Patent Publication Number: US-2011073628-A1

Title: Structure of utility box for saddle vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority under 35 USC 119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-228203 filed on Sep. 30, 2009 the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a structure of a utility box, in a saddle vehicle having a fuel tank, which is an accommodation section provided on the fuel tank for accommodating various articles such as documents and small articles. 
     2. Description of Background Art 
     An accommodation box open upwardly and a lid member for opening and closing the accommodation box are known in the prior art wherein the accommodation box is provided on a main frame extending rearwardly from a head pipe and the lid member is connected at a front end portion thereof for pivotal motion in upward and downward directions to a front portion of the main frame by a hinge while it is engaged at a rear portion thereof with a rear portion of the accommodation box by an engaging member. See, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Hei. 2-42889. 
     In addition, a configuration is known wherein an engine is disposed below a main frame extending rearwardly from a head pipe and a receiving plate is provided above a crankcase of the engine while an accommodation cover for opening and closing the receiving plate is provided on the main frame and is supported for pivotal motion in upward and downward directions at a front portion of the main frame. See, for example, Japanese Patent No. 2868787 
     Since the accommodation cover in the prior arts is opened by a one stage operation, it sometimes opens by an inadvertent touch therewith or the like. However, where the accommodation cover is provided on a fuel tank positioned forwardly of the driver, preferably it has higher reliability without such inadvertent opening. Therefore, it is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to implement such a demand as just described. 
     SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     In order to solve the subject described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a structure of a utility box for a saddle vehicle which is provided on a saddle vehicle wherein a fuel tank is supported on a main frame extending rearwardly from a head pipe and an engine is disposed below the main frame wherein a recessed portion which is recessed downwardly is provided on an upper face of the fuel tank and the utility box is disposed in the recessed portion. The utility box includes a body case that opens upwardly for accommodating an article therein. A lid is attached for upward pivotal motion for opening and closing the opening of the body case, and opening and closing blocking means for blocking the opening and closing of the lid. The opening and closing blocking means includes a lever pivoting mechanism for pivoting a lever, which is attached for pivotal motion to the lid and serves as a griping portion when the lid is to be opened, upwardly and downwardly, and an engaging mechanism for engaging the lid with the body case and canceling the engagement when the lid is pulled up by a predetermined pulling up load. The opening and closing blocking means is operated at two stages such that, as the first stage operation, the lever is pushed to pivot the lever to be erected uprightly through the lever pivoting mechanism such that the lever can be gripped. In addition, as the second stage operation, the lever erected uprightly is gripped and pulled up by a predetermined pulling up load to cancel the engagement of the engaging mechanism to permit the lid to be opened. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lever pivoting mechanism includes spring means for elastically biasing the lever in the erecting direction, and the popup mechanism pivots the lever uprightly by the spring means by pushing down the lever by a predetermined amount so as to popup the lever. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the lever pivoting mechanism includes a plurality of blocking portions for permitting erecting pivotal motion of the lever by pushing down the lever by the predetermined amount. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, a gap in the form of a groove of an inverted V shape directed uprightly at a joining portion between the lid and a member on the fuel tank side which surrounds the lid when the lid is closed is provided and a rib which projects downwardly is provided on a lower face of the lid along the joining portion, and another rib which projects upwardly from the body case side is disposed in such a manner as to overlap with the rib with a gap left therebetween such that a labyrinth structure is formed from the ribs. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, with respect to the rib which projects from the lid side or the body case side, a plurality of ribs are provided on the inner and outer sides, and the inner and outer ribs have different heights from each other such that the outer rib adjacent the joining portion has a greater height. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, by pushing the lever by an operation of the first stage to uprightly pivot the lever by means of the lever pivoting mechanism so as to be capable of being grasped and then gripping, by an operation of the second stage, the lever erected uprightly and pulling up the lever by a predetermined pulling up load, the engagement of the engaging mechanism can be canceled to open the lid. Therefore, since the lid cannot be opened with certainty without following the determined procedure by a two-stage operation, even if the utility box is provided at a place at which a driver can readily touch the utility box by providing the utility box on the fuel tank, it is possible to prevent the lid from being opened by an inadvertent touch or the like. Therefore, the reliability regarding opening and closing of the lid can be raised. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the lever pivoting mechanism is formed from a popup mechanism such that the lever is pushed down by a predetermined amount to pop up the lever, unless the lever is popped up, the lever remains in a lying down state and does not rise from the surface of the lid. Therefore, the possibility that the lever may be gripped to open the lid inadvertently is eliminated. In addition, in order to pop up the lever, it is necessary to push down the lever by a predetermined amount, and inadvertent popup can be prevented likewise. Further, if the lever is popped up, then it is possible to grip the lever and pull up the lever by more than the predetermined pulling up load to open the lid. In addition, when the pulling up load is less than the predetermined amount, the engagement of the engaging mechanism cannot be canceled, and therefore, inadvertent opening of the lid can be prevented likewise. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, since a plurality of blocking portions for permitting upright pivotal motion of the lever are provided, inadvertent popup can be blocked with a higher degree of certainty, and the reliability in regard to opening and closing of the lid can be enhanced further. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, since the gap in the form of a groove of an inverted V shape directed uprightly is provided at the joining portion between the lid and the member around the lid when the lid is closed is provided, even if the gap at the joining portion is dispersed by seal reactive force, the gap can be made less liable to be observed from the outside. 
