L.A. SPEAK

Random slang of motorcycle racers:

cherry picking v . when an expert rider enters a lower-division race to score an easy win. “He went out there to go cherry picking but wasn’t even in the hunt.”

gap v . to pull ahead of another rider. “You were gapping him down the back straightaway.”

hook up v . to get traction. “It was hooking up real good until the rear tire went off.” Syn. bite.

in the hunt to be a strong contender. “He’ll be in the hunt if he doesn’t throw it away.”

motor v . to outpower another rider. “He motored me out of the turns.”

overcook v . to go too fast. “He overcooked it going into turn three and lost it.”

puke v . to blow up an engine. “I was just pulling out of his draft when the motor puked. “

squid n. an unskilled rider who rides too fast. “If you take the Angeles Crest Highway, watch out for the squid. “

thrash v . to crash. “I lost the front end and thrashed it bad.”

traffic n . groups of slower riders. “He got away from me going through traffic. “

under the paint: tucking close to the motorcycle’s gas tank to reduce wind resistance. “She really got under the paint to take those curves.”