Suzuki

please help my gsxr runs ok on tick over and runs ok for about 1/2 mile then starts misfiring and looses power and then will not tickoveri also get some white smoke out of exhaust which i am being told is electrical any suggestions thanks
>>

Good afternoon Gary,
Check the choke cable isn't sticking first. The coils could be breaking down when they get hot. Remove the plugs to check the condition to acsertain whether it is running rich or lean.

10 Reviews found for Suzuki SV 650cc

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Suzuki SV 650cc Sept '06 (56)
Comfort

Handling

Braking

MPG

Running Costs

Reliability

Performance

Dream Appeal


Overall Rating :

I bought the sv last year,its my second bike since passing my test,now i have been riding a year and a half.i have found that once i had run it in its such a nice and easy bike to ride,would recommend for first bike in the medium range.Its got plenty of power for over taking,a comfy ride,and found it loves being slung round corners,this bike has a lovely deep rumble and it will give you confidence in no time at all.

Suzuki Motorcycle History:
Suzuki started into the motorcylces market in 1952 with a 36cc single cylinder two-stroke. By 1963, Suzuki motorcycles had made their way to the North American market. Since that time, Suzuki motorcycles have dominated the market as the best quality motorcycle at the most affordable prices.

2007 Suzuki SV1000S Specifications
Suzuki Hayabusa Specifications
2007 Suzuki DR-Z125 Specifications
2007 Suzuki RM85 Specifications

If one or more cylinders are dropping at low rev's, consider cleaning, synchronizing, and tuning the carbs.

Learn to read the appearance of the spark plugs. Plugs may indicate problems with the A/F mix and ignition/combustion burning problems. "www.ngk.com" Click the "Plug 4-1-1" link.It has been said that you can never have too much power. It must be true, because even in the cruiser segment of the motorcycle market, where high-speed cornering is effectively curtailed by the bikes’ limited lean angles, power levels have been creeping up steadily over the past few years.

Okay, power can be advantageous in many street situations. Passing in busy traffic being just one of them. But I remain concerned about 700-plus pound behemoths rocketing to high speed on the straight sections and then putting their riders into corners at velocities beyond the machines’ ability to turn. I thought this would apply to Suzuki’s new Boulevard M109R too, but then I noticed the radial-mount, opposed four-piston monoblock brake calipers borrowed from the company’s 2005 GSX-R1000 warp-speed sportbike straddling the M109R’s pie-sized front discs.

That hardware should be enough to help shed speed with real urgency, even on a machine that answers the call of gravity with a combined rider/machine avoirdupois of somewhere around 900 pounds. That’s substantial, but the upside of mass can be appreciated on the road, where the big Boulevard cruises with a stable serenity untroubled by crosswinds or lumpy pavement.

Nor does the new engine seem to notice the load it is being asked to carry. It’s a 54-degree V-twin with dual overhead cams turned by a novel two-stage chain drive system that teams with a semi-dry-sump lubrication technique and plated aluminum cylinder bores to keep the engine relatively light and compact. Compact, that is, for a 1783cc twin with pistons that are 4.4-inches across. Fortunately for all of us, the engine uses a balancer shaft to keep the big twin’s shaking forces from buzzing our brains out.

The engine boasts four valves per cylinder and two 56mm Mikuni injectors. Continuously tuned by an exhaust valve that varies back-pressure, and by twin sparkplugs that can fire simultaneously or at staggered intervals dependent on operating conditions, the giant engine produces stump-tugging torque at low and mid-range speeds as well as a generous 127 rear-wheel horsepower at 6200 rpm.
- For a big old cruiser engine, the M109R’s V-twin spins pretty quickly. The liquid-crystal tachometer that sits atop the handlebar brackets carries a redline of 7400 rpm, but so flat is the torque curve that winding the engine all the way up there is unnecessary to get the best performance. In true cruiser tradition, the big Boulevard blats along at virtually any engine speed, all the while issuing that classic loping V-twin beat from the two bazooka-sized side pipes.

Actually, because of the 54-degree included angle chosen by the Suzuki engineers to allow enough space between the big cylinders for relatively straight intake ports, the firing order at very low revs sounds almost like a parallel twin with a misfire. Up to about 3000 rpm, the engine stutters quite a bit, then the sound smoothes right out.

There are five speeds in the gearbox, adequate in light of the bike’s elastic power delivery, but fifth is geared quite tall, and it keeps the engine down in the thudding part of its operating range at normal highway cruising speeds. It’s undoubtedly more economical to do it that way, but it highlights the problems encountered when using truly big-bore V-twin formats.

There are other areas where size matters. Even with hands that fit snugly into XXL gloves, I found the reach to the clutch lever slightly overlong. It’s heavily loaded too, operating without hydraulic assistance, and I ended up with a bruised joint on the next-to-pinky finger of the left hand.

But other than these wimpy complaints, the M109R is a great cruiser. It has a brilliantly original design, with none of the forced retro-schlock of most copycat cruisers. The seat is broad, deep and comfortable, and the extended handlebar brackets allow a natural curve and orientation for the ‘bars themselves. Even tall riders aren’t forced back into a position where they hold themselves upright with their stomach muscles.

The gears shift smoothly and easily at the bidding of the long-travel lever typical of the breed, and the brakes are strong and easily modulated. That big motor thrusts the bike down the road on a thrilling torrent of big-twin sound, and the big inverted fork keeps it aimed straight.

The ride is firm but well damped, and all that stability encourages you to grind the forward-slung footpegs in every corner. But only after you’ve become accustomed to the unusual interaction between the huge 240 rear tire and the much smaller 130 front hoop as you tip the bike into curves. That big back tire occasionally follows road-surface and camber changes while on the move, introducing small directional inputs. But you soon get used to it.

For cruiser adherents, most of whom profess not to care about restricted cornering clearances, this bike may be an important new direction. The M109R might even tempt maturing sportbike riders who’ve given up the risks and rewards of fast corners for a low-intensity cruiser experience. The guys at Boulevard certainly hope so.

Like most new cruiser offerings, the M109R is accompanied by a raft of official Boulevard accessories. I’ve seen some of them, and I’m happy to report that they do little to spoil the bike’s sensational styling.

So it’s handsome as it comes, but the bike can also be customized to reflect the owner’s individualism without ruining its considerable visual impact. If that’s good design, then the M109R has it.

Carbon-fouled- Build-up of carbon deposits on engine parts or spark plug electrodes. Fouled plugs may misfire, causing a loss of power and wasting fuel.

FAST TALK
____________________________________________

TECHNICAL TERMS AND SLANG FOR THE PERFORMANCE MINDED

Every high performance community has its own lingo and jargon and the sport bike and muscle car community is no different. The various military jargon in use by such institutions as the USAF and the US Army alone can be mind-boggling. Indeed, JANE'S has an on-line, reference to military jargon that is over 10mb alone! Try remembering all of that!

It's all right to be confused. If you ride or run with a bunch of enthusiasts that uses terms or jargon that you don't recognize, check here.

New terms crop up all the time in power sports circles. Newcomers to the world of power sports will often be confused when in the midst of seasoned veterans who use unknown terms with the greatest of ease.

The following list is a 'living' list. If you are having trouble with a term, feel free to look it up here. Got a term that's not on the list, let me know and I'll include it. If a term is wrong or the meaning has changed, let me know as well and I'll correct it.


Glossary of Terms
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the '#' link.

- A -



Accelerator- A simple mechanical pedal which controls the amount of fuel and air entering the engine through a lever and push rod style arrangement that moves the throttle assembly open or closed.

Additive- Chemical that is added in relatively small amounts to gasoline or oil in order to strengthen or enhance the performance or durability of the host fluid.

Aftercooler- See Charge Air Cooler

Aftermarket Non-factory parts. Usually cheaper than OEM, sometimes in quality as well as price.

Air Bags- Otherwise known as a Supplemental Inflatable Restraint (SIRS) System, the air bag is a passive safety device, designed to be used supplemental to safety belts, that rapidly inflates to provide a cushion to absorb impact forces during moderate to severe frontal collisions. The SIRS can help to lessen the chance of contact with the steering wheel, instrument panel and windshield, but only if safety belts are worn as well. The air bag is activated automatically by sensors located in the front of the vehicle. To maximize effectiveness, seat and shoulder belts must always be used in conjunction with this system.

Air Cleaner- The assembly which secures and houses the paper filter element. This filter is designed to prevent dirt, dust, and other particles (bugs, debris, etc.) from the air before the air is drawn into the fuel-metering system (carb or EFI).

Air Dam- A frontal aerodynamic piece designed to smooth the flow of air around a vehicle, decreasing the coefficient of drag, improving fuel economy, handling, and maneuvering at high speeds.

Air Density- The amount of mass contained in a given volume of air. Also known as air charge density. Colder air is denser than warmer air, and therefore, colder air will provide more power to an engine.

Air Filter- The paper element used to remove particles from the incoming intake air charge before the air enters the engine. Particles of sand, small rocks, etc. can be very destructive to the internal reciprocating assemblies.

Air Foil- An aerodynamic device designed to improve traction by increasing the down-force on the rear of a vehicle. The use of airfoils (also called wings or rear wings) increases the cornering capability and improves stability at speed, but often at the expense of additional aerodynamic drag and weight. See Spoiler.

Air Intake- Track(s) or passage(s) that deliver filtered air to the intake manifold. Usually composed of a air intake box, housing a air filter, and a short rigid or soft plastic tube to duct the filtered air to the intake manifold or throttle body assembly.

Air Injection- Emission-control system that mixes fresh air with exhaust gases to consume unburned fuel. An air pump, usually belt driven, is part of the design.

Air/Fuel Ratio- The number of pounds of air in proportion to the number of pounds of fuel in a mixture. A lean mixture will have less fuel than air, a rich mixture will have more fuel than air.

Air Cooled Avoid this like the plague. Anything air cooled is not a good idea. Uses air to keep the engine cool, usually through a series of machined vented ribs or heat sinks on the engine case itself.

Alignment- Process of positioning wheels into a correct relationship with each other. Vehicles that are out of alignment will suffer in handling and maneuvering, as well as experience rapid tire degradation.

Ally Slang for alloy or aluminum, used in frame, suspension, and engine building.

Alloy Wheels- A generic term used to describe any non-steel road wheel. The most common alloy wheels are cast aluminum. Technically, an alloy is a mixture of two or more metals. These wheels are known for their light weight and strength.

All-Wheel Drive (AWD)- Often confused with Four-Wheel Drive (4WD), this drive system features four, full-time active drive wheels to reduce wheel slippage and provide greater driver control over the vehicle during all aspects of performance. All-Wheel Drive automatically splits engine torque between the front and rear wheels as needed, improving on-road traction in unfavorable road conditions. This is usually (but not always) accomplished through the use of a viscous coupling system. Unlike Four-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive is an on-road system and is not designed for off-road use. AWD does not require the driver to actively engage the system. It is operational at all times, and requires no switches, lights or visor instructions for system operation. Subaru is a pioneer in AWD, but Mitsubishi has used the system to good effect on their Eclipse GSXT AWD turbos and the 3000GT VR4 AWD twin turbo sport coupes.

Alternative The second choice of music to ride sport bikes to. Groups like Garbage, Faith No More, Foo Fighters, anything loud, rocking, and fast that you can hammer a corner to.

Aluminum The standard material that your sport bike frame and performance car wheels should to be made from. Avoid steel frames on motorcycles as they are far heavier. If it's an ally frame, make sure its TWIN SPAR REINFORCED. High end cylinder heads, drive shafts, intake manifolds, and even entire engine blocks are made out of this. Expect to pay out the wazoo for a all aluminum small block Chevy engine block!

Anti-freeze- A chemical solution that lowers the freezing point of engine coolant. It is much better at thermal isolation than plain tap water. Anti-freeze is also known as anti-boil, as it has a higher boiling factor than regular water. Depending on the mixture of anti-freeze to water, engines can be protected from cracked blocks in harsh winter conditions by as much as fifty degrees below zero.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS). On a vehicle equipped with Anti-Lock Brakes, the ABS equipped wheels (two or four wheel applications) are equipped with high capacity speed sensors. When a sensor determines that a wheel is decelerating so rapidly that lockup may occur, the Electro hydraulic Control Unit (EHCU) is activated and modulates the brake pressure in the appropriate brake lines by means of special solenoid-operated valve(s). This rapid pulsing of the brake line pressure is intended to prevent wheel lockup and help the vehicle maintain directional stability during potentially hazardous braking situations. The main advantage of ABS is that a driver can slam down hard on the brakes while maintaining complete control of the vehicle where a non-ABS vehicle would go into a skid and lose control.

Atmospheric Pressure- The pressure due to the earth's weight of the earth's atmosphere. At sea level, the atmospheric pressure is about 14.69 pounds per square inch and is affected by weather. Atmospheric pressure is low at altitudes above sea level.

Atomize- To reduce into super fine particles. Gas is atomized during the combustion process.

Axle Ratio. The ratio between the rotational speed (RPM) of the drive shaft and that of the driven wheel. Gear reduction in final drive is determined by dividing the number of teeth on the ring gear by the number of teeth on the pinion gear.



 

- B -



Backfire- Combustion occurring outside of the cylinder, either in the intake manifold or the exhaust manifold.

Back pressure- A term used to describe the measurable restriction to exhaust gas flow through the exhaust system components. Some back pressure is desirable. Too much back pressure decreases performance.

Bail To jump off of your bike, usually to avoid crashing or dying. "Warning! Rider may bail at any time!" Bailing is either an instinctive act or a voluntary one. If involuntarily invoked, see "High-Side." Don't die for your bike. It won't die for you! Also to run away, like "Aw, the Rustang doesn't want any of me, see how he's bailing through that intersection."

Barometric Pressure- The pressure of the atmosphere as indicated by a barometer. In a mercury barometer, barometric pressure averages 29.29 inches of mercury at sea level. It is affected by weather and is less at altitudes above sea level.

Base Line Idle- At park or neutral idle RPM determined when the throttle lever is against the stop on the throttle body, and the Idle Air Control (IAC) solenoid is disconnected so there is no control by the ECM.

Bastich Derivative of the word "bastard." Used in situations like- "Did you see that dopey bastich pull out in front of me?"

Bear A state highway patrol officer. See Smokey.

Bear Bait Someone on a bike or in a car that is going much faster than you. You can usually speed by letting the other person run on ahead (as bait) and get caught (flush those bears) while you stay far enough behind to slow down in time. Let others pay for you!

Beemer Slang for any BMW car or cycle. Also for the driver.

Belt Drive A toothed Kevlar or other material belt, much like the belt that runs the accessories on your car or truck, is used to transfer power from the engine and transmission to the rear wheel. No sport bike is belt driven, but some sofas and slugs are.

Benny Someone who doesn't have a clue about motorcycles but could talk to you forever. I.e. John Q. Public. "I bet those bikes are really fast! Haven't ever seen a motorcycle in that color before, though." Duh. What a no-life skating benny...

Big K (H, Y, S) Slang for Kawasaki Corporation (or Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki). Used when referring to the company instead of to a particular bike or model. "I hear that the Big H is going to make a CBR600 RR for 98!"

Binders Your brakes.

Bird A female. Origin European, and often used in "That's a very pretty French bird there, Mate, she is!"

Bleed To clear out, as in bleed the brakes or bleed the fuel lines of air / trash. Also to get rid of, as in to bleed speed or slow down rapidly.

Blow-by- The gas that leaks past the piston rings and into the crankcase during the compression and combustion strokes. Blow-by gases consist of unburned and partially burned air/fuel mixture and exhaust gases.

Blower A cellular phone. Not to be confused with a supercharger, which is very rare on a motorcycle (though ONE company does make a supercharger for the GSX-R series bikes!). Used as in "Let me get the governor on the blower before we roost."

Blue Oval- Slang for FoMoCo used by Ford Owners. A source of pride, used to describe Ford's symbol, its shape and color.

Blue Ovary- Slang for Ford. Used to describe any car or truck produced by Ford since most of the vehicles are designed for girls or women or are driven by girly acting guys.

BMW The Germans have a strange interpretation of internal combustion twins. The cylinders stick out to each side, and they call them "Boxers." 'S right. These things will beat you to death on any road trip! BMW also means "Bring More Wrenches!" or "Bring Money With-ya"

BOG- Blue Ovary Girls- slang used for the motley collection of Ford owners. BOGs, as in "I see the BOGs made it out to the strip tonight."

Bolt To go fast, to go to speed, to get out of a situation quickly.

