FREESTYLE MOTOCROSS (FMX) GLOSSARY

Bar Check -  When a rider grabs the handlebars during a trick, usually to straiten them out before a "no handed landing" or because the rider is losing control of the bike.

Case - When a rider comes up short on a jump, and the 'cases' of the bike (the underside of the bike, between the front and rear wheels) land on the crest of the landing. If approached properly, a 'case' can be ridden away from safely, without a crash.

Clickers- The screws on the top and bottom of your forks  and shock that control the amount of damping your suspension's compression and rebound circuits receive. (See owners manual for setup details. )

Commit - when you dedicate your self to doing a trick in the air withought hesitation.

Dead Sailor - When a rider jumps and does not do a trick while in the air.

Double Jump -An obstacle made up of two mounds of dirt, where the bike and rider take off from one mound of dirt and land on the back side of the next mound of dirt.

Freestyle jump - Any jump which is used with the intent of attemping a trick.

Gap - any jump which features a measureable amount of  distance between the base of the takeoff, and base of the landing. I.E., a tabletop would not have a 'gap'.

Grab Hole - a hole cut in the plastic bodywork on a dirtbike that is used to grab during a freestyle trick such as a superman seat grab.

Hip Jump - A motorcycle jump in which the landing is at an angle compared to the take off, and the rider must whip the bike in order to make the landing.

Jump - Terrain that is used to throw the rider into the air, usually a sloped mound of dirt.  Generally, the term jump applies to an earth-oriented takeoff.

Kicker - A jump which  is short and steep, generally throwing the rider over the bars if not attempted in the correct manner.

Kink - A jump or runway to a jump with a slight and sudden corner in it.  See Hip jump

KOD - An acronym, short for "Kiss Of Death", a freestyle trick invented by Ryan Leyba and perfected by Mike Jones.

Landing - Term which describes the wooden, metal, or earth terrain which the rider comes in contact with as a direct result of gravity bringing the bike and rider down to the ground.  They are generally designed to  soak up the force of the motorcycle and rider as they approach the earth.

Lip - The final take-off angle of a jump or ramp. After a motorcycle compresses its suspension in the 'sweet spot' of a ramp, it decompresses off of the lip. Sometimes the term 'lip' is used to describe a curve in the final angle of a ramp.

Panic Rev - When a rider pulls back on the throttle in order to 'rev' the motor and speed up the rear wheel, therefore pitching the bike upward.

Pop - The amount of lift a motorcycle encounters when taking off of a ramp. A ramp or jump with more 'pop' will throw the bike and rider higher into the air at a faster rate.

Preload - When the suspension is compressed on the face of the jump/ramp. The decompression of the suspension as the bike leaves the lip gives the bike and rider more lift into the air.

 
Ramp- A term used for any type of terrain that is used to throw a motorcycle and rider into the air. Generally, the term ramp applies to wooden or metal takeoff.

Rebound- When the suspension on a motorcycle decompresses, or extends. In freestyle motocross, the suspensions rebound has a large influence on how the bike is throwin into the air off of a jump. The faster the rebound, the more 'pop' a motorcycle will get. If the rebound on the forks differs dramatically from that of the shocks' rebound, the motorcycle may leave the ground nose high or even worse, nose low.  The rebound speed is controlled by your springs, and your "clickers".

Safety -  The flat or slighty rounded area of a landing just before the downslope which is intended to help riders who are coming up short on a jump. The idea of the safety is to help absorb the impact by keeping the rear wheel (or front wheel in some cases!) from droping below the downslope portion of the landing ramp. Usually the top and backside of a safety is constructed of dirt that is softer than the landing, so that it will break apart and absorb the crash on impact.

Six Pack - A series of jumps (six total) which make up the take off and landing jumps for three double jumps, or two triple jumps.

Steering stabilizer - a piece of equipment which mounts to the handlebars of the bike and is primarily used by off-road riders to help absorb "speed wobble", or "head shake". Used by freestyle riders to keep the handlebars strait during no handed landings.

Sweet Spot - A term which is thrown around in the motorcycle industry. With freestyle motocross, the term is oftentimes used to describe the portion of a ramp with the most drastic curve or increase in angle, and gives the bike the most preload.

Trick - when a rider moves his body or bike in the air, only for sheer enjoyment of the 'feeling' he/she gets.

Triple Jump - an obstacle made up of three mounds of dirt, where the bike and rider take off from the first mound and land on the backside of the third mound, completely clearing the second mound between the first and third.

Walking On - When an FMX rider does a trick involving both grab holes on the bike, or the rider must grab two things on the bike in order to complete the trick. Instead of letting go of the handlebars at the same time and grabbing simultaneously, the rider removes one hand at a time, and grabs one object/grabhole before the other, and comes back on the bike in the same mannner. 

Whip -  A trick where the rider moves his bike to either side in the air, turning the bike in a certain direction while the bike is traveling another direction through the air.  Sometimes the bike may be somewhat sideways or 'tabletopped' during a whip, hence the term "laying the bike flat."