     Further, even if water enters through the joining portion, since the labyrinth structure is formed from the overlap of the ribs projecting from the lid side and the body case side, the labyrinth structure can make water less likely to invade thereby to enhance the waterproof of the accommodation section of the body case. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, with respect to the rib which projects from the lid side or the body case side, a plural ribs are provided on the inner and outer sides, and the inner and outer ribs have different heights from each other such that the outer rib adjacent the joining portion has a greater height. Therefore, invasion of water can be blocked by the joining portion on the more outer side, and the waterproof performance can be enhanced further. 
     Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  shows side elevational views of a fuel tank according to an embodiment; 
         FIGS. 2(   a ) and  2 ( b ) show side elevational views of a tank pocket; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tank pocket in a state wherein a lid therefor is open; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the tank pocket; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a body case as viewed from the upper side; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the body case as viewed from the lower side; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view of essential part taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a sectional view of essential part taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a side elevational view partly in section of the tank pocket; 
         FIG. 10  is a sectional view taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 9 ; 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded sectional view of a popup mechanism and a latch mechanism section; 
         FIGS. 13D to 13D  are views showing details of a popup lever; 
         FIGS. 14A and 14B  are sectional views of a popup stay; 
         FIGS. 15A to 15C  are views illustrating operation of the popup mechanism; and 
         FIG. 16  is a side elevational view of a motorcycle to which the present embodiment is applied. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following, a mode of the present invention is described in connection with an embodiment applied to a fuel tank provided on such a saddle vehicle as a motorcycle with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that descriptions of directions such as forward and backward, leftward and rightward, and upward and downward directions are given with reference to the vehicle body of the saddle vehicle. Further, an arrow mark F in the figures indicates the forward direction of the vehicle body, and another arrow mark U indicates the upward direction of the vehicle body. Further, reference character R denotes the right side of the vehicle body, L the left side of the vehicle body, and RR the rear side. It is to be noted that the leftward and rightward direction of the vehicle body is suitably referred to as vehicle widthwise direction or widthwise direction. 
       FIG. 16  is a side elevational view of a motorcycle to which the present invention is applied. This motorcycle includes a vehicle body frame which supports a front wheel  1  and a rear wheel  2  on the front and the rear thereof. This vehicle body frame includes a head pipe  3  provided at a front end portion of the vehicle body frame, a main frame  4  extending rearwardly from the head type, and a seat rail  5  extending rearwardly and a pivot frame  6  extending downwardly continuously from the main frame  4 . A fuel tank  10  is supported on the main frame  4 , and a seat  7  is disposed continuously rearwardly of the fuel tank  10  and is supported on the seat rail  5 . An engine  8  is supported below the main frame  4 . A handle bar  9   a  connects to an upper end of a steering shaft  9   b  supported for rotation on the head pipe  3 , and the steering shaft  9   b  is connected at a lower end thereof to a front fork  9   c  which supports the front wheel  1 . A rear fork  9   d  supports the rear wheel  2 . It is to be noted that the main frames  4  may be provided in a left and right pair or a single main frame  4  may be provided along the center of the vehicle body. 
     The fuel tank  10  is placed on and supported by the main frames  4  and is positioned forwardly of a driver (not shown) seated on the seat  7  disposed rearwardly of the fuel tank  10  such that left and right rear side faces thereof are gripped by the knees of the driver. Further, a tank pocket  20  hereinafter described is provided on the fuel tank  10  such that the driver can open and close a lid and place an article into and out of the tank pocket  20  while it is seated. 
       FIG. 1  is a side elevational view of the fuel tank carried on the motorcycle described above. This fuel tank  10  is used commonly for both of an airbag specification including an airbag and an airbagless specification which does not include an airbag. A of  FIG. 1  shows an airbagless specification which includes a tank pocket  20  in place of an airbag. The tank pocket  20  is an example of the utility box for a saddle vehicle of the present invention. An airbag specification B includes an airbag. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a downwardly concave recessed portion  12  is provided at an upper portion of the fuel tank  10 , and the recessed portion  12  is covered from above with an airbagless specification outer cover  14 . An upper face of the airbagless specification outer cover  14  is formed as a rearwardly inclined face which is inclined rearwardly, and a tank pocket opening  15  is formed in the proximity of a top portion of the airbagless specification outer cover  14 . A lid  21  of the tank pocket  20  is accommodated in the recessed portion  12  in advance faces for opening and closing movement in the tank pocket opening  15 . The tank pocket  20  is supported on the fuel tank  10  through a tank pocket stay  16  attached to the fuel tank  10  by welding or the like in advance by attaching the tank pocket  20  to the tank pocket stay  16  by fastening by means of a bolt or the like. 
