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ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) –A computer
controlled braking system that prevents the wheels
from locking up when the brakes are applied. Most
useful on wet roads.
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BACKING IT IN (racing) –Going into a corner with
the rear of the motorcycle sliding while the rider is
counter-steering. This is a way for a rider to scrub
off speed and set the motorcycle up for a fast exit
from the corner. “I was trying so hard I was backing
it in to almost every corner.”
BACK-MARKER (racing) – A slow rider marking the
back of the pack.
BERM (motocross) – Built-up dirt on the outside of
a turn, either created with a bulldozer or as riders
continually go through the turn. A berm helps a
rider take the turn much faster because it acts as
banking.
BLOCK PASS (motocross) –Going into a turn, a
rider attempting a block pass will accelerate before
the apex and slip his motorcycle on the inside of
the leader, then quickly pivot and make the turn
directly in front of the other rider. The rider being
passed must brake because his line is now blocked.
BOTTOM OUT – When the suspension runs out of
travel and bumps against its internal stops. “My
rear suspension bottomed out over the big bump
after turn five.”
BRAKE MARKER (road race) – A track indicator
placed off to the side of the track, marking a spot
where a rider may wish to begin braking for a turn.
BUS STOP (road racing) – A slow first-gear corner.
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CARBURETOR –Engine component that mixes fuel
and air and sprays it in a fine mist to aid
combustion.
CASING IT (motocross) –Coming up short on a
double or triple jump and landing on the top of
the last jump instead of clearing it. Casing refers to
landing on the frame rails and engine cases. “He
cased it hard over that triple.”
CC –Cubic centimeters. The standard
measurement of engine size.
CHAIN DRIVE –A drive system that uses a multi-
link steel chain and toothed sprockets to transfer
engine power to the rear wheel.
CHASSIS –The frame and suspension systems of a
motorcycle.
CHICANE (road racing) – A part of the track
consisting of back-to-back left and right turns.
Chicanes can be a part of the original track, or can
be created, using cones and hay bales, to slow the
riders down for safety.
CYLINDER – The cylindrical sleeves that house the
pistons and where the fuel/air mixture is drawn for
combustion.
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DIE-CAST AND CONTROLLED-FILL
ALUMINUM FRAMES – Featured on†several street
bikes in 2003 are these alloy frames featuring large
one-piece sections constructed with a high-
vacuum mold process, reducing porosity and
eliminating air pockets that can result when
pouring molten aluminum. These large sections
are then combined with a minimum of welds, or
even bolted together, to create the frame. The
result is a lighter, more rigid, more finely tuned
frame of higher production quality.
DOUBLES / TRIPLES (Supercross) – Doubles and
triples are large multiple jumps that allow riders to
fly through the air rather than traversing each
jump one at a time. Triple jumps are the signature
obstacle of Supercross, requiring cool nerves and
precise throttle control.
DOHC – Double Over Head Cam engines utilize
one camshaft to open the engine intake valves
and another to open the exhaust valves. This
optimizes valve timing for better performance.
DQ’ED – Disqualified. “I thought I won,
but I got DQ’ed.”
DUMP THE CLUTCH – This is when a rider revs up
the engine and quickly releases the clutch,
launching the bike off the line.
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ESSES (road racing) – A series of turns with quick
left and right transitions.
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FAIRING – The ABS plastic, fiberglass or carbon
fiber shrouding that covers the chassis on a street
bike or road racer and shields the rider from wind.
Fairings are often designed to reduce drag. Usually
topping the fairing is the wind screen, the clear
portion through which a rider can see.
FORK – The generally two-sided set of telescopic
suspension units that connect the front wheel to
the frame.
FOUR-STROKE – An engine (as with most
automobiles) that relies on four strokes to intake
fuel/air, compress the mixture, power down the
piston, and exhaust spent gas.
FUEL INJECTION – A very precise, computer-
controlled system to spray fuel/air mixture into
the engine intakes.
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GREASY TRACK (road racing) – A slippery racetrack.
GREEN TRACK (road racing) – A new road course
with no rubber on the surface, which can be
slippery. “I had to be careful during that practice
session because the track was really green.”
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HAIRPIN – A very slow, tight, sometimes
180-degree, turn.
HOLESHOT – Being the first person through the
first turn after the starting gate drops and the race
begins. “He got the holeshot and led to the finish.”
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KNOBBIES (motocross) – The type of tires used by
Supercross and motocross racers. These tires have
large square knobs of rubber tread that are
designed and arranged in various ways to best
grab the dirt. Sometimes mechanics take knobby
tires and carve them even more with a hot tire
cutter–in order to help the tire pattern best match
the terrain.
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LAPPER – A slow rider who is being lapped
by the leaders.
LEATHERS (road racing) – The form-fitting leather
suit a rider wears on the street or track. Racing
leathers feature special, sturdy stitching, abrasion-
resistant hides, and foam and plastic armor at key
points such as the back, knees, elbows and
shoulders. Leathers are cut to fit a rider when
he/she is sitting on the motorcycle, so they look
baggy when walking around in the pits.
LED TAIL LIGHTS – Light Emitting Diode tail lights
now found on some street motorcycles are
brighter, more compact and simpler than
conventional bulb-type lights – and require
no maintenance.
LINE – This describes the path of the motorcycle
as a rider goes through a section of track or around
a turn. Riders think hard about the best lines to
take, lines that can be used for passing, and lines
to be used later in a race when the track surface
has changed.
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NAKED BIKE – A street motorcycle without a
fairing to cover the engine and frame. Many
motorcyclists like to see the exposed hardware on
their machines.
