Glossary

ABS ­ Antilock Brake System. A part added to braking system that detects wheel lock up. The system then modulates the brakes for a quicker stop than usual time taken.

Aftermarket ­ Any items or accessories a person does not purchase from the Original Equipment Manufacturer.

Apex ­ The center or middle point of a turn.

Anti-Dive system ­ A front-end suspension part / system that reduces how much the forks compresses under braking.

Bagger ­ A motorcycle with various touring accessories including saddlebags, top box, trunk, etc.

Boxer Twin ­ A horizontal engine configuration with two pistons opposing each other, this is commonly found on BMW twin-cylinder motorcycles.

Brake Horsepower (BHP) ­ Use of a specific engineering process to arrive at that horsepower number.

Cam ­ A metal shaft that rotates to open the valves in a four-stroke engine.

Carburetor ­ A mechanical device found on the intake side of the engine responsible for mixing fuel and air to create the volatile mixture that gets ignited in the engine.

Chopper ­ Amotorcycle that has had all non-essential parts removed to make it lighter and faster.It also applies to custom built motorcycles that may have a rigid frame (no rear suspension), an extended fork, and a stretched or elongated appearance.

Counterbalancer ­ A weight in the engine that spins with the rpm to smooth out engine vibration.

Cruiser ­ A type of motorcycle generally equipped with a low seat and pullback handlebars. This style of bike originated beacuse of motorcycle customisation in America.

Displacement ­ The size of the engine; specifically, the total volume found in the cylinders. Usually expressed in cc (cubic centimeters) or ci (cubic inches). Usually, the larger the displacement, the more powerful the motor.

DOHC ­ Dual Over Head Cams. Two camshafts found in the head or top of the engine that are used to open and close the valves. Two cams allow more precise control than one.

Dresser ­ A large motorcycle designed for long-distance touring, especially with luggage and a windshield.

Dual-sport ­ Street legal motorcycles providing varying levels of off-road capabilities.

Engine cut-off switch ­ The switch is generally located on the right handle bar switch housing, and allows the rider to turn off the engine without removing his or her hand from the handlebar. Also known as the "kill switch."

Ergonomics ­ The study of body posture, and the positioning of instruments, to create a good human-to-machine interface. It refers to how well a tow wheeler fits a rider for its intended use.

Fairing ­ Bodywork and/or windshield at the front of thetwo wheeler designed to deflect the wind. Also used to refer to side panels on, for example, sportbikes.

Flickable and Flickability ­ A term used to describe the agility of a motorcycle, or how quickly a rider can “flick” the bike from side to side in turns.

Forks ­ The sprung metal tubes connecting the front wheel to the motorcycle triple-tree.

Four-stroke engine ­ The most common engine design found in motorcycles today. It refers to the number of times a piston moves up and down through each power cycle.

Fuel-injection ­ A device serving the same function as a carburetor, but used as a computer-controlled jets to inject atomized fuel and air into the air stream going into the engine.

Horsepower ­ A measuring unit used to describe an engine's strength. The more horsepower an engine produces, the faster the motorcycle can potentially go.

Kill switch ­ Same as engine cut-off switch.

Motocross bike ­ A light-weight motorcycle specifically designed for racing on a track. As compared to off-road bikes, the suspension is able to handle harder hits, the power delivery is more explosive, and the gear ratios are different for riding on motocross or other closed-course tracks.

Naked Bikes ­ Standard motorcycles with minimum bodywork, fairings or windshields.

Petcock ­ A fuel valve, found on the side of the gas tank.

One-off ­ A part that is not designed to be mass produced. It can refer to a one-of-a-kind bolt-on or a fully customized motorcycle.

Pillion or P-Pad ­ A small cushion designed for carrying a passenger mounted behind a solo saddle.

Redline ­ The maximum number of revolutions per minute an engine can run before damage occurs.

RPM ­ Revolutions per minute. The term is used to describe how fast a motor is spinning. Also known as "revs."

SOHC ­ Single Over Head Cam. A single cam shaft foundon top of the engine that activates the valves.

Sport-tourer ­ A special motorcycle that combines some of the handling and power of a sportbike, with some of the amenities of a touring bike, like saddlebags, comfortable ergonomics, etc.

Standard ­ A motorcycle intended for general, all-around street use, typically with an upright seating posture and higher handlebars.

Supermoto ­ A style of motorcycle usually built around, and looking like, off-road machines with street tires. These bikes tend to be very light, flickable machines, and are used in a new genre of racing that usually encompasses riding on a mixture of pavement and dirt surfaces.

Tachometer ­ A gauge measuring how fast an engine is spinning. The measurement is usually expressed in revolutions per minute.

Thumper ­ A single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle engine.

Torque ­ A measuing unit describing the twisting force, or leverage, an engine can exert on the rear wheel. TAn engine with a lot of torque will have the potential to speed up faster at lower rpms. (See also: horsepower).

Trail ­ The distance from the front axle’s vertical position on the ground, to the spot in front of it created by drawing a straight line from the angle of the forks.

Two-stroke engine ­ A type of engine now found almost exclusively in off-road motorcycles. A two-stroke motor fires once with every two strokes of the piston.