Bone Yard A automotive or motorcycle graveyard or junkyard. It IS a junkyard, despite what the proprietors wish you to believe otherwise. They aren't dealing in brand new parts, they deal in used, abused parts, or junk. Don't let the no-life skating owner tell you different.

Booger To damage or render unusable. "He boogered his forks bad when he hit that Escort."

Born Again Biker Anyone who has been out of biking for a long time and suddenly comes back into the scene. Very dangerous. They remember how bikes USED to be and aren't ready for all the power that new, modern bikes offer. Many have been killed recently in Scotland due to rider fault accidents at high speed.

Boost- The term used for pressure produced by a turbocharger or supercharger when it increases airflow into the combustion chamber. Boost is usually measured in pounds per square inch (psi), and is positively measured in respect to normal outside air pressure.

Bore - The diameter of an individual cylinder in an engine.

Borg Warner- Aftermarket manufacturer of a very heavy duty rear end for late model F-bodies. The Borg Warner rear end can be identified by its unique "Borg Warner" stamp under the differential, and by the fact that it has only 9 bolts on the rear cover as opposed to the regular 10 bolts of the GM unit.

Box Where your carbs breathe through the air filter. AKA Air Box, Hot Box.

Brake- A mechanical device used to reduce forward speed. Using a simple pad of ablative material, forced against a non-ablative surface, the force of friction works to create a drag on the vehicle, reducing speed through direct reduction of kinetic or forward energy. This produces a great amount of heat in the process.

Brake Fade- Loss of braking effectiveness because of excess heat in the drum-brake linings or disc-pads. Can be overcome with the use of high quality pads, extra brake cooling through routed ducted air, and slotted or cross drilled rotors.

Brake Fluid- A hygroscope liquid (absorbs water) with a very high boiling point. Used in a hydraulic brake system. Must be kept in a tightly sealed container or the boiling point will be reduced, resulting in a reduction in braking force. Certain performance variants of the basic formula are available with higher boiling points, increased viscosity, longer life, and less foaming.

Brake Lining- Friction-producing asbestos or non-asbestos compound attached to the brake shoes that is pressed against the brake drum during braking.

Brake Shoes- Curved metal plates that hold the brake linings in a drum-brake system.

Brain Bucket Your helmet.

Bronze Any officer or law enforcement agent, origin due to the color of their badges.



 

- C -



Cable clutch The standard clutch system whereby a simple cable system is used to engage and disengage the clutch mechanism. Much easier to operate and maintain than a hydraulic clutch.

CAI- Cold Air Induction. A way of getting cooler, denser air to the engine. Cold air is denser than warm air, thus it allows more power to be produced by volume. CAI kits are popular mods for newer model cars and most involve routing the intake ducting outside the engine bay, for example to a fender where cooler outside air can be acquired. Cone filters are also popular components of CAI kits. Many enthusiasts choose to make their own CAI kits from simple parts found at home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes and this is the route that has to be taken if an aftermarket company does not offer a CAI kit for your make or model.

Caliper The device attached to your brake discs which use hydraulic pressure to actuate one or more pistons to drive a pad of abrasive material forcefully against the disc, thereby bleeding speed. Twin piston calipers should be your standard, triple if you can.

Can Any stock or aftermarket muffler, whether part of a complete system or a slip on unit.

Carb Carburetor.

Carbon- A non-metallic compound found in all motor fuels which may accumulate in the form of soot when it is not properly burned. This can lead to a decrease in performance as carbon deposits accumulate.

Carbon Fiber A very light weight yet strong material used mostly in racing bodywork and exhaust applications. Carbon Fiber has made its way to the street where it has become a favorite among SQUIDS and other Wannabes.

Carbon-fouled- Build-up of carbon deposits on engine parts or spark plug electrodes. Fouled plugs may misfire, causing a loss of power and wasting fuel.

Carbon Monoxide- A poisonous gas - Colorless, odorless, deadly substance in exhaust gas - with one part carbon to one part oxygen created during combustion. Chemical symbol is CO.

Carburetor- Device that mixes air and fuel for burning in the combustion chamber of the engine. A simple, mechanical form of fuel metering, available in one, two, or four barrel formats. Multiple carburetors can be installed on an engine.

Carve To lean into a maneuver, to ride fast through the twisties. I.E. Canyon Carving. To follow the outline of the road as fast and hard as you can.

Cat- slang for Catalytic Converter. See below.

Cat-Back- Slang for the components of an exhaust system that exist from the Catalytic Converter back. From the Cat to the end of the tailpipe.

Catalytic Converter- Component of the exhaust system that converts certain exhaust pollutants into harmless substances. Engine must be run on unleaded gasoline and the catalytic process occurs at very high temperatures (greater than 700 degrees). High flow catalytic converters exist for high performance applications. Also known by the ignorant as a "Catholic Converter," a "Cadillac Converter," or even a "Cat Lick Converter." It's funny, and it isn't.

CC Cubic Centimeter. Motorcycle engines and some car and truck engines are measured in cubic (cm3) centimeters for displacement. 1000 ccs = 1 liter. The new series of GM Vortec and other engines are measured in CCs, i.e. Vortec 5700 is 5700cc's, or 5.7 liters, or 350 cubic inches. The 3800 series engines by GM are 3800cc displacement, or 3.8 liters.

Center Stand Installed in addition to the Side Stand, the Center Stand is a rarity on Sport bikes, but still installed on sofas and slugs. The Center Stand lets the bike rest on the stand and the front wheel, leaving the rear wheel off the ground.

Chain Drive A high tensile chain is used in the transmission where a smaller, front sprocket acts as the drive sprocket to pull the chain around, driving the rear, larger sprocket which in turn spins the rear tire and propels the bike forward.

Chick A female, a young woman. Usually a pretty example of the opposite sex. Not always a welcome term. See also BIRD.

Christmas Tree Any comfy cruiser or touring bike adorned with lots of little colored lights. Most Goldwing, Harley, Venture Royale, and other slug riders put little reflectors or lights on their bikes, resulting in a very Christmas tree effect.

Charge- The mixture of air and fuel which enters the cylinder for combustion.

Charge Air Cooler- Otherwise known as an Aftercooler, Intercooler, or Supercooler. When using a supercharger or turbocharger to produce more power to an engine, the incoming air charge is compressed, by several factors, to ratings that can range from 4psi to more than 40psi in very high performance applications. Simple physics says that when air is compressed, it is heated. When a turbo or supercharger compresses the intake air, this hot air is forced into the engine, producing power. By routing this hot, high pressure charge through a charge air cooler (basically a radiator for the air), the incoming charge is reduced in temperature, drastically, and the performance is vastly increased through the simple physics trick of cold air is denser than warm air. Two mediums exist for CACs; air to air and air to water. The air to air variety uses air flow across a radiator like assembly to cool incoming charge air. The air to water variety uses a water filled CAC to cool the incoming air.

Choke- Butterfly valve at the top of a carburetor that restricts the amount of entering air and thus enriches the fuel mixture.

Circus Train Any large group of Harley or Touring Bike riders riding together in formation. See also Convoy.

Clip To catch your leg, arm, or part of your motorcycle on a stationary or passing object. Also for a passing object to snag part of you or your bike. VERY DANGEROUS!!!

Clip Ons The handlebars on a sport bike. Sport bikes do not utilize a 'handle bar'. Instead, the throttle and clutch controls are mounted on 'clip ons' attached to the top side of the front fork.

Clocks The instruments and gauges that your bike is equipped with. Your speedometer and tachometer are your 'clocks'. Some bikes have really nice clocks. Others are total pieces.

Closed Loop- An operating mode of the ECM in which a control circuit samples output to determine how much of a change actually took place. Then, the ECM makes another change (if required) to produce the desired result.

Clown A rider who tries to do tricks to impress people or gain the favors of the opposite sex. Used in a non-complimentary way. "Look at that no-life wannabe skating clown over there."

Clown Show Any large group of Harley or Touring Bike riders riding together in formation. See also Convoy.

Clutch- Coupling device used to engage or disengage the flow of power from one moving part to another, such as from an engine to a transmission or from a transmission to a differential (viscous coupler).

Clutch Wheelie Squid attention getting trick. Applying an excess of throttle and using the clutch to 'snap' the front wheel off the ground violently. Not recommended, unless you like replacing clutches.

CNC- Computerized Numerical Control.

CNC Porting- CNC, once only the realm of maximum effort racing teams and their near bottomless budgets, is now available to everyone from such companies as Edelbrock, World Products, etc. CNC Porting is carefully controlled automated porting where every port is identical to the other port. This eliminates the various inconsistencies found in hand porting. Also, due to the orientation of the cutter to the surface that is being machined, CNC-porting is characterized by a very unique, easily recognizable ridged surface. Most engine builders feel that this ridged surfacing is an advantage as it minimizes "wet out."

CO- Carbon monoxide. An exhaust gas byproduct.

COBRA- Car Owned By Retarded Assholes. The COBRA is the top of the line performance Rustang. It isn't very impressive. With a hopped up 5.0 liter 302cid V8 or the 'awesome' (yawn) 4.6 liter DOHC 32valve V8, it is neither awe inspiring or particularly attractive. The stock Z28 will whip a COBRA in the hands of a capable driver, and the COBRA was designed to wipe the Z28 into the weeds! A SS 350 Z28 will take a COBRA and wipe the street with it. COBRA: Come On, Beat (my) Runt Ass

Coefficient of Drag (CD) - A measure of the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle body. The lower the CD, the better. Things like external mirrors, raised headlights, etc. can raise the CD, while things like aero packages can lower the CD.

Coil Spring - A metallic cable formed into a coil shape which absorbs energy when compressed. This is the most conventional form of spring found on automobiles. Generally four are installed, one at each wheel, and act in conjunction with shocks and struts to smooth out the ride of the vehicle and increase handling.

Cold Start Injector- An additional fuel injector used to assist in cold weather engine starting. Found only in port fuel injected applications like TPI.

Combustion- The burning of the air and fuel mixture. Combustion is the first step in changing the energy in a fuel into a mechanical force that can be used to propel the vehicle.

Combustion Chamber- The area above the top of the piston at TDC in which the air/fuel mixture is physically compressed prior to ignition.

Combustion Pressure- The pressure in the cylinder caused by expansion of the burning air and fuel mixture, or the detonation of the air/fuel charge.

Compression Ratio - The ratio of cylinder chamber volume with the piston at its full downward position to the chamber volume with the piston at its full upward position. In general a higher compression ratio means a higher degree of compression during combustion and thus a more powerful engine.

Condenser- A device which forms a liquid from a readily available vapor.

Contamination- Impurities such as dirt, rust etc., that could clog a system. Filters keep contaminants out of their respective systems.

Creeper- a small, flat support for your back to be used when you work under a vehicle. The creeper allows you to lay down flat and roll in and out from under a vehicle.

Cross Fire Injection- A early form of TBI EFI installed on 1982 and 1984 Corvettes, and 1982 to 1984 F-bodies. The CFI unit was a cross ram manifold design with opposed, single injector TBI units. It was more powerful than the carburetor of the day, but its very design did not allow heavy modification. The F-body engine was coded LU5. See LU5.

Cruise- The mode of engine operation in which the throttle is partially open, and the load is moderate. During cruise, less than full power is required and produced.

Cruise Control- A simple vacuum / mechanical device which 'sets' the desired current speed and then through the operation of a vacuum diaphragm / simple mechanical levers and pushrods, controls the accelerator linkage in order to maintain the set speed automatically.

Curb Weight - The weight of an unloaded vehicle (no driver/passenger/cargo) with all standard features, a full tank of fuel and or fluids necessary for the functioning of the vehicle. These include gas, oil, transmission fluid, Freon, anti-freeze, etc. and all factory installed equipment (such as the weight of the spare tire and the jack, etc.)

Cylinder- Chamber in the engine block in which a piston moves and combustion takes place.

Cylinder Block- Engine block, the actual block where the cylinders are bored out, the camshaft and lifter valley exists, and the crankshaft web is located. Also, the bare engine block without any internal parts. Most factory cylinder blocks are cast iron in construction.

Cylinder Head- Contains the valves, rockers, and springs. A cylinder head is attached to the cylinder block with a set of long bolts and gaskets. The cylinder head forms a perfect seal against the Cylinder Block, ensuring compression. On most engines, two valves are located per cylinder; an intake valve, and an exhaust valve. The intake valve leads in from the intake manifold and delivers the air / fuel charge to the cylinder. After combustion has taken place, the exhaust valve opens and the spent charge is siphoned out from the cylinder and into the exhaust manifold through the exhaust valve. Most factory cylinder heads are cast iron.

Convoy A large group of touring bikes, usually out on a good weather ride. Takes up a good part of the road. Comical when seen on really curvy roads.

Coolant- Liquid used in the engine cooling system; usually a mixture of water and antifreeze. Coolant reduces engine operating temperature though transference of heat from a solid to a liquid medium. The coolant is circulated through a closed loop, high pressure system. Hot coolant is routed through a radiator where cooler air reduces the temperature of the coolant and the lower temperature coolant is reintroduced into the system. A water pump is used to circulate coolant through the system.

Cow Any high end cruiser or tour bike (aka Valkyre, Royal Star).

Cowl The fiberglass / impact plastic sheathing that is bolted onto your sport bike. Sport bikes usually have a two or three piece cowl; two sides and a center piece. Funnels air into Ram Air systems and through the radiator(s) and oil coolers. Hides dirt. On a car, the cowl is the area to the rear of the hood, just in front of the windshield. This is a high density air charge area, and a good place to pick up cold air for your intake charge.

Cowl Induction- a special cold air induction setup which takes cold, denser air from the area at the rear of the hood, in front of the windshield and directs it into the intake setup. It's free horsepower, but takes some thought to design a good cowl induction system. Standard issue on 1980 and 81 Chevy Z-28s, older SS Chevelles and El Caminos, all 1stGen Z-28s, and the '84 to '85 3rdGen Pontiac T/A.

Crack A sudden opening and closing of the throttle, usually done in traffic at a stop light. If you habitually crack your throttles, you're a Squid. A short, sharp, high rev display of an engine in neutral. See SQUID, WANKER, WANNABE, POSER.

Cross Over Has nothing to do with stereo systems! A small extension of the exhaust system allowing different pipes to equalize exhaust pressure between them through the use of an additional pipe or cross over.

Cruiser A cruiser is a boulevard or avenue oriented motorcycle with lots of chrome, comfort, a torquey engine, but very little performance. You just 'cruise' on cruisers to be seen, and make noise. A Honda Nighthawk is a cruiser example.

CV Constant Velocity- refers to carburetor slides.



 

- D -



Dance To ride or drive or race. "Let's dance!" Can also be used as an invitation "Wanna dance?" or as a challenge "Wanna dance, Squidboy!"

Dancer Fast rider. "He's a good dancer! You should have seen him down in the bluff!"

Deep Breather Any bike with a factory or aftermarket installed ram air system.

Delta Box An ingenious frame design pioneered by Yamaha, standard on the now somewhat antiquated FZR series and making a cameo appearance on the new YZF series.

Density- The number of parts or units in a given area or space.

Disc The brake discs which are attached to the wheels of your bike. Make sure that you get vented discs as they bleed heat more rapidly than non-vented discs. Get discs all the way around, avoid bikes with rear drum brakes, especially sport bikes!

Disc Brakes- Braking system that employs rotating steel disc and a caliper containing ablative pads that pinch the disc to produce stopping friction. This ablative process produces much heat due to friction and slowly destroys the brake pad, resulting in a spray of very fine dust in the process.

Distributor- Electrical switching device that controls the production and distribution of the high-voltage charges to the spark plugs in the correct sequence.

Dithering- Changing from ON to OFF so rapidly that flow does not stop or start. As a result, flow is regulated.

DOA Dork On Asphalt. See SQUID.

Double Overhead Camshafts- (DOHC) A DOHC has 2 camshafts in each cylinder head, one to control the intake valves, and the other for the exhaust valves. DOHC engines are typically have 4 valves per cylinder (2 intake valves and 2 exhaust valves). Most DOHC setups are either belt or chain driven. A few are gear driven. The benefits of a DOHC system is the doubling of the available intake charge and exhaust charge processing ability.

Downdraft True, straight intake from an outside air source to your carburetor or fuel injector throat. Reduces turbulence and increases power. The ideal setup, just now coming into vogue in factory street models. Ram air is not necessarily down draft, but down draft can benefit extensively from ram air.

