Technology / Motorcycle Glossary

Riceburner: A Riceburner is a Japanese motorcycle. The term tends to be used by riders of American made motorcycles.

Rich Urban Biker (RUB): Image-oriented motorcycle owner with more money than riding knowledge or experience.

Ride Bell: There are many stories about the Ride Bell. Here's one: Have you noticed that small bell on some people's bikes and wondered why it was there? It's more than just decoration. It has a specif . . . View Full Definition

Ride To Work Day: Ride to Work Day was inspired by various 'Work to Ride - Ride to Work' T-shirts, stickers and other marketing materials created between 1989 and 1991 by Andy Goldfine for the Aero Design and . . . View Full Definition

Riding The Clutch: A clutch generally consists of a disk which, in its normal state, connects the engine to the transmission. When the motorcycle is driving along, the mechanism is released or “engaged”. Durin . . . View Full Definition

Rig: A motorcycle with an attached sidecar. Also any combination of motorcycle with or without sidecar pulling a trailer.

Rigid: A bike with no rear suspension is said to be a rigid. Harley-Davidson motorcycles all had rigid frames until 1958 when the Duo-Glide was introduced. Most choppers are built using rigid frames.

Rim Lock: Rim locks are used to prevent tires from slipping around motorcycle rims. They are primarily used on off-road bikes and/or any application using low tire pressure for enhancing off-road trac . . . View Full Definition

Rising Rate: A suspension system that becomes harder to compress the further it is compressed. This is usually achieved by a mechanical lineage with variable leverage ratio.

Road Rash: Road Rash is 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. One reason riders wear full-face helmets, glo . . . View Full Definition

Roadster: Type of motorcycle with no fairing or wind protection, and where the bike’s engine and system components are visible. It came back into fashion at the start of the 90s as a tribute to past m . . . View Full Definition

Rocker Arm: A centrally pivoted lever that transmits the motion of the camshaft to open and close the valves.

Rolling Chassis: The assembled frame, wheels and suspension of a motorcycle.

Roost: The debris kicked up by a spinning rear wheel. Used as a verb, to leave someone behind.

Rotary Engine: An internal combustion engine that does not have pistons, camshafts, valvetrain, or a crank shaft. It has three main moving parts, which are two rotors and an eccentric shaft, also referred . . . View Full Definition

RPM: RPM is defined as Revolutions Per Minute. Horsepower, Torque, and RPM are interrelated by the formula: HP = Torque * RPM/5252.

Ruts: When dirt terrain is soft or damp, deep channels or “ruts” can be formed when the rear tires dig through the dirt. Ruts can force riders to take certain lines through a corner, or limit them . . . View Full Definition

Saddle Tank: A fuel tank that fits over the top tube of the motorcycle frame.

Saddlebags: Saddlebags are either soft or hard containers attached over the rear fender of a motorcycle. They hang down on each side of the bike and provide storage for items that are carried on the bik . . . View Full Definition

Scoot: Affectionate term for a motorcycle.

Scooter: Small, two-wheeled, utilitarian motorbike with a step-thru frame.

SCRC: The Southern Cruisers Riding Club (SCRC) was founded by Rick Perry (Rickster) as a local motorcycle riding club in the Memphis, LA area. Within five years, the club had chapters all over the . . . View Full Definition

Sender: An electronic sensor unit on a motorcycle conveying information about an engine to a warning light or other component.

Servo (Servomechanism): An electronic control system in which a hydraulic, pneumatic, or other type of larger-powered controlling mechanism is assisted and controlled by a low-energy signal.

Shaft Drive: Shaft Drive is a method to transmit power from the transmission to the rear wheel of the motorcycle using a shaft. The shaft is much like the driveshaft on an automobile. One end connects to . . . View Full Definition

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