초록

A straddle seat type vehicle with adjustable steering. The vehicle comprises a handlebar adjustment apparatus functionally formed on a chassis that fixes the pivot of a steering post in angular positions about a pivot mechanism. A method of adjusting a steering control position is also included.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle comprising: a chassis, an engine supported by the chassis, the engine coupled to a drivetrain useful for propelling the vehicle, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one travel surface-engaging element for steering the vehicle; a steering post

What is claimed is: 1. A vehicle comprising: a chassis, an engine supported by the chassis, the engine coupled to a drivetrain useful for propelling the vehicle, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one travel surface-engaging element for steering the vehicle; a steering post operatively connected to the at least one travel surface-engaging element, the steering post having a pivot mechanism, the pivot mechanism permitting the portion of the steering post above the pivot mechanism to pivot longitudinally fore and aft; a steering control supported by the steering post, the steering control useful for rotating the steering post to effect steering of the vehicle; an adjustable steering mechanism movably coupling the steering post to the chassis, the adjustable steering mechanism including a means for locking the steering post to the chassis, a means for releasing the means for locking, a steering post retainer operatively connected to the steering post, and a guide track functionally formed on the chassis, the adjustable steering mechanism selectively permitting movement of the steering post retainer along the guide track to move the steering control longitudinally fore and aft. 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guide track functionally supports the steering post in the longitudinal and transverse directions. 3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guide track supports the steering post retainer in the transverse direction at a first axial location along the steering post, and the pivot allows the steering post to pivot about a second axial location along the steering post. 4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a snowmobile. 5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an all-terrain vehicle. 6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a personal watercraft. 7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the adjustable steering mechanism further includes a mount, the steering post retainer and mount comprising substantially maintenance free bushings. 8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the pivot mechanism permits the portion of the steering post above the pivot mechanism to pivot in a range of about 0 to 45 degrees from vertical. 9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the means for releasing the means for locking allows the steering post to move freely fore and aft relative to the chassis. 10. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the means for locking has a lock position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is fixed, and an unlock position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is variable. 11. A vehicle comprising: a chassis defining a longitudinal centerline, an engine supported by the chassis, the engine coupled to a drivetrain useful for propelling the vehicle, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one travel surface-engaging element for steering the vehicle; a steering post operatively connected to the at least one travel surface-engaging element; a steering control supported by the steering post, the steering control useful for rotating the steering post to effect steering of the vehicle; and an adjustable steering mechanism movably coupling the steering post to the chassis to permit movement of the steering control longitudinally fore and aft, the adjustable steering mechanism including a pivot mechanism at an axial location along the steering post, the portion of the steering post above the pivot mechanism defining a top steering post axis, the portion of the steering post below the pivot mechanism defining a bottom steering post axis, at least one of the top steering post axis and the bottom steering post axis being non-parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the chassis when viewed from the top of the vehicle in all steering configurations. 12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the pivot mechanism comprises a universal joint. 13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the pivot mechanism comprises a first ball joint that connects a top steering post and a bottom steering post together to form the steering post, the adjustable steering mechanism further including a steering support assembly operatively coupled to the top steering post and the bottom steering post, and the steering support assembly including a second ball joint. 14. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the top steering post is non-parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the chassis when viewed from the top of the vehicle. 15. The vehicle of claim 11, further including a bearing journaling the steering post at an axial location below the pivot mechanism. 16. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the adjustable steering mechanism further includes a lock, a release actuator, a steering post retainer operatively connected to the steering post, and a guide track functionally formed on the chassis, the adjustable steering mechanism selectively permitting movement of the steering post retainer along the guide track to move the steering control longitudinally fore and aft. 17. The vehicle of claim 11, further including a second pivot mechanism connected to the steering post at an axial location below the pivot mechanism, the second pivot mechanism permitting adjustment of the angle of the bottom steering post axis. 18. The vehicle of claim 17, further including a frog useful for functionally coupling the steering post to the travel surface engaging element, the frog located axially between the pivot mechanism and the second pivot mechanism. 19. A snowmobile with adjustable steering, comprising: a chassis, the chassis supporting an engine, the engine powering an endless drive track operatively connected to the chassis, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one ski operatively coupled to the chassis; a steering post operatively connected to the at least one ski, the steering post having a pivot mechanism, the pivot mechanism permitting the portion of the steering post above the pivot mechanism to pivot longitudinally fore and aft; handlebars supported by the steering post for rotating the steering post to effect steering, the handlebars moving longitudinally with the pivot mechanism of the steering post, the handlebars being pivotally adjustable fore and aft about the steering post pivot mechanism along an arc with a radius of at least equal to the extent of adjustability of the steering post; and a handlebar adjustment apparatus connected to the chassis and fixing the pivot of the steering post in angular positions about the pivot mechanism in a range of about 0 to 45 degrees from vertical, whereby adjustment moves the handlebars more longitudinally than vertically. 20. The snowmobile of claim 19, wherein the handlebar adjustment apparatus includes a lock, a release actuator, and a steering post retainer, the steering post retainer moving with the pivot of the steering post, the chassis restricting movement of the steering post retainer to movement along a track defined in the chassis, the lock fixing the steering post retainer in position along the track, and the release actuator releasing the lock to permit adjustment of the steering post retainer along the chassis track, whereby adjustment of the steering post retainer along the track adjusts the angle of the steering post. 21. The snowmobile of claim 20, wherein the track defined in the chassis is curved at a radius similar to the distance between the pivot mechanism and the steering post retainer. 