Downshift- Action of shifting a transmission to a lower gear. On a manual transmission, the driver must do this physically. On an automatic transmission equipped vehicle, the accelerator pedal travel dictates when a vacuum operated downshift will occur. More pedal travel increases the likelihood of a downshift. A downshift is used to increase the speed of the engine and the intake charge coming into the engine, thereby building more power quickly and allowing the vehicle to gain speed and / or power.

Drive Belt- A reinforced rubber belt, usually with a V-shaped cross-section, used to drive various engine accessories such as the alternator, air-conditioning compressor, and water pump.

Drum Brake A type of brake where two actuators press pads of abrasive materials outward against a braking surface, thereby bleeding speed and slowing the bike. Not as useable as disc brakes, avoid these in all sport bike applications (fine for cruisers though...)

Dry Shift To shift up or down a gear while at speed and NOT use the clutch. Not recommended...

Dry Weight Refers to your vehicle's weight without any fluids at all, dry as a bone, and minus rider or driver, but with all factory installed accessories.

Dual Brakes- Braking system that provides two separate, independent hydraulic circuits for each pair of wheels.

Duty Cycle- The ratio of the signals on time to the total length of the cycle (on time plus off time). Duty cycle is measured during one full cycle of signal. Duty cycle is expressed as a percentage and is applied mostly to fuel injectors to describe the range of their operations. A duty cycle can be 'overdriven', or extended beyond its normal operational ranges, but after a certain point, the injectors become overloaded and lose efficiency.

Dual Exhaust Found on V-Twins and some earlier sport bikes, the dual exhaust was usually a two into 2 or a four into 2 arrangement. Superseded by more advanced four into 1 designs. On a performance vehicle, this is a set of straight pipes from each exhaust manifold straight back to the rear of the vehicle.

Dual Sport These motorcycles are off road models with a headlight, turn signals, and a brake light making them street legal.

Duck or Duc Slang for any Ducati motorcycle.

Dynamometer- Instrument for measuring the power output of an engine. There are mobile and static units. Most companies will have a static, test bay engine dynamometer. This device allows a test vehicle to place it's rear wheels against a roller style device and when the vehicle is brought up to power, the ratio of how fast / strong the rear wheels are able to spin the roller is translated into horsepower and torque figures.



 

- E -



ECM- See Electronic Command Module.

Electronic Command Module- ECM. The computer 'brain' of your car. The ECM, on late model cars (GM produced in 1981 and newer), controls many aspects of the engine and results in a smoother operating vehicle with less emissions and higher power / mileage. The ECM draws its instruction code from a removable PROM chip and has the capability, within a set of parameters, to learn to 'adjust' to new driving conditions and modify its programming accordingly.

ECT- Engine Coolant Temperature. A measure, in degrees, of the temperature of the available coolant for the engine.

EFI Electronic Fuel Injection. A digital (computer) controlled system of delivering fuel to the engine. EFI is a better but much more expensive way of gaining horsepower which is why very FEW bikes are fuel injected. Yamaha GTS and Ducati 916SS.

Enema Any high speed rear end collision with the sport bike in front. "Todd got a Volvo enema last week, boogered up his Ninja's rear swing arm like you wouldn't believe! The Benny in the Volvo didn't even get a scratch!"

Engine Block- Main part of an internal combustion engine containing the cylinders. See also Cylinder Block.

Engine Coolant Temperature (ECT)- The temperature of the engine coolant, which represents the operating temperature of the engine.

Engine Type- In-Line- In-Line Type (I-type or L-Type) engine specifies an engine layout in which the engine cylinders are positioned in a single bank. (e.g. In-Line-4- Cylinder, I4 or L4). Each cylinder is placed one behind the other, in a straight line, from front to back. The crankshaft runs along the bottom of the cylinder block, and the cylinder head may be of either the SOHC or DOHC variety.

V-Type engine specifies an engine layout in which the engine cylinders are positioned in two separate banks separated by an angle that may or may not be specified. Typically, this angle is 60 degrees in 6-cylinder engines, and 90 degrees in 8-cylinder ones. (e.g. V6). This presents the engine builder with a more complex engine, but one which takes up half of the front to back space of a in-line type of engine.

Evaporate- To convert or change into a vapor. To remove or be removed as a vapor.

Exhaust Pipe- Pipe that leads from the exhaust manifold to a catalytic converter, muffler, or resonator and then out the back of the vehicle. The exhaust pipe is used to transfer spent exhaust gasses from the cylinder to the outside of the engine and away from the passenger compartment where a buildup of harmful exhaust and combustion byproducts (carbon monoxide gas, carbon dioxide gas) could cause injury or death to the vehicle operator.

Expansion- To increase in volume caused by heat generated from the combustion process.

Exhaust Energy Your exhaust generates not only heat, but noise and turbulence. By advanced design, these factors can be used to actually increase power from a bike by redirecting and tuning the sound and thermal pulses into useable power.

EXUP Yamaha variable EXhaust Ultimate Power. Uses a variable valve within the exhaust to change position and thus exhaust pressure, flow to tune the flow more into the power ranges.



 

- F -

F# The model number of a particular sport bike, or the latest version number. F1 would be the first version, F2 the second, etc. Used by Honda and Kawasaki, i.e. CBR600F3, ZX6RF1, etc.

Fag A smoke or cigarette in England and Europe. Different definition altogether in America. In Europe, it's perfectly normal to grab a pack of fags and hit the road. Not so in America. If you read any Brit mags, you'll be glad you understand this word!! If you go to Europe and someone offers you a fag, or asks if you have a fag, remember, they're asking you only for a cigarette. It's the Brit way of saying "Do you have a light?"

Fairing The upper part of the cowl, usually extends over your clocks and nipples, and includes your (hopefully) small windshield.

Fast Walker Slang for sport bikes.

Fat Lady Slang for Honda's latest high end touring bike, the Valkyrie.

F-Body- GM's fastest muscle car chassis. The F-body was introduced in 1967 with the Chevrolet Camaro and has been produced ever since. There are currently four generations of F-body cars. The first generation (1stGen) was introduced in 1967 and ran until 1970. The second generation (2ndGen) was produced in 1970 1/2 and ran until the end of 1981. The third generation (3rdGen) was introduced in 1982 and ran until end of production in 1992. The fourth generation (4thGen) was introduced in 1993 and ended production in 2003 when GM cancelled the F-body thus handing Ford the title of First Place, Pony Car Wars, 1963 to 2003.

Feeding The Bears Getting a ticket for speeding or other inappropriate action. Don't feed the bears!!!! See SMOKEY.

Filter- Device or substance that removes foreign particles from air or fluids. Most vehicles have several filters installed throughout the design. Air filter, oil filter, transmission fluid filter, PCV filter, even sometimes a power steering fluid filter.

Filtering- Having removed by passing through a filter. The filtering process produces a cleaner product, devoid of any foreign harmful materials or particles.

Final Drive Ratio- The reduction ratio of the gear set furthest from the engine. In general, a low Final Drive Ratio results in better fuel-efficiency, and a higher Final Drive Ratio represents better performance. The misconception here is that a 2.73 final drive ratio is known as a 'high' gear ratio when it is really a low geared ratio and a 4.10 final drive ratio is known as a 'low' gear ratio, when it is really a high geared ratio.

Firehawk- A limited production run of Firebird, marketed through the dealerships and designed by SLP. Very rare, very fast, very expensive. Sold in 1992, and in some later years using the 4thGen body as a foundation.

Fizzer Slang for Yamaha's FZR series bikes

Flame Front- The flame that starts at the spark plug and travels outward, burning the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Flame front speed, used for calculation of spark timing, is the amount of time it takes for the air/fuel mixture to burn completely in the chamber.

Flame Out Out of gas! Due to a mechanical problem, a carburetion problem, or lack of fuel, the engine loses fire resulting in a flame out. Also, to take out of the picture, to physically get rid of as in "We were racing and Mitch tried to kick me over in the turn! I tell you, he's going to flame out someone one day!"

Flash Point- The temperature to which the fuel has to be heated until sufficient flammable vapor is given off the flash when brought in contact with a flame or spark.

Flooded- A situation in which the air/fuel mixture is too rich to allow easy combustion. This condition leads to a coating of raw fuel on spark plug electrodes and makes starting very difficult.

Flow Rate- The amount of fuel flow for a given pressure in a specific amount of time.

Forced Induction- The use of a mechanical device to force more charge into the cylinders. Such devices include a turbocharger or supercharger. The term was coined by B&M in the late '70s and early '80s for a series of low profile superchargers that they produced.

Fork The twin shock absorbing tubes that are mounted in front of your frame. Your front brakes, wheel, and tire are also mounted on your forks. The top of your forks hold either your handlebars or your clip-ons. Forks are used to control and steer your motorcycle, and form 1/2 of your motorcycle's suspension.

FOT Full On Throttle. See also WOT.

FOTG Full On The Gas. See WOT.

Four Into One Standard exhaust arrangement found on sport bikes. Each cylinder breathes out a separate exhaust pipe which then merges into a single larger pipe with the other three cylinders and finally into the massive exhaust canister.

Four Stroke Cycle Engine- Engine that requires four strokes of each piston (intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust) to complete its power-producing combustion cycle. Most vehicles produced today are powered by four stroke cycle engines.

Four Wheel Drive- Vehicle design in which all four wheels are driven by the transmission. Four wheel drive (4WD) is advantageous for off road use when traction could be a problem. It is not seen on vehicles designed just for road or highway use (such as passenger cars, etc.) 4WD can be activated or deactivated, usually by the driver, and can be done so either mechanically through the use of a extra gear shifter on the transmission or via an electronic control system. Passenger cars and vehicles used only on paved roads use a form of 4WD known as All Wheel Drive (AWD). See AWD for more information.

Frame- Components that support the car’s body and engine and are, in turn, supported by the suspension. Most frames are made from steel, but some can be made from aluminum or other exotic materials for a corresponding increase in price and decrease in weight.

Frog Derogatory slang for a French citizen.

Fuel- Any combustible substance burned to provide heat or power. Typical fuels include gasoline and diesel fuel. Other types of fuel include ethanol, methanol, natural gas, propane, kerosene, or in combination.

Fuel Filter- A ceramic or paper element placed in the fuel line to remove contaminants from the gasoline thus preventing damage to fuel delivery devices (carbs, jets, injectors) and to the engine itself.

Fuel Injection- Carburetor-less fuel system that sprays a programmed amount of fuel into the intake manifold (cylinder for diesel engines) of an internal combustion engine. Fuel injection can be controlled by two means, mechanical and electronic. Simple mechanical fuel injection is more complicated than a carburetor setup, but also provides more power and better fuel / air mixture. An electronic fuel injection system (EFI), is better yet due to the inclusion of computer control over all aspects of the air / fuel mixture process.

Fuel Injector- A mechanical valve for delivering metered, pressurized fuel to the intake manifold where the fuel mixes with air before entering the combustion chamber. Usually controlled by the ECM.

Fuel Pump- An electric or mechanical device that pressurizes the fuel system, forcing the fuel to flow. The fuel pump delivers a supply of gasoline under pressure to meet the engines needs.

Fuel Tank- The vehicle storage for fuel. The fuel tank is equipped with a sealed cap to prevent fumes from escaping and usually a small reserve for emergency use.

Fuel System- All components from the fuel tank cap to the intake manifold. The fuel system handles the storage and delivery of fuel in a vehicle.

Full Floater A Suzuki advanced suspension system developed in the early eighties.

FWD- Front Wheel Drive. A vehicle which has the motor and transmission mounted up front in such a way that the front wheels are powered and the rear wheels are not.

FWI- Fender Well Intake- a type of cold air induction (see COLD AIR INDUCTION) system which breathes through the fender well of a vehicle. Popular on the Grand Prix where the air in the fender is much cooler than the air within the engine bay. FWI kits are mostly hand fabricated and can be made using parts found at home improvement stores for very little money. FWI kits offer a noticeable increase in performance but care should be taken not to put too many bends in the run of pipe leading from the fender to the throttle body as these bends have been shown to reduce the flow of air.



 

- G -

Game, The: What we all play in the street. The Game is what we spend our hard earned money on. The Game is what we risk bleeding knuckles, burned fingers, broken bolts, and long sleepless nights for. It is the competition. It is the power, the adrenalin rush, the chance to become legend, the glory of prestige, the thrill of victory, and the fun we share with other Players. It is The Game. It is muscle car vs muscle car, muscle bike vs muscle bike, dollar vs brain cell. It is The Game, and we all play it, one way or another, we all play it.

Garage Queen Any bike that requires massive amounts of down time for repairs, maintenance, etc. Most Harleys are garage queens.

Gear Drive- A set of intermeshed gears which are driven from the crankshaft and in turn drive the camshaft. Very accurate way of achieving timing. Gear drives whine, which is referred to as being 'noisy', but it is a high pitched, very sweet whine that means that your engine is a very serious predator. May interfere with computer controlled engines due to the knock sensor mistaking the gear noise for detonation. Install at your own risk on ECM controlled vehicles. It has been done, though...

General (the) Slang for General Motors. As in, "See what the General is bringing out this year?"

Generator- Electromagnetic device that converts mechanical power into electricity. A belt (spun by the crankshaft) drives a simple turbine which generates electricity for use by the engine in powering the lights, gauges, ignition, radio, etc. The generator is sometimes known as the alternator.

Genesis A Yamaha development of multi-valve high performance engines. The largest Genesis engines sported 5 (!!!!) valves per cylinder.

Gixser Slang for Suzuki's GSX-R series bikes.

Governor A demanding girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, or husband. AKA "Warden." Someone you have to ask to go riding, etc. as in "Let me get the Governor on the blower before we roost otherwise I'm for the couch ..." Also a piece of hardware which prohibits certain performance or operations, such as a speed governor, or a rev governor.

Grab Bar The small bar on the back of a motorcycle for the passenger to hold onto while the rider maneuvers the bike.

Grab Strap Some bikes do not have a grab bar, but rather a single strap that goes across the seat. Riding with one of these is like going to a rodeo.

Grinder A particularly hard or dangerous curve. Seriously hardcore grinders gain their own legendary names and become places where hardcore riders meet to challenge the grinder. Expect to find bike parts on each side of the grinder. Also for cars, such as "Dead Man's Curve."

Grippers Your brakes.



 

- H -



Ham Fisted- An term applied to the inept who can't swing wrenches with the greatest of ease. Being called Ham Fisted means that your hands are too big to do basic mechanical skills, or you approach problems with the 'smack it with a hammer until it starts working' philosophy. Ham fisted morons wouldn't know a performance opportunity if it was stuck between the fenders of their vehicle.

Height - The height of the vehicle, when unloaded, but with all fluids filled to capacity and accessories installed.

Horsepower- A measure of the power output of an engine. Horsepower is a measure of torque over a period of time, and represents efficiency.

Hard Luggage Fixed dimension and mounted luggage found mainly on Touring bikes or as options on Sport Tourers. These units can be locked, and can hold items as large as a spare helmet. No place on a true sport bike though, so don't think about it, poser...

Harley The world's best selling motorized wheelchair for hippies and wannabes who have more money than common sense and those who are willing to buy a reputation rather than earn one.

Header- a tubular exhaust system where each individual cylinder has a single, dedicated exhaust tube. All tubes merge into one collector (four into one, etc.) for connection to the exhaust pipes. A set of headers is much better than factory exhaust manifolds for cylinder scavenging, weight, looks, and performance.

Heat

1) Heat is the biggest enemy of any motorcycle. Heat cooks the internal parts of engines, cokes oil, and kills brakes. You want to lose as much heat as fast as possible. Heat is your enemy!

2) Any firearm. "It's OK, Mike usually packs heat when we ride. He's got a CCW so it's legit..."

3) The police. "Here comes the Heat!"

Heavy Metal The only real music choice to ride sport bikes to. Speed metal is preferred (Metallica) though groups like Motley Crue and Judas Priest also get the job done nicely. Avoid puss bands like Twisted Sister and Ratt. It's nearly impossible to ride fast to Emo.

High-Side In a wreck, the bike comes to a sudden stop and you are thrown up and away from the bike, into the air. VERY DANGEROUS! Usually the result of a rear end collision with another object (car) or from an unintentional stoppie.

Highway Bar A highway bar is installed on the case guard of some cruisers, cows, and slugs. It allows the rider to move their feet outwards on long rides. Makes the rider look like they're on their way to the gynecologist for a visit.

HOG Any Harley. Generic term, originally from the acronym H.O.G. or Harley Owner's Group.

Hole Where you start off, a dead stop on a street, at a traffic light, or the tree at the race track. The hole is the position you have to climb out of, using horsepower. "Liz is pretty quick out of the hole, she beat Mark at the lights!"

