Sometimes called chassis stiffness. It relates to how rigid the chassis is in twisting. Imagine a sport utility vehicle that needs to climb over rocks. Those without long suspension movements sometimes have lower torsional rigidity to allow the chassis to respond to uneven ground. A passenger car, on the other hand, should have high torsional rigidity in order to give ... Read More »
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Trick
Particularly in relation to motorcycles — means really cool, really hot, really new and unobtainable/expensive, e.g. a rear brake button on the left handgrip is really trick. Read More »
Unibody Construction
A manufacturing process where sheet metal body parts are combined with stress-bearing elements to form the body and chassis as a single piece, as opposed to attaching body parts to a frame. Also see: Body On Frame Construction Read More »
Yellow Flag
A solid yellow flag is used to slow down the racers in the case of a crash, debris on the course (like car parts), slick fluids on the track or the weather has become a factor with rain. During a yellow flag the pace car, with the top lights flashing, joins up with the race leader and sets a slower ... Read More »
Aerodynamic Stance
In general, the car is lower to the ground. This improves air flow over the car, which reduces drag and allows the car to go faster when it is going in a straight line. This can result in better fuel economy. Additionally, when a car sits low to the ground, it has a low center of gravity. This makes it ... Read More »
Belt Drive
Usually found on Harley Davidsons, a belt drive has notches molded in it and is attached between a sprocket at the transmission output and a sprocket attached to the rear wheel. A belt drive requires no lubrication, so it is one of the cleanest final drive systems. Read More »
Cable-Activated
P>One end of the cable is attached to a lever or pedal. The other end is attached to the drum brakes or the clutch. Squeezing the lever or pressing the pedal will cause the brakes to be activated or the clutch to be disengaged. Read More »
Cladding
Tacky, ugly design elements that American automakers have tended to put all over the outside of their products. Read More »
Cruisers
Harley Davidson motorcycle riders. Read More »
Differential
The gear assembly connected between the driving wheels (or front and rear axle in case of 4WD or AWD) that permits the wheels to turn at different speeds. This is especially important when going around a corner since the inside wheels turn more slowly than the outside wheels. Read More »