     The tank pocket  20  is a utility box which can accommodate documents, various small articles and so forth and includes a box-shaped body case  22  open upwardly, and a lid  21  for opening and closing the opening of the body case  22 . The driver seated on the seat positioned rearwardly of the fuel tank  10  can extend its hand at any time to open or close the lid  21  and place an article into or take it out from the tank pocket  20 . 
     It is to be noted that an airbag module  17  can be accommodated in the accommodation section of the tank pocket  20  in place of the tank pocket  20  as shown in B of  FIG. 1 . In particular, by setting the size of the recessed portion  12  such that the airbag module  17  can be disposed in the recessed portion  12 , the fuel tank  10  can be used commonly for the airbag specification shown in B of  FIG. 1  and the airbagless specification shown in A of  FIG. 1 . In the case of the airbagless specification, as shown in A of  FIG. 1 , the tank pocket  20  is disposed in place of the air bag module  17 . In the case of the airbag specification, separately from the airbagless specification outer cover  14  wherein the tank pocket opening  15  is formed, an airbag specification outer cover  18  having such an opening as just described is used. On the airbag specification outer cover  18 , a weak portion for being broken upon expansion of an airbag is provided at a suitable location in advance. 
     The airbag module  17  is supported in the recessed portion  12  on the fuel tank  10  by an airbag stay  19 . As shown also in an enlarged view in  FIG. 1 , the airbag stay  19  includes a first stay  19   a  in the form of a band plate disposed and welded so as to extend along the opposite side faces from an upper face of the fuel tank  10 , and a second stay  19   b  welded to an upper face of the first stay  19   a  and having a substantially channel shape as viewed in side elevation. The airbag module  17  is attached at a bottom portion  17   a  thereof to the second stay  19   b  for damping by bolts  19   d  through damping rubber members  19   c.  A weld nut  9  is provided. 
     Although the airbagless specification outer cover  14  and the airbag specification outer cover  18  cannot be used commonly, the airbag stay  19  can sometimes be utilized as the tank pocket stay  16 . In this instance, a stay having a shape varied in accordance with the attaching portion of the tank pocket is used as the second stay  19   b.  It is to be noted that the first stay  19   a  is for absorbing a high load upon expansion of the airbag, and therefore, it is possible to omit this. 
       FIGS. 2(   a ) and  2 ( b ) are side elevational views of the tank pocket, and  2 ( a ) shows the pocket in a state wherein the lid  21  is closed and  2 ( b ) shows the pocket in another state wherein the lid  21  is open.  FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the tank pocket  20  in a state wherein it is provided on the fuel tank  10  as viewed from obliquely upwardly and rearwardly in the state wherein the lid  21  is open.  FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the tank pocket.  FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the body case  22 , which configures the accommodation section of the tank pocket, as viewed from the upper side, and  FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the body case  22  as viewed from the lower side. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 2(   b ), rear portions of the lid  21  and the body case  22  are connected to each other by a hinge  23  such that the front side is opened and closed around a hinge axis  24 . If the lid  21  is formed otherwise such that the rear side is opened, then since the airbagless specification outer cover  14  has a rearwardly inclined face, the contents are liable to drop and the accommodation capacity decreases. However, where the front side is opened, such possibility is decreased to achieve a large capacity. 
     The hinge  23  is formed from an arm member having a curved portion  23   a  and a linear portion  23   b  and bent in a substantially V shape, and the curved portion  23   a  is fixedly mounted at an end thereof to a lower face of a rear end of the lid  21 . The linear portion  23   b  is attached at an end thereof for pivotal motion to a rear extension  44  which projects rearwardly from a rear portion of the body case  22  by the hinge axis  24 . The curved portion  23   a  extends through a hinge hole  46  ( FIG. 5 ) provided on an upper face of the rear extension  44 . Part of the upper face of the rear extension  44  is formed as a stopper  47 , and a cushion  48  is attached to a lower face of the stopper  47  such that, upon fully opening, the linear portion  23   b  is abutted with the stopper  47  through the cushion  48  to restrict the opening angle a at the fully open position of the lid  21  to approximately 80°. 
     At this fully open position, the lid  21  has a state proximate to a substantially vertical state of such a degree that a line L interconnecting a forwardmost projecting portion of the lid  21  and the hinge axis  24  opens a little greater than 90° so that the driver can readily confirm the contents in the body case  22  without looking into the body case  22 . 
     The cushion  48  is made of sponge rubber and is an elastic member of a low rebound resilience thereby to prevent collision between resins and suppress such collision sound upon fully opening to improve the feel of a good material. 
     A transverse flange hereinafter described is provided at an upper portion of the body case  22 . At the transverse flange, the body case  22  is attached to the tank pocket stay  16  by screwing, and the transverse flange is placed in an overlapping relationship in the upward and downward direction on the rear side of a peripheral portion of the tank pocket opening  15  of the airbagless specification outer cover  14 . Further, as hereinafter described, a peripheral portion of the tank pocket opening  15  of the airbagless specification outer cover  14  is locked by the transverse flange. Although the upper face of the lid  21  in the closed state projects a little upwardly farther than the upper face of the airbagless specification outer cover  14 , the upper faces continue generally smoothly and continuously such that the upper face of the lid  21  has little offset with respect to the airbagless specification outer cover  14 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , a popup lever  25  is provided at a front end portion of a central portion in the vehicle widthwise direction of the lid  21 , and an engaging projection  27  provided on an popup stay  26  with which the popup lever  25  is integrated is removably engaged with a latch  28  provided at a front end portion of the body case  22 . If the engaging projection  27  is engaged with the latch  28 , then the lid  21  maintains the closed state. 
