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Motorcycle dictionaryGlossary explaining motorcycle words and terms |
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This motorcycle dictionary explains words and terms used in the automotive world.
Both bike and car terminology is included. You can scroll down this long page
or click the first letter in the term you want to know more about. We also have a
unit converter to calculate for example miles per gallon
to litre per kilometer, horsepower to kilowatt, cubic inches to cubic centimeters, etc.
If an explaination can be improved, please suggest a description. Use the link below each term. |
| A | |
|---|---|
| Adly | See Adly in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Aermacchi | See Aermacchi in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Aerodynamics | In motorcycle context, good aerodynamics means that the motorcycle is designed to have as little resistance from the air as possible. This is essential to archieve great speeds. The manufacturers often make use of wind tunnels during the development of a new motorcycle. Submit new or altered description |
| AJP | See AJP in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Alfer | See Alfer in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Amazonas | See Amazonas in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Aprilia | See Aprilia in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| ATK | See ATK in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| B | |
| Bajaj | See Bajaj in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Bcom | Bluetooth Intercom headset for bike helmets. Submit new or altered description |
| Belt (belt drive) | An alternative to chain or shaft drive to transfer power to the rear wheel. The rubber belt appears more smooth than either, but might cause a small lag in throttle response. Submit new or altered description |
| Benelli | See Benelli in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Beta | See Beta in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| BHP | See horsepower. Submit new or altered description |
| Bimota | See Bimota in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| BMW | See BMW in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Bore | The diameter of the cylinder in an engine. Submit new or altered description |
| Borile | See Borile in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Boss Hoss | See Boss Hoss in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Brake Horse Power | See horsepower. Submit new or altered description |
| Brake shoes | See expanding brake. Submit new or altered description |
| BSA | See BSA in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Buell | See Buell in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Bullneck | When Harley Davidson 1200 Duo Glide came in 1957 it came with a new feature, the "Bullneck" is a headlightcover that streches from the headlight to the steeringhandle. The "Bullneck" followed the Duo Glide until the end in 1964, when the Electra Glide continued with it for some years. "Bullneck" is selfexplainatory. Submit new or altered description |
| Bultaco | See Bultaco in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| C | |
| Cagiva | See Cagiva in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Carb | Abbreviation for carburettor. Submit new or altered description |
| Carburettor | The part of the bike that mixes air and fuel in correct proportions before it is entered into the engine cylinder(s). Submit new or altered description |
| Cardan | See shaft drive. Submit new or altered description |
| CCM | See displacement. Submit new or altered description |
| CCM (the brand) | See CCM in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Chain | The word chain usually refers to primary drive, in which sense it means the chain transferring power to the rear wheel. As opposed to the two alternatives, shaft or belt drive, the chain is a light-weight solution and does not cause lag in throttle response or elevation effects. On the other hand it is a solution that needs a lot of maintenance. Submit new or altered description |
| Chang-Jiang | See Chang-Jiang in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Chu Lan | See Starway/Chu Lan in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Clutch | Function of clutch is to disengage the drive from engine or crankshaft to the rear wheel. It is operated by a handle. Submit new or altered description |
| Combustion chamber | The part of the cylinder in which the fuel is compressed and explodes. Submit new or altered description |
| Compression | A condition in which the volume of fuel and air in an engine cylinder is reduced as a result of increased pressure by a piston. The compression ratio of an engine is the ratio of the volume above the piston at the bottom of its compression stroke to the volume above the piston at the top of its stroke. Submit new or altered description |
| Compression ratio | The compression ratio specifies how much the fuel is compressed when the engine's piston is at its highest point. Submit new or altered description |
| CPI | See CPI in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Cross | Extreme motorcycles designed for driving in rough terrain or on cross tracks. Submit new or altered description |
| Cylinder | The cylinder shaped space (obviously) in an engine where the piston moves up and down to compress and explode fuel, which generates the engine's power. Submit new or altered description |
| Cylinder head | The engine piece that closes off the top end of a cylinder. Submit new or altered description |
| CZ | See CZ in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| D | |
