleys respectively provided to the first and second change belt mechanism. To one end of the crank shaft is mounted a driving pulley means operated in common with the first and second speed change belt mechanisms. The driving pulley means comprises a stationary driving pulley mounted to one end of the crank shaft and operated in common with the first and second speed change belt mechanisms and a pair of movable driving pulleys mounted to one end of the crank shaft with the stationary driving pulley interposed therebetween.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a continuously variable vehicle transmission includes a fixed pulley member and a movable pulley member which is supported for movement toward and away from the fixed pulley member. A groove defined between the pulley members has a width which is decreased and increased to thereby respectively increase and decrease the rotational radius of a belt which is received in the groove. A control arrangement executes speed change control to change the belt ratio. The control arrangement includes a control unit which receives throttle opening degree and vehicle velocity detection signals and determines first and second target engine rotational speed which are based respectively on these detection signals. The control unit determines an optimum target engine rotational speed based on the firt and second target engine rotational speeds and sets upper and lower limit values of the optimum target engine rotational speed in accordance with predetermined conditions.

Abstract: A fuel injection type multiple cylinder engine unit includes an oil lubricating device including an oil tank and the oil in the oil tank is pumped up by a pump having an oil drain side to which pipes are connected for supplying the oil near the injectors. Each of the pipes has a front nozzle portion disposed at a portion near the front fuel jetting end of the injector and the fuel and the oil independently injected in an intake device of the engine unit are atomized and mixed with suitable mixture ratio. The intake device of the engine unit is provided with a surge tank which comprises a main surge tank formed integrally with an inlet manifold and sub-surge tanks formed by forming recesses between the respective adjacent intake pipes in association with the inlet manifold. The main surge tank and the sub-surge tanks are communicated with each other to thereby increase the total inner volume of the surge tank.

Abstract: The aggregation pattern of particles is determined by obtaining luminous intensity curves representative of the particle aggregation pattern, obtaining a first threshold face by cutting the curves with a plane positioned at a first given height, obtaining a second threshold face by cutting the curves with a plane positioned at a second given height and determining the particle aggregation pattern by calculating the ratio of the area of the first threshold face to the area of the second threshold face.

Abstract: An engine of a motorcycle is provided with a lubricating apparatus and a crank case within which is mounted a crank shaft having one end extending outwardly from a side wall of the crank case, and a cam sprocket drive gear is mounted upon the crank shaft. A cam chain chamber within which a chain is disposed in a loop is formed upon one side of a cylinder block including a cylinder and a piston and a cylinder head disposed above the cam sprocket drive gear. An oil passage hole is formed within a mating face of the crank case to be mated with the side cover, and an oil passage tube is inserted into the oil passage hole.

Abstract: A front fork assembly of a motorcycle comprises a pair of inverted type front forks each comprising an upper outer tube and a lower inner tube, upper and under brackets mounted to the front fork which are operatively connected to a body of the motorcycle, an axle bracket secured to the lower end of each of the front forks, a caliper bracket secured to the axle bracket, a caliper mounted to the caliper bracket, a disc plate supported by the axle bracket, a protector disposed in front of the front fork for protecting the front fork and a brake hose extending therealong, and a guide member secured to the front fork to vertically slidably support the front fork protector. The lower end portion of the brake hose is protected by a protector of specific structure so as not to contact to the road surface during the running of the motorcycle.

Abstract: A transmission includes a case having first and second case portions, an oil pump supported on the first case portion and a valve body supported on the second case portion. The valve body regulates the pressure of the oil discharged by the oil pump. The oil pump is provided with a pump manifold, and the manifold includes a filter which filters oil stored in an oil pan beneath the transmission. An oil intake passage is provided in the pump manifold, a starting end of the oil intake passage communicating with the oil pan, and a terminating end of the oil intake passage communicating with the oil pump through the filter. The pump manifold also includes an oil feed passage for feeding oil from the oil pump to the valve body, and an oil return passage for returning clean surplus oil from the valve body into the oil intake passage downstream of the filter.

