Apex - The vertex of tightest (middle or centre) point of a curve.
Backing it in - A move brought from dirt track racing where a rider approaching a corner brakes hard and causes the rear of the motorcycle to slide while counter-steering. This enables the rider to quickly go through the corner and straighten up for a fast exit.
Baffle - Sound deadening material that sits inside a muffler and quiets the exhaust note
Cafe Racer - 1. Motorcycles modified to resemble racing motorcycles from the 1950’s and 1960’s. They are called cafe racers because their owner supposedly raced from cafe to cafe in London, where the bikes first appeard in the 1960’s. 2. Sportbike (in Europe Bikers would ride from coffee house to coffee house)
Cage - A car, truck, or van. The sworn enemy of motorcyclists, more commonly known as automobiles. The name stems from being all cooped up inside a closed shell, with no contact with the outside air.
Cager - A person driving a car, truck, or van. Cage operator, or driver.
Can - Muffler
Can Of Tuna - Suzuki Kantana
Carbon Fiber - A high-tech material favoured in many motorcycle applications because it is extremely strong, light and expensive. The distinctive look of carbon fiber has become trendy.
Carving - Refers to hard fast cornering on roads with many curves, stems from laying the bike down to a nearly horizontal position and “carving” a line through the road like a knife.
CC - Cubic centimeters. A 1000cc engine = 1000 cubic centimeters in volume.
Chicken Strips - The tread left on the sidewalls of a sport bike. How much of this there is (or isn’t) is how some Bikers size each other up.
Countersteering - 1. The act of turning the bikes handlebars in one direction(at higher speeds) and having it go in the opposite direction. 2. The way you use the handlebar to lean the bike into a turn. If you want to turn right, you push the handlebars left, and vice versa.
Coupon - This is a traffic ticket.
Crash Cage - A tubular structure protecting the engine and the rest of the bike in case the bike is laid.
Crotch Rocket - 1. A slang term for Sport Bikes
Death Grip -Usually how a first time rider grabs the handle bars.
Decreasing Radius Corner - A turn where the arc gets sharper as you progress through the curve.
Detailing - In-depth cleaning, polishing, waxing and other maintenance to make a motorcycle look great.
Dump the cltuch (Drop the clutch) - A rider quickly releases the clutch while the revs are high.
Dumping the Bike/Dumped the Bike - A zero speed spill. A bike is dumped when the rider applies brakes while in a very slow turn, or is trying to get his bike up onto (or off of) its center-stand, or is walking the bike and it gets away from him, or forgets to put the side-stand down and tries to get off the bike, or any of dozens of other ‘dumb’ things that lead to losing control of the bike and its laying over onto the ground.
Fairing - 1. The plastic shrouds that deflect wind and rain from the rider, the motorcycling equivalent of automotive bodywork. 2. The devices mounted at the front of a motorcycle to protect the rider from the elements. These range from simple Plexiglas shields to complex encompassing body panels.
False Neutral - When you fail to engage gears and the transmission behaves as though it was in neutral even though it is not.
Friction Zone - The part of the clutch lever travel from where the clutch just starts to engage until it is fully engaged. Riders use the friction zone to get the bike in motion. See also Slip the Clutch.
FUBAR - Which is a very old slang acronym meaning “F_ _ked Up Beyond All Repair.” Pertaining to the sad, inoperable and unfixable state of someone’s bike or engine or whatever.
Gasodometer - Resetting your trip odometer when you fill up to act as a gas gauge replacement.
Hairpin Turn - A decreasing radius turn. Turn that gets progressively tighter as it bends (often U-shaped corner). A “road hazard” that many motorcyclists fall prey to and end up going off the road on if not carefully watching for it. Usually decreasing radius turns are found on on/off highway ramps.
Helmet Head - The condition of your hair after you remove your helmet. It will be partially matted and partially sticking out at odd angles
High Siding - 1. Wrecking a bike by flipping it over. Usually caused by releasing the rear break during a skid. 2. Pitching a bike over and away from the direction you are turning. The dangerious kind of crash. 3. When a sliding rear tire suddenly regains traction while the motorcycle is leaned over, causing the motorcycle to violently snap from leaning side tot he other side (the high side).
Insta-Biker - Anybody who goes down to the local bike shop and buys the Bike, Gear and fake tattoos so they can hang out with their new “”Bros”” (also Poser or Poseur)
Lane-splitting - 1. Riding between lanes of traffic on a freeway. 2. Driving between involuntarily parked cages on an overcrowded highway. Legal in some states. 3. Consists of driving between two lanes of traffic at a greater speed than the other vehicles. Although there are times when this could be dangerous, it’s actually legal in many countries. It’s illegal in most U.S. states, but California allows it if it’s done in a safe manner.