| Daelim | See Daelim in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Dandy | See Dandy in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Derbi | See Derbi in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Di Blasi | See Di Blasi in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Displacement | The volume through which the piston travels during a single stroke of an engine. This term is sometimes also used for the total volume displaced by all engine pistons. The displacement is measured inn cubic centimeteres (ccm). Submit new or altered description |
| DKW | See DKW in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Dnepr | See Dnepr in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Dodge | See Dodge in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| DOHC | Double OverHead Cam. Submit new or altered description |
| Donghai | See Donghai in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Drum brake | See expanding brake. Submit new or altered description |
| Ducati | See Ducati in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Dynamo | A device that generates electric power from the engine's activity. Submit new or altered description |
| E | |
| Enduro | Typically this category includes cross bikes which are tuned and equipped for driving on the roads. These bikes are often heavier than, and not as extreme as cross motorcycles, though not as heavy and well-equipped as the larger off-roaders. Submit new or altered description |
| Enfield | See Enfield in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Expanding brake | Device operated by a handle or pedal to slow down or stop the bike. A cylinder is attached to the relevant wheel. Inside there are two so-called brake shoes, which are pushed outwards against the inner walls of the cylinder, thus slowing the bike down. Submit new or altered description |
| F | |
| Factory Bike | See Factory Bike in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Fantic | See Fantic in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Farkle | An accessory item that enhances not only the functionality of a motorcycle, but also contributes to the pride in ownership that comes from a motorcycle. Submit new or altered description |
| Farklectomy | The purchasing of a brand new motorcycle with the opportunity to add many more accessories and ´necessities.´ Submit new or altered description |
| Farklitis | The irrepresible feeling of needing a new accessory and continuing to purchase them even as the functionality of various accessories becomes less and less. Submit new or altered description |
| Fosti | See Fosti in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| G | |
| G&G | See G&G in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| GAS GAS | See GAS GAS in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Gear | The set of toothed parts, such as wheels, disks and chains, that mesh with the teeths in similar, but different-sized parts in order to transmitt force and motion between rotating shafts. Gears control the number of revolutions per minute and hence the force. Submit new or altered description |
| Gear ratio | A gearbox contains several toothed wheels that are connected and disconnected to eachother in order to switch into the intended gear. The gear ratio is the ratio between the number of teeth of the two wheels that are connected at a given time. If one wheel has 25 teeth and the attached one has 50, there is a 2:1 ratio. Submit new or altered description |
| Ghezzi-Brian | See Ghezzi-Brian in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Gilera | See Gilera in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Ground clearance | The distance between the ground and the lowest part of the motorcycle (apart from the wheels). Submit new or altered description |
| H | |
| Harley-Davidson | See Harley-Davidson in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Hartford | See Hartford in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| HD | See Harley-Davidson. Submit new or altered description |
| Hercules | See Hercules in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Highland | See Highland in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Hog | Slang for a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Submit new or altered description |
| Honda | See Honda in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Horex | See Horex in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Horsepower | The power of the motorcycle engine. The higher, the better. Although with an engine tuned for power, it might be at the expense of power at low RPM. Horsepower is a unit of engine power equal to 0,746 kilowatt (kW). Originally developed by James Watt to compare the power of steam engines to the work done by a horse. Submit new or altered description |
| HP | See Horsepower. Submit new or altered description |
| Husaberg | See Husaberg in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Husqvarna | See Husqvarna in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Hyosung | See Hyosung in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| I | |
| Ignition | The way the fuel is ignited inside the engine. This is normally archieved by a spark from a spark-plug. Submit new or altered description |
| Indian | See Indian in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Italjet | See Italjet in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| IZH | See IZH in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| J | |
| Jawa | See Jawa in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Jawa-CZ | See Jawa-CZ in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Jincheng | See Jincheng in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Jinlun | See Jinlun in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| K | |