Hooligan A no-life skating wannabe. See also POSER, POSERBOY, SQUID, SQUIDBOY, SKATE, WANNABE, NO-LIFE.

Hopper Locking up your rear brake so that the rear end bounces while it tries to get traction. Not fun.

Hump or Humped- slang for screwed. Used frequently as in "We're humped." or "Well, we just got humped on those parts we bought."

Hurt Locker The hospital. "He's in the hurt locker now."

Hydraulic- Operated by the movement and force of a liquid.

Hydraulic Clutch A 'wet' clutch system that uses hydraulic pressure to engage a clutch plate. Found on Honda Interceptors, VFRs, and other high end sport bikes. Can develop the same problems (air bubbles) that hydraulic brakes develop and may need to be bled frequently. Frequent maintenance. Most bikes have cable clutches instead.

Hydrocarbon- A compound containing hydrogen and carbon which is used for fuel in an engine. Unburned hydrocarbon released to the atmospheres is a pollutant. Unburned hydrocarbon comes from evaporation of liquid fuel (evaporative emission) or fuel that was not completely burned during combustion (exhaust emission).



 

- I -





IAC- Idle Air Control.

IAT- Intake Air Temperature.

IC- Intercooler. See below.

Idle- An engine operating mode during which only enough power is required and produced to keep the engine running and to carry loads applied by the transmission and accessories. Idle is a very low engine speed.

Idle Air Control (IAC)- Electronic control of a solenoid valve that regulates the amount of air allowed to bypass the throttle plate during closed throttle conditions. The purpose of the idle air control is to control engine idle speed. The IAC is monitored by the ECM.

IFF Inverted Front Fork, see also "USDF." On some sport bikes, the front forks are upside down, inverted, from the factory for better handling.

IFS- Inertia Fuel Shut-off. A device employed to prevent the flow of fuel to the engine during a hard or sudden deceleration (such as a crash or impact) thus reducing the risk of a vehicular fire. A simple mechanical device, mainly found on Ford products.

Ignition System- Part of an automobile’s electrical system that produces and distributes the sparks to ignite the fuel mixture in the cylinders. Electrical energy is carried from the distributor, through ignition wires, to the spark plugs where the spark plugs produce a high intensity arc across their electrode. This electrode is positioned within the cylinder head or cylinder block wall, and located in the midst of the compressed air / fuel mixture within the cylinder itself. The spark from the electrode detonates the air / fuel mixture, starting the combustion process.

In-Line Four The standard engine configuration of most sport bikes. Four cylinders, (usually) liquid cooled, in parallel or side by side. Very compact, and the angle of the intake manifold can be adjusted to take advantage of Ram Air and true Downdraft carburetion.

Impeller- An internal, enclosed wheel equipped with blades to move gas or liquid. An impeller is most often found in the water pump, where the impeller is used to keep the coolant moving and circulating throughout the engine.

Independent Suspension - Any suspension system in which the movement of one wheel does not directly result in a movement at the opposite wheel.

Injector- Fuel Injector.

Intake Air- Air drawn through a cleaner / filter assembly and a metering device and then distributed to each cylinder for use in combustion. Also known as Intake Air Charge.

Intake Air Temperature (IAT)- The temperature of the air entering the intake manifold. The colder, denser the air, the more power that the charge will carry.

Intake Manifold- The component which carries air from the throttle assembly to the cylinders.

Intercooler- See CAC, Charge Air Cooler.





 

- J -



Jet A fuel metering device found in carburetors. The size of the jet can be changed in order to tune an engine for more power or ride ability. Jet kits mated to a header and can offer more horsepower.

Juice Gas

Juice Up Gas up, to refill your tank.



 

- K -



K&N Company making great oiled air filters for most motorcycles and performance cars and trucks. Actually using one of these can add horsepower just by the design and efficiency of the filter! Get one! Expensive, but worth it. The secret is the surgical gauze and the special oil.

Katana 'Sport' bike from Suzuki, really just a souped up standard. The NUMBER 1 choice for SQUIDs everywhere. It's fast, it's cheap, it's flashy, and aftermarket companies make loud pipes for it! Oh, and there's plenty of room to plaster NO FEAR decals all over it. What more do you want if you're a SQUID?

Kawi Slang for any Kawasaki motorcycle.

Kayba Japanese maker of advanced suspension and steering components (shocks, suspensions, forks).

Khein Japanese manufacturer of high quality carburetor and fuel intake systems.

Kick Stand See Side Stand. Standard equipment on ALL bikes.

Knock- A sharp metallic sound produced either by detonation or excessive lack of clearance between reciprocating parts.

Knock Sensor (KS)- A piezoelectric device designed to vibrate at approximately the same frequency as the engine knock frequency. The knock sensor provides information on engine knock to the ECM. This information is used by the ECM to retard ignition, fuel, and timing in order to reduce or remove detonation.



 

- L -

LB9- A 305cid (5.0 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1985 to 1992 F-body vehicles. The LB9 is ECM controlled and equipped with TPI Tuned Port Injection. Depending on the heads, cam, and exhaust options, horsepower can be as high as 225 horsepower at 4400rpm with 275 lbs/ft of torque at 3200rpm. Early LB9s were Mass Air Flow engines, but in 1989, TPI was switched to Speed Density metering.

LG4- A 305cid (5.0 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1982 to 1987 F-body vehicles. The LG4 is ECM controlled and equipped with Rochester Quadrajet four barrel carburetor. It makes 145 horsepower at 4000rpm and 240 lbs/ft of torque at 2000rpm. The LG4 was the workhorse of the F-body but was eventually replaced by the EFI equipped L03 in 1988.

L03- A 305cid (5.0 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1987 to 1992 F-body vehicles. The L03 is ECM controlled and equipped with TBI throttle body injection. It makes 170 horsepower at 4000rpm and 255 lbs/ft of torque at 2400rpm.

LU5- A 305cid (5.0 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1982 to 1984 F-body vehicles. The LU5 is ECM controlled and equipped with a special cross ram style dual mount, single TBI unit throttle body injection system known as Cross Fire Injection. It makes 165 horsepower at 4200rpm and 240 lbs/ft of torque at 2400rpm. It bowed out to the L69 and the LB9 engines in late 1984. A 350cid version of the LU5 powered the Corvette from 1983 to 1984.

L36- A 3.8 liter V6 gas burning engine produced by the Buick Divison of GM. The L36 is the normally aspirated heart of the W-body, producing 200 horsepower and 225 lbs-ft of torque.

L67- A 3.8 liter V6 gas burning engine produced by the Buick Division of GM. The 3.8 liter is a venerable design, the likes of which powered the Buick GN of the mid '80's. The L67 relies on SFI and an Eaton M90 roots style supercharger to produce power. The engine is rated at 240 crank horsepower and powers the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP (1997 to present) as well as the current Buick Regal GS.

L69- A 305cid (5.0 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1984 to 1986 F-body vehicles. The L69 is ECM controlled and equipped with a Rochester Quadrajet four barrel carburetor. The L69 was a hot rod motor, designed to kill Mustangs and was a special order option only available in Z28s, IROC-Zs, and Trans-Ams. It shared many parts with it's larger cousin, the 350 found in the Corvette. It makes 190 horsepower at 4800rpm and 240 lbs/ft of torque at 3200rpm.

L98- A 350cid (5.7 liter) displacement V8 gas burning engine produced by GM and found in 1986 to 1992 F-body vehicles. The L98 is ECM controlled and equipped with TPI Tuned Port Injection. Depending on the heads, cam, and exhaust options, horsepower can be as high as 245 horsepower with 340 lbs/ft of torque. The L98 was the same engine found in the Corvette for each year it was available, but without the Corvette's aluminum heads or factory tubular exhausts, which explains the power difference between the two otherwise identical engines. Early L98s were Mass Air Flow engines, but in 1989, TPI was switched to Speed Density metering.

Launch The initial movement of the bike out of the hole. Launch is very important in quarter mile racing and it is an art that requires much to master and perfect.

Lay Down To wreck your bike as in "He laid it down last week."

LBS Linked Braking System- Honda innovation standard on the CBR1000 linking both front and rear brakes for a proportional application of pressure for stopping. Nice!

Lean You 'lean' on a sport bike in order to steer it. The harder you lean, the tighter the turn you can pull.

Lean Air/Fuel Mixture- A condition in which the ratio of air to fuel contains more oxygen than is needed to completely burn the quantity of fuel. Otherwise known as 'running lean'.

Leaf Spring - A long, flat, flexible metal (or composite materials) which absorbs kinetic energy when bent. A suspension system usually incorporates a bundle of leaf springs at the rear of the vehicle.

Lid Your helmet.

Limited-Slip Differential - A differential in a rear-wheel drive vehicle that is fitted with a mechanism that limits the angular velocity and torque differences between the 2 wheels. It ensures that the same torque is always distributed to both wheels, especially useful when the two wheels are on surfaces of dramatically different traction. Used in performance applications to get better traction off the line and marketed under a variety of corporate names such as Positraction, Sure Grip, Saf-T-Trak, Detroit Locker, etc.

Liquid Cooled The motorcycle's engine is equipped with a radiator or radiators which use a liquid medium to remove engine heat. This is the preferred method, though it makes the motorcycle more expensive. An electric fan helps maintain proper heat ranges when idle.

Limiter- a physical device which retards mechanical operation to a set parameter, such as a speed limiter, a rev limiter, etc. Many vehicles have a speed limiter on them which keeps the vehicle from going over a certain speed, such as the limiter on some F-bodies that prevents the car from operating at speeds faster than 110mph. Limiters on speed suck, limiters on engine revs are a smurfy idea. Get a rev limiter (to save your engine), lose the speed limiter.

Liter- A metric system unit of measurement for volume. Engine displacement is usually measured in liters. One cubic liter is equal to 61.4 cubic inches.

Liter Class Any sport bike that has an engine that displaces at least 1000 cubic centimeters.

Load- The amount of work performed by an engine. As RPM increases, the load increases as well. The amount of force being generated by all the reciprocating moving parts within an engine on the material of their construction.

'Loy- Slang for Aluminum, taken from Alloy, or 'loy.

Low-Side In a wreck, when you lay your bike down and you slide or roll along the ground, losing momentum. Not fun if your idea of riding apparel is cut-offs and a muscle T.

LSD- Limited Slip Differential. See entry above.



 

- M -

McPherson Strut - An independent suspension system that consists of a combination coil-spring and shock absorber in one compact unit at each wheel.

MAF- Mass Air Flow. The amount of air in pounds per minute entering the engine intake.

Manifold- A path for liquids or gases which has one inlet and multiple outlets (intake manifold) or multiple inlets and one outlet (exhaust manifold). Manifolds are usually constructed of cast iron, but can be constructed of more exotic materials such as aluminum and carbon fiber.

Manifold Absolute Pressure (MAP)- The pressure in the intake manifold as compared to a perfect vacuum.

Manifold Vacuum- Low pressure in the intake manifold caused by evacuating action of the pistons and cylinders.

Mass- The amount of matter contained in a physical body that is the measure of the body's resistance to acceleration, different from but proportional to its weight.

Meat Wagon Ambulance. You get to ride in a meat wagon to the hurt locker.

Meter- Any of various devices designed to measure or indicate and record or regulate.

Methanol- A colorless flammable liquid, CH3OH, used as an anti-freeze, solvent, fuel, denaturant for ethanol.

Milwaukee Vibrator See Harley.

Multi Port Fuel Injection- (MPFI, MFI, Multi Point Fuel Injection). An electronic fuel-delivery system in which each cylinder is individually fueled by a dedicated fuel injector. MFI is considered to be a 'dry flow' system since only air moves through the intake manifold.

Millisecond (MS)- A unit of time equal to one-thousandth of a second.

Minimum Ground Clearance - The perpendicular distance between the lowest point of the vehicle chassis (usually the axle) to the ground. A vehicle is capable of "clearing" an object less in height than its Minimum Ground Clearance.

Motorcycle Rider A person who is a passenger on the back of a motorcycle. See also Pillion, Passenger.

Motorcyclist A person who owns and operates a motorcycle.

Muffler- A device between the exhaust pipe and the tail pipe that quiets engine sounds and cools exhaust gases before allowing the gasses to exit into the environment.

Multi-viscosity Oils- Engine oils that have flow characteristics which ensure adequate lubrication at both high and low temperatures.



 

- N -

Neon A noble gas electrically stimulated into active luminance by otherwise mentally inert people who own otherwise inert sport bikes or automobiles and desire to look more like a bar window than a serious threat to speed limits.

Nest To park or store your ride. "I've got the Z nested for the winter."

Nick(ed) To get caught by the law or to do time in a jail. Origin- British. "You're bloody nicked, you are!"

Ninjer If you ride a Kawasaki ZX-6R in the Deep South, people will say that you ride a "Ninjer." Trust me on this.

Nipples The suspension adjustment knobs on your front forks, usually used as a attachment point for the clip ons.

Nitro See Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous Oxide Nitrous Oxide or N20. Used to be medical grade 'laughing gas', but now it's of a lesser grade (not for human consumption) and packed with a chemical warning vapor. Don't breathe this stuff, however, it won't make you laugh like you see in the movies (which aren't real anyway, duh). But, when you inject it into your engine, the nitrogen provides a cooling effect while the oxygen provides additional burnable elements. A injection of N20 can result in a mega horsepower increase! Nitrous and EFI are natural performance mates. The ECM is quite capable of handling nitrous in moderate amounts. Nitrous and TPI injection is made for each other. Nitrous is another one of those performance additions where "Too much may not be good." A good nitrous system is a carefully researched nitrous system.

NO-FEAR Popular line of SQUID-Approved action wear including T-shirts, caps, and decals. Witty sayings usually applying to sports OTHER than motorcycles, but SQUIDS don't care! Decals usually found plastered all over wannabe bikes (see Katana) and Ford Rustangs.

No-Life Someone who is useless or worthless. See also POSER, POSERBOY, SQUID, SQUIDBOY, WANNABE. Used as an attachment to insults for more effect such as "Look at that skating, no-life posing wannabe loser over there!"

NOS- New Old Stock. Brand new items, left in parts house stock, or at a dealer.

NOS (2)- Nitrous Oxide Systems, also generic term for nitrous oxide. See Nitrous Oxide above.

NOSS- what ricers call nitrous oxide, often referring to it as "naws" or "nawz."



 

- O -



Octane Rating- A numerical measure of anti-knock properties of motor fuel, based on the percentage by volume of one particular octane in a standard reference fuel.

Odometer- Measures distance traveled, usually located as part of the speedometer facing. Resetable. Some vehicles mount two odometers.

OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer- Factory parts.

Off Road These motorcycles are intended for motocross and other off road endurance racing. They are powered by singles or twins, mostly air cooled. They are not street legal so don't ride one to work, unless you work in the woods.

Oil Cooler Oil is the blood of your engine. Most serious sport bikes come with some form of oil cooler, which is a radiator for your engine oil. By cooling the oil, you increase engine longevity, reduce heat, and wear.

Oil Filter- Replaceable filter element that removes foreign particles from oil thus preventing damage to the reciprocating engine components.

Oil Pump- Mechanism that forces lubricating oil under high pressure through an engine via oil passage ways. The oil pump draws oil from an oil pan, which is a multi-quart reservoir located under the bottom of the engine, below the crankshaft.

Open-Loop Strategy- An electronic control system in which sensors provide information, the ECM gives commands and the output devices obey the commands without feedback to the ECM.

Open Season The unofficial term used by police forces for that time when ticket quotas are due and quotas have not been met.

Organ Donor A term police laughingly use to refer to bikers who try to run from them. Term comes from the number of fatal accidents resulting in Runners and Police mixing it up, usually with the Runner being dog meat against a tree, a car, etc.

Overdrive - Any gear set in which the output shaft turns at a higher rate than the input shaft. Overdrive gears reduce engine RPM at cruising or highway speeds, thereby improving fuel economy. Gear Ratios of less than 1 - 1 represent overdrive gear sets.

Overhaul- Major disassembly of an engine or other mechanism, and the replacing or reconditioning of its parts.

Oxygen Sensor (O2S)- A sensor which detects oxygen content in the exhaust gases. Excess oxygen in the exhaust means that the air / fuel mixture needs to be adjusted, which is handled by the ECM.



 

- P -



Pad(s) Your brake pads.

Parallel Four See In-Line Four

Parking Brake- Mechanical brake system for locking either front or rear wheels when the car is parked. Usually actuated via a simple mechanical lever engaged with the foot (foot brake) or the hand (hand brake).

