Motorcycle Glossary

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RAKE- The angle the forks are from perpendicular, usually expressed in degrees.

RAT BIKE- A motorcycle that's been kept running by any means possible, usually with mismatched parts and minimal maintenance

REASONABLE CARE- The standard of care in negligence cases; the duty to act reasonably so as to avoid harming others.

REDLINE- The maximum number of revolutions per minute an engine can run before damage occurs. The name is derived from the actual red line manufacturers typically put on the tachometer.

REMAND- The decision of an appellate court to send a case back to the trial court with instructions on how to correctly decide the case; often used with the term “reversed.” Reversed means that the appellate court overturned the trial court’s decision.

REMEDIES- Relief that the plaintiff receives from the defendant in a lawsuit. Often this will include monetary damages or equitable relief (i.e. injunctions).

RESPONDENT- The party that won at trail.

ROAD RASH- A term used to define injuries to the skin when a rider falls or is thrown from the motorcycle and lands or slides on the pavement. One reason riders wear full-face helmets, gloves, leather jackets, chaps, and boots is to minimize Road Rash. Let the leather suffer the Road Rash. 

ROOST- The debris kicked up by a spinning rear wheel. Used as a verb, to leave someone behind.

RPM- Revolutions per minute. A term used to describe how fast a motor is spinning. Also known as "revs."

RUB (rich urban biker)- Rubies are the newly-emerged sector of over-40 bikers.