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Superglossary - Motorcycles Category: Travel and Transportation > Motorcycles Date & country: 09/12/2013, USA Words: 486

Contact Breaker
The spring switch in the low-tension ignition circuit that controls the timing of the spark in the h

Crash Padding
A motorcyclist

Cruiser
A style of motorcycle generally equipped with a low seat and pullback handlebars. This style of bike

Crotch Rocket
A term some people use to describe a high-performance sportbike motorcycle.

Crash Bar
Many motorcycles have a Crash Bar or guard to protect the bike should it fall over. You'll have to l

Cradle Frame
Motorcycle frame with two tubes passing under the engine (Compare Open Cradle Frame).

Crankshaft
The main rotating shaft running through the length of the engine. As the pistons move up and down, t

Cush Drive
A transmission shock absorber, usually a rubber cushion in the rear hub.

Custom Motorcycles
For many motorcyclists, the choices provided by the motorcycle manufacturers do not provide enough v

Cylinder Head
A casting that caps the cylinder and contains the valves and combustion chamber.

Cylinder
The tube-shaped sleeves that house the pistons in an engine and where the fuel/air mixture is drawn

Daytona Bike Week
A motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Approximately 500,000 people m

Damper
Means of controlling speed of movement of the steering or suspension.

Daytona
The famous Daytona Bike Week held in late February to early March.

Desmodromic
Desmodromic has to do with valve control in the engine. With desmodromic control, no return springs

Disc Brake
A Disc Brake consists of both a rotating portion called the Rotor and a stationary portion called th

Distributor
An internal combustion engine device which distributes high voltage in the ignition system to the sp

Displacement
Displacement is the volume displaced in the cylinders of an engine as the pistons move from their bo

Dirt Bike
Some motorcycles are designed to be ridden on rough terrain. They are known as Dirt Bikes or trail b

Diamond Frame
Tubular frame design common until World War II and derived from the bicycle layout. The engine cases

Double Overhead Cam (DOHC)
Designation for engines that utilize one camshaft to open the engine intake valves and another to op

Dope
Highly combustible alcohol/methanol-based fuel mixture.

Doubles-Triples
Large multiple jumps that allow riders to fly through the air rather than traversing each jump one a

DOT Helmet Rating
The Department of Transportation (DOT) rates motorcycle helmets. The rating is based on dropping the

DQed- Disqualified
To become ineligible.

Drum Brake
A Drum Brake is the older style of motorcycle brake. Most bikes use disc brakes these days. Drum bra

Dry Sump
An oil lubrication system for four-stroke and two-stroke internal combustion engines that incorporat

Dry Clutch
As opposed to a

Drag Bars
Drag Bars are distinctive custom handlebars that are relatively straight and require a slight forwar

Dresser
Normally a large fully equipped bike with fairing, saddlebags, and a trunk.

Druid Forks
Side-sprung girder forks. Druid were the original makers.

Duplex
Double, having two parts. Applies to frames with two down tubes, and chains with double rows of roll

Dual-Sport
Dual-Sport refers to a street-legal motorcycle that is designed to also be used in off-road situatio

Dual Sport
Street legal motorcycles that provide varying levels of off-road capabilities. Not as focused as pur

Dump The Clutch
This is when a rider revs up the engine and quickly releases the clutch, launching the bike off the

Dynamometer
A machine used to measure torque and rotational speed (RPM) which can be used to calculate the mecha

Dynamo
Electric generator that produces alternating current.

Earles Forks
Long leading-link forks, ie front suspension by pivoting fork controlled by twin shock absorbers. De

Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI)
Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) is a fuel delivery mechanism that eliminates the need for a carburet

Electrics
Many motorcyclists ride in all kinds of weather conditions. Thus, riding is not just for fair weathe

Electric Motorcycle
Motorbikes with two (or three) wheels that use electric motors powered by batteries, or fuel cell te

Enduro
According to the rules of the AMA, 'An Enduro is a meet in which speed is not the determining factor

Engine Control Unit (ECU)
Controls various aspects of an internal combustion engine

Engine Guards
See Frame Sliders

Enrichener
The Enrichener is a device that restricts the air intake to result in a richer fuel mixture which as

Engine Cut Off Switch
Usually located on the right handlebar switch housing, this switch allows the motorcyclist to turn o

Epicyclic Gear
A gear that operates around the circumference of another.

Ergonomics
The study of body posture, and the positioning of instruments, to create a good human-to-machine int

Esses
A series of turns with quick left and right transitions.

Evolution
Evolution is the name of the Harley-Davidson engine used from 1984-1999, sometimes called the EVO. T

Face Cam
A cam system in which the eccentrics are situated on the face of a rotating disc.

