Glossary

Air cooled engines simply rely on air flow over their finnned (heat sinks) cylinder heads. Not ideal for stop-start traffic. Some engines have a fan (but not an actual radiator) to assist with heat transfer. The absence of a radiator generally means a cheaper, lighter and more maintainable bike.

A cinder switch is a slang term for the thermostatic switch circuit which ensures that the cooling fan of the radiator of some bike models turns on, even if the motorcycle itself is switched off. It is not generally manually operable but rather a circuit. The term "cinder" means for your bike not to catch fire and burn to a cinder, and may stem for earlier terminology to do with trains but that's lost in antiquity.

Fairing is an outer shell covering, to varying extents, the frame of some motorcycles, particlarly racing motorcycles and sports bikes, with the primary purpose to reduce the air drag (and let's face it - looking good). There are various colloquial terms that describe different styles of fairing.

A motorcycle imported to a country without necessarily being supported by the manufacturer. The main problem with this is obtaining service, parts, and after-sales support in general (e.g. workshop manuals). There may also be local registration issues such as emissions or safety standards.

Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS).

Liquid cooled (typically water or water-based coolant) engines operate much like a car radiator. Many liquid cooled motorcycles have a small fan attached to the radiator which is thermostatically controlled (you can often hear them whirring after you cut off the engine). Water-cooled bikes are generally beter in stop-start traffic. There appears to be a trend towards liquid cooling for both reducing emissions and attaining maximum power.

A motorcycle without fairing, hence "naked".

A thumper is a big single cylinder engine motorcycle (hence the thumping noise). They tend to be biased towards lots of torque over outright sprinting power.