22. The snowmobile of claim 20, wherein the steering post retainer remains generally coaxially aligned with the steering post during movement of the steering post retainer along the chassis track to prevent binding of the steering post relative to the steering post retainer. 23. The snowmobile of claim 20, wherein the steering post is substantially axially fixed relative to the steering post retainer during adjustment. 24. The snowmobile of claim 19, further comprising a lock having a locked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is fixed, and an unlocked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is variable. 25. A snowmobile with adjustable steering, comprising: a chassis, the chassis supporting an engine, the engine powering an endless drive track operatively connected to the chassis, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one ski operatively coupled to the chassis; a steering post operatively connected to the at least one ski, the steering post having a top post and a bottom post connected by a joint, the joint permitting pivoting of the top post relative to the bottom post, the bottom post mounted to the chassis; handlebars supported by the steering post for rotating the steering post to effect steering, the handlebars moving longitudinally with the pivoting of the top post; and a handlebar adjustment apparatus connected to the chassis and fixing the pivot of the top post in angular positions about the joint. 26. The snowmobile of claim 25, wherein the handlebar adjustment apparatus includes a lock, a release actuator, and a steering post retainer, the steering post retainer moving with the pivot of the steering post, the chassis restricting movement of the steering post retainer to movement along a track formed on the chassis, the lock fixing the steering post retainer in position along the track, and the release actuator releasing the lock to permit adjustment of the steering post retainer along the chassis track, whereby adjustment of the steering post retainer along the track adjusts the angle of the steering post. 27. The snowmobile of claim 25, further comprising a lock having a locked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is fixed, and an unlocked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is variable. 28. A snowmobile with adjustable steering, comprising: a chassis, the chassis supporting an engine, the engine powering an endless drive track operatively connected to the chassis, a straddle type seat supported by the chassis, and at least one ski operatively coupled to the chassis; a steering post operatively connected to the at least one ski, the steering post having a pivot mechanism, the pivot mechanism permitting a portion of the steering post above the pivot mechanism to pivot longitudinally fore and aft; handlebars supported by the steering post for rotating the steering post to effect steering, the handlebars moving longitudinally with the pivot mechanism of the steering post; hand grips mounted on opposite sides of the handlebars adapted to be gripped by the hands of the rider, a handlebar location defined as the centerpoint between the hand grips when the handlebars are orientated to steer the snowmobile in a substantially straight direction, the handlebar location being pivotally adjustable fore and aft by at least four inches; and an adjuster configured to fix the portion of the steering post above the pivot in angular positions about the pivot mechanism. 29. The snowmobile of claim 28, wherein the handlebar location is pivotally adjustable fore and aft by at least five inches. 30. The snowmobile of claim 28, wherein the handlebar location is pivotally adjustable fore and aft by at least six inches. 31. The snowmobile of claim 28, wherein the handlebar location moves at least one inch vertically as it is pivotally adjusted fore and aft. 32. The snowmobile of claim 28, further comprising a lock having a locked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is fixed, and an unlocked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is variable. 33. An adjustable steering mechanism adapted for use with a vehicle comprising: a steering post; a steering control supported by the steering post, the steering control useful for rotating the steering post to effect steering of the vehicle; an adjustable coupler movably coupling the steering post to a chassis of the vehicle, the adjustable coupler including a lock that locks the steering post to a chassis of the vehicle, a release for the lock, a steering post retainer operatively connected to the steering post, and a guide track functionally formed on the chassis, the adjustable coupler selectively permitting movement of the steering post retainer along the guide track to move the steering control longitudinally fore and aft. 34. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the guide track functionally supports the steering post in the longitudinal and transverse directions. 35. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the steering post includes a pivot. 36. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 35, wherein the guide track supports the steering post retainer in the transverse direction at a first axial location along the steering post, and the pivot allows the steering post to pivot about a second axial location along the steering post. 37. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the steering control includes a handlebar. 38. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the lock includes a spring-biased wedge and a plurality of detents. 39. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the release includes a lever. 40. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the release provides for tool-less adjustment of the steering control location. 41. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the adjustable coupler comprises a generally non-metallic material. 42. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the release is located towards a seating position on the vehicle. 43. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the adjustable coupler provides adjustment on an arc having a radius at least equal to the length of adjustability of the steering post. 44. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the adjustable coupler provides adjustment between zero and 45 degrees from vertical. 45. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the steering post is generally axially fixed relative to the steering post retainer during adjustment. 46. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the guide track defines a slot, the adjustable steering mechanism further including a cover that substantially covers the slot regardless of the steering post location. 47. The adjustable steering mechanism of claim 33, further including a telescopic adjustment mechanism. 48. The steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the release allows the steering post to move freely fore and aft relative to the chassis. 49. The steering mechanism of claim 33, wherein the lock has a locked position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is fixed, and an unlock position wherein the position of the steering post relative to the chassis is variable. 50. A method of adjusting a steering control position, comprising: providing a vehicle with an adjustable steering mechanism including a steering post, a steering control supported by the steering post, a lock, a means for releasing the lock, a steering post retainer, and a guide track functionally formed on a chassis of the vehicle; adjusting the position of the steering control longitudinally to a relatively rearward position without tools; and adjusting the position of the steering control longitudinally to a relatively forward position without tools. 51. The method of adjusting a steering control position of claim 50, further including the step of telescopingly adjusting the position of the steering control axially to a relatively higher position. 52. The method of adjusting a steering control position of claim 50, further including the step of telescopingly adjusting the position of the steering control axially to a relatively lower position.