All-terrain vehicle of the motorcycle type

Claim 1

A vehicle having a fore-and-aft body including a top, opposite side sheets and front and rear fender wells joined together to form a downwardly opening air compartment wherein the side sheets terminate respectively as fore-and-aft runners, front and rear wheel means respectively in the fender wells and carrying the body, and a power source within the compartment and driving both wheel means, characterized in that the front fender well has a depending, lower rear edge portion directed downwardly and then rearwardly beneath the front edge of the air compartment, the rear fender well has a depending, lower front edge portion directed downwardly and then rearwardly of the rear edge of the air compartment, said edge portions depend to a level below that of the fore-and-aft runners, and at least an additional fore-and-aft runner is joined to and extends between the depending portions, each wheel means has a water-engaging tread portion comprising at least a pair of annular rows of radial, circumferentially spaced apart fins, each fin in each row being directed both axially and circumferentially of the wheel means so as to slant axially inwardly and counter to the direction of the wheel means when the vehicle travels forwardly, the inner ends of the fins in each row terminating short of the fore-and-aft median plane of the wheel means so as to leave an annular space between the rows whereby water engaged by the fins is directed oppositely axially inwardly to the space, the water engaged by the front wheel means fins being directed rearwardly beneath the aforesaid depending rear edge portion and beneath the air compartment for exerting a lifting effect on the vehicle and the water engaged by the rear wheel means is directed rearwardly away from the air compartment.