“Keep The Rubber Side Down”

Compression Ratio 

 ”Think of Compression Ratio this way: When the piston is at the bottom of the cylinder, say you could pour 100cc of water into the spark plug hole (both valves closed) and it would be full. When the piston is at the top of its stroke, you can only pour 10cc of water into the hole to fill it. The compression ratio would be 100 to 10 or 10 to 1. That’s about as easy to understand as I can make it. Oops, forgot to say — Higher compression ratios (in general) will let the engine make more power, require higher octane gas and be harder for the starter to turn over.”

Thanks to Bill Woods for this weeks definition.

Hey it’s Sunday and the weather is going to be fantastic in Springfield. I will be riding most of the day, but before I go here’s the biker terms for this week!  have fun today and KTRSD!

 Clutch - Dry: A Dry Clutch is more like the clutch found on an automobile that separates the engine from the transmission. There is a dry connection between the engine and transmission.

Clutch - Wet: A Wet Clutch is one that contains many plates that are in the oil spray of the transmission and the oil gets between the plates. The plates on wet clutches have a tendency to stick together when the bike sits. So, when you start the bike in the morning, before you put it in first gear to move off, depress the clutch lever for about 30 seconds to allow the oil on the plates to drain off and the plates to separate. Otherwise, you’ll get a decided clunk and slight movement forward when you put it in first.

Good Sunday morning to everyone!  Here’s today’s biker term…

Balaclava: A Balaclava is a thin pull-over head and neck cover with eye slits for winter usage under a motorcycle helmet. Pronunciation: Bal-A-Clav’-A • (noun)

Hey Gang!  Hope you are enjoying your Super Bowl Sunday.   Due to the popularity of  “Definitions of Biker Terms”,  we will continue the segment through February.  This feature will be posted every Sunday.  By the way, if you would like to suggest a definition, simply e-mail it to rickslark@yahoo.com.

TODAY’S DEFINITION…

It’s Sunday, and that means it time for another definition of biker terms!  If you have a suggestion for a definition, send it to me at  rickslark@yahoo.com, and I will try to fit it in.  OK, here’s this week’s definition.

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

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

Good Sunday morning to all of you!  In Springfield, the wind chill is nearing 15 below zero.   But don’t feel sorry for me.  I have a roaring fire in the fireplace, a pot of  strong black coffee brewing, my morning paper, and a great Oliva cigar!  I will be just fine.  Every Sunday in the month of January we are doing a feature entitled; ”Definitions of Biker Terms”, here’s this weeks term…

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