     The engaging projection  27  and the latch  28  configure a latch mechanism, and engagement of the engaging projection  27  with the latch  28  can be canceled by picking (gripping) the popup lever  25  to pull the lid  21  upwardly by more than a predetermined pulling up load. This pulling up load can be set arbitrarily. 
     The popup lever  25  varies between a lying state wherein it is flush with the lid  21  and a popup state wherein an end thereof stands uprightly. If, when the popup lever  25  is in the popup state, the popup lever  25  is picked and pulled upwardly, then the engaging projection  27  cancels the engagement with the latch  28  and the lid  21  is opened. In particular, the lid  21  is opened by two-stage actions of popup operation and unlatching of the popup lever  25 . 
     An upright flange  30  is provided in the form of a peripheral wall on the periphery of the opening of the body case  22 , and an inner side space surrounded by the upright flange  30  serves as an accommodation space. Of the peripheral wall portion surrounding this accommodation space, a front wall  31  partially retreats rearwardly at a central portion in the vehicle widthwise direction of a front end portion thereof, and the latch  28  is provided at a bottom portion (hereinafter described) of a latch recessed portion  29  formed on the outer side forwardly of the retreating portion  31   a.    
     The peripheral wall portion is formed from the front wall  31 , a rear wall  34 , and left and right side walls  37 , and upper projections which are upper end portions of the wall portions serve as the upright flange  30 . 
     The body case  22  is elongated transversely and has a sufficient depth, and the accommodation space is partitioned by the front wall  31  and partition walls  32  and  33 . In a principal portion between the front wall  31  and the rear wall  34  ( FIG. 4 ), a bottle  35  for drinking water of approximately 500 cc can be accommodated in a transversely directed state in the vehicle widthwise direction. Further, an article  36  ( FIG. 2 ) can be suitably accommodated in an overlapping relationship on the drinking water bottle  35 . The partition wall  32  is a vertical wall formed substantially in parallel to the side walls  37 , and a portable telephone set  38  of a substantially parallelepiped is accommodated between the partition wall  32  and the side walls  37  such that the lengthwise direction thereof is directed in the forward and backward direction. 
     The partition wall  33  is a transverse wall formed substantially in parallel to the front wall  31  which projects forwardly sidewardly of the retreating portion  31   a , and a substantially circular part  39  such as a coin purse or a portable ashtray can be accommodated between the partition wall  33  and the front wall  31  such that a circular plane thereof extends in parallel to the upward and downward direction and the vehicle widthwise direction. By partitioning the inside into a plurality portions in this manner, a plurality of articles can be accommodated in a well-arranged state. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , this tank pocket  20  includes a seal  49  provided between the lid  21  and the body case  22  to establish watertight sealing so that, when the lid  21  is closed, no water is admitted into the body case  22 . The seal  49  has a ring shape similar to that of the upright flange  30  in the form of a peripheral wall and has a quadrangular cross section. The seal  49  is made of independent foamed rubber of a low rebound resilience (for example, that of a trade name “Eptsealer” by Nitto Denko is available) and is attached to the rear face of the lid  21  such that, when the lid  21  is closed, the end of the upright flange  30  is closely contacted liquid-tight therewith. 
     By using the seal of such a low rebound resilience as described above, the influence of the rebound force of the seal material upon a joining portion can be reduced. Further, by adoption of independent foamed rubber, water can be intercepted effectively so that it cannot pass through the material thickness of the seal  49 . 
     A popup mechanism  50  for popping up the popup lever  25  is provided on the lid  21 . 
     The popup mechanism  50  includes the popup lever  25 , the popup stay  26 , a shaft member  51  for attaching the popup lever  25  for pivotal motion to the popup stay  26 , and a spring  52  wound around the shaft member  51  for pivotally biasing the popup lever  25  so that the front end side of the popup lever  25  opens upwardly. While the spring  52  in the present embodiment is formed from a torsion coil spring, it is possible to replace the torsion coil spring with a known suitable spring member. Details of the popup mechanism  50  are hereinafter described. 
     The popup stay  26  is fitted in a stay attaching recessed portion  53  formed at a central portion in the vehicle widthwise direction of a front end portion of the lid  21 , and the engaging projection  27  projecting downwardly from a bottom portion of the popup stay  26  extends through an opening  55  formed at the center of a bottom portion  54  of the stay attaching recessed portion  53  and projects downwardly. 
     Further, attaching bosses  56  which project downwardly from the bottom portion of the popup stay  26  are placed on the bottom portion  54  and screws  57  are screwed from below into the attaching bosses  56  to integrate the popup stay  26  with the stay attaching recessed portion  53 . 