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ON THE BOX – A top-three finish that puts a rider
on the victory podium. “I was happy just to get
on the box today.”
ON THE GAS –When a rider is going very fast. “I†
tried to pass him, but he was really on the gas.”
ON THE PIPE (motocross) – When a rider or bike is
going very fast. This expression refers to when a
competition bike’s two-stroke engine is operating
at optimum rpm. Exhaust pipes for these
motorcycles are designed to work best at certain
engine speeds. When a motorcycle is on the pipe, it
is running at the rpm that gives maximum horse-power. “He was really on the pipe during the first
five laps.”
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PARKED IT – To be going slower than conditions
allow through a turn. “As I was coming up to turn
three this guy just parked it in front of me.”
PIN IT – To go full throttle, pin it wide open. “Coming out of the last corner, I just pinned it
and won.”
PITS OR THE PIT – Where the racing teams park
their trucks and set up makeshift garages to work
on the bikes and house the riders.
PIT BOARD – A large sign a mechanic writes on
and shows to his rider as he goes past. Pit board
signs can be used to show a rider’s position, how
far he’s ahead or behind, to encourage him or even
to remind him to breathe.
PIT LANE (road racing) – The lane on the inside of
the track, usually adjacent to the main straight,
where riders come in to have quick work or tire
changes on their motorcycles.
PODIUM OR THE BOX – The victory stand where
riders placing first through third stand to receive
their trophies.
PUCKS (road racing) – The plastic knee skids,
attached to leathers with hook and loop material,
that riders wear to slide their knees through the
turns. The riders use their knee skids to judge their
angle of lean, and sometimes hold up the
motorcycle if it begins to wash out from
under them.
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RADIAL MOUNTED CALIPERS – A transfer of
technology from road racing machines to street
bikes of today. The brake calipers attach to the
front fork with bolts aligned with the caliper
centerline (as opposed to bolts through the side).
This change increases braking performance and
reduces weight.
RAM-AIR INTAKE DUCTS – Inlets in the front of
the fairing, connected to ducts leading to the
airbox, force fresh, cool air into intake system,
creating a supercharg-ing effect.
RUTS (motocross) – When the 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 to only one line, making passing
difficult. Ruts can get deep enough to completely
stop a motorcycle.
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SHAFT DRIVE – A drive system that uses a steel
shaft inside one of the swingarm tubes, plus
internal gears, to transfer power to the rear wheel.
SLICKS (road racing) – These racetrack-only tires
are so named because they have no tread at all,
just a smooth surface so that the maximum
amount of rubber grips the asphalt.
SLIP THE CLUTCH – To feather or fan the clutch
lever back and forth to prevent stalling the engine
or spinning the rear tire.
SNAKES (road racing) – The serpentine tar strips
sometimes used to fill cracks on a racetrack.
STEERING DAMPER (road racing) – In order to
prevent or minimize the front wheel from
oscillating left and right over varied or bumpy
pavement, some street motorcycles utilize a
steering damper. On most bikes, this is simply a
hydraulically controlled, telescoping damper rod
that connects from the fork triple-clamp to the
frame. The force needed to push the sliding rod
can be easily altered with some dampers,
increasing or reducing the steering effort needed
to turn the motorcycle. One new system uses an
electronically controlled damper that reduces
hydraulic pressure at low speeds, making it easy to
negotiate slow corners, and increases the pressure
at higher speeds, when more stability is required.
STROKE – Refers to the up and down motion of
the piston and connecting rod.
SQUID - Half squirrel, half kid - a bad rider. “That
guy was being really squidly out there and should
have been black-flagged.”
SQUAT – When the rear of the motorcycle
compresses due to hard acceleration. “The bike
seems to have a lot of squat when it leaves turn
three.”
SWINGARM – The one- or two-sided arm (made
of aluminum or steel) that connects the rear wheel
to the frame and moves up and down with the rear
suspension.
SWEEPER (road racing) – A broad high-speed turn.
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TABLE-TOP JUMP (motocross) – A jump similar to
a double jump, except the void between the jumps
is filled in with dirt, creating the table-top.
TIRE WARMERS (road racing) – 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.
TRAIL-BRAKING – Keeping the brakes on late
into a corner, after initial braking has taken place.
TWO-STROKES – Engines (as with some lawn-mowers, model airplanes, and Grand Prix bikes)
that rely on only two strokes to intake fuel/air
while powering down the piston, and compress
the fuel/air while exhausting spent gas.
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VALVES (Intake and Exhaust) – Poppet valves
within a four-stroke cylinder head that open and
close to allow fuel/air into the combustion
chamber, and open and close to vent the burned
gas. Four-valve cylinder heads can more efficiently
pump fuel/air in and pump spent gas out,
increasing performance.
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WHOOPS OR WHOOP SECTION (Supercross) – Also known as whoop-de-doos. A section of track
with a row of dirt mounds or moguls. Whoops are
one of the most difficult obstacles on a Supercross
track, as timing, throttle control and body
positioning are crucial. Whoops are usually good
places for fast riders to pass. “I was having a bad
race until I figured out the fast line through the
whoops.”
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THE FLAGS
Checkered Flag -
First across wins: race over
Black Flag -
Rider disqualified or problem with motorcycle
Green Flag -
Race start signal, race in progress when all is “go”
Red Flag -
Race stopped, sometimes to be restarted
White Flag -
One lap left to race
Yellow Flag -
Caution, do not pass if flag is waving
Yellow and Red Striped Flag -
Caution, indicates debris, fluid or hazard
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