Passenger Who needs them? They just slide into you when you stop, lean the wrong way in turns, and they punch you and scream at you when you nail the throttle. "Slow down! Look out! Not so fast! We're going to fall over!" Shut up already!

PCM- Powertrain Control Module. The 'onboard computer' found in most late model GM vehicles. Many applications are mounted either in the air box (Grand Prix) or out in the open in the engine bay (Chevy Blazer, S10, etc.).

Peg The side mounts where you place your feet for riding. The rider pegs are (Left) gear selection and (Right) rear brake. The passenger has two pegs as well though these have no control pedals or surfaces.

Perimeter Style Frame A design of frame where the engine and transmission of the motorcycle are INSIDE the frame, and the frame wraps around the components like a skeleton, hence the outer perimeter concept.

Petcock The dial that you turn on your gas tank to switch over to reserve. AKA "Fuel Petcock"

Petroleum- Thick, flammable liquid of natural origin, consisting of various hydrocarbons from which products such as gasoline, kerosene, and lubricants are distilled.

Pig A officer of the law. Used distastefully. Long outdated. The preferred term is "Bronze."

Pillion The passenger seat, or that unused space on the seat behind you on your sport bike. Origin is British. A passenger is also called a Pillion Rider. Used rarely in the USA.

Pinch(ed) To get caught in a traffic jam. Also, to ram a vehicle in front of you only to be rear ended yourself by the vehicle following you. VERY DANGEROUS!

Pipe Headers or exhaust pipes.

Piston- Sliding metal cap fitted to operate within a cylinder under hydraulic, mechanical, or combustion pressures. Also known as a 'slug'. The piston is attached to the connecting rod via a pin. A piston ring seals the piston to the side of the cylinder and the crankshaft swings the piston back and forth, up and down inside the cylinder. On the down stroke, the piston is creating a vacuum, like a syringe, it is pulling a fresh charge into the cylinder. On the upstroke, the piston is actually compressing this charge into a very dense charge in a very small area.

Piston Rings- Metallic bands that are fitted into grooves around a piston to provide a tight seal between the piston and the cylinder wall, preventing oil from getting past the piston and into the combustion chamber, and the air / fuel mixture from getting past the combustion chamber, and into the other parts of the engine.

Poaching The term used by police and highway patrol forces to describe their act of hiding in order to ambush unsuspecting motorists and cyclists with speed traps.

Poser Someone who has a lot of stories to tell, but very little talent. AKA Wannabe and sometimes SQUID.

Poserboy Generic derogative term used by bikers to describe the losers that frequent the genre, see also SQUID, POSER, SQUIDBOY.

Pot A brake piston, used only when referring to brakes. A six piston Tokico brake would be referred to as a six pot Tokico.

Power Wheelie Applying an excess of power from the engine in order to raise the front wheel off of the ground. Considered somewhat of a SQUID thing to do, especially in public or traffic.

Power- The amount of force or energy available to do work.

Power Balance- The power provided by each cylinder relative to the power provided by each of the other cylinders in the engine.

Power Steering- Enhanced, powered system that uses a hydraulic pressure booster to augment the steering force applied by the driver to the wheels for maneuvering. High ratio power steering units and quick ratio power steering units are available and often found on performance vehicles.

Power-to-Weight Ratio - A measure of the specific power of a vehicle. It is the maximum power output of the vehicle per unit mass. This is a better measure in comparing the power output of different vehicles because of the independence on the weights of the vehicles. In general, the higher the Power-to-Weight Ratio, the more powerful the vehicle. The most common measurement is horsepower per pound of weight.

Pre-Ignition- The condition when the air/fuel mixture begins to burn in the combustion chamber prior to the occurrence of the ignition spark. Pre-ignition causes detonation and is a result of superheated material components or residual combustion trace elements remaining in the cylinder.

Preload Holding the clutch in, and letting it out slowly as you ease on the gas, until the rear tire starts to grip and the bike starts to want to break forward. Hard on the parts, but lets you launch quicker.

Pressure- Force exerted against an opposing body; thrust distributed over a surface, expressed in units of force per unit of area.

Pro-Link Wonderful Honda advanced suspension system found on CBR and VFR series high performance motorcycles.

Pulse Width- The length of time an actuator, such as a fuel injector, remains energized.

Puck That black hockey puck looking item (knee slider) mounted to the knee of expensive racing leathers. Protects your knees when carving corners, and designed to abrade so you have to replace them after every race or so.

Pucker Factor The measure of how tight your anus gets depending on how scared you are in relation to what you are currently trying to attempt. Rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Oil patches on hard curves are PF9+!

Pump- A mechanical device used to transfer fluids or gases by suction or pressure or both.

Pump (2)- Your engine. "I tore down the pump the other day and put a Edelbrock Performer RPM cam in. Man, is it smurfy!"



 

- Q -












 

- R -



R Ah, that one letter that the Japanese are so eager to slap on a sport bike. If it has a "R" in it, expect performance and a higher insurance rating. I.e. GSX-R, ZX-6R, CBR, FZR, etc.

Racerboy The public's generic image of most sport bike riders, used degradingly, as in most sport bike riders are racer wannabes riding racer replica bikes and therefore all sport bikers are just posers. Not true, tourist.

Rack-and-Pinion - A steering mechanism that consists of a pinion gear in mesh with a toothed bar (rack), whose ends are linked to the steering wheel with tie rods. When the steering shaft rotates, the rack moves from side-to-side, turning the wheels.

Radial Tire- Tire design in which the cords of the body plies run at right angles (radically) to the tire’s center line.

Radiator- Component of the cooling system that dissipates excess engine heat. Engine coolant is admitted to the radiator, and flows through a set of back and forth tubes to emerge on the bottom of the other side of the radiator. During this journey, the coolant passes through the tubes which are exposed to cold, outside air moving at high speed. This air removes heat by cooling the tubes, and the reduced temperature coolant is readmitted to the system for use by the engine.

Rage To race fast and dangerously with little regard for the law or others.

Ram Air A system whereby an intake duct or intake ducts direct cool, denser outside air directly to a pressurized air box containing your carb(s) or EFI throttlebody. The denser air allows the engine to make more power, thus you get 'free' horsepower once you get up to speed. Making a Ram Air system requires a little bit of thought, and some elbow grease. Ram air is useless on a vehicle using a turbocharger or supercharger based induction system. You will NEVER ram any air past the compressor. Ram air might generate an extra 1psi of pressure, but it's free (for the taking, the rammed air, that is) and can be a powerful addition to any normally aspirated engine.

Rebound Dampening Most sport bikes come with adjustable rebound dampening that allow the rider to set the rate at which the front fork and rear shock rebound or compress/decompress. This results in a ride quality ranging from 'soft' to 'hard'.

Reserve The small quantity of fuel in your fuel tank used to get you to a gas station, etc. Never ignore your reserve or you'll be walking!

Recirculation Ball- A steering mechanism in which the steering shaft turns a worm gear that, in turn, causes a toothed metal block to move back and forth, thereby turning the wheels. Ball bearings are used to reduce friction between the worm gear and the metal block.

Regulator- A simple device used to retard the mechanical or electrical operation of a device. A speed regulator might limit your top end to 110 miles per hour, even though your motor and car could easily do 140mph. Most regulators are factory installed for either government or safety reasons by the manufacturer.

Relative Compression- The compression of one cylinder compared to the other cylinders in an engine firing order.

Rice- a term used to describe the general attitude expressed by a subculture dedicated to using decals, racing stripes, and other poser goodies to imitate performance. Rice is the gaudy destruction of a otherwise perfectly good vehicle through the use of neon, racing stripes, kanji, decals, 3 foot rear wing spoilers, negative camber to the maximum, cutting the coil springs with a Dremmel, and lots of stereo. Pathetic.

Rice Boy- A cultural phenomena that started on the West Coast and rapidly spread through North America and Canada (and perhaps the world) whereby young owners of otherwise mundane daily transportation cars invest thousands of dollars into Honda Civics, Hyundais, and other 'family' cars, add in garish paint jobs, lots of decals, three foot rear wings, drop the cars to the ground, add nitrous, turbochargers, and suddenly they believe that they have a 'real' sports car. Sad.

Rich Air/Fuel Mixture- A condition in which the ratio of air to fuel contains less oxygen than is needed to burn the quantity of fuel.

Rim Your wheel(s). Usually aluminum and painted. Don't polish them, Squidboy. Avoid motorcycles with hard to clean rims or wire rims! If you polish your sport bike's rims, you're probably a SQUID.

Roach Any Touring Bike with more than one antennae.

Road Rash What happens when soft bare skin contacts hard asphalt at any speed. When you ride, wear the proper gear, or prepare to get skin grafts from your butt to replace that which you lost on your arms, legs, etc.

Roll-On Rolling on the throttle while the bike is already in motion. Can be done instead of downshifting for passing traffic or can be used for speed when you don't want to worry about walking it out of the hole.

Roost To accelerate hard, or to leave on your bike right now. Origins from early dirt bike racing where a 'rooster tail' of dirt was thrown up by the rear tire when the throttle was opened from a dead stop. "Let's roost!"

Rubber Your tires. Used as in "Man, you're going to need some new front rubber soon! Also in goodbyes like "Keep the rubber side down, man!"

Runner Any rider who, when faced with a confrontation with the law (speeding, being a SQUID, etc.) decides to run for it instead of pulling over and taking their medicine. Cops hate these riders most of all! If you get caught, expect bad times! Real bad times. The cops won't congratulate you on your riding ability either ...

Running Boards Some high end cruisers, slugs, and cows have these installed (Yamaha Royal Slug, uh, Star). They are like running boards for pickup trucks and vans, but allow the rider to rest their feet on long distance rides.

Run-On (Dieseling)- Ignition is caused by heat rather than spark. When referring to a gasoline engine, dieseling specifically means that the engine continues to run (runs-on) after the ignition has been turned off because heat in the combustion chamber ignites the air/fuel mixture. The timing of such ignition is not controlled and can result in engine damage.

Rustang- Slang for Ford's premier Pony car.

RWD- Rear Wheel Drive. A vehicle which transfers power from its motor to drive the rear set of wheels. Many older cars are RWD, but the trend has been towards smaller, FWD cars.



 

- S -



Saddle Your seat. Not to be confused with any product by Corbin.

SC- Slang and short hand for supercharger, also Super Coupe, a model of Ford Thunderbird which was supercharged.

Scissors A nasty pre-crash event whereby the front fork/wheel turns all the way to the side, resulting in instability. Sometimes the rider is thrown against the forks whereby the rear end swings around and impacts the rider. High or Low side comes next.

Sequential Fuel Injection (SFI)- An electronic fuel injection method which is similar to Multi-Port Fuel Injection. In Sequential Fuel Injection, the injection of fuel into the individual intake ports takes place exactly at the beginning of each cylinder intake cycle. The precise fuel control provides better engine performance.

Sequential Multiport Fuel Injection (SMPFI)- A multiport fuel delivery system in which each injector is individually energized and timed relative to its cylinder intake event. Normally fuel is delivered to each cylinder once per two crankshaft revolutions in four cycle engines and once per crankshaft revolution in two cycle engines.

SES- See SES light.

SES Light- SES is the acronym for "Service Engine Soon," the little check light that is used by the ECM to tell you that your vehicle has a problem.

Shaft Drive Some motorcycles transfer power from the engine and transmission to the rear wheel much like a car, through the use of a drive shaft. No sport bike is shaft driven, but some sofas and slugs are.

Shift Interlock- A safety system in an automatic transmission which prevents the shifting out of "Park" unless the brake pedal is depressed. Another useless Safety Nazi invention.

Shiny(ed) Chrome or chromed out. Used in a derogative manner as in "His F3 has more Shiny than a frigging Harley!" or "He had his Suzook shineyed out west."

Showa Japanese maker of advanced suspension and steering components (shocks, suspensions, forks).

Shred To ride hard, referring to shredding the tires because you are riding so hard. Euphemism for enjoying the sport or a invitation to ride. "Let's go shred!"

Side Stand Your kickstand for your motorcycle. Do NOT use this on dark black, hot asphalt as your bike will 'dagger' in and topple over.

Single Overhead Camshafts (SOHC)- An SOHC engine has a single camshaft in each cylinder head controlling both intake and exhaust valves. SOHC engines typically have 2 valves per cylinder but can have up to four.

Sissy Bar A high back frame and cushion installed on some cruisers to provide back support for a passenger and so named because of the fear of falling off the back of a moving bike.

Skate(ing) Lazy, good for nothing, or goofing off. "Look at that no-life, skating wannabe over there on the shinyed out Suzook!"

Skin Riding leathers. "Hey, check out my new skin!"

Slammie A high speed impact, usually when a motorcycle impacts the rear of a vehicle that either pulls out in front of the bike or stops suddenly and the rider isn't paying attention.

Sleeper Any sport bike which has had its engine and/or transmission replaced by a larger displacement power plant. The Suzuki GSX-R 1100 plant fits perfectly into the GSX-R 750 frame. Power out the whazoo, it looks stock, and no one is going to know the difference unless you tell them or they are riding a 750 and you smoke them.

Slick A racing tire composed of a softer, stickier compound rubber and the absence of a tread pattern. DO NOT USE THESE ON THE STREET! They are intended for racing and for smooth surfaces only! Regular roads will tear these tires up in no time!

Slider See PUCK.

Slip On A exhaust canister (only) that offers less weight, somewhat greater performance, better looks, and better sound. Replaces your stock muffler but uses your stock exhaust pipes. Not as good as a full, new aftermarket exhaust system.

Slippy When one of your tires hits a slick spot (grease, oil, a crushed aluminum can) in the road and you lose traction or control. Very scary, and can lead to laying it down.

Slobra Slang for the Ford Cobra Mustang.

Slug Any high end touring bike, ala the Yamaha Royal Slug, the Honda Valkyrie, etc.

Slug (2) Slang for piston(s). "I threw a slug the other night when we were racing."

Smoked To race and beat someone. "His F3 smoked this Squid on a Katana last Tuesday! No effort."

Smokey State Highway Patrol officer, so named because of the "Smokey The Bear" hat that most Highway Patrol officers wear. Not considered flattering to the officers. See also Bear.

Smurfy Cool beyond compare. The ultimate. Ok by me! Sport bikes are smurfy. K&N Filters are smurfy. Ninja's are smurfy. That's a smurfy curve! That's smurfy with me. You get the picture ...

Snail Any high end cruiser or touring bike (Honda Valkyrie, Yamaha Royal Star) that is heavier than most imported cars.

Sofa Any big, comfy tour bike or cruiser, i.e. most Harleys, any bike with saddlebags or hardbags, and other bikes like Goldwings, Ventures, Aspencades, etc.

Soft Luggage A wide variety of magnetically attached or tie down equipped collapsible carry all accessories designed to allow a sport bike rider to carry small items (maps, fresh clothes, etc.) while touring. Examples are tank bags.

Solo Seat A special cowl that either slides and locks over the rear seat or replaces the rear seat completely, turning your sport bike into a single rider only machine. Looks for the track, but your significant other won't be able to ride with you anymore.

Spark- High-voltage electrical discharge that occurs when current moving though the spark plug jumps across the gap between the metal electrodes. The hotter the spark, the more complete the combustion process will be.

Spark Plug- Porcelain-insulated metal device that conducts high-voltage electricity across a gap between two electrodes to ignite the fuel mixture. The gap between the two electrodes is critical and should be carefully adjusted.

Spectator Anybody who doesn't own a bike or muscle car currently or has never owned a one but is always 'almost ready' to buy that brand new sport bike or muscle car, or they had the fastest bike ever made but sold it, or had a Kawi 350 Ninja, or a Camaro that came from the factory with a 390cid dual quad ... something that they just made up. You get the picture.

Speedometer- Instrument that measures the rotation of the drive shaft to indicate road speed. Viewed as a physical readout by the driver from a simple needle against the numbers gauge in the dash.

Sport Tourer A comfortable sport bike. Now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard it. These bikes are hybrids, they look like sport bikes yet ride and perform like standards. They exist between sport bikes and standards. The Honda VFR750F is a Sport Tourer.

Sport Twin Sport twins are sport bikes powered by large displacement V-twin engines. The Japanese and the Italians make wonderful examples of these. The Suzuki TL1000S is a Sport Twin.

Sport bike The lightest, fastest, best handling motorcycles on the planet. Some are also the most expensive as well. Not for wannabes or posers, these machines require a GREAT amount of skill to ride. A Honda CBR600F3 is a sport bike.