Lay it Down - Laid it Down - Laying the Bike Down - 1. A crash where you slide down on one side of the bike. 2. This when there’s imminent danger of an accident ahead, or ya hit some oil or gravel and ya have to lay the bike down on its side.
Lid - Helmet
Line - Path selected by the motorcycle rider to take through a turn.
Low Side (Low-side) - 1. A type of motorcycle crash that involves laying the “low side” of the bike too low in a turn, resulting in a loss of traction and grounding the bike. 2. When the rider loses balance of the motorcycle and both fall onto the ground on their low side. 3. A bike falling over onto it’s side that’s lower to the ground.
MSF - Motorcycle Safety Foundation (Training). The highly recommended way to learn how to properly and safely ride a motorcycle. Offered in many countries around the world for a very reasonable price.
Naked Bike - 1. Bikes with no to a very small fairing. 2. A motorcycle where you can fully see the engine.
OEM - 1. An acronym, “Original Equipment from Manufacturer,” refers to parts or components
Poker Run - A poker run is, for the most part, like any old motorcycle run. Instead of just riding from Point A to Point B, however, there are also several stops in between (usually 5 total). At these stops you go in to the checkpoint and draw a playing card from a deck of cards. Depending on the rules, you either keep the card or the person at the checkpoint will mark down what card you drew. You do this at each checkpoint, and by the end of the run you will have 5 cards … this makes up your poker hand. At the last stop you turn in your poker hand, and whoever has the best hand wins.
Power Shower - Riding in the rain with anything other then a full face helmet. Also riding in the rain without rain gear.
Q-Tip - Elderly cage driver (also see Blue Hair). Considered dangerous (by bikers) as they are unpredictable driving on the road as their eye sight, hand-eye cordination and decision making abilities are hindered by age. The term Q-Tip comes from the usual white hair color.
Rear sets - Foot controls that have been relocated at the rear of the motorcycle
Riding Two Up - Carrying a passenger on your bike.
Road Rash - 1. A Wipeout that scrapes off some of your skin. Marks left behind on a biker’s body after falling down while moving. 2. A term used to define injuries to the skin when a rider falls or is thrown from the motorcycle and lands or slides on the pavement. Wearing a full-face helmet, gloves, a motorcycle approved jacket, chaps, and boots is a good way to minimize Road Rash.
Rubberside - Towards the bottom of the bike, or bottom area of a part or component
Shiny Side Up (Keep The Shiny Side Up) - Drive Safe, Don’t Lay the Bike Down. Friendly parting expression.
Skiing - A type of stunt where a rider carefully jumps off the rear of the moving motorcycle, grabs the pillion grab rail and skis on the road surface.
Slick - Treadless tire. Can refer to a race tire or a completely worn out tire with little or no tread left on it. Slick’s offer the greatest dry traction to a road surface as friction is greatest since there is little/no air gap (tread) between the rubber and the road. A tyre specifically designed for use in road racing only that is made of a soft compound with no tread.
Snakes (road snakes) - The serpentine tar strips sometimes used to fill cracks on a racetrack or on a highway/road.
Squid (Squiddy) - Acronym, SQUirrely kID. 1. In reference to younger MC riders with little respect to posted speed limit laws, self safety or safety of others. 2. Inexperienced newcomer, someone trying to ride beyond his skill level with arms flailing (like a squid) to try not to fall. This may be just a Southern term. 3. Stupidly Quick, Underdressed, Imminently Dead. 4 Any Sportbike Rider - seems this term got twisted along the way and has many meanings. 5 Sportbike riders who wear tennis shoes or flip flops, shorts, T-shirts, etc. on their nice shiny new sport bikes. 6 Anyone that rides without all proper gear , rides recklessly, or rides beyond their limits. 7. Someone who rides a sportbike on the street as if he or she were on a racetrack.
Steering damper - 1. A steering damper is mounted to a motorcycle’s frame and fork to prevent situations like a wobble. 2. A system for adding resistance to the motorcycle steering.
Tankslapper -1. A severe speed wobble that the handlebars bang alternately agaist the sides of the fuel tank. 2. When you get off the side of the road and the handlebars start slamin back and forth.
Tire Warmers - Real racing tires work best once they’ve attained their high operating temperatures. Electric “blankets” wrapped around the wheels help speed this
process, allowing the rider to start going fast sooner.
Tuck - Crouched aerodynamically best riding position used to decrease drag and increase speed
Wave (The Wave) - Slowly becoming a lost art, but the true biker clings to this practice. It involves raising a hand to greet a motorcyclist traveling in the opposite direction. Not to be performed under braking or turning maneuvers. The wave can be above below or above the handlebars. Please do wave to every fellow biker regardless of the type of motor they are riding.