Glossary of Enthusiast Terms

We motorcycle enthusiasts have a language all our own. If you are new to riding it may be difficult to understand all of the different terminology. If you run across a term you don't know it is likely to be explained here. Know a phrase that should be here and isn't?
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AMA: American Motorcyclist Association
Ape Hangers: Handlebars that are very high, and which often raise the rider's hands above his or her shoulders

B.R.A.G.^®

Buell Riders Adventure Group

Baffle

Sound deadening material that sits inside a muffler and quiets the exhaust noise.

Bagger

In the general sense, a "bagger" refers to any motorcycle that has saddlebags; however, in conversation the term "bagger" is most often used in connection with large touring motorcycles.

BAMBI

Born Again Middle-Age Biker Idiot

Basket Case

A motorcycle that has been completely disassembled, often in a perpetual state of being rebuilt. The term comes from its usage at swap meets where the easiest way to carry and display such motorcycles is often in a basket.

Big Twin

Any Harley-Davidson^® that is not a Sportster^®.

Refers to the relatively large size of almost all other Harley-Davidson engines when compared to the Sportster^® engine. Sportster^® models currently have 883 or 1200 cubic centimeters whereas most other Harleys have 1340, 1450, or 1584 cubic centimeters. The single exception to this rule is the V-Rod^® which currently has fewer cubic centimeters (1130 cc to be exact) than a large Sportster, yet is widely considered to be a big twin. Who knows, maybe in a few years' time we'll have to come up with a new phrase to separate the larger motorcycles from the smaller motorcycles …

Blockhead

The Evolution^® engine (V-Twin, produced from 1984 – 2000)

Bobber

A bobber is a motorcycle that is customized by removing all extraneous and non-essential parts from the motorcycle. This is done to increase performance (higher power to weight ratio) and to increase handling (lower unsprung weight over the axles). The bobber was originally built in the late 1940s and 1950s by servicemen returning from WWII who were looking for a little excitement. The bobber-style motorcycle is the forerunner of the more modern chopper-style motorcycle.

The word "bobber" likely gets its name from women's "bobbed" hairdos that were popular around the time, characterized by short hair that falls above the shoulder.

Bullneck Frame

A bullneck frame differs from a standard frame in the way that the frame is connected to the steering neck. On most models there is a triangular or trapezoidal area between the frame and the steering neck that is indented. On bullneck frames this area is not indented, rather the transitional area between the frame and the steering neck is "filled in" and so is smooth and unbroken.

Cage

A car, truck, or van

Cager

A person driving a car, truck, or van

Clone

A motorcycle built to resemble and function like a Harley-Davidson motorcycle without actually being a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (the vehicle title will identify it as something other than a Harley-Davidson)

Clutch Booster

A device designed to reduce the effort necessary to engage the motorcycle's clutch mechanism. Often used by people who ride older motorcycles as these clutch mechanisms were notoriously stiff making the clutch lever difficult to pull under normal conditions and exhausting to repeatedly pull in stop-and-go traffic.

These devices have grown in popularity in recent years due to the increase in the number of women riders and the increasing median age of the average motorcycle rider.

Crash Bars

The incorrect term for engine guards. If you want to see a factory lawyer cringe, there's no faster way than saying this term.

Crotch Rocket

A motorcycle that is built to be ridden at high speeds, characterized by sporting plastic body panels instead of sheet metal and typically (though not always) painted in seizure-inducing color schemes. Often ridden by a Squiddy.

DOT: Department of Transportation
Double Thumper: A Harley-Davidson or any other motorcycle with two-cylinders.
Drag Bars: Low, flat, straight handlebars

ECM: Electronic Control Module; The computer brain that controls various aspects of your motorcycle's performance including ignition, timing, and fuel to air ratio.
EFI: Electronic Fuel Injection
Engine Guards: Metal tubes bolted to the motorcycle's frame that should protect the engine from damage in the event of an accident. They are not designed to offer the rider or passenger any protection in the event of an accident.
Evo
Evolution^®: The Evolution engine (V-Twin, produced from 1984 – 2000)

Fathead: The Twin-Cam engine (V-Twin, produced from 1999 – Current Day)
Flathead: The Flathead engine (V-Twin, produced from 1929 – 1972)

H.O.G.^®: Harley Owners Group
Hard Tail: A motorcycle frame with no rear suspension

Hugger^®: A type of Sportster^®, so named because its lowered suspension and lowered seat make it appear to "hug" the road.

Ironhead: The first generation of Sportster models (produced from 1957 until 1985). Unlike other models with nicknames that describe the look of the cylinder heads on particular engine ("Knucklehead", "Shovelhead", "Flathead", etc.), the Ironhead name comes from the fact that the cylinder heads on these models were cast iron whereas the heads on other models at that time were made of aluminum.