Sprocket A sprocket is a toothed ring that hooks and pulls the drive chain. All chain equipped bikes have two sprockets, a front and a rear. By changing sprocket sizes, you can trade top speed and mileage for low end performance and pulling power.

Spung That nasty, greasy crap that accumulates under your seat from road tar, water, and chain lube being slung up from your rear tire.

SQUID Some Quick Unimportant Immature Dumbass. You know them. You hate them. 'Nuf said. Full throttle on the straights, full brakes in the corners style of riding.

Squidboy Generic derogative term used by bikers to describe the losers that frequent the genre, see also SQUID, POSER.

Squirrelly Under WOT, the rear wheel may not get traction and may 'walk' from side to side, getting 'squirrelly'. The rider will have to correct for this, 'walking' the bike out of the hole.

SRAD Suzuki Ram Air Direct. I guess SDRA just didn't sound as neat, but it would have made more sense. Anyway, it's Suzuki's version of the generic Ram Air system ( and what the hell !! ) it works. Standard on GSX-R series.

Standard Ah, the true hotrods of motorcycling. Standards are sport bikes with all the plastic removed. Faster than a cruiser, uglier and slower than a sport bike. The Yamaha V-Max is a Standard.

Steel The default material used to manufacture your frame. Heavy, not recommended for sport bikes. Get you an ally framed sport bike, though the Honda CBR is STILL steel framed (wake up, Honda!!!!)

Stoppie The full reverse of a wheelie, a stoppie is either the uncontrolled or the intentional application of maximum braking pressure to the front brakes ONLY. The bike stops and the rear end pivots up, off the ground, resulting in a rear wheel 'wheelie'.

Stripper Any bike that has seen its last days as a rider. A stripper is an organ donor, only good for scrap or salvaging parts to keep other bikes alive.

Stroker- No substitute for cubic inches. Ford and GM (and to some degree, MOPAR) learned that the quickest way to make a small engine bigger was to drop in a larger crankshaft. Dropping a 400 SBC crankshaft into a 350 small block Chevy can give you up to 388 cubic inches. Stroker engines are kings of torque, and we all know that torque is what really wins races. If you've got one, stroke it!

Strut Tower Brace- A reinforcing brace used to reduce flex in the front end of vehicles equipped with strut tower front suspensions. This brace connects the two strut towers and reduces body roll during maneuvers.

Student ANY person riding a motorized bicycle, scooter, or moped. Especially persons riding a small scooter while wearing a $400 Shoei! Note, they don't HAVE to be 'students' to be a STUDENT!

Suspension- System of springs, arms, shock absorbers, and related components that connects a car’s body and frame to its wheels and axles.

Stabilizer bar- Also known as anti-roll bar. A suspension component that reduces the rolling motion of the vehicle body by resisting any unequal vertical motion between the two wheels to which it is connected. Front and rear stabilizer bars are installed, depending on intended use and application.

Steering Ratio- The gearing ratio of the steering gear. In general the higher the ratio, the easier (less physical effort) it is to turn.

Stroke- The distance that the piston inside an individual cylinder travels from the full downward position to the full upward position.

Sub-Frame Connector- A set of either bolt in or weld-in connectors which tie up and bring together the frame of uni-body construction cars (F-body). SFCs reduce body roll and increase handling capabilities on uni-body constructed vehicles, thus allowing more power to be translated to the pavement. Weld-in versions are the better choice, as the bolts can elongate and distort over time, allowing the bolt-in SFCs to begin to 'wallow'.

Supercharged (SC)- An intake air system that utilizes a supercharger to produce more power to the engine.

Supercharger- A mechanical driven device that pressurizes the intake air, thereby increasing the density of charge air and the consequent power output from a given engine displacement. Compressing the air heats the air charge, reducing inherent efficiency. A charge air cooler (CAC) can be used to further increase performance when using a supercharger.

Surge Condition that exists when the main fuel supply is starting to run out and Reserve is being sought. The back and forth motion of the bike as the fuel delivery is slowly choked off. Kind of scary. Switch to Reserve or coast!

Suzook Slang for any Suzuki motorcycle or vehicle.

SVO Special Vehicle Operations. Ford's skunkworks in the early '80s. Responsible for bringing the interesting Mustang SVO to the streets.

SVT Serious Vehicular Trouble. Special Vehicle Team? Who knows... SVT is what Ford's skunkworks are calling themselves today, probably to distance themselves from the SVO group of the early '80s. The SVT team has developed many vehicles for Ford including the Mustang Cobra and the Ford Lightning series of high performance trucks.

Sway Bar- See anti-roll bar, stabilizer bar.

Swing Arm The rear strut of your frame where your rear wheel and tire are attached. Some bikes have single sided swing arms (Ducati, Honda VFR, NSR, etc.) which are very nice, but expensive.



 

- T -



Tail Pipe- Section of the exhaust system from the muffler to the rear of the car.

Tank Your gas or fuel tank.

Tank Slapper A particular hard compression or decompression of the front forks resulting in loss of control for the rider and the rider leaving their seat, hitting the tank, and almost being thrown off the bike.

Tassels Those little cut strips of leather that Harleys and other cruisers, slugs, and cows have flopping from their handlebar ends. Laughable by any real riders. I haven't had tassels on anything that I ride since I was four and had a banana seat Schwinn!

TB- Throttle Body. A simple butterfly style valve assembly controlling the flow of air or air / fuel into the intake manifold. The device containing the throttle valve (throttle plate).

Tele-Lever A BMW advancement of the forkless front fork. The front wheel is mounted on a stabilized swing arm instead of the traditional fork.

TES- Tubular Exhaust System. A set of header-like exhaust manifolds made for popular car and trucks from Edelbrock. They are emissions legal and compliant with all stock emissions equipment. Perfect upgrade for high tech hot-rods.

Thermal Purge Burn (TPB) First or second degree burns caused by superheated air being vented from the engine cowl area and across a lower portion of the rider's leg(s), usually around the ankle(s). Often mistaken for sunburn. The '90 to '93 Honda VFR was VERY bad about this.

Thermostat- a primitive mechanical control device that is used to moderate the flow of coolant through the engine system. Thermostats come in many temperature ranges but generally the cooler the better. However, like all things high performance, running too cool a thermostat might cause your engine not to get to the proper operating range and thus lose power. Also, some computer controlled vehicles are pre-programmed for a certain temperature and using a cooler thermostat may cause the computer to throw an error code or hamper ideal vehicle performance.

Threading To weave in and out of tightly spaced traffic. One inattentive driver can put a severe knot in your thread. Considered a SQUID thing to do.

Threshold When you pass the ton mark, you break the Threshold. Cops really get angry when they have to haul you down from above Threshold.

Throttle- A valve for regulating the flow of intake air to an engine. A simple mechanical linkage.

Throttle-Body Fuel Injection- TBI. Throttle-Body Fuel Injection - An electronic fuel injection method which positions the injector(s) centrally in a throttle-body housing, which contains a valve to regulate the air flow through the intake manifold. TBI is a 'wet flow' system in that air and fuel are carried through the intake manifold.

Timing- Regulation of the spark impulse so that the spark occurs at the precise instant required for ignition. Setting your timing is part of the tune up process.

Tire Rotation- Systematically switching tires to different wheel positions in order to equalize wear and extend tire life.

Tire Size- An industry standard code is used for the specification of tire sizes.

P225/50R16 92V

P = Passenger Car (Variations may be LT - Light Truck or T - Temporary)
225 = Cross Sectional Width (maximum) in mm
50 = Tire Aspect Ratio (In this case, sidewall height = 50% of tire width)
R=Radial-Ply Construction
16=Wheel Size (Diameter) in inches
92 = Load Index (represents the maximum weight the tire can carry at its maximum rated speed)
V = Speed Rating (The maximum speed at which the tire is certified to be safe - P-95mph; Q- 100 mph; S- 112mph; T- 120 mph; H- 130 mph; V- 150 mph; Z-over 150 mph)

Tire Writing The (Squid?) talent for burning down the rear tire while drawing a design on the road, usually letting the rear tire burn out while pivoting the rear around the brake locked front. With practice, you can write your name or do a complex design.

Torque- Turning or twisting effort, usually measured in pound-feet. A measure of the angular moment or rotating effort exerted on the crank shaft inside an engine. Torque is responsible for the vehicle's acceleration. Horsepower sells cars, but torque wins races.

Transmission- System of gears, shafts and other components that multiplies engine torque and allows the engine to run at efficient speeds and to transfer its available power to the driving wheels in order to bring the vehicle up to speed or to insure performance.

Ton AKA 'the ton'. 100mph on the speedo. Used as in "I bet that Harley won't even do a ton, not with all that leather crap and tassels on it!"

Toss Off Someone who is absolutely useless, with terminal Squidism or the inability to ever be rehabilitated. "Look at that no-life wannabe skating clown toss-off over there on the shineyed out Katana!"

Touring Bike The largest, most expensive, slowest motorcycles made in the world. Touring bikes are sofas on wheels, and are closer to cars than motorcycles. A Honda Goldwing is a Touring bike.

Tourist Any non-riding person or persons who crowd your nested ride and gawk or leave greasy finger prints all over your tank and clocks. Beware of tourists who let their children sit on your ride!

Torque Converter Lock Up - An electronic control in certain automatic transmissions which is engaged at certain speeds to eliminate the slip between the torque converter's input and output, thereby improving fuel efficiency and performance.

TPI- Tuned Port Injection. See below.

Tstat- short for thermostat. See above.

Traction Control - A system which controls the brakes, engine and/or transmission to limit wheel spin during acceleration. Though this is not the same as a Limited Slip Differential.

Transducer- An electrical device which varies resistance through a circuit in reaction to movement of a diaphragm by pressure of a gas or liquid.

Trash To completely demolish your motorcycle in a wreck. "Jamie trashed his FZR last week..."

Tri-Link Suspension - A fully independent rear suspension design featuring a single fiber glass leaf spring. Somewhat archaic.

Turbine- An impeller-like device in a turbocharger that is driven by exhaust gases. The turbine spins a compressor wheel which pushes air into the combustion chambers. This air is compressed to form a denser, more powerful charge but also heats the charge, reducing the inherent efficiency of the charge. A charge air cooler (CAC) can be used to increase this efficiency.

Turbocharged- An intake air system that utilizes a turbocharger or turbochargers to deliver a very dense, highly pressurized intake charge to the engine. A charge air cooler may or may not be part of the turbocharged system.

Turbocharger- A device that uses exhaust gases to spin a turbine which packs compressed air / fuel into the combustion chambers causing a boost in engine power. Compressing the intake charge heats it, reducing the inherent efficiency. See above.

Tuned Port Injection- TPI. Tuned Port Injection is a form of dry manifold EFI in which the air charge is drawn in through a throttle body valve assembly and routed to each individual cylinder through a tuned runner. Just ahead of the cylinder, a dedicated fuel injector is used to deliver a pulse of metered fuel to the incoming air charge right before it enters the cylinder for combustion. TPI units are not big horsepower makers (bolt on horsepower producers) but are wonderful for producing consistent torque curves and keeping horsepower and torque very close to each other throughout the power band, eliminating severe peaks and valleys between the two throughout the operational parameters of the engine. TPI was found on GM Corvettes starting in 1985 to 1992 and on GM F-bodies starting in 1985 to 1992. TPI was used on both 5.0 (305cid) and 5.7 (350cid) displacement V8 engines.

Tune-Up- Process of checking, repairing, replacing, and adjusting various components of the ignition and fuel systems to obtain maximum engine performance. All filters should be changed, all fluids should be changed, and spark plugs should be changed at this time as well.

Twin Spar Reinforcement The frame is made up of hollow sections which have two ribs running the length of the section on the inside, providing structural and integrity while reducing weight.

Twisty A curve. Working the twisties is what sport bike riding is all about.

Two Cycle Engine- Engine that requires two cycles, or "strokes" of each piston (intake, compression, ignition, and exhaust) to complete its power-producing combustion cycle.





 

- U -



UFO Unlimited Flying Object- a term used for ultra cutting edge, very high dollar one off sport bikes that have extreme performance envelopes. Mr. Turbo runs Mr. Nasty, which is the quintessential UFO. Mr. Nasty is a turbocharged, nitro Kawi ZX-11 Ninja making over 400horses from a 1.1 liter liquid cooled in-line four.

U-Joint- Universal Joint. A connecting coupling for the transmission and the driveshaft. Usually one is used to connect the drive shaft to the transmission, and another U-joint is used to connect the driveshaft to the rear differential.

Uni-Trak Kawasaki's wonderful suspension system featuring Kayba shocks, rebound dampening, and almost endless adjustability.

USDF Upside Down Fork, AKA USD.



 

- V -



V- Depending on position of the letter, is used to describe either engine configuration (V4, V-Twin), # of valves (16V), or # of carburetors present (4V). Be careful how you use it. There is a BIG difference between V4 and 4V !

Vacuum Leak- Uncontrolled air flow entering the intake below the throttle plate.

Valve- A device which can start, stop or regulate the flow of liquid or gas by a movable part that opens, shuts, or partially obstructs one or more ports or passageways. A valve is also the movable part of such a device. In an engine, valves generally refer to the intake and exhaust valves for the cylinders.

Valve train- The valves, rocker arms, rocker springs, and camshafts configuration within an engine assembly.

Vapor- Fine particles of matter, as fog, suspended in the air. The normal gaseous state of a substance that is solid or liquid at normal temperatures.

Vaporize- To convert or be converted into a vapor, especially by heating.

Vapor lock- A premature vaporization of fuel which prevents gasoline from reaching the engine. Excess engine heat can cause vapor lock.

Variable Assist Steering - The amount of assistance to steering varies according to driving conditions. Maximum assistance is applied at low-speeds, while at cruising speeds, less assistance is applied to provide greater vehicle stability.

Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS)- A sensor which provides vehicle speed information. The ECM uses data from the VSS to control engine parameters.

Vented Disc The standard issue for sport bikes and high performance disc brake applications. The Vented disc has had its surface milled with many small sections removed. As air passes in and through these sections, the braking surface cools much quicker.

V-Four A four cylinder, four stroke liquid cooled engine arranged in a V pattern. Honda is king of V-Four tech (Interceptor, Magna, VFR-F, etc.) and Yamaha puts a nice V4 into it's V-Max. High tech, rare, and expensive to produce.

Virgin- someone who knows absolutely nothing about performance. Used as an insult, as in "Let's dance, virgin!"

Viscosity- The resistance to flow of a liquid such as oil. Differs by environment, operating conditions, temperatures, etc.

V-Twin A two cylinder, four stroke engine arranged in a V-pattern instead of a parallel cylinder configuration. Harleys use V-Twins exclusively, as does Ducati and Moto Guzzi. Japan uses them mostly for cruisers but lately have introduced Sport Twins.

Volvo Supposedly the world's safest car, so who buys them? Drivers who have no driving skill. Who do they crash into most? Motorcycles! Don't get Volvoed. Should be renamed Vulva because the majority of Volvo owners are complete twats. If there was a bigger loser car than the Ford Rustang, it's got to be the Volvo. Volvo. World's safest cars. World's worst drivers.



 

- W -



Walk To get a bike accelerating under hard throttle and uncertain traction. Anytime you have to fight your bike for control. You 'walk' a bike out of the hole under WOT.

Wanker Someone who constantly opens and closes their throttle at a stop or a red-light in order to impress other riders and drivers or just because they like the sound of their own exhaust. Derived from another use for the same wrist motion.

Wannabe Anyone who tries to put their self off as someone they aren't. Basic poser, often brags about how great they really aren't. A rider who is a legend in their own mind. See also Poser, SQUID, Squidboy, Poserboy.

Wet Out- A condition where fuel falls out of suspension.

Wet Weight Refers to your motorcycle's weight with all fluids filled to normal operating capacity and minus rider.

Wheelbase- The distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.

Wheelie Clutch in, revs up, clutch out. Basic wheelie recipe. Basic riding trick learned in motocross, and not a accurate display of riding skill. See also Clutch Wheelie and Power Wheelie.

Wheel Balance- Distribution of weight within a wheel-and-tire assembly; a balanced wheel rotates without vibrating.

Width - The width of the vehicle, at its widest points, excluding external mirrors

WOT Wide Open Throttle. Full on the gas.



 

- Z -



Zombie Anyone under the influence of drugs or alcohol (or both) who is riding a sport bike.

Zoomie A high speed pass-by of bystanders and on-lookers. Considered to be a SQUID thing, especially if the rider is trying to impress the bystanders.



Air-cooled four-stroke SOHC single cylinder, 652 cc. The 1997 models come in either black or candy orange.

