razer's definitions

high side

Motorcycle roadracing term used to describe a crash in which the bike is leaned over while cornering and flips back up towards the outside (i.e. the high side). A high side usually occurs when rear wheel traction is suddenly lost and the rider's panic causes him to abruptyl close (chop) the throttle. As a result, the rear wheel suddenly and forcefully regains traction, violently flipping the bike away from the direction of lean and throwing the rider skyward. Most racing injuries occur as a result of a high side since the rider has much further to fall.

The flip side of this (no pun intended) is a low side crash. These crashes are usually minor since the rider falls off much closer to the ground.

That clueless squid lost the rear halfway through Turn 7, chopped the throttle and high sided his brand new, chromed out R1 into the hay bales.

by razer December 26, 2006

need for speed

Phrase popularized by Tom Cruise in the film Top Gun and commonly applied to those who enjoy participating in activities involving high velocities, including aviation, sky diving, downhill skiing, and most forms of motorsports.

Motorcycle roadracers share a pathological need for speed.

by razer December 26, 2006

motorcycle roadracers

Participants in the sport and art of motorcycle roadracing. Contrary to popular opinion, most are not wreckless and do not have a death wish, but rather tend to be methodical, analytical and reasonably cautious. Motorcycle roadracing doles out severe physical punishment to those who ride beyond their abilities, and so wreckless tendencies are weeded out in short order. Having said that, it must also be noted that all motorcycle roadracers share an insatiable and inexplicable need for speed.

Top motorcycle roadracers are among the most overlooked and underrated athletes in the world.

by razer December 26, 2006

knee sliders

Formed pieces of hard plastic or compressed leather incorporated onto motorcycle roadracing suits to protect the suit leather from damage while cornering. The sliders are attached to the leather suit towards the outside and just below the knee area of each leg, usually with velcro.

Expert motorcycle roadracers must replace their knee sliders quite often.

by razer December 26, 2006

knee dragging

Term used to describe the act of motorcycle roadracing, in which the rider's inside knee often comes in contact with the track surface while cornering and with the motorcycle leaned over. Knee dragging is more likely when the rider is hanging off of the motorcycle - a technique used to minimize the lean angle of the machine and thereby maximize tire traction. For this purpose, leather roadracing suits incorporate knee pucks (also known as knee sliders) on the outside of each leg, just below the knee.

Billy was knee dragging all over Road Atlanta last weekend.

by razer December 26, 2006

lean angle

Motorcycle roadracing term for the angle between the center plane of the motorcycle and the vertical plane. The more the motorcycle is leaned over, the greater the lean angle. High lean angles are necessary when cornering a motorcycle at high velocity, but too great a lean angle results in loss of traction and often a crash. Riders employ a technique called hanging off in order to alter the rider-motorcycle system's center of mass and thereby minimize the lean angle necessary to negotiate a corner at a given velocity.

Establishing and maintaining the correct amount of lean angle is a balancing act that a motorcycle roadracer must master in order to ride fast.

by razer December 26, 2006

trail braking

Late braking technique used by expert motorcycle roadracers in which the brakes continue to be applied beyond the point at which the motorcycle has been leaned over and has entered the corner. Trail braking is used primarily to delay the onset of braking for a particular corner as long as possible, and thereby overtake another rider. The technique requires a great deal of finesse and skill in order to avoid the loss of front wheel traction, which usually results in a low side crash.

Any attempt at trail braking by a novice rider, although usually unintentional, almost invariably results in a low side crash.

by razer December 26, 2006