So, I'm still fairly new to the world of motorcycles.. and while a lot of the terminology is pretty self explanatory, some of it still escapes me. I thought it might be fun to have a thread that compiles it all in to a list for us "newbies." I will do my best to keep this original post updated with a list, hopefully in alphabetical order, with "the best definition." (Please, feel free to update/argue/vote on definitions!) Let's do British and Aussie terminology, too!
14t, 15t, 17t, etc - alternate front sprockets. "T" means "Tooth". Lower #s help acceleration, Higher #s - top speed/fuel mileage
40t, 43t, etc - alternate rear sprockets. "T" means "Tooth". Lower #s - top speed/fuel mileage, Higher #s help acceleration
Asphalt Crayon - your buddy that doesn't wear gear
ATGATT - All The Gear All The Time
Bearing Retainer - the part WITH the rollers
Carburetors (Carbs) - mechanically enabled air/fuel control with vacuum assist
Cartridge Emulators - little dealies you can put in your forks so they act like (emulate) cartridge forks
Cartridge Forks - you don't have these. Fork oil flows through shims and other magic. Expensive.
Chicken Strips - the small section of unused / un-ridden-on tire near your sidewall. Supposed to indicate how scared (chicken) you are of leaning over. Squids who have them sand them off so their riding buddies won't think they can't ride.
COG - Center Of Gravity
Collector - where headers merge together before they meet the muffler
Damping - hydraulically (what you have) or air assisted control over spring action. Anti pogo-stick.
Damping Rod Forks - you have these. Fork oil flows through a tube with holes in it. Basically.
Float - like the bulb in the toilet tank. Controls level of fuel in float bowls.
Float Bowl - just like the back of your toilet. Reservoir in the bottom of the carburetor, holds fuel ready to be used.
Fuel Injection Hose - high-pressure, gasoline resistant tubing. Usually black, with white thread in the rubber.
Header - exhaust pipes coming directly out of engine
Jet - brass screw with a hole through the middle, through which fuel flows. Different #s relate to different hole sizes, thus flow rate.
Main Jet - definition needed.
Pilot Jet - definition needed.
Re-jet - To replace the 'Jets' in your carburetor. (Typically with larger jets for more fuel flow in conjunction with high flow air filter/exhaust.)
Kat FE - Katana Front End. Fork, wheel, brake, and triple tree swap.
Lunchbox - a high flow air filter that resembles a sandwich container
Petcock - Manual control over fuel flow. One under the tank (on or off), one on left side of frame (On, Reserve, Prime)
Pillion - the passenger's seat behind the driver's seat on a motorcycle.
Pingle - brand name for higher quality petcocks. Big bucks.
Prime - petcock setting with highest flow. Readies fuel system for use.
Progressive - in reference to alternate fork springs. It is a rate of compression - the more they compress, the stiffer they get
Race - bearing half against which bearing rollers or balls rotate. Usually the "outer" half, the part without the rollers.
- a competition of speed.. where the objective is to go faster than your opponent/s.
Radial brakes - brakes that bolt up with the bolts screwing in towards the axle of the front wheel instead of in towards the center of the bike, also seen on newer bikes. example here... http://www.rgv-500.com/handling_files/brakes002.jpg
R/R - Rectifier/Regulator. The little grey box with cooling fins. Dual function, see below.
Rectifier - Changes AC current from the charging system to DC for the battery.
Regulator - "Soaks up" excess current so your battery doesn't overcharge. Changes it to heat, so it needs fins.
Relay, Electrical - electrical device such that current flowing through it in one circuit can switch on and off a current in a second circuit
Reserve - Petcock setting - The last bit of gas in the tank when you run out of the "on" setting.
Risers - brackets that bolt under your handle bar to make it higher
Road Rash - The "rash" you receive when your skin is removed from the friction of sliding along pavement.
Roller Bearings - has little rolling cylinders inside. Can't support loads from the side. In your wheels, swingarm, rear shock.
Sealed Bearings - pre-lubricated, non-greasable/non-servicable. Recognized by (usually) black rubber or plastic seal.
Silicone Tubing - cheaper/lower quality (compared to Tygon,) often clear or flamboyantly colored
Slip-On - aftermarket muffler that attaches to stock exhaust tubing
Squid - Someone with little to no motorcycling experience that has a Super Sport bike because it's "Cool." They usually wear no gear.
Steering Neck - the tube at the front of your frame, where the triple trees are bolted through
Straight Rate - again, alternate fork springs. They have the same "strength" no matter how deeply compressed.
Swing Arm - the long square tube that holds your back wheel to the frame
Tapered Bearings - conically shaped race, able to support loading from 90 degree angle (in your steering neck)
Triple Tree - Upper and lower. Holds your forks to the frame. Handlebars are bolted to the upper.
Tygon - high quality tubing that resists gasoline/solvents
USD - forks that are 'Up Side Down', like newer sport bikes where the larger diameter tubes are on top. example here.... http://media.photobucket.com/image/usd%20forks/oldndumb/TL1000fork2.jpg
Vacuum Hose - not for use with gasoline/solvents. Usually black as well, but smaller diameter.
Valve Shim - little pain in the @ss flat metal spacers. Place where the valves close gets worn - these make up for it.
Wombat - more bone muscle than badgers. Official mascot of GSTwin.