Five-speed transmission, electric start, kevlar belt drive, spoked wheels with tube tires, rear drum brakes, front single disc brake. 27 inch high seat, small 10.5 liter (2.5 US gallon) peanut-shaped gas tank, 174 KG (382 pounds), 31 HP, 37 ft-lbs, top speed of 85 mph, 55 mpg. 0-60 mph: 6.98 seconds. 1/4 mile: 15.30 sec @ 81.11 mph.

Reviewed in the following magazines: MOTORCYCLIST August 1995, RIDER July 1995, MOTORCYCLE CONSUMER NEWS September 1996.

Uses 2.4 liters of oil per complete change with filter. Needs a single NGK DPR8EA-9 spark plug. Fabric air filter. Looks a lot like a Harley Sportster with a big single cylinder engine instead of a V-twin. I have received many compliments on it being a nice-looking bike for non-riders; it's funny how most car drivers never paid much attention to my previous sport bike but really like the traditional-looking cruiser style.

Pricing:
Inexpensive: In May 1997 I bought mine new with no mileage for $4799 CND ($3599 US). The Savage sold in small numbers in the 86-88 time frame. Now that cruisers are popular, it was brought back in 1995 and is selling well. The local dealer tells me there are quite a few of them around town, have proven very reliable, and they're easy to service and to get parts for.

History:
I used to ride a Kawasaki EX-500 (Ninja) sport bike. The EX was a very good bike but after riding it for four years I decided I wanted to make something different. I wanted a simple, easy-to-maintain cruiser that would make a good general purpose commuter but was also big enough to make the occasional road trip. I considered buying an Intruder 800 or Marauder 800 but after test riding I found they were a bit too big and heavy for my liking.

IMHO the Savage looks good if you like plain simple cruisers. It starts and runs very well. It's fairly light and easy to steer. The clutch and transmission are simple to work. After reading some magazine reviews that claimed the LS 650 was a slow bike I was then surprised to find that it actually performs okay; the Savage has about the same acceleration and speed as a small econo-car with a standard transmission. Pretty decent mirrors. I find the front seat is fairly comfy, but the passenger seat isn't too good. At 5' 8" I find the seating position, foot pegs, and handlebars to be well-placed for me, but tall riders will find the LS uncomfortable.

I've found that it performs well on hilly roads with modest speed limits. I am able to easily keep up with slower sport bike riders on a twisty road. I've discovered that on the open highway the LS 650 is quite comfortable doing 100 km/h (60 mph) at 4000 rpm in 5th gear but has little excess power left for passing. The single cylinder redlines at 6500 rpm.

The older Savages from the 1980s have four gears. The newer ones have five gears, but the ratios are spaced differently, so that in 5th gear the newer bikes run only a couple hundred RPMs lower at 60 mph than the older ones do in 4th gear.

The brakes work quite well for a small single disc and drum; I believe this is because the bike is fairly light and has a long wheel base, allowing a rider to get more use out of the rear brake. For such a light bike it handles well in a strong crosswind.

Modifications:
None so far. I found my old throw-over saddle bags went on the Savage fairly well. I may eventually get a small windshield for touring.

Opinion:
A good commuter bike for urban areas. I plan to tour occasionally on it, but it has little power left once it gets up to highway speeds. If you are a sport bike fan you'll find it a boring bike, but I rather enjoy simple elemental bikes.

From asking other Savage owners it seems the LS 650 is extremely reliable and bullet-proof. Maintenance is very easy to do. I really like the idea of a belt drive: no mucking about with chain lube or sprockets; you only have to adjust the tension. I did this once in the first few hundred miles and it was very easy.

Cautions:
The fuel tank is pretty small; you have to switch to reserve after only 100 miles or so. The bike has no tach (which is okay for a cruiser) but it has no tripmeter; I think this is a major flaw, as with my old bikes I have always reset the tripmeter at every gasoline stop to gauge my fuel usage.

The Savages have a tendency to backfire. According to the January 1997 issue of RIDER magazine, this is because Suzuki deliberately sets the low-speed and midrange circuits of the carburetor to be too lean so that the Savage will pass EPA emission standards. This article describes how to properly set these circuits for better throttle response.

----------------------------------------

Savage Backfire
(from January 1997 RIDER magazine's Tech Q&A)

Q) I purchased a new Suzuki Savage 650 last July. From the very beginning the motorcycle would backfire when decelerating or coming to a stop. I took it back to the dealer twice before the 600-mile service, and complained about it at the initial service. I have tried different grades of gasoline and they seem to have no effect. The dealer has told me that I should expect backfiring with the design of this engine and that it should decrease as I build up mileage. I have 900 miles on the bike now and backfiring doesn't seem to be decreasing. I have found other riders of Suzuki Savages that are having the same problem. - Jay Coney, Kerrville, Texas.

A) This column receives a lot of mail over the course of a month, and the single biggest gripe among our readers are problems with lean-running. late-model carbureted bikes.

The poor old LS 650 really suffers at the hands of the EPA, and I certainly sympathize with you, Coney. We can fix it, but first let me explain the hows and whys.

When the throttle of any engine is rolled or snapped shut, some fuel is drawn through the engine and kicked out the exhaust without being burned. In abundance, this raw fuel vapor can be smelled, tasted - and when light is passed through it- seen. It's referred to as photo-hydrocarbons or more commonly smog. Yes, there are several other pollutants coming out of the exhaust, but the human senses can't detect them. The manufacturer of motorcycles have three methods of dealing with excessive hydrocarbons. Forcing air down into the exhaust port with an air pump and diluting the outgoing fuel vapor is one method. Kawasaki pioneered this method with their 'Clean Air System', which employed a vacuum-driven pump that puffed air through reed valves placed over the exhaust system. A 'cat' is nothing more than an oven which bakes the hydrocarbons, burning them off.

The most common method is to simply lean out the carburetor. The low-speed and midrange circuits of the late-model carburetor are not adjusted to give optimum performance - they're set up to produce a minimum hydrocarbon count on deceleration. What miserly amount of fuel they do deliver to the combustion chamber when the throttle is closed causes misfire and an audible afterfire in the exhaust pipe.

Now, I haven't mentioned fuel injection or other exhaust gases. As I said, the bulk of complaints from readers of this column is deceleration backfire and also poor idling of carbureted engines. No doubt we'll get around to discussing other emission-control devices and their problems in future issues.

Getting back to your Savage 650, Coney, here's how we can specifically cure its problem. We need to richen those two areas of the curburetion curve that are factory set on the ridiculous side of leanness. Remove the diaphragm slide from the carburetor and look down inside its bore. Two small screws hold a plate over the slide needle. Removing the plate, you'll see a small, white plastic spacer with a hole through it sitting on top of the needle. Throw that spacer away and reinstall the plate. A spring under the needle clip will now push the needle up to the plate occupying the space vacated by the white spacer. The distance that the needle has been 'lifted' is the thickness of the discarded spacer - and that's ideal. With the needle raised, more fuel will flow by it, meeting the actual needs of midrange running.

We can also fatten up the low end of your bike's carburetor by turning out the low-speed mixture screw. To gain access to this screw, you'll need to drill out the brass plug pressed in over it and yank it out with a sheet-metal screw attached to a slide hammer. You'll find that plug up high on the right side of the carb about where the mouth enters the carburetor. Usually Suzuki applies a splash of white paint over the brass plug so that it's immediately noticeable. With the engine warmed up and idling, turn the mixture screw out incrementally until you achieve the highest idle. There will be no doubt in your mind that you're making progress because the idle will come up and sound stronger. At this point, turn the idle adjuster knob out and bring the idle back down to a leisurely gait.

Just these two, relatively simple adjustments will not only eliminate the backfire, they will make an amazing improvement in throttle response and driveability.

Once upon a time, my dream came true. I have odd dreams, and this one involved a bright orange motorcycle. Said tangerine dream was one of the few British bikes which appealed to me in my teenage world which was filled with oriental excellence. Didn't know the first thing about the triple, but I liked the look and the sound of it. Then about eight years ago that dream came true, and a Hurricane blew into my life.

So a couple of years back, when we last had time to be foodling around with motorcycles for fun, we made a semi-serious effort to get the X75 genuinely roadworthy. This bike was affordable (unlike many of the breed) because it hadn't seen too much in the way of TLC for a few years.
X75 Hurricane, in all it's glory...

Repatriated from the States with less than 10,000 miles on the clock, and reintroduced to the biking world by Greenlooms Classics of fond memory, it looked to have once been fixed-up with whatever was to hand. And plainly, some of the things which had been to hand were not entirely suitable! (Most of the pics you see here are of it in its pre-tinkering state, so the photos are a bit mucky and so is the bike!).

Those little red crimp-connections (next to the brake cable, in front of the oil cooler) are never a good sign....The biggest problem arrived last - and resulted in the Hurricane being unceremoniously stored in the shed until spring. The bike didn't run right. Get it onto the open road and give it some waft and one of the three cylinders immediately went to sleep and it stumbled along on two pots. Not good.

The second biggest problem was that the Hurricane hardly stopped. The front conical (no, it wasn't 'comical': there's nothing funny about a sudden lack of stop) hub brake gave me kittens every time it was applied. Going backwards (when it didn't work at all) it gave me kittens, puppies and probably little woolly lambies, too.

We stripped and cleaned the drum out, making several dozen spiders homeless in the process, and fitted a new brake cable. It made, ooh, about a whole inch of difference to the stopping effect - and to top it all the new cable was way too long.

The overlength cable was a nuisance but that's what you get for buying a replacement at a jumble without having the original in your hand. The feeble brake was more of an irritant: the Bigger Half's T25 has a vicious version of exactly the same stopper, which brings it slewing to a halt with only a whisper of a touch on the lever. Why was the one on the X75 so awful?

And the other biggest problem was that most of the original components were decaying before our eyes. The parts which weren't quietly rotting were scavenged off another bike altogether and really had no place on one of Mr Vetter's finest.

We fixed what we could; fitted replacement downpipes from Burton Bike Bits instead of the disease-ridden set which previous afflicted the bike, and then swapped a set of proper Hurricane handlebars for the daft cow-horn horrors which with it had arrived.

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Product Price
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TRIUMPH TRIDENT T160 BRAKE PEDAL £4.99
Triumph Hurricane T160 BSA Rocket 3 B50 rear No.plate £16.00
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Nice furry engine, and look at all those cables....But even with excellent mechanical assistance we couldn't get the orange monster to run reliably on all three pots, or stop with any certainty, so it was obvious that we needed help.

Richard Darby's Hurricane is an tribute to his both mechanical expertise and his dogged determination. So Richard was the natural choice: if anyone could make my X75 excellent once again, it would be him.

Doesn't look too bad from a distance.Mind you, there is a downside to asking a perfectionist to sort out a scruffy oik for you. When the list of what was wrong arrived it was like receiving your kiddie's report card and discovering that the Could Do Better in every single subject. In fact, from Richard's report it looked like the Hurricane was in danger of being expelled!

So we had to tone down some of Mr Darby's natural enthusiasm for the project ('I'm sure we could fit a disc brake... just need a new fork leg... oh and yokes, of course... and then there's the headlamp brackets...') and his desire to make everything better than new. Crazed chrome and faded paint I can live with. Just make it run right, Richard - and make it stop!

Before he could tackle either of those problems, Richard had to cure a dangerous weakness to which the X75 is prone. A nasty crack lurked on the bottom yoke, and this is a common problem as these bikes age. The redoubtable TR3OC occasionally toy with the idea of building a batch of replacements, and then I think an American leaps up and wails: 'product liability!' and the whole plan fizzles out. So mine were welded up and machined smooth and now you wouldn't know if you didn't know. (And then that nice man Phil Pick of Triple Cycles offered me a BRAND NEW set of yokes, for only an arm and half a leg. How could I refuse? So I now have a spare set).

Then there was the matter of the lumpy running. I learned the lesson in my youth that one carburettor is problematic, two are trouble and four are generally fatal... so I guess that having three was always going to be fun (odd how I don't miss the days of trying to balance a bank of carbs from a Suzuki UJM). At first we thought the job would simply be just to strip, clean and re-assemble the carbs, and then Richard pointed out that the middle one wasn't a left-hand item as it should be. In fact it wasn't even intended for a Rocket 3 or Trident - it came from a 2-stroke and boasted a 130 main jet! No wonder I couldn't reach the tickler.

The springs in the carbs were all far too stiff and the slide assemblies had been put together frontwards-back, so the whole lot could have jammed open at any time. Gulp. Lightweight springs went in and a new, proper Amal joined the other two. The throttle linkage, too, was incorrectly assembled; 'it was an accident waiting to happen,' said Richard cheerfully. Then he painstakingly rebuilt the carb bank so that now it looks good enough to eat your dinner from, if your dining habits are that eccentric. But even after all effort that the throttle still contrived to stick open on the bike's first ride - the cable caught on the right-hand fuel line. Good grief!
This is all getting a bit depressing; let's have a look at a couple of proper X75s...

The next job was up at the front. A combination of philosophy and finances did not permit us to go through with the grand project of fitting a disc brake (it would have altered the overall character of the bike, even forcing a change in steering geometry, and I'm not sure I want to tinker with what it is otherwise a remarkably standard bike), but no lack of money was going to excuse the scabby fork stanchions. Rusted and pitted and pitiful: they just had to go. New stanchions were fitted along with new seals and fresh oil. Fab.

Then there were a gazillion little jobs to be done, bits and pieces which had been crying out for attention - for years - to no avail. Richard heard their pleas, and set to work. He repaired the wiring to the headlamp and switches. Fixed the broken clutch inspection cover and replaced the oil seal behind the points cover. A broken bolt behind the rocker box needed a helicoil to remove and replace it. The handlebar clamps were wrongly positioned. Another new throttle cable - the right length this time - arrived, along with a new clutch cable. And although we decided not to replace every rusting nut, bolt washer and fastener for the time being, I note that a few rashes of fresh stainless have broken out in places, no doubt where the old items were just too awful for Richard to bear! Then fresh oil went into the engine and an MoT certificate went into the file.

The last job was one of the most important - getting a fair bit more out of that recalcitrant front brake. Richard discovered that the cable wasn't connected to the drum properly which won't have been helping matters, and he magic'd up a set of extended brake arms which were duly fitted. So now there's more leverage for every subtle squeeze and the force is transmitted directly to where it matters. This is progress indeed!

'You also need to do something about the rusted engine bolts, and the corroded heatshield, and the silencers which are going, too, and the mudguard, and the rear light mounting, and the rear hub and spokes, and the kickstart, and the air filter, oh and you've got the wrong steering damper knob and you're missing badges from the seat knobs, and...'

Whoa! Enough. For now. Richard had appeared to have achieved his primary mission - getting the X75 properly roadworthy - and the cosmetic stuff would just have to wait

September 19, 2005


CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) -- Local businesses report motor scooter sales up as much as 300 percent as people look to the two-wheeled vehicles as way to beat high gasoline prices.


"I sold two all of last year," Jeff Woelfle, general manager of Cheyenne Yamaha. "In the last 30 days, I've sold six."


Read the rest

More evidence of herd mentality? Can't help but think more folks buyin' bikes 'cause of fuel spikes might lead to more and more articles about more people fallin' off. What do you think?

I have owned scooters and motorcycles for 33 years and thought my own recent experiences might be relevant to this issue (180 vs 160 mph sport bikes aren't relevant to my florida keys lifestyle, actually). i recently sold my stella 150 (an Indian copy of a Vespa PX four speed 150cc two stroke) and replaced it with a Suzuki Savage 650 single. I wanted an inexpensive commuter vehicle as there aren't great riding roads around here (i enjoy getting out on the water by way of compensation) and i thought the stella would allow me commute 25 miles on a road that has speed limits between 45 and 60 mph. however the stella was horribly unreliable and strained to keep up to 50 in frequent headiwnds. around town, in Key west the four speed gearbox was more annoying than my previous gearless honda 50. mpg equalled about 62. mainetneance (when the engine wasn't seizing) was minimal. purchase price brand new $4000 with accessories. my 2002 savage with 800 miles cost $3100 plus saddlebags for$200 (with supports and a rear rack. mpg equals 52 and my 45 minute commute loses at least ten minutes each way depending how many sheriffs cars i meet on the way. around town the savage copes fine and is easy to park. on the highway i can roll from 40 to 70 mph in top gear and i cured the backfiring issue with a quick tweak of the carb (instructions found online). I miss the straight riding position of the Stella replaced by a bizarre-to-me feet up chopper style on the Suzuki and the superior weather protection and luggage carrying of the Stella. i love the final drive belt on the suszuki, clean, maintenace free and smooth. all motorcycles shoudl come so equipped.
Having said all that motorcycles like boats are
reflections of our inner demons and i still lust after a sensible-to-me Guzzi Breva 750, irrational, expensive and not as easy to maintain as my single cylinder "beginner's bike."
as for cager sriding scooters, if they really did get into being on two wheels it would be good for the environment, good for traffic congestion and hiopefully good for rleations between road users. I'l beleive that when i see it.

