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MOTORCYCLE INJURY LEGAL GLOSSARY |
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Glossary of
Motorcycle Injury Law Terms
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Cafe Racer: A Cafe Racer is a style of
bike popularized in London in the '50s where bikers wanted a fast, personalized
and distinctive bike to travel from cafe to cafe. Many Cafe Racer bikes have
distinctive small low-cut fairings.
Cam: A metal shaft with oval
"lobes" that rotates to open the valves in a four-stroke engine.
Carburetor: A mechanical device found on
the intake side of the engine which mixes fuel and air to create the volatile
mixture that gets ignited in the engine.
Casualty: A loss of property due to fire,
storm shipwreck or other casualty, which is allowable as a deduction in
computing taxable income.
Cause of Action: The plaintiff's legal
claim against the defendant. There is often more than one cause of action in a
lawsuit.
Chaps: Chaps are a great clothing
accessory designed for protection. They're usually made of leather and are
fastened around the waist, with an open back. They snap at the ankles and zip
down the legs.
Chopper: A cruiser style bike that has a
lot of the pieces of the bike "chopped off." The riders of the '60s
did everything they could to customize their bikes and make them go faster.
Thus, much of the existing bikes they bought were chopped off. The bikes in the
movie "Easy Rider" are examples.
Civil Law: That part of the law which
governs relationships between people where there is no criminal activity
involved.
Clip Ons: Handlebars that are clamped
around the top of the fork tubes, rather than bolted to the top triple-tree.
This lowers a rider's upper body on the front of the motorcycle for a racier
body position.
Co-Defendant: A defendant joined together
with one or more other defendants in the same case.
Common Law: Body of law that has grown
based on the decisions of courts long ago. It originated in England and has
since passed to the United States. It is always changing to reflect the current
needs society.
Comparative Negligence: A defense to
negligence used when it is believed that the plaintiff's negligence contributed
to his or her injuries. Based on the amount of negligence by each party, the
amount of damages is adjusted accordingly.
Complaint: A pretrial document filed in a
court by one party against another that states a grievance, called a "cause
of action."
Contingency Fee Agreement: An agreement
between an attorney and their client, which allows the attorney to be paid only
if the client prevails in a lawsuit and collects monetary damages. The lawyer
then receives a percentage of the damages, generally 1/3 of the award.
Contributory Negligence: A defense to
negligence, which points out that the plaintiff's negligence contributed to his
or her injuries. Contributory negligence is an absolute bar to the plaintiff's
recovery against the defendant.
Co-Rider: An enclosure on the front of the
bike containing the windshield and affording wind protection to the rider. Can
be attached to the frame and not move or be attached to the fork and move as the
handlebars are turned.
Counterbalancer: A weight in the engine
that spins with the rpm to smooth out engine vibrations.
Counterclaim: A demand by the defendant
against the plaintiff asserting an independent cause of action in the same
lawsuit.
Countersteering: The input a motorcyclist
gives to the handlebars in order to steer: push the right handlebar to go right,
or push the left handlebar to go left.
Crotch Rocket: A term some people use to
describe a high performance sport bike motorcycle.
Cruiser: A style of motorcycle generally
equipped with a low seat and pullback handlebars. This style of bike
predominantly stems from the customizing of standard American motorcycles in the
'60s and '70s.
Custom Motorcycles: For many
motorcyclists, the choices provided by the motorcycle manufacturers do not
provide enough variety to match the personalities of the riders. For this
reason, many customize their bikes or hire customizers to do the work for them.
Many of these customs are entered in shows and win prizes. Customs can easily
cost twice the selling price of the original bike.
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information contained within this personal injury site is of a general nature
and is not meant to be a restatement of any rules of law. Your
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Injury Law
Glossary.
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