British Slang For Motorcycle (Explained!)

Common British slang terms for motorcycle include widespread terms like “motorbike” or just “bike”. These are certainly the most likely terms. Other slang terms used in Britain for motorcycle include things like “ride”, “sled”, “beast” or sometimes endearing terms like “sweetheart” or “precious”. For specific kinds of motorbike you will hear other terms like “chopper”.

Motorcycle culture is perhaps not as strong in Britain as it is in other places like the U.S., but nonetheless there remains a strong biking subculture.

Even for those who are not involved with this, most people are a lot more likely to use a term like “bike” or “motorbike” than they are to use the full term motorcycle.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What do the British call a motorcycle?

The general public are most likely to use a couple of very basic and common slang terms to refer to a motorcycle in Britain.

Firstly, it’s not at all uncommon to hear the term “motorcycle” used in full, although as mentioned this is certainly less common than slang terms.

It’s similar to people using the full term “bicycle” for a push bike–not the most common, but far from rare, either.

So, the most likely slang terms you’ll hear used to refer to motorcycles is either “motorbike” or “bike”.

Of these, “motorbike” is certainly the most common and widely used, given that “bike” is more often used to refer to a pushbike.

To avoid any confusion, then, “motorbike” is the most common and widely used slang term for a motorbike in British slang.

Everyone of every generation and regional dialect uses the term motorbike.

If you are a motorbike enthusiast, then you are probably more likely to use the shorter term bike.

Most other terms used for motorcycles are much more likely to be used by those interested in motorbikes than the general public.

There are a good few of these terms, with “ride” perhaps being the most common.

This is not very commonly used to refer to a car in Britain as it is in the U.S., and is more commonly used as slang for motorcycle.

Again, though, this is not likely to be used by the general public.

The same is true of a great many other terms the British use, such as “sled”, “beast” or “sweetheart” which are often used by motorcyclists.

Finally, you also have specific terms for certain kinds of motorbike.

“Chopper” is the most common and widely known of these for a Harley Davidson style motorbike.

“Hog,” similarly, is sometimes used in Britain though not very commonly.

Why do the British say “motorbike”?

Motorbike is a fairly old term for a motorcycle and an understandably natural slang abbreviation of the full word.

Though you don’t really save a lot of time by shortening motorcycle to motorbike, many simply feel it is a nicer and more succinct sounding slang term than the full word.

This slang is first recorded in 1903, and is simply a conjoining of “motor” and “bike”.

It’s not much more complicated than that!

Why do the British say “bike”?

“Bike” is something of a trickier case because it is only going to be used in cases where there is no confusion that you mean a motorcycle rather than a pushbike.

In any case, “bike” was actually an American term referring to a bicycle rather than a motorcycle.

This was first recorded in 1882 and quickly became a common abbreviation for bicycle in Britain.

Naturally, a motorcycle is also a “bicycle” in the sense that they generally have two wheels.

It was perfectly natural, then, to also refer to motorcycles using this term.

Why do the British say “ride”?

“Ride” is not the most common slang term for motorcycle in British English but it is certainly widely used at least among bona fide bikers.

Ultimately, this term derives from horse riding.

While of course you could also perfectly acceptably say you “ride” on the back of a motorbike, the reason this term was ever used in this way was because of horses and horse riding.

It is first recorded as referring to any motor vehicle in the 1930s, such as “my ride” which is still used today for cars as well as motorbikes.

But this all came from the fact that horse riding was the only form of transportation before cars.

You “ride” animals in a way that is different from motorbikes.

What else do the British call motorbikes?

Beyond the terms mentioned, in certain circles you may hear other terms used.

This might include terms like “my sweetheart” or even “my old lady,” old biker terms used to endearingly refer to motorcycles they have ridden for a very long time–people certainly get very attached to their vehicles.

As mentioned, the other terms you’re likely to hear will relate to specific kinds of motorbike.

“Hog” is sometimes used though it is a lot more common in America–”chopper” to refer to big motorcycles–”dirt bike” to refer to the kinds of motorbike used for dirt rallies and similar sports activities.

Given the perceived relationship between biking culture and parts of American culture, it’s not surprising that the vast majority of the terms you’ll hear used to describe motorcycles in Britain are either directly borrowed from or at least shared with U.S. slang.

Most slang terms used in Britain for motorbikes are also widely used in the U.S., though certain terms can have different connotations depending on the circumstances.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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