Patent ID: 8225898

Claim:
A vehicle body and drive train structure, comprising: a vehicle body frame; a pair of occupant seats disposed in the vehicle body frame and arranged side by side in a vehicle width direction, said pair of occupant seats comprising a first seat and a second seat; a pedal cluster operatively attached to the vehicle body frame; and a drive train operatively associated with said vehicle body frame and comprising: an internal combustion engine supported on the vehicle body frame and comprising a crankshaft; a propeller shaft assembly operatively connected to the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine and configured to transmit a driving force from the internal combustion engine therethrough; a driveshaft having first and second wheels rotatably attached to first and second end portions thereof, respectively; a final drive unit disposed between the propeller shaft assembly and the driveshaft, and configured to transmit the driving force from the propeller shaft assembly to the driveshaft; a fuel tank disposed on the second seat side of the vehicle body frame, and arranged so as to overlap the first propeller shaft when viewed in a side view; and a reduction gear located rearward of the pedal cluster and forward of the occupant seats; wherein the propeller shaft assembly comprises a first propeller shaft disposed rearward of the reduction gear, and a second propeller shaft disposed forward of the reduction gear; wherein said reduction gear is operable to rotate said second propeller shaft in a direction reverse to a rotational direction of the first propeller shaft; and wherein the second propeller shaft is offset in a vehicle width direction, with respect to the first propeller shaft, toward a second seat side of the vehicle body frame.