Motorcycle pet names from four places: the parts of the bike, the kinds of bike, the ride and the garage. Each card says what the word means or why it suits a pet.
Read the full guide
Fit the name to the pet
After a press, the list under the button picks the kind of word. Its last entry, More filters, opens a second row: For a big dog keeps the heavy names: Piston, Flywheel, Chopper, Torque and Horsepower. For a small pet keeps Sprocket, Tappet, Shim, Moped and Sidecar, a one-wheeled device fixed to the side of a motorcycle.
The four kinds of word
Parts of the bike gives Axle, Spoke and Fairing, the shell over the frame of a motorcycle. Kinds of bike gives Cruiser, Trike and Scooter. The ride gives Hairpin, Apex and Tailwind, and The garage gives Wrench, Ratchet and Rivet, a metal pin that joins two plates for good.
Questions and answers
What are good motorcycle names for a dog?
For a big dog: Piston, Chopper, Torque, Flywheel or Horsepower. For a small one: Sprocket, the toothed wheel that the drive chain runs on, Tappet, Moped or Lug Nut, a nut that holds a wheel on.
What is a biker name for a cat?
Clutch, Idle and Slick, a racing tire with a smooth tread, sit well on a cat. Muffler is the device that makes the exhaust quieter, and Pillion is the seat behind the rider, for a cat who rides on your shoulder.
Why is no motorcycle brand on the list?
This site does not hand out makers' names or model names as pet names. The list keeps to parts, kinds of bike, riding words and garage tools, which belong to everybody.
Do these work as a pet name for a motorcycle too?
Yes. Wheelie, Outrider, Knobby and Kickstart suit a machine as well as an animal. The lines on the cards are written with a dog or a cat in mind, so some of the jokes are about walks and sofas.
BlinkerThe turn signal, for a pet who cannot decide which way to go.
BungeeThe stretchy cord that holds the luggage on, for a pet who springs back.
CarbShort for carburetor, the device that mixes air and fuel for the engine.
ClutchThe device that lets the engine's turning shaft be disconnected from the one it drives.
CogOne tooth on a gear wheel.
CrankShort for crankshaft, the shaft that the pistons turn.
FairingThe shell over the frame of a motorcycle that cuts the drag of the air.
FlywheelA heavy wheel that stores the energy of its own spinning.
FootpegWhere the rider's boot rests, for a pet who sits on your feet.
GasketA seal that fills the gap between two engine parts.
GearboxFive speeds, and this pet uses the top one indoors.
GudgeonThe gudgeon pin joins the piston to its connecting rod.
HandlebarThe bar the rider steers with.
KickstandThe leg that holds a parked bike upright.
KickstartA way to start the engine by pushing a lever down with your foot.
KnobbyNamed for the knobby tire, for a pet with big paws and a taste for mud.
MudguardThe curved cover over a wheel that keeps the mud off the rider.
MufflerThe device that makes the exhaust quieter.
PillionThe seat behind the rider, and the passenger who sits on it.
PipesWhat riders call the exhaust, for a pet who makes itself heard.
PistonThe part that moves up and down inside an engine's cylinder.
SaddlebagOne of the bags that are attached to the saddle.
SidecarA one-wheeled device fixed to the side of a motorcycle, which makes three wheels in all.
SlickA racing tire with a smooth tread.
Spark PlugThe plug whose spark sets off the fuel in the engine.
SpokeOne of the thin rods that run from the hub of a wheel to its rim.
SprocketThe toothed wheel that the drive chain runs on.
SwingarmThe arm that holds the rear wheel to the frame and lets it move up and down.
TachShort for tachometer, the dial that shows how fast the engine is turning.
TailpipeThe last thing you see as this pet leaves the room.
TappetA small part of the valve train that turns the cam's spin into a push.
ThrottleThe control that lets more or less fuel and air into the engine.
Kinds of bike 11
BaggerA touring motorcycle with saddlebags.
Cafe RacerA light, quick style of motorcycle that began with British riders in the early 1960s.
ChopperA custom motorcycle with a long, stretched-out front end.
CruiserA motorcycle in the style of American machines from the 1930s to the early 1960s.
Dirt BikeA motorcycle built for riding off the road.
Dual-SportA street-legal motorcycle built for riding both on and off the road.
MinibikeA small motorized two-wheeler for riding off the highway.
MopedA small motorcycle, at first one with bicycle pedals.
PocketbikeA two-wheeler about a quarter the size of a regular motorcycle.
ScooterA motorcycle with a step-through frame and a platform for the feet.
TrikeA motorcycle with three wheels.
The ride 30
ApexThe point on the inside of a bend that a racing line touches.