My favorite one is how well of a job South Park did trying to change "f@g"(sorry, real word gets edited out) from being a derogatory word about ghey people, to just referring to loud and obnoxious attention starved Harley riders. So if you see that word on a motorcycle forum somewhere, that's usually what people are referring to.
Radial brakes are brakes that bolt up with the bolts screwing in towards the axle of the front wheel instead of in towards the center of the bike, also seen on newer bikes. example here... http://www.rgv-500.com/handling_files/brakes002.jpg
USD refers to forks that are 'up side down', like newer sportbikes where the larger diameter tubes are on top. example here.... http://media.photobucket.com/image/usd%20forks/oldndumb/TL1000fork2.jpg
I'm not sure what other words we use, since I'm so used to hearing them all.
Wombat - more bone muscle than badgers. Official mascot of GSTwin.
Kat FE - Katana Front End. Fork, wheel, brake, and triple tree swap.
Triple Tree - Upper and lower. Holds your forks to the frame. Handlebars are bolted to the upper.
Progressive - in reference to alternate fork springs. It is a rate of compression - the more they compress, the stiffer they get
Straight Rate - again, alternate fork springs. They have the same "strength" no matter how deeply compressed.
Cartridge Emulators - little dealies you can put in your forks so they act ("emulate") cartridge forks
Cartridge forks - you don't have these. Fork oil flows through shims and other magic. Expensive.
Damping Rod forks - you have these. Fork oil flows through a tube with holes in it. Basically.
Damping - hydraulically (what you have) or air assisted control over spring action. Anti pogo-stick.
Compression - the source of much controversy. Look it up yourself
Rebound - see above
Pre-load - see above
swing arm - the long square tube that holds your back wheel to the frame
sprocket - controls your gear ratio. One front, one rear.
14t, 15t, 17t, etc - alternate front sprockets. t means "tooth". Lower #s help acceleration, higher #s - top speed/fuel mileage
40t, 43t, etc - alternate rear sprockets. Higher #s help acceleration, lower #s - top speed/ fuel mileage
Lunchbox - a high flow air filter that resembles a sandwich container
Re-jet - ask Werase :icon_mrgreen:
petcock - Manual control over fuel flow. One under the tank (on or off), one on left side of frame (On, Reserve, Prime)
Pingle - brand name for higher quality petcocks. Big bucks.
Reserve - Didn't take the MSF course? Too bad!
Prime - petcock setting with highest flow. Readies fuel system for use.
Tygon - high quality tubing that resists gasoline/solvents
silicone tubing - cheaper but lower quality, often clear or flamboyantly colored
fuel injection hose - high pressure-resistant, gasoline resistant tubing. Usually black, with white thread in the rubber.
vacuum hose - not for use with gasoline/solvents. Usually black as well, but smaller diameter.
carburetors - "carbs" - mechanically enabled air/fuel control with vacuum assist
Fuel injection - you wish.
float bowl - just like the back of your toilet. Reservoir in the bottom of the carbs, holds fuel ready to be used.
float - like the bulb in the toilet tank. Controls level of fuel in float bowls.
jet - brass screw with a hole through the middle, through which fuel flows. Different #s relate to different hole sizes, thus flow rate.
main jet - Source of much controversy. Ask Werase. :icon_mrgreen:
pilot jet - see above.
slip-on - aftermarket muffler that attaches to stock exhaust tubing
header - exhaust pipes coming directly out of engine
collector - where headers merge together before they meet the muffler
back pressure - resistance to flow. Your engine needs this.
risers - brackets that bolt under your handle bar to make it higher
steering neck - the tube at the front of your frame, where the triple trees are bolted through
Tapered bearings - conically shaped race, able to support loading from 90 degree angle (in your steering neck)
roller bearings - has little rolling cylinders inside. Can't support loads from the side. In your wheels, swingarm, rear shock.
race - bearing half against which bearing rollers or balls rotate. Usually the "outer" half, the part without the rollers.
bearing retainer - the part WITH the rollers
sealed bearings - pre-lubricated, non-greasable/non-servicable. Recognized by (usually) black rubber or plastic seal.
valve shim - little pain in the @ss flat metal spacers. Place where the valves close gets worn - these make up for it.
Boy, this could really go on forever, couldn't it?
Screw this.
I'm going riding.
This needs to go on the wiki!
I Think I may need to start separating it into categories... "Technical" - "Social" - "British" - "Aussie" ....
What do you guys think? Just a list.. or a Categorized list?
A correction: Back pressure is no good in a 4-stroke. Only 2-strokes need back pressure.
Back pressure in 4-strokes is often confused with exhaust gas velocity.
Chicken Strips - the small section of unused / un-ridden-on tire near your sidewall. Supposed to indicate how scared (chicken) you are of leaning over. Squids who have them sand them off so their riding buddies won't think they can't ride.
Relay - If Hoover Dam is your electrical system, your sink faucet is the switch to turn it on or off, a relay is the big valve in between.
R/R - Rectifier/Regulator. The little grey box with cooling fins. Dual function, see below.
Rectifier - Changes AC current from the charging system to DC for the battery.
Regulator - "Soaks up" excess current so your battery doesn't overcharge. Changes it to heat, so it needs fins.
Asphalt Crayon - your buddy that doesn't wear gear