| Kangda | See Kangda in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Kanuni | See Kanuni in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Kawasaki | See Kawasaki in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Kilowatt | A unit of power equal to 1000 watt. 0,746 kW equals one horsepower. A kW is equal to one kilojoule per second. Submit new or altered description |
| Kramit | See Kramit in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Kreidler | See Kreidler in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| KTM | See KTM in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| kW | See kilowatt. Submit new or altered description |
| Kymco | See Kymco in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| L | |
| Laverda | See Laverda in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Linhai | See Linhai in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| M | |
| Macbor | See Macbor in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Magni | See Magni in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Maico | See Maico in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Malaguti | See Malaguti in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Malanca | See Malanca in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Marine Turbine Technologies | See Marine Turbine Technologies in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Matchless | See Matchless in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MBK | See MBK in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MBS | See MBS in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MGB | See MGB in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Midual | See Midual in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Minsk | See Minsk in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Mixing chamber | The part of the carburettor where air and fuel mix. Submit new or altered description |
| MM | See MM in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Mondial | See Mondial in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Montesa | See Montesa in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Moto Guzzi | See Moto Guzzi in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Moto Morini | See Moto Morini in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Moto Union | See Moto Union/OMV in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Motobi | See Motobi in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Motolevo | See Motolevo in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Motorhispania | See Motorhispania in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Mototrans | See Mototrans in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Münch | See Münch in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MuZ | See MuZ in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MV Agusta | See MV Agusta in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| MZ | See MZ in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| N | |
| Norton | See Norton in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| O | |
| Odometer | Device that stores the mileage (distance driven). Submit new or altered description |
| OHC | Overhead camshaft. Submit new or altered description |
| OHV | Overhead valve. Submit new or altered description |
| OMV | See Moto Union/OMV in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| OSSA | See OSSA in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| P | |
| Pannonia | See Pannonia in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Peugeot | See Peugeot in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| PGO | See PGO in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Piaggio | See Piaggio in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Pillion | A pad or cushion for an extra rider behind the saddle on a horse or motorcycle. Also name for anyone who rides on the back of a motorcycle. Submit new or altered description |
| Polaris Industries Inc. | See Victory in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Polini | See Polini in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Praga | See Praga in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Puch | See Puch in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Q | |
| R | |
| Rake | Rake, measured in degrees, describes the angle of the front fork or the steering axis from the horizontal or vertical plane. Submit new or altered description |
| Rebound | Rebound defines the return stroke of the suspension. Submit new or altered description |
| Reduced effect | In some countries certain motorcycle models are sold with less horse power to comply with legal or insurance regulations in that country. For instance, a country might allow 16-year-olds to drive 125 ccm bikes with no more than 15 hp. The bike would then have to be modified to output no more than 15 hp. In another example insurance companies may not want to insure bikes with more than 100 hp, or may increase insurance rates for these bikes to the extent that most people would want to buy a reduced-effect version of their bike instead. Submit new or altered description |
| Rev | See revolutions per minute. Submit new or altered description |
| Revolutions per minute | The number of revolutions the engine makes in a minute. Abbreviated RPM and often referred to as "rev". Submit new or altered description |
| Rieju | See Rieju in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| RPM | See revolutions per minute. Submit new or altered description |
| S | |
| Sachs | See Sachs in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Sanglas | See Sanglas in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Shaft drive | As an alternative to chain or belt drive to transfer power to the rear wheel, shaft drive is the solution that requires least maintenance, but is also possibly the heaviest solution. On some bikes there is a notable elevation effect when accelerating. Submit new or altered description |