Fairing
An enclosure on the front of the bike containing the windshield and affording wind protection to the

Fat Boy
Harley-Davidson released a motorcycle in 1990 based on the FLST Heritage Softail. They called it the

Farkles
Motorcycle enthusiasts may install accessories, called farkles (also spelled farkels), to customize

Featherbed Frame
Famous Norton frame design by the McCandless brothers. It was introduced in 1950 and was given its n

Final Drive
Means of transmitting power to the driven wheel, usually by chain, shaft, or belt.

Flat Twin
A two cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders arranged on opposite sides of the crank

Flat Tank
Fuel tank shape used on early motorcycles.

Float Bowl
The fuel reservoir on a carburettor into which fuel flow is controlled by a valve operated by a floa

Flickable
Used to describe the agility of a motorcycle, or how quickly a rider can

FMVSS 218
The U.S. Department of Transportation

Fore-and-Aft Flat Twin
A flat-twin engine mounted with cylinders positioned in line with the frame.

Forecar
Early three-wheeled vehicle with two-front wheels fitted to a motorcycle based fame. Passenger accom

Foot Pegs
Foot Pegs are pegs wide enough to support the foot while riding. They may be mounted directly under

Forward Controls
The foot pegs, foot brake, and shifter on a motorcycle can be located either pretty much straight do

Fork
The metal tubes that connect the front wheel to the motorcycle frame via the triple tree. For handli

Four Stroke Engine
The most common engine design found in street motorcycles. It refers to the number of times a piston

Frame Sliders
Many motorcycles have Engine Guards to protect the bike should it fall over. These are billed as Eng

Fuel Injection
A device that serves the same function as a carburetor, but uses computer-controlled jets to inject

Full-Face Helmet
A Full-Face Helmet surrounds the head with protection on the top, sides, back, front, and chin areas

Garden Gate
Nickname for the plunger-sprung frames used on Norton machines from the late 1930s.

Gear Cluster
A set of gears.

Geezer Glide
Geezer Glide is a term used by some old Harley riders to lovingly refer to the Harley full dress tou

Get-Off
Sometimes a rider gets into a situation where the bike becomes unstable either because of an impendi

Gear Ratio
The gear ratio is the relationship between the number of teeth on two gears that are meshed together

Girder Forks
Type of forks common on early machines, comprising rigid beams attached to the steering head by para

Gloves
Hand apparel covering all or part of the hand and fingers. Motorcycle gloves provide additional safe

Gold Wing
Gold Wing is a Honda model first introduced in 1975. It's a touring motorcycle suitable for luxuriou

GPS
These days, motorcyclists want to equip their motorcycles with all the latest electronic gadgets. On

Green Track
A new road-racing course with no rubber on the surface, which can be slippery.

Greasy Track
A slippery racetrack.

Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing
Established in 1949 by the FIM, it is the oldest motorsport World Championship that is still in exis

GWRRA
GWRRA stands for the Gold Wing Road Riders Association. This group headquartered in Phoenix, AZ has

Gypsy Tour
A motorcycle road event, usually several days in duration, in which the participants travel through

Hack
A Hack is another term for a sidecar. Also called a chair. Hacks are an old form of motorcycle trans

Hairpin
A very slow, tight, sometimes 180-degree, turn.

Hard Tail
Hard Tail refers to a bike with no rear suspension. Harley-Davidson motorcycles were all Hard Tails

Headlight Modulator
A Headlight Modulator is a device that turns your motorcycle headlight into an attention-getter. It

Heel-Toe Shifter
Normally, shifting on a motorcycle is done by placing your foot under the shift lever, squeezing the

Helical Gear
The leading edges of the teeth are not parallel to the axis of rotation, but are set at an angle. Si

Head Tube
The outer tube which holds the bearings that allow the front fork steer tube to pivot freely.

Helmet Hair
Wearing a motorcycle helmet tends to mess up one's hair. Removing the helmet usually leaves hair sti

High Side
A type of motorcycle crash that occurs when the rear wheel starts to slide in a turn (sometimes due

Highway Pegs
Footrests situated forward of the rider so the legs can be stretched out to relieve highway fatigue.

Highsiding
Highsiding occurs when the rider of a motorcycle is flipped over the handlebars of the bike. This mo

Hollister Incident
A band of bikers rode into Hollister, CA. on July 4, 1947 for a 3-day rally. Some drunkenness occurr

Horsepower
A unit of measurement used to describe an engine

Honda Dream
First Honda model that popularized motorcycles to Americans in the early '60s.

HOG
Has various meanings from Harley Owners Group to simply a Harley rider or the machine itself.

Homologation
Homologate means