Jockey Shift: A shift lever that is actuated by a rider's hand and which sits either behind the rider's leg (in which case the shifting motion closely resembles a jockey whipping his horse … hence the term "jockey shift") or is mounted on the fuel tank.; See also Suicide Clutch.
Jug: The cylinder of an engine.

Knuck
Knucklehead: The Knucklehead engine (V-Twin, produced from 1936 – 1947)

Lunger: Used in statements like "one lunger", "double lunger", "n lunger", etc. where n is the number of cylinders that a motorcycle has. Thus, a Buell Blast is a "one lunger", a Harley-Davidson is a "double lunger" or a "two lunger", a Triumph Trident is a "three lunger", and many Japanese motorcycles are "four lungers".

MMI: Motorcycle Mechanics Institute
Mouse Trap: See clutch booster
MSF: Motorcycle Safety Foundation

Newbie: A person who is new to the sport of motorcycling.; A first time Harley-Davidson owner.
Nomad: A biker without a home who drifts from place to place.

OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer

P-Pad
Pillion Pad: The passenger seat
Pan
Panhead: The Panhead engine (V-Twin, produced from 1948 – 1965)
PhD: A self-paced learning system designed by Harley-Davidson to keep professional dealership technicians current.
Poker Run: A poker run is, for the most part, like any old motorcycle run. Instead of just riding from Point A to Point B, however, there are also several stops in between (usually 5 total). At these stops you go in to the checkpoint and draw a playing card from a deck of cards. Depending on the rules, you either keep the card or the person at the checkpoint will mark down what card you drew. You do this at each checkpoint, and by the end of the run you will have 5 cards … this makes up your poker hand. At the last stop you turn in your poker hand, and whoever has the best hand wins.

Rat Bike: A motorcycle that is usually mechanically sound and well-maintained bu that looks as if it has been ridden through a war zone or as if it has been assembled from the wrecked carcasses of several other motorcycles.
Revolution^®: The Revolution^® engine, Harley-Davidson's first water-cooled engine (V-Twin, produced from 2002 – Current Day)
Rice Burner: A Japanese-made motorcycle
Riding Bitch: A derogatory term for riding on the backseat.

Rolex Rider: A rich, yuppy (typically older) weekend rider.
RUB: Rich Urban Biker
Rubber: Tires

SFFS

Sons Forever, Forever Sons

Set Free From Sin

Saved Forever, Forever Saved

Shovel

Shovelhead

The Shovelhead engine (V-Twin, produced from 1966 – 1984)

Sissy Bar

Passenger backrest

Softail^®

A motorcycle frame whose suspension is hidden, making it resemble a hardtail

Squiddy

Literally a "suicidal kid".

A young motorcyclist with little or no riding experience riding a sport bike with a lot of horsepower. A squiddy is characterized by wildly weaving in and out of traffic and doing stunts on public roads (wheelies, stoppies, etc.) Often seen wearing a colorful full face helmet, tank top, shorts and flip flops. Approach with caution … squiddies are unable to distinguish between reality and their video games.

Stock

A motorcycle set up to OEM specifications with no alterations

Straight Pipes

An exhaust system with no baffles (technically illegal in most areas)

Suicide Clutch

Suicide Setup

An early-style gear shift mechanism. Unlike modern motorcycles, early motorcycles used a foot-actuated clutch and the gear shifting was done with the rider's hand via a long gear shift knob that was connected directly to the transmission (much like a manual transmission on a car).

Because the rider had to remove one of his hands from the handlebars in order to shift — a dangerous prospect given that most of the thoroughfares of the day were rutted, unpaved dirt roads or brick and cobblestone streets — many people felt that motorcycle riders were literally "taking their lives into their own hands" … hence the term, "suicide clutch".

Suicide Handlebars

An extreme style of "ape hanger" handlebars that raises the rider's hands at or above the level of his own head while riding.

Sushi Wagon

An import motorcycle of Japanese origin.

Thumper: A single-cylinder motorcycle. So called because of the distinctive "thump, thump, thump" sound that these motorcycles make when running.

VIN: Vehicle Identification Number

Wannabe

Literally a person who "wants to be" a biker. Generally speaking a "wannabe" refers to a person who does not ride at all, but who behaves as though he or she does. This person will often be seen "dressing like a biker" by wearing black clothes, motorcycle-themed shirts, and leather jackets. "Wannabes" are also noted for their unusually strong opinions about motorcycle related issues (which motorcycle brand is the best, helmet laws, etc.) though they may have no first-hand knowledge of the issue in question.

Weekend Warrior

Someone who only rides their motorcycle on the weekends. Depending on the context, a weekend warrior can be typified as either:

A person who wants to appear to be much more "hardcore" than he or she really is. This type of person rides a motorcycle because it makes a strong fashion statement … as such, they ride only on the weekends because that is the time that more people will see them.
A person who has a "normal" job and a "normal" life, but who secretly wishes he or she could be a biker all the time. To this type of person, a motorcycle is an escape from normalcy.