| Sherco | See Sherco in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Siamoto | See Siamoto in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Simson | See Simson in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Spark-plug | A device that lights an electric spark within the combustion chamber to burn the fuel in the cylinder. Submit new or altered description |
| Spoke | A rod that connects the hub and rim on a wheel. Submit new or altered description |
| Sport-touring | Motorcycles that go under this category are a compromise between powerful sports bikes and touring bikes. These bikes often have good aerodynamics and lots of power, making the top models of this category the fastest bikes around. Submit new or altered description |
| Starway | See Starway/Chu Lan in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Steering damper | A steering damper is mounted to a motorcycle's frame and fork to prevent situations like a wobble. Submit new or altered description |
| Steering head | The place where the fork is connected to the frame and which specifies the steering angle. Submit new or altered description |
| Steering lock | A lock that enables one to lock the fork at an extreme right or left to prevent or hinder theft. Submit new or altered description |
| Stroke | The distance traveled in either direction of by an piston or rod in an engine. Do not mix up with stroke as in 4-stroke. Submit new or altered description |
| Sundiro | See Sundiro in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Super-motard | A motorcycle category which defines urbanly designed cross or enduro bikes. Submit new or altered description |
| Suspension | The system of springs, shock absorbers, or similar devices connection the axels to the frame of a motor cycle. Designed to reduced unwanted motion transmitted from the riding surface. Submit new or altered description |
| Suzuki | See Suzuki in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| SVM | See SVM in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Sym | See Sym in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| T | |
| Tacho | See tachometer. Submit new or altered description |
| Tachometer | An instrument that displays revolutions per minute. Submit new or altered description |
| Throttle | The throttle controls the engine's power by restricting the substance that enters the engine. Submit new or altered description |
| Titan | See Titan in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| TM racing | See TM Racing in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Tomos | See Tomos in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Torque | The tendency of a force to cause an object to rotate. In an engine, the torque is expressed as the force applied multiplied by the distance from the center of rotation. It is the basic measure of the propulsive effect of a powered wheel. Or, said in other words: The measure of the force applied to produce rotational motion usually measured in foot-pounds or Nm. Torque is determined by multiplying the applied force by the distance from the pivot point to the point where the force is applied. Submit new or altered description |
| Transmission | The system of gears and chains by which power is transmitted from the engine to the driving wheel. Submit new or altered description |
| Trial (motorcycle category) | Trial is the sport of riding specifically designed bikes to overcome obstacles that often require difficult stunts like jumping from a stand-still without touching feet to the ground. A trial bike is very light-weight and is easily distinguished from other off-road bikes by the appearance that the rider will have a hard time finding a seat on it. Submit new or altered description |
| Triumph | See Triumph in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Troll | See Troll in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Trumpet | Slang for a Triumph motorcycle. Can also mean a trumpet-shaped exhaust pipe. Submit new or altered description |
| U | |
| Ural | See Ural in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| V | |
| Valve | A device that regulates the passage of fuel through into an engine cylinder. More specifically, a valve is a mechanical device that controls the entry of fuel/air mixture into a combustion chamber, as well as the exit of spent combustion gases from the same. Submit new or altered description |
| Van Veen | See Van Veen in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Vertemati | See Vertemati in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Vespa | See Vespa in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Victory | See Victory in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| VOR | See VOR in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Voskhod | See Voskhod in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Voxan | See Voxan in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| W | |
| Wheelbase | The distance between the center of the wheel hubs on the motorcycle. Submit new or altered description |
| Wind tunnel | Equipment used by motorcycle manufacturers to archieve as good aerodynamics as possible. During development of a new motorcycle, the bike is placed inside a wind tunnel to determine air currents, thus enabling manufacturers to optimize the aerodynamics. Submit new or altered description |
| X | |
| Xingfu | See Xingfu in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Y | |
| Yamaha | See Yamaha in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Yangtze | See Yangtze in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Z | |
| Zündapp | See Zündapp in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |
| Zweirad-Union | See Zweirad-Union in the Motorcycle Encyclopaedia. Submit new or altered description |