BackroadThe long way home, taken on purpose.
BikerFor the pet who rides in the sidecar and looks the part.
BurnoutSpinning the back wheel on the spot until the tire smokes.
BywayA quiet road that goes nowhere in a hurry.
CloverleafThe looping highway junction, for a pet who turns three circles before lying down.
DetourFor a pet who never takes the straight way to the bowl.
EnduroA long race on motorcycles across rough country.
Full TankFed, watered and ready to go a long way.
GauntletA long riding glove, for a pet with one dark front leg.
GogglesFor a pet with rings around its eyes.
GravelFor a pet with a rough coat and a rougher voice.
HairpinA bend in the road so tight that it doubles back on itself.
HighwayFor the dog with its head out of the window at seventy.
IdleAn engine running with nothing to do. Also this pet, most afternoons.
LeathersWhat a rider wears, for a dog with a tough hide.
Open RoadNothing ahead but the walk.
OutriderThe one who rides out ahead of the others.
Pit StopA short halt in a race for fuel and tires, and every tree on the walk.
RedlineThe red mark on the rev counter, for a pet with one speed: flat out.
RiderThe one in the saddle.
Road CaptainThe rider at the front of a group ride, for a dog who must lead the walk.
SkidHow this pet takes the corner on a wooden floor.
StoppieA trick where the back wheel lifts as the front brake goes on.
TailwindThe wind at your back, for a pet who runs faster on the way home.
TwistyA road with one bend after another, the kind riders go looking for.
VisorThe clear shield on a helmet, for a pet with a dark stripe over its eyes.
VroomThe sound of the thing, said by a child.
WheelieA trick where the front wheel comes off the ground.
WingmanRides beside you and never falls behind.
The garage 31
DentA small one, in the tank. Nobody knows who did it.
DynoShort for dynamometer, the machine that measures an engine's torque and speed.
FunnelEverything poured near this pet ends up in this pet.
Hex KeySmall, bent and never where you left it.
HorsepowerA unit of power.
Jump StartWhat this pet gives you at six in the morning.
LacquerThe shine on top of the paint, for a glossy coat.
Lug NutA nut that holds a wheel on.
MalletA hammer with a soft head, for a pet who knocks things over gently.
PetrolWhat the British put in the tank.
PinstripeA very thin line of paint, laid on by hand to finish a tank or a fender.
PliersFor a pet who gets hold of a sock and will not let go.
PrimerThe first gray coat before the paint, for a gray pet.
RatchetA device that lets a thing turn one way and not the other.
RivetA metal pin that joins two plates for good.
ScuffThe mark on the boot, the wall and the door.
ShammyThe soft cloth that polishes the chrome, for a pet who rubs against everything.
ShimA thin slip of material that fills a small gap.
SocketA socket wrench fits over a nut like a cup.
SolderA soft metal melted to join wires.
SpannerWhat the British call a wrench.
TinkerFor the one who is always in the garage, getting in the way.
Tire IronHeavy, plain and useful.
ToolboxHeavy, rattles and is always in the way.
TorqueTurning force: what a wrench puts on a bolt and an engine puts on a wheel.
Two-StrokeAn engine that finishes its power cycle in two strokes of the piston.
ViseA tool with two jaws that holds a part still while you work on it.
WasherThe small flat ring under the nut. Easy to lose.
WeldA join that will not come apart, for a pet who is stuck to your side.
WorkbenchSolid, low and covered in things that are not its own.
WrenchA tool that grips a nut or bolt to turn it.
How this list was compiled
Own list of 105 pet names from the world of motorcycles, written for this page on 2026-10-02; the choice of names and every line are ours. Kinds: 33 parts of the bike, 11 kinds of bike, 30 riding words, 31 garage words. Each name is also marked for a big dog (67), for a small pet (82) or for both, which is our own judgment of how the word sounds. 57 cards say what a part, a kind of bike, a trick or a tool is; each was read that day in the opening section of its English Wikipedia article (the whole article Types of motorcycles for Dirt Bike and Bagger; English Wiktionary for cog and spanner; CC BY-SA 4.0). The other lines are jokes of ours. Makers' names and model names are left out: on the same day every name was searched as a whole word in Wikipedia's list of motorcycle manufacturers and in its lists of makers' models, and a name was taken off when a production model, a trim or an engine carries the word by itself. Everyday words for a kind of machine or its rider (cruiser, trike, scooter, cafe racer, enduro, rider) stayed, although some model names include one of them. The fact lines were read again against the same sources on 2026-10-03. Licence: The names, the groups and the lines are our own work. Facts on the cards draw on English Wikipedia and English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).