     If the stay attaching recessed portion  53  is fitted into the latch recessed portion  29 , then the engaging projection  27  projecting from the bottom portion  54  is locked by the latch  28  provided in the latch recessed portion  29  and the lid  21  is held in a closed state. 
     Now, the body case  22  is described in detail. As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , a transverse flange  40  stretching in a horizontal direction is provided continuously from the front side to the opposite left and right sides of the periphery of the upright flange  30  on the upper face of the body case  22 . This transverse flange  40  is a portion which overlaps with the tank pocket stay  16 , and attaching portions  41  are provided on the left and right of the front portion and fastened to the tank pocket stay  16  by means of screws (not shown) from above. It is to be noted that attaching portion screws for being placed on and screwed to the tank pocket stay  16  are provided also on the rear extension  44  on the rear side. 
     On the left and right transverse flanges  40 , substantially U-shaped insertion fixing pieces  42  are provided on the outer side of the upright flange  30  in a forwardly and backwardly spaced relationship from each other, and a fixing rail  43  is provided on the outer side of the insertion fixing pieces  42  such that it extends substantially in parallel to the upright flange  30 . Grooves cut in from above are formed on the insertion fixing pieces  42  and the fixing rail  43 , and when the lid  21  is closed, a rib provided on the lid  21  side is inserted into the insertion fixing pieces  42  while an edge portion of the tank pocket opening  15  ( FIG. 3 ) of the airbagless specification outer cover  14  is inserted into the fixing rail  43 . 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken along line  7 - 7  of  FIG. 5  and showing a joining portion between the airbagless specification outer cover  14  and the lid  21 . In this figure, an edge portion  60  which surrounds the tank pocket opening  15  ( FIG. 3 ) of the airbagless specification outer cover  14  is formed as an inclined face which is inclined in a direction toward the center of the tank pocket opening  15 , and contacts at an end thereof with a rib  40   a  formed in a projecting manner on an upper face of the transverse flange  40 . It is to be noted that the edge portion  60  is fitted at the opposite side portions thereof in a groove  43   a  of the fixing rail  43  (refer to  FIG. 8 ) and is fitted at a rear portion thereof with a fixing rail  40   b  formed on the upper face of the rear extension  44  and having a similar structure to that of the fixing rail  43  (refer to  FIG. 9 ). 
     A front end portion  21  a of the lid  21  provides an inclined face extending in parallel to the edge portion  60 , and some gap is formed between the front end portion  21   a  and the edge portion  60 . On the rear face of a front portion of the lid  21 , a pair of front and rear ribs  61  and  62  are formed in a projecting manner in a reversely inclined relationship to that of the edge portion  60 , that is, in a manner wherein lower portions thereof come close to the edge portion  60 . The ribs  61  and  62  extend in parallel to each other and continuously surround the tank pocket opening  15  in a corresponding relationship to the upright flange  30 . A peripheral groove  63  is formed between the ribs  61  and  62  disposed in an inwardly and outwardly spaced relationship from each other, and the seal  49  is fitted in the peripheral groove  63  while an end of the upright flange  30  contacts closely with a lower face of the seal  49 . 
     From between the rib  61  on the outer side and the rib  62  on the inner side which are positioned close to the joining portion, the height of the rib  61  is greater (in other words, the rib on the lid side has a greater downwardly projecting amount). 
     Further, the upright flange  30  enters between the inner and outer ribs  61  and  62 , and the upright flange  30  and the ribs  61  and  62  overlap inwardly and outwardly with each other, so that the gap between the ribs forms a labyrinth structure. 
     Therefore, even if water enters through the joining portion, the labyrinth structure makes water less likely to enter the inner side, and further, the seal  49  prevents invasion of water with a higher degree of accuracy. Further, since the inner and outer ribs  61  and  62  have different heights from each other and the outer side rib  61  on the joining portion side has a greater height, the rib  61  on the joining portion side on the outer side can prevent invasion of water with a higher efficiency. Thus, the waterproof performance can be further raised. 
     It is to be noted that it is possible to erect the inner and outer ribs  61  and  62  upwardly from the body case  22  side and provide a rib like the upright flange  30  which enters between the ribs  61  and  62  on the lid  21  side. Further, the number of inner and outer ribs  61  and  62  is an arbitrary number if it is equal to or greater than 2. 
       FIG. 8  is a sectional view taken along line  8 - 8  of  FIG. 5  and showing the joining portion between the airbagless specification outer cover  14  and the lid  21 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , the edge portion  60  of the airbagless specification outer cover  14  is inserted into the groove  43   a  of the fixing rail  43 . The upright flange  30  which is an upper end portion of the side wall  37  is closely contacted with the seal  49  fitted in the peripheral groove  63  between the ribs  61  and  62 . 
