A word which surprised me...
 

I have been away from motorcycles for well over 35 years, just getting back into the wind.

Now that I'm scouring the web (didn't exist then) for bikes and motorcycle knowledge and such, I keep seeing a word which I did not recognize... 'motard'.

I have to tell you, this made me laugh and cringe at the same time. A 'motard' means something very different in the culture I am from. A 'motard' is Marine Corps talk for a person who is, shall we say, excessively motivated. They yell "Ooh-Rah" every five second or "Semper Fi, do or die!" at otherwise inappropriate times and places. They are both motivated, and (sorry, very politically incorrect term here, mentioned for historical accuracy reasons only) retarded. A 'mo-tard' or 'motard'.

I realize it means something very different in the motorcycling world, but every time I see it, I can't help laughing.

It kind of reminds me of another word I used to hear a lot, which changed meanings. Way way back in the day, a 'nimrod' was a person who enjoyed firearms or who was a very good hunter with firearms. Now, a 'nimrod' is an idiot. :hmm:

Motard always got me too. I wonder if it's the European equivalent to "Supermoto"? Basically a dual sport with street tires and rims.

I remember when a Nimrod was one of the first pop-up tent trailers we'd see in campgrounds.

http://www.popupcamperhistory.com/nimrod.html

I'm pretty sure that supermotard is French in origin, and it's equivalent to supermoto in English.

French or German I heard motorcycles called this in Germany

You are correct on this one. And here is what wiki states on it..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermoto

"Supermoto or Supermotard is a motorcycle race on a track that alternates between three kinds of race courses: the hard packed dirt of flat track, the irregular jumps and obstacles of motocross, and the paved tarmac of road racing. Supermoto was originally conceived by Gavin Trippe in 1979 as a segment of the TV show Wide World of Sports. It was something like an all-star game, in which the best riders from the three separate genres of motorcycle racing could temporarily leave their normal race class to come together and compete for the title of best all around racer."

.....and Darkrider just dropped the mic

Supermoto
 

AMERICAN STYLE

http://www.cycleworld.com/american-f...meron-insights