A snowmobile including a chassis, shell, and an engine. The shell may be fixed to a front portion of the chassis and extend away from the chassis in a forward direction. The shell may be disposed forward of the steering axis. The shell may define a chamber that fluidly communicates with the engine via a flexible coupling interposed between the shell and the engine.
1. A snowmobile comprising:
a chassis;
at least one ski coupled to the chassis by a suspension so that the ski is pivotable about a steering axis;
a shell defining a chamber fluidly communicating with an engine of the snowmobile;
the shell fixed to a front portion the chassis and extending away from the chassis in a forward direction; and
wherein the shell is disposed forward of the steering axis.
2. The snowmobile of claim 1 , wherein the shell defines a plurality of channels.
3. The snowmobile of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the channels is dimensioned to accept a control arm of the suspension.
4. The snowmobile of claim 1 , further including a hood rotatably supported by the shell.
5. The snowmobile of claim 4 , wherein the shell has sufficient ridgity to support the weight of the hood when the hood is in an open position.
6. The snowmobile of claim 1 , wherein the shell has sufficient flexibility to deflect during a collision for absorbing energy from the collision and for decelerating the snowmobile in a controlled fashion so as to protect the rider from rapid deceleration.
7. The snowmobile of claim 1 , where the chassis includes a shock tower defining an aperture sized to receive a conduit fluidly communicating with a chamber defined by the shell.
8. The snowmobile of claim 1 , wherein the shell includes a generally curved outer surface for gliding over deep snow.
9. The snowmobile of claim 8 , wherein the generally curved outer surface comprises a generally convex surface.
10. A snowmobile comprising:
a chassis;
a shell fixed to a front portion the chassis and extending away from the chassis in a forward direction;
a hood rotatably supported by the shell;
the shell defining a chamber fluidly communicating with an engine of the snowmobile;
the hood including an outer wall and an inner wall;
the walls of the hood defining a plenum; and
the plenum fluidly communicating with the chamber defined by the shell at least when the hood is in a closed position.
11. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein the chamber defined by the shell may be accessed via an opening in the shell when the hood is in an open position.
12. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the plenum and a longitudinal axis of a throttle body of the snowmobile are generally parallel to one another.
13. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the plenum and a longitudinal axis of a throttle body of the snowmobile intersect to define an angle.
14. The snowmobile of claim 13 , wherein the angle is an acute angle.
15. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein air enters the engine via an air flow path extending through the plenum and the chamber; and
wherein the air flow path has a length greater than a length of the hood of the snowmobile.
16. The snowmobile of claim 10 , further including a flexible coupling interposed between the shell and the engine.
17. The snowmobile of claim 16 , wherein the flexible coupling comprises an elastomeric material.
18. The snowmobile of claim 16 , wherein the flexible coupling comprises a plurality of convolutions.
19. The snowmobile of claim 16 , wherein the flexible coupling comprises a bellows.
20. The snowmobile of claim 10 , further comprising at least one ski coupled to the chassis by a suspension such that the ski is rotatable about a steering axis; and
wherein the shell is disposed forward of the steering axis.
21. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein the plenum communicates with an inlet disposed proximate a rider area of the snowmobile.
22. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein the shell has sufficient rigidity to support the weight of a hood of the snowmobile when the hood is in an open position.
23. The snowmobile of claim 10 , where the chassis includes a shock tower defining an aperture sized to receive a conduit fluidly communicating with the chamber of the shell.
24. The snowmobile of claim 10 , wherein the shell includes a generally curved outer surface for gliding over deep snow.
25. The snowmobile of claim 24 , wherein the generally curved outer surface comprises a generally convex surface.
26. A snowmobile comprising:
a chassis;
a shell fixed to a front portion the chassis and extending away from the chassis in a forward direction;
an engine coupled to the chassis for propelling the snowmobile; and
the shell defining a chamber fluidly communicating with the engine via a flexible coupling interposed between the shell and the engine.
27. The snowmobile of claim 26 , further including a hood having an outer wall and an inner wall; and
the walls of the hood defining a plenum communicating with the chamber.
28. The snowmobile of claim 27 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the plenum and a longitudinal axis of a throttle body of the snowmobile are generally parallel to one another.
29. The snowmobile of claim 27 , wherein a longitudinal axis of the plenum and a longitudinal axis of a throttle body of the snowmobile intersect to define an angle.
30. The snowmobile of claim 29 , wherein the angle is an acute angle.
31. The snowmobile of claim 26 , wherein air enters the engine via an air flow path extending through the plenum and the chamber; and
wherein the air flow path has a length greater than a length of the hood of the snowmobile.
32. The snowmobile of claim 26 , wherein the plenum communicates with an inlet disposed proximate a rider area of the snowmobile.
33. The snowmobile of claim 26 , where the chassis includes a shock tower defining an aperture sized to receive a conduit fluidly communicating with the chamber of the shell.
34. The snowmobile of claim 26 , wherein the shell includes a generally curved outer surface for gliding over deep snow.
35. The snowmobile of claim 34 , wherein the generally curved outer surface comprises a generally convex surface.