![]() Less-obvious details often include things like radios or reverse gear for backing these heavy machines out of parking spaces. They include obvious components like cushy seats, large-capacity fuel tanks, abundant wind protection and built-in luggage. Touring Bike: Large, heavy, expensive motorcycles that are built for long-distance travel. Target Fixation: Riders’ inclination to focus on an obstacle and ride into it rather than avoiding it. Also called a Paddock Stand, for its use on race bikes in the track paddock area. Swingarm Stand: A separate stand for lifting a motorcycle’s rear wheel by a lever that is not mounted on the bike, but is kept in the shop. Its movement is controlled by the spring and shock absorber(s). Swingarm: The moveable rear suspension component that mounts the rear wheel. Their solution was to put them back into service minus the damaged plastic, spawning a new design trend. These evolved from conventional sportbikes whose riders had inflicted costly bodywork damage to otherwise rideable machines. Streetfighter: A sport bike with little or no bodywork. Stoppie: A hard application of the front brake that a skilled rider can employ to balance the bike on its front wheel. Its angle determines the bike’s steering characteristics. Steering Head: The pivot at the front of the frame where the fork attaches. These don’t follow any of the styling fads that come and go. Standard: A traditionally styled motorcycle with a comfortable flat seat, sensible handlebars that the rider can reach easily and footpegs directly beneath the rider to let the legs support some weight. These bikes have more powerful engines, better brakes and better steering than other styles, often with the compromise of a less-comfortable forward-leaning riding position that puts weight on the rider’s wrists. Sport Bike: A race-inspired street-legal motorcycle, usually indicated by aerodynamic plastic fairings and windshield. This is usually more cost effective than a complete system, but it doesn’t maximize the potential weigh savings or power gains of a complete system. Slip Ons: Higher-performance aftermarket mufflers that slip on to the factory exhaust header rather than replacing the entire exhaust system. It can have a longer suspension travel and benefits from the possibility of a rising-rate linkage that makes the shock dampening more effective. Single Shock: A single rear spring and shock absorber assembly in place of the traditional dual-spring setup. Side Stand: A bicycle-style kickstand that the motorcycle can lean against when parked. This can be offset by more complex rear suspension designs like BMW’s Paralever. A down side is the “shaft effect” which causes the rear suspension to raise the bike when the throttle is opened and causes it to crouch lower when the throttle is closed. Shaft Drive: Some motorcycles, especially BMWs and long-distance touring bikes employ shaft drive in place of a chain or belt because of their durability. These have a high-mounted exhaust and muffler and knobby tires, though they are usually for effect rather than practicality in most riders’ usage. Scrambler: An off-road-inspired motorcycle that is usually ridden on-road. Rotor: The spinning brake disc that the brake caliper clamps to stop the bike. Sometimes these are curated for effect, other times just the natural result of daily riding on a budget. Rat Bike: A battered-looking motorcycle that wears its heavy use on its sleeve. These engines can be less expensive and more compact that overhead cam engines, at the expense of peak horsepower. It activates the valves in the head by means of pushrods. Pushrod Engine: An engine whose camshaft mounts low in the engine. Pipe: Short for exhaust pipe, especially an aftermarket exhaust system added for higher performance. This is less expensive and more compact than a V-twin arrangement, but they aren’t balanced as well and are prone to shaking. Parallel Twin: A twin-cylinder engine with the cylinders paired side-by-side. There is less reciprocating mass in an overhead cam valvetrain, so it can operate at higher engine speeds, permitting higher peak power in high-performance engines. Overhead Cam: A camshaft mounted over the engine’s cylinder head that can press the valves open directly rather than indirectly using a pushrod. Open Face Helmet: A full-coverage helmet that lacks a chin bar and may or may not have a faceshield attached. Master Link: The removable link in the drive chain that permits the chain to be removed for service or replacement. Master Cylinder: The hydraulic cylinders connected to the brake and clutch levers that send pressure to the brake calipers or clutch slave cylinder to actuate them. Low Side: When a sliding motorcycle loses all traction and simply falls down in the direction it is leaning. Lane Splitting: Riding between lanes of stopped or slow-moving cars in places like California where this is the legal way to escape soul-crushing traffic delays.
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