What's the difference between motorcycle, cycle, motorbike and bi

Jose   Monday, August 02, 2004, 02:20 GMT
What's the difference between ''motorcycle'', ''cycle'', ''motorbike'' and ''bike''?
Mi5 Mick   Monday, August 02, 2004, 02:54 GMT
They can all mean the same thing ie. a motor vehicle. However, cycle and bike can mean "bicycle" (non-motorised) depending on context.
Ryan   Monday, August 02, 2004, 03:50 GMT
"Bike" is more likely to mean "bicycle" in the United States than it is to mean "motorcycle." The word "cycle" is used most often in the form "cycling," which is a shortened form of "bicycling," meaning the sport of riding a self-propelled two-wheeled vehicle.
Julian   Monday, August 02, 2004, 07:17 GMT
For some reason I know way too many people who are motorcycle enthusiasts, and more often than not, they refer to motorcycles as "bikes". So now, whenever someone tells me that they went biking over the weekend (or worked on their bike or shopped for some parts for their bikes), I naturally assume that they mean motorcycle, not bicycle. If I'm not quite sure what they're referring to (which has happened a few times), then I ask right up front what exactly they mean by "bike". It can get awfully confusing sometimes.