     It is to be noted that, at a side portion, different from the front end portion, the edge portion  60  is inclined reversely in such a manner that the lower side is open to the outer side. Further, the front end portion  21  a of the lid  21  is inclined reversely with respect to the edge portion  60 . Therefore, a gap  64  formed between the front end portion  21   a  and the edge portion  60  indicates a shape of an inverted V shape which increases downwardly. Where the gap  64  is formed as a groove of an inverted V shape in this manner, a sufficient sealing property is maintained even where dispersion is caused with the joining by sealing repulsive force or the like. 
     Further, even if the gap of the joining portion is dispersed by the sealing repulsive force, it is possible to make the gap less liable to be observed from the outside. 
     It is to be noted that naturally the seal structure of  FIGS. 7 and 8  can be applied as a seal structure for a different portion. 
     Now, the popup mechanism  50  is described in detail.  FIG. 9  is a side elevational view showing a structure of the tank pocket  20 , and front and rear portions are partly broken to show the inside.  FIG. 10  is a sectional view taken along line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 9 ,  FIG. 11  is a sectional view taken along line  11 - 11  of  FIG. 9 , and  FIG. 12  is an exploded sectional view showing the popup mechanism  50  and the latch mechanism section.  FIGS. 13A to 13D  are views showing details of the popup lever  25 ,  FIGS. 14A and 14B  are enlarged sectional views of the popup stay  26 , and  FIGS. 15A to 15C  are views illustrating operation of the popup mechanism  50 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  9  and  10 , the stay attaching recessed portion  53  includes a pair of left and right side walls  58  connected to each other by the bottom portion  54  and is open in the forward and backward directions and upwardly. The bottom portion  54  has an offset structure wherein it rises upwardly at a central portion thereof in the leftward and rightward direction while it is lower on the opposite left and right sides thereof. The opening  55  is formed at a high location of the center of the bottom portion  54 , and the attaching bosses  56  are placed at a lower end thereof on the lower portions on the opposite left and right sides. A fitting hole for the screws  57  is provided at the lower end of each of the attaching bosses  56 . 
       FIG. 13A  is a plan view of the popup lever  25 ,  13 B is a side elevational view,  13 C is a sectional view taken along line  13 C- 13 C, and  13 D is a sectional view taken along line  13 D- 13 D. The popup lever  25  has provided integrally thereon a knob  70  which is a knob part of a substantially rectangular shape as viewed in plan, a pair of left and right side walls  71  which extend downwardly from the left and right of the knob  70  and have an inverted triangular shape as viewed in side elevation, and an arm portion  72  provided at a rear end of the knob  70  and having a substantially L shape as viewed in side elevation. 
     A through-hole  73  for threading the shaft member  51  ( FIG. 4 ) therethrough is provided at a central portion of each side wall  71  in the upward and downward direction, and a guide shaft  74  which projects outwardly is provided integrally at a lower end of each side wall  71 . 
     The arm portion  72  includes an upward and downward portion  75  extending downwardly from a rear end of the knob  70 , and a horizontal portion  76  bent further from a lower end of the upward and downward portion  75  and extending rearwardly. At a rear end of the horizontal portion  76 , a stopper protrusion  77  which forms a thicker portion and projects downwardly and a lever stopper  78  projecting upwardly are provided integrally. 
     The lever stopper  78  has a substantially pawl shape which is enlarged at an upper end portion thereof and is engaged with a locking hole  79  formed at an upper portion of the front wall  31  as shown in  FIG. 15A  to prevent pivotal motion of the popup lever  25  around the shaft member  51 . 
       FIGS. 14A and 14B  are sectional views of the popup stay  26 , and  14 A is a sectional view of the popup stay  26  taken along line  14 A- 14 A of  FIGS. 10 and 14B  is a sectional view of the popup stay  26  taken along line  14 B- 14 B. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4 ,  14 A and  14 B, the popup stay  26  includes a pair of left and right side walls  80 , and a bottom wall  81  connecting lower ends of the side walls  80  to each other. Outer flanges  82 , bent outwardly in the leftward and rightward directions, are provided at upper ends of the left and right side walls  80 . The outer flanges  82  are formed to have a substantially channel shape as viewed in plan at the left and right sides and the rear side thereof, and are placed on a stepped portion  21   b  formed along a peripheral edge portion of the opening of the stay attaching recessed portion  53  of the lid  21  such that an upper face of the popup stay  26  and an upper face of the lid  21  lie in flush with each other. 
     The side walls  58  of the stay attaching recessed portion  53  and the side walls  80  of the popup stay  26 , and the bottom portion  54  of the stay attaching recessed portion  53  and the bottom wall  81  of the stopper protrusion  77  of the popup stay  26 , are provided individually in an opposing relationship to each other. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14A , the engaging projection  27  is formed integrally on the bottom wall  81  of the popup stay  26  and has an elongated elliptical shape. The engaging projection  27  is constricted at a base portion thereof adjacent the bottom wall  81 . A rear portion of the bottom wall  81  forms a stopper arm portion  83  which extends rearwardly, and a rear portion of the stopper arm portion  83  is bent obliquely upwardly once and further has a stopper portion  83   a  formed from an enlarged portion of a substantially triangular shape. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14B , an attaching boss  56  projects integrally from the bottom wall  81 , and a lightening hole  56   a  for allowing a screw  57 , which is a tapping screw, to be fastened readily is formed at an axis portion of the attaching boss  56 . 