Abstract: A passive seat belt control apparatus includes a retractor for housing part of a seat belt. The retractor includes an arrangement for sensing acceleration and deceleration of a vehicle door and the speed at which the seat belt is pulled out from the retractor, and a mechanism for locking the seat belt. A solenoid operates to cancel the function of the retractor, and a door switch detects opening and closing of the vehicle door. A main control unit actuates the solenoid when the door switch detects that the door is open, and the main control unit includes an arrangement for continuously maintaining the solenoid operative for a predetermined time whenever the door switch detects that the door is closed after it has previously detected that the door is open.

Abstract: A method for controlling a continuously variable transmission having a pair of pulleys each of which includes a groove defined between a stationary pulley element and a movable pulley element, including the step of using hydraulic oil for increasing and decreasing the width of the groove to respectively decrease and increase the radius of rotation of a belt looped around the pulleys to thereby vary the belt ratio. A hydraulic clutch is provided, and connection and disconnection of the clutch is controlled according to various predetermined control modes. Line pressure is controlled with a control device which uses both open loop control, and closed loop feedback control responsive to a signal from a pressure sensor. During open loop control, the line pressure is controlled so as to reflect the clutch pressure during a vehicle start mode.

Abstract: A clutch cooling apparatus for a stepless variable speed transmission having a clutch for transmitting driving power from an input shaft to an output shaft by clamping a friction plate connected to the output shaft between a pressure plate and an end plate connected to the input shaft, including a first clutch cooling arrangement for cooling the clutch during a predetermined running condition of the vehicle and a second clutch cooling arrangement for cooling the clutch during operation of the vehicle engine regardless of the running condition of the vehicle.

Abstract: A kick starting apparatus for a motorcycle comprises a kick lever for starting a kick operation, a kick shaft rotatably mounted to a crank case and a clutch case of the motorcycle when they are mated, a kick drive gear mounted to the kick shaft, a kick idle gear mated with the kick drive gear and rotatably connected to a drive shaft of a power transmission system of the motorcycle, and a kick shaft return spring elastically mounted to the kick shaft. The crank case is provided with an attachment boss disposed inside and near the mating face of the crank case and the boss is provided with a hole extending substantially in parallel to the kick shaft. The kick shaft return spring has a main body accommodated in the clutch case when mated with the crank case, a free end bent firmly engaged with the kick shaft, and a stationary end to be inserted into the hole formed in the attachment boss with a right angle so as to extend in parallel to the kick shaft.

Abstract: An ignition timing alarm device is provided for an internal combustion engine which includes an electronic ignition timing control arrangement for electronically controlling the ignition timing. A control arrangement is provided for memorizing the input of a fixed ignition timing command signal in order to subsequently issue a warning at a checking time if the vehicle ran at a speed exceeding a preset speed in a state where the ignition timing was controlled to be the fixed ignition timing in accord with the input of the fixed ignition timing command signal.

Abstract: A continuously variable transmission which effects a speed change by increasing and decreasing the width of a groove between a fixed pulley part and a movable pulley part. A belt ratio controller for the transmission uses oil pressure to increase and decrease the rotating radius of a belt wound on the pulley parts, the belt controller controlling the belt ratio to a target belt ratio value set based on the opening of the throttle when starting on a road having a small road surface friction coefficient.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling a continuous speed variable transmission includes a pressure sensor for detecting atmospheric pressure, and a control unit which receives a detection signal from the pressure sensor. The control unit responds to the detected atmospheric pressure, the shift position of the transmission, and other predetermined conditions to correct clutch pressure and line pressure.

Abstract: A method of controlling the rotational speed of a continuously variable transmission having a pair of pulleys which each includes a fixed pulley member and a movable pulley member, including the steps of decreasing and increasing the groove width between each pair of fixed and movable pulley members to respectively increase and decrease the rotational radius of a belt wrapped around the pulleys. A hydraulic clutch is provided and is connected to and disconnected from the driving force of the transmission in response to clutch pressure applied thereto. A control section is provided for calculating a desired clutch pressure for the hydraulic clutch. This desired clutch pressure is based on an engine torque value and a desired engine rotational speed. When the clutch is in a normal starting mode and certain other predetermined conditions are satisfied, the control section is used to adjust the desired engine rotational speed based on the temperature of the oil in the transmission.