Aprilia's Falco is the second model from the Noale concern to feature the 997cc, liquid-cooled, 60-degree, V-twin motor first seen in he ultra-quick Mille. In this application the trademark motor, built for Aprilia by Austrian engine specialist Rotax, has been detuned a little for a wider spread of power and more real-world rideability -but don't kid yourself, this is a serious sports machine.

The Falco is closely based on the original 97x67.5mm motor rather than the short-stroke 100mm-bore version developed for Noriyuki Haga's Sunday bike. It has been slightly remapped to reflect its new role, with its compression ratio lowered from 11

The Falco thundered up to a genuine 255km/h with the engine cranking at just over 9300rpm.
.4 to 10.8:1 and a different stainless-steel exhaust system.

It has the same 51mm Nippon Denso throttle bodies but with remapped electronics to produce 87kW at 9250rpm (down from the Mille's 95) and 96Nm of grunt at a lower 7000rpm. The power goes through the same six-speed gearbox as the Mille but it has slightly shorter final gearing at 16/41. The sportster has 17/42.

Despite the two balancing shafts (there's one in the crankcase and a second in the rear cylinder head) the motor develops an appreciable amount of harsh, thrumming vibration, which can be felt through the entire fabric of the bike since the engine is a rigidly mounted stressed member.

It doesn't feel or sound like a classic 90º V-twin at all, with its very uneven idle and flat, rather atonal roar when revving hard.

But the revs rise and fall like a cobra striking and the motor produces strong power from 4000 to the rev-limiter at 10 600

The gearbox is a honey – light, slick and as crisp as fresh lettuce.
. There's no red line on the functional rev-counter but a red LED comes on at 10 500 (which is really high for any big V-twin) and a moment later the motor begins to misfire as a serious inducement to the rider to engage the next ratio.

While there's no well-defined power band, things definitely happen a lot quicker above 7000 rpm. In the top third of the rev range the bike pulls hard enough that you need a lot of elbow room – don't try revving this bike out on the city streets, you'll run out of space a lot quicker than you expect.

The Aprilia's response is altogether more hard-edged than that of its rivals the Honda VTR1000 and Suzuki TL1000S and its mid-range is a lot better than that of the Ducati 916.

And yet the Falco will rumble through traffic at 2500rpm with just a hint of power-thudding and will accelerate away almost from idle in the lower gears, making it a competent if uncomfortable commuter. Despite its rather appealing rough-and-ready persona, this is a very accomplished motorcycle motor.

After a lot of looking I just purchased a 1987 Harley FLHTC Road King for ten grand even! Now I'll be up on 2 wheels. .....I thought I'd pose another question - "What makes that good ol' Harley sound?" We all know about it, the Japs are trying to imitate it, but what exactly gives it that sound. First of all we know it only comes from a V twin. I noticed in a Honda Shadow ACE brochure one model has the connecting rods of both cylinders connected to the same crank pin, the other has them offset on differen
pins 180 degrees. I would guess crank pin arrangement would be one thing. What about 45, 60,and 90 degree cylinder arrangements? Displacement? Size of headers? Mufflers obviously, but if this was the key everybody would sound like a Harley. Which of the Jap bikes come the closest? Gimme those thoughts.
33 responses total.


 
Response 1 of 33: Shane (PTE1) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (21:45) * 4 lines


Let's see, What DOES make that Harley sound?? an 80's Virago with the ignition advanced and the idle turned down makes that Harley sound.... Volkswagon Beetles that have a burned bank of plugs makes that sound.... There are a ton of clones that make that sound... Not all Harley's make that sound.... Maybe they should PATENT the sound.... (sorry, already tried that)... hehehe....
Okay enough fun pokin'... There is really nothing that will imitate 100% the sound of a Big Twin Harley (they even vary from bike to bike)... It's part of the mystique and the legend... and alot of what the writer in Brad's post was talking about.... And how in the heck do you have time to be in the house on the Puter with a NEW ROAD KING IN THE GARAGE???? Congrats!!!

Get your motor runnin, head out on the highway... Looking for adventure, in whatever comes our way..... etc

In cruisers, just as in stacks of money and the size of your house, bigger is always better. It's an unfortunate place that non-behemoth-sized cruisers inhabit, then. There's no respect given due to their comparative performance vacuum when placed alongside such monsters as Harley V-Rods and Honda VTXs. At least, that's the way it has always been until now.

If anybody was going to surprise us with a strong-running motor, the smart money was riding on Suzuki. They already make some of the most powerful engines in any given category, and their legacy with the Intruder line of cruisers is steeped in horsepower.

Suzuki introduced their Volusia 800 a year (or was it two?) ago, and aimed it at cruiser enthusiasts who wanted classic cruiser looks without the classic cruiser heft - a seemingly unshakable side-effect of cruiser manufacturing. And, of course, it had to have untraditional performance.

Technically speaking, the heart of the Volusia is an 805cc, eight-valve, liquid-cooled, 45° V-twin fed by a single 34mm carburetor. Suzuki claims to have installed a short-duration cam and, of course, the tuned dual exhaust system to help make even more power out of the relatively small motor. To keep vibes to an acceptable level, the crankshaft feature 45° offset crank pins to reduce engine vibration. And to keep things "green," a pulsed-secondary air-injection system introduces air into the exhaust ports to ignite unburned hydrocarbons and reduce emissions for bike delivered to all markets.
 
Response 2 of 33: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (22:36) * 4 lines


Planeman, ya congrats my friend talk about a great ride for the first "bike back into the fold"!! H-D sounds like it does due to the combination of a pushrod, 45 degree, single crank pin engine. No body else uses "pushrods and single pin crank in a 45 degree V-twin. Most of the Japanese bikes use Single overhead cams and anywhere from 45 to 73 degree V-twins.

Enjoy it my firend but be careful that's a might big and heavy bike after such a long time away from riding!
Tailwinds, BJ


 
Response 3 of 33: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (23:05) * 2 lines


I did some research a while back about why a Harley sounds like it does. I found some engineering papers that went into a lot of detail and it turns out that there are a lot of reasons - the single carb feeding the T-shaped manifold, the wasted spark igniting a small amount of unburned fuel on the exhaust stroke, and on and on, but the biggest reason is that the firing arrangement is 540/180 degrees apart, it is uneven. The first cylinder fires and one and a half crank revolutions (540 degrees) later,
he second fires and after another half crank revolution (180), the first fires again. Other twins fire 360 degrees apart and are lacking that loping idle of the Harley.


 
Response 4 of 33: BJ Ondo (ramblinman) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (23:13) * 2 lines


Humm see with a Japanese cruiser, the only reason I would but a aftermarket exhaust on it would be to "open up" the flow for better breathing, sound means nothing. Steve has a point, it's pretty useless to "copy harley sound" unless you take the whole motor and make it old fashion on purpose! The Honda ACE model's have 180 degree single pin cranks but use SOHC so right there the sound although kinda simular won't be quite the same.
BJ


 
Response 5 of 33: John Jacobson (Hoop) * Sat, Dec 6, 1997 (23:54) * 2 lines


The Harley sound is a great question. I think the single pin crank, the pushrods, and the dual fire (stock) ignition are the biggest factors. IMHO, the idle of a shovelhead is the sweetest sound of all the Harleys. There is something that baffles me. I have attended Harley drag races 3 times. When the Pro & Top Fuel bikes are idling, they sound more like a Kawasaki than a Harley. The modifications completely change the sound of the bike.
Hoop


 
Response 6 of 33: Steve Midgley (smidgley) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (00:02) * 1 lines


They have probably been modified to fire at 360 degrees. It would basicaly be a matter of changing cam timing.


 
Response 7 of 33: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (01:29) * 1 lines


If a wasted spark is part of the Harley Sound then they can have it! This despite the fact that my bike, if it ever runs again, will probably also have a wasted spark (but it wouldn't have been done for a sound!)! Doesn't this drain the battery more? How can I get rid of it, or does the necessary hardware cost more than the battery life it will save? Do CDI sysems have this?


 
Response 8 of 33: Jon Lind (triumph) * Sun, Dec 7, 1997 (02:48) * 5 lines


the single carb feeding the T-shaped manifold

The reason for the idle sound is that it's actually a very poor design and is misfiring at idle, giving it an even more uneven sound. I don't think it would be possible to make a 2 carb twin idle like this.

When they came out with fuel injection, the engineers actually considered dialing in a computer synthesized misfire! Amazing that it even crossed their minds! But, luckily, they decided against it.


 
Response 9 of 33: Brad (Rodehogger) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (11:06) * 11 lines


Whether sitting or rolling, all Harleys produce a lumpy exhaust note. I believe this is primarily from the use of a single-pin crank with heavy flywheel, and a single cam to operate both inlet valves. Operating both valves of a 45-degree twin with a single cam produces asymmetrical valve timing--opening and closing times of the two cylinders are a little different.

At idle, a carbed Harley's lumpy exhaust gains an accentuated "lope" presumably because of the misfiring which occurs about once every 10 beats. Essentially, the bike misses a beat every so often, yeilding an uneven cadence. When the rpms rise, the lump remains but the rythm evens out. The FI bikes have that distinctive Harley lumpiness, but the rythm is even all the time, including at idle.

HD is attempting to get the sound produced by their motor "trademarked". My understanding is that the trademark would be based on the complete sound profile produced by the bike--not just carbed bikes at idle. BTW, that distinctive lump is present whether the bike is running factory pipes or aftermarket pipes (much louder lump), so that distinction (often debated) is probably moot as far as a trademark would be concerned. Sound volume is not the issue.

Remember, a trademark is not a patent! However, the affect on competitors may be even stronger. I would imagine that if HD is successful, manufacturers who use a single-pin crank configurations to "approximate" the HD sound could be subject to litigation. Both Honda and Kawasaki have openly admitted that they wanted to produce such a sound with the ACE and Vulcan, and both are challenging the trademark application.

However, the cloners are HD's most likely victims, as well they should be. Producing replacement parts is one thing--copying the motor (and bikes for that matter) down to the last washer is something else again! The quality of the individual parts aside, there can't be any denying that the sound from an aftermarket EVO is identical to a factory one! He who trademarked first may have the last cough! hehe.

Play me a song Mr. Harley man!


 
Response 10 of 33: Jim Finch (jammie) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (19:45) * 1 lines


You get the Harley sound from the use of l950's engin technology.


 
Response 11 of 33: Jim Finch (jammie) * Mon, Dec 8, 1997 (19:47) * 1 lines


You get the Harley sound, shake, rattle, and rumble from using l950's engine technology.


 
Response 12 of 33: Brad (Rodehogger) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (08:36) * 3 lines


Well Jim, some things just stand the test of time better than others. That's the true definition of a classic, like Harley-Davidson.

Happy Days!


 
Response 13 of 33: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (09:44) * 1 lines


So Jim, what's your take on Guzzis, Ducatis, and any older bike? I don't remember what you ride. Each bike attracts many people for the motor itself more than anything, shortcomings accepted. Some prefer the pipe&jet wail, others the throb/booming,etc. For myself, the age and techno-level aren't a part of what really speaks to me or completes a judgement on my choice (or others') of ride.


 
Response 14 of 33: Jon Lind (triumph) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (21:10) * 3 lines


Hey, I admit--I like the Harley sound. I idled my old XS650 about 300 rpms too low trying to emulate the slow lump (unsuccessfully, of course). Who invented the single pin V-twin crank? It wasn't HD. The estate/family of whoever invented it should sue Harley.

It's ludicrous to force users to use a particular crank shaft configuration. "Dual Pin is o.k., single is not". Is it just me or does this sound insane?


 
Response 15 of 33: Jon Lind (triumph) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (21:14) * 1 lines


This reminds me of Microsoft's attempt to trademark the word "Windows". The judge ruled that a common word can't be trademarked. (The word Windows describes an item in an interface, whether it's MS, Apple, Unix, etc.). I'd say the same should hold true for Harley. The single pin crank has been around longer than HD has, and is in common use.


 
Response 16 of 33: Shane Adams (Shane) * Tue, Dec 9, 1997 (22:50) * 1 lines


Yeah, tell it to the SARAN WRAP people.... hehehe


 
Response 17 of 33: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (10:16) * 1 lines


As a guy who does a lot of intellectual-property stuff, I agree with the SC decisions; Kleenex, Xerox, Cigarette(boats), and several others ran through the "Saran Wrap" court gauntlet to preserve a trademark only, not an entire concept or design itself (tissues,copiers,v-bottoms). I guess HD feels the money is well spent as a reinforcer of their position in the cycle-engineering world, they can't possible believe they could ban the engineering itself.


 
Response 18 of 33: Brad (Rodehogger) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (11:03) * 8 lines


That's why HD isn't pursuing a patent--the engineering components are not unique, but the sound of the HD motor based on it's total configuration is unique--hence the trademark. Anyone who claims the sound isn't unique needs to have their ears examined (or wait for a straight-piped bike to come by)! Forget about it!

BTW, it doesn't matter who invented a single pin crank or other components. The fact is, that when HD began the application process for a trademark in the early 1990's, they were the ONLY motorcycle company that HAD or WANTED that special sound. Indian was, and is dead! Moreover, at that time, other companies, especially the Japanese were critisizing HD's motors as crude and outdated. Now that the Japanese are on the lumpy sound bandwagon, they're are all indignant about the trademark. As are the rip
ff "boutique" bike makers using carbon-copy EVO clones.

Believe me--I'm crying a river of crocodile tears!

As they say in NY, "Crank this baby"! hehe


 
Response 19 of 33: Marc Gibson (orewing) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (13:32) * 1 lines


Same old stuff ha Brad. By the Way on a different note Crossroads the old standby is back up on line and working. Whats the deal Jon I thought it was gone for good.


 
Response 20 of 33: Brad (Rodehogger) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (14:23) * 3 lines


Great to hear from ya Marc. You must be spending all your time Star gazing in RSTAR! hehe. I'll try the XRoads and see what gives. Thanks for the tip!

Nice to cross your road again!


 
Response 21 of 33: Jon Lind (triumph) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (14:26) * 3 lines


What?????

What address are you using?


 
Response 22 of 33: Frank Susca (Cafe) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (17:13) * 1 lines


I blew off the URL, and when I used "woodstock" & "linus" I got nowhere. Marc or Brad can you post the URL? Again. For what it's worth?


 
Response 23 of 33: El Sam Blob (Afor) * Wed, Dec 10, 1997 (18:25) * 3 lines


O.K., "linus" does NOT WORK!

Hey Marc! Let us in, willya?


SOHC Honda CB750

There was a time when the top dogs who barked the loudest in our town rode oily great British bikes, the likes of Commandos, A10s, Bonnevilles and -- for the lucky few - Tridents. Or they rode Harleys, of course. These machines were the top echelon, most desirable musclebikes, the High Falootin' Hoochy Doochies. Nothing could touch them; you either had one or were relegated to the ranks of flotsam and jetsam. Also-rans. I loved the Commando. I lusted after an A10. I would have climbed Everest for a Trident or a Harley - blindfolded, naked, gagged and manacled with a 200lb backpack. I was twelve years old.

I remember the first Honda CB750K0 that I saw. It was around the time that the immortal words 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' were uttered. This was the future; I was seeing it first hand. If the phrase 'cutting edge technology' had been coined then we'd have attributed it to this bike. As I rushed home from school to catch the day's events on the moon, I was stopped dead in my tracks as I passed the motorcycle showroom window. 
Response 24 of 33: David Poll (pc006) * Thu, Dec 11, 1997 (10:14) * 6 lines


Alot of speculation goin on here. Steve is actually 100% correct:
The biggest reason is that the firing arrangement is 540/180 degrees apart, it is uneven. The first cylinder fires and one and a half crank revolutions (540 degrees) later, the second fires and after another half crank revolution (180), the first fires again.

Dave
Dave's Harley Page
http://www.pipeline.com/~pc006


 
Response 25 of 33: Brad (Rodehogger) * Thu, Dec 11, 1997 (11:04) * 3 lines


Dave, the firing arrangement must be directly influenced by, and related to other motor components and configurations. FOI, could you please elaborate?

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