     An elongated hole  84  for passing the shaft member  51  therethrough is provided in the side wall  80 . The elongated hole  84  is provided in an obliquely upward inclination, and an upper end portion thereof coincides with the position of the through-hole  73  provided in the side wall  71  of the popup lever  25 . The elongated hole  84  is provided for allowing downward movement of the popup lever  25  when the popup lever  25  is pushed down to pop up the same as hereinafter described. 
     Further, a guide groove  85  in and by which the guide shaft  74  is fitted and guided for movement is provided below the elongated hole  84  in the side wall  80 . The guide groove  85  has an arcuate groove  85   a  and a lock groove  85   b  formed continuously to and integrally with each other. The arcuate groove  85   a  is formed along an arc which is drawn by the guide shaft  74  around the shaft member  51  when the shaft member  51  is positioned at the lower end of the elongated hole  84  and is provided obliquely such that the front side thereof is positioned higher. The arcuate groove  85   a  is bent at a rear end portion thereof and continues to the lock groove  85   b . The lock groove  85   b  has a substantially linear shape and extends forwardly in an obliquely upward direction such that it is inclined substantially in parallel to the major axis of the elongated hole  84 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , the shaft member  51  is movable within the elongated hole  84 , and if the knob  70  is pushed, then the shaft member  51  moves downwardly in the elongated holes  84 . It is to be noted that the position at which the knob  70  is pushed is preferably within a range from an intermediate portion to a rear half portion side in the forward and backward direction from the necessity to push down the shaft member  51 . 
     If the shaft member  51  reaches the lower end of the elongated holes  84 , then the guide shaft  74  reaches the lower end of the lock grooves  85   b  and then enters the arcuate grooves  85   a  beyond bent portions  85   c  which are connecting portions between the arcuate grooves  85   a  and the lock grooves  85   b.    
     In order to assemble the popup mechanism  50  and the latch mechanism, the popup lever  25  is assembled to the popup stay  26  as shown in  FIG. 12 . At this time, the guide shafts  74  are fitted into the guide grooves  85  and the popup mechanism  50  and the latch mechanism are connected to each other by the shaft member  51  with the elongated holes  84  and the through-holes  73  registered with each other. At this time, an arm  52   a  of each spring  52  is in elastic contact with the lower face of the knob  70  while the other arm  52   b  of the spring  52  is in elastic contact with the bottom wall  81  of the popup stay  26 . A coiled portion  52   c  is wound around the shaft member  51 . 
     The popup stay  26  with which the popup lever  25  is integrated is placed into the stay attaching recessed portion  53 , and the engaging projection  27  is threaded through the opening  55  provided in the bottom portion  54  and the bottom wall  81  of the popup stay  26  is placed on the bottom portion  54 . Then, the bottom wall  81  is fastened to and integrated with the attaching bosses  56  of the popup stay  26  by the screws  57 . 
     On the other hand, the latch  28  is attached to a bottom portion  90  of the latch recessed portion  29  provided on the body case  22  and is fitted in an attaching hole  91  of the bottom portion  90 . A rear end portion of the bottom portion  90  forms a rear end edge portion  92 . 
     The latch  28  is configured such that a locking hole  95  into which the engaging projection  27  is fitted is provided in an elastic member  94 , at one end of which a flange portion  93  which is wider than the attaching hole  91  is provided, and the latch  28  is attached by pushing the elastic member  94  into the locking hole  95  in such a state that the elastic member  94  has a spring  96  around the periphery thereof to elastically deform the elastic member  94  and the spring  96 . At this time, a rear portion of the flange portion  93  is swollen rearwardly from the rear end edge portion  92 . 
     Now, opening and closing operations of the lid  21  are described. In order to open the lid  21 , the popup lever  25  is first opened so as to be popped up (first action), and then the popup lever  25  is picked and pulled up to disengage the engaging projection  27  from the latch  28  to open the lid  21  around the hinge axis  24  (second action). In other words, two-stage actions are required. By requiring such two-stage actions, it is possible to prevent the lid  21  from being opened inadvertently only by a touch with the popup lever  25 . Particularly since the forwardly open type is used, inadvertent opening during traveling can be prevented effectively. 
     Thus, the first action is described first.  FIGS. 15A to 15C  illustrate the operation of the popup mechanism  50 .  FIG. 15A  illustrates a state before a popup operation in which the popup lever  25  lies down and the lid  21  is closed. At this stage, the shaft member  51  is positioned at an upper end portion of the elongated holes  84  and also the guide shafts  74  are positioned at an upper end portion of the lock grooves  85   b,  and a locked state is established. 
     In this state, while the knob  70  of the popup lever  25  is biased in the opening direction, since the guide shafts  74  are in the locking state, pivotal motion of the popup lever  25  is blocked. However, in this locking state, there is the possibility that, only if the knob  70  is pushed downwardly a little, the guide shafts  74  may move to the lower end of the lock grooves  85   b  to cancel the locking state readily. 
