Glossary

Accelerate
increasing speed.

Adjacent direction
coming from the left or right, across your path.

Approaching
getting closer to, from any direction.

BAC
blood alcohol concentration given as grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Blind spot (see also head check)
area beside and behind that is not seen in mirrors.

Buffer/Buffering
positioning the motorcycle to create maximum space around you, away from hazards.

Certificate of competency
certificate issued on successful completion of the Advanced level of the Rider Safe course.

Colliding
crashing into.

Crash avoidance space
the space a rider needs in order to prevent a potential crash.

Combination (motorcycle and sidecar)
a motorcycle with a sidecar attached (also known as an outfit).

Compulsory
necessary, required, must do.

Contact patch (tyre)
the part of the tyre that is in contact with the road.

Covering the brakes
where the rider's fingers are over the front brake lever and their toes over the rear brake pedal without activating the brakes. See also setting up the brakes.

Counter steering
The action of applying slight pressure on the handlebar in the opposite direction of the turn to cause the motorcycle to lean into the turn.

Direct steering
the action of turning the handlebars in the direction you want the motorcycle to turn.

DIT
Department for Infrastructure and Transport.

Dual purpose motorcycle
motorcycle made to ride on sealed or unsealed roads (see trail motorcycles).

Fairing
bodywork designed to deflect wind.

Fatigue
the experience of feeling sleepy, tired or exhausted. Fatigue affects your body and your ability to ride safely.

Footpeg
pegs attached to the motorcycle to support your feet.

Friction point
where the clutch begins to transmit drive to the rear wheel.

Full face helmet
a helmet fitted with a visor that has inbuilt chin protection and so covers all of the rider's face.

Goggles
eye protection that covers and forms a seal around the eyes.

Hazard
any object or feature, fixed or moving, that contains an element of actual or potential danger.

Head check
looking over the shoulder to the left or right to make sure that nothing is in the blind spot. Also known as a shoulder check.

Hoon riding
includes drag racing, burnouts, doughnuts, wheelies, burning rubber, excessive noise.

Intersection
where two or more roads meet or join.

Lane
an area of road marked by continuous or broken lines, designed for use by a signal line of traffic.

Lane Filtering
Lane filtering is when a motor bike rider travels at low speed between two lines of stationary or slow moving traffic travelling in the same direction.

Lean angle
how far the motorcycle leans in a corner or turn.

Lean in
the physical movement of the riders upper body into the turn and slightly forward so that the motorcycle lean angle is reduced.

Lean out
the physical movement of the riders upper body away from the turn to allow the motorcycle lean angle to increase and tighten a turning circle.

Lean with
where the rider leans at approximately the same angle as the motorcycle.

Learner Approved Motorcycle (LAM)
a motorcycle of a kind included in a list published by DIT from time to time on its Internet website and also available from Customer Service Centres, and has an engine capacity that is not greater than 660 ml and a power to weight ratio that is not greater than 150 kilowatts per tonne.

Multi laned road
a road with more than one lane in the same direction.

Must
a mandatory requirement.

Oncoming
a vehicle approaching, and travelling in the opposite direction.

Outfit
refer combination

Overtaking
to pass a vehicle travelling in the same direction as you.

Pannier
luggage boxes fitted to the sides of the motorcycles.

Pillion
a seat or space for a motorcycle passenger.

Pot holes
holes in the road surface.

Power to weight ratio
engine power (in kilowatts) to weight of motorcycle (in tonnes), including the rider.

Pressure (tyre)
the measure of how hard a tyre is inflated.

Protective clothing
clothing designed to reduce rider injury and fatigue.

Rack
carrying tray/frame.

Rev
to increase engine speed.

Revs
engine speed measured in RPM (Revolutions Per Minute).

Rider Safe
a compulsory rider training course for learner riders in South Australia.

Road
an area that is opened to or used by the public and is developed for, or has as one of its main uses the driving or riding of motor vehicles.

Road related area
includes an area that divides a road, a footpath, nature strip, cycleway and parking areas.

Road motorcycle
motorcycle made primarily to ride on sealed roads.

Scanning
moving the eyes to different areas to build up a picture of events.

Screen
windscreen.

Setting up the brakes
the action of taking the freeplay out of the front and rear brake levers (see two stage braking).

Should
a recommendation, advice.

Sidecar
a wheeled attachment fitted to the left side of a motorcycle (see combination).

Size (engine)
usually measured in millilitres or cubic centimetres.

Skid
when a tyre loses grip on the road surface.

Special purpose motorcycle
motorcycle designed for racing and other specific purposes, often unable to be registered.

Speed limit
the legal maximum speed for any particular stretch of road, licence or vehicle.

Speeding
excessive or inappropriate speed, including not adjusting your speed to suit the conditions or speed limit.

Speed limit
the legal speed for any particular stretch of road, licence or vehicle.

Squeeze (brakes)
progressively applying more pressure to the brake levers (see two stage braking).

Stationary
not moving.

Suspension
front forks, rear shock absorbers, springs.

Swerving
quickly turning in one direction.

Tailgater
someone who follows other vehicles too closely to be safe.

Three-second gap
a space between vehicles big enough for three seconds of time to pass between them.

Throttle
a control used to vary the motorcycle's engine speed.

Traction
grip between a tyre and the ground.

Trail motorcycles
motorcycles built primarily for riding on unsealed roads.

Tread
the pattern of rubber on the surface of a tyre that grips the road.

Two stage braking
a braking technique consisting of setting up and squeezing the brake levers.

U-turn
a complete change of direction, approximately a 180 degree turn.

Visor
clear, plastic shield on the front of a helmet designed to protect your face.

Wheel track
the mark on the road made by other vehicles' tyres.