     Therefore, in the present embodiment, the lever stoppers  78  are engaged with the locking holes  79  to further block the pivotal motion of the popup lever  25 , and the locking cannot be canceled unless the knob  70  is pushed down with a definite will by a stroke sufficient to allow the lever stoppers  78  to come out of the locking holes  79 . Consequently, the locking state can be maintained with certainty. 
       FIG. 15B  illustrates a state wherein the knob  70  is pushed down for the popup, and the popup lever  25  moves down to the lower end portion of the elongated holes  84  with the shaft member  51  thereof guided by the elongated holes  84 . Consequently, the guide shafts  74  move to the lower end of the lock grooves  85   b  and simultaneously the lever stoppers  78  come out of the locking holes  79 . Therefore, the guide shafts  74  enter the arcuate grooves  85   a  over the bent portions  85   c  to cancel the locking. 
       FIG. 15C  illustrates a popup state, and the guide shafts  74  entering the arcuate grooves  85   a  are released from the engagement of the lever stoppers  78 . Since the knob  70  is biased in the opening direction by the springs  52 , it is pivoted in the opening direction around the shaft member  51  under the guidance of the arcuate grooves  85   a.    
     When the guide shaft  74  moves to the upper end side of the arcuate grooves  85   a  and the stopper protrusion  77  of the popup lever  25  is brought into abutment with the rear end portion of the flange portion  93 , then the popup lever  25  is disabled from pivotal motion. Therefore, the opening angle of the popup lever  25  is locked at the predetermined angle. Although the opening angle of the popup lever  25  can be adjusted suitably, it is possible to set the distance D between the popup lever  25  and a front end portion of the outer flanges  82  on the rear portion side, for example, to an approximately two-finger dimension so that an article may not be sandwiched readily upon popup. 
     In this manner, by pushing the popup lever  25  by an operation of the first stage to uprightly pivot the popup lever  25  by means of the popup mechanism  50  so as to be capable of being grasped to establish a popup state and then gripping, by an operation of the second stage, the popup lever  25  popped up so as to be capable of being gripped and pulling up the popup lever  25  by a predetermined pulling up load, the engagement between the engaging projection  27  and the latch  28  can be canceled to open the lid  21 . Therefore, since the lid  21  cannot be opened with certainty without following the determined procedure by two-stage operations, even if the tank pocket  20  serving as a utility box is provided at a place at which the driver can touch readily with the tank pocket  20  by providing the tank pocket  20  on the fuel tank  10 , it is possible to prevent the lid  21  from being opened by an inadvertent touch or the like. Therefore, the reliability regarding opening and closing the lid  21  can be raised. 
     Further, since the pivoting mechanism for the popup lever  25  is formed from the popup mechanism  50  such that the popup lever  25  is pushed down by a predetermined amount to move the guide shafts  74 , which are in the lock grooves  85   b  but are not in a locked state, into the arcuate grooves  85   a  to cancel the locking to pop up the popup lever  25 , unless the popup lever  25  is popped up, the popup lever  25  remains in a lying down state and does not rise from the surface of the lid  21  but is substantially flush with the surface of the lid  21 . Therefore, a portion to be gripped does not exist. Consequently, the possibility that the popup lever  25  may be gripped to open the lid  21  inadvertently is eliminated. 
     In addition, in order to pop up the popup lever  25 , it is necessary to push preferably a rear half portion of the knob  70  to push down the popup lever  25  by a predetermined amount, but the popup movement does not occur by pushing down by less than the predetermined amount as upon a light touch with the knob  70 , and inadvertent popup can be prevented likewise. 
     Further, if the popup lever  25  is popped up, then although it is possible to grip the popup lever  25  and pull up the popup lever  25  by more than the predetermined pulling up load to open the lid, since, when the pulling up load is less than the predetermined amount, the engagement of the engaging mechanism cannot be canceled, inadvertent opening of the lid can be prevented likewise. 
     Since a plurality of blocking portions against upright pivotal motion of the popup lever  25  are provided by provision of the lever stopper  78  in addition to the popup mechanism  50 , inadvertent popup can be blocked with a higher degree of certainty, and the reliability in regard to opening and closing of the lid  21  can be enhanced further. The number of such blocking portions is arbitrary only if it is a plural number. 
     Furthermore, since the tank pocket  20  is provided on the fuel tank  10 , although the number of opportunities of an inadvertent touch with the popup lever  25  increases, since the reliability in regard to the opening and closing of the lid  21  is high, the structure is suitable for the tank pocket  20 . Further, since the driver seated on the seat which is positioned rearwardly of the fuel tank  10  can open and close the lid  21  readily while it remains seated on the seat, various articles such as small change and documents can be placed into and out of the tank pocket  20 , which improves the convenience. 
     It is to be noted that the invention of the present application is not limited to the embodiment described above but can be modified and applied in various manners within the principle of the invention. For example, the saddle vehicle may be not only a motorcycle but also a vehicle having three or more wheels. The utility box may be not only a tank pocket provided for specification change of an airbag but any of various accommodation members having various shapes and dimensions independent of an airbag. 
     The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.