Where did the term rice burner come from?

Question

I first heard the term in The Bronx, NY The large hispanic community there used to have these low rider corollas that they pieced together. They would throw uncooked rice into the muffler to make it sound loud. The result was a muffler full of burned rice so we called them rice burners. They'd build the cars to go race at Hunts Point so they got the name rice rockets as well. How did that name come over into sport bikers?

Answer 1

I would imagine it is more to do with the Japanese diet of rice.

Answer 2

OMG!  I can't believe that you don't know this!  Japanese built/manufactured "motorcycles have been called  "rice burners" since The first honda was imported into this country, way before the hispanic communities were calling their "low-riders" rice burners.

The reference was due to the fact that most people of this country were under the impression that the staple food in japan was rice!  ergo the term "rice burner!

Answer 3

here its the asians, they get those boxy camerys and put crappy mufflers on 4 cylinder motors, they think there so cool,

because asians eat rice, thats what me and my friends thought

Answer 4

Old term quite dated. (once used for anything from Japan with a gas motor not just cars and bikes-pre WW II)

Some other Country of Origin (for manufacturer not country where built) nick names for bikes are:

Rice Grinder-any Nippon bike (Nippon is Japanese name of Japan) like Honda

Saki Sucker- High performance j*p sport bike like  a Ninja

Spaghetti Bender or Spaghetti Splitter- Italian Bike like Guzi

Brat Buster or k***t Krapper- German bike like BMW

Kielbasa Krusher- any non Russian East European bike like Jawa (also included East German bikes built before re-unification)

The Queen's Own- (the UK isn't really known for a particular food) any Brit bike like Norton (also includes Indian built Royal Enfields)

ALSO

Tojo's revenge- j*p bike with problems

Hitler's revenge- Bad running BMW

Queens revenge- any Brit bike with problems other than electrical (gotta blame Lucas for that)

These terms stay with bikes built in other countries also. (Some Honda's built in Ohio are still Rice Grinders, Jawa built in Mexico is still a KK, and Enfield built in India is still the Queen's own) And yes in this instance these words use the K instead of the common C spelling! (Krusher and Krapper)

Answer 5

its because crotch rockets are made in japan and the stereotype for Asians is they eat rice for ever meal. so HD riders think its cute to call crotch rockets rice rockets along with j*p craps

Answer 6

I always imagine it was first uttered by some hick, with a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth, commenting on the state of affairs in the USA and how the Japanese are taking over.

It's a stupid expression - and you sound stupid (to anyone with even a little education) when you say it.

Answer 7

The 'rice' reference has been around a lot longer than you and I both.  Get used to it, it ain't going anywhere.  There is a nick-name for just about everything out there. Some you will like, some you won't.  I ride a Harley, not a tractor...or I ride a sport bike, not a croth rocket....some will agree with me, some won't....doesn't matter either way.

Answer 8

Burning rice...

Almost funny.  Almost.

Good Luck....

Answer 9

well there were times were Japanes built cars were called rice burners because rice is one of main food eaten in Asia. The term should say that those cars/bikes are not REAL cars but would serve better for cooking rice.

Another term used her is (plastic) rice bowl - especially for bikes in pseudo race trim.

Answer 10

because you have to put 2 letter P's in to spell japp c**p or else yahoo edits it to stars, we will as easily call the import stuff rice burners.  why yahoo thinks japp without the exta P is bad is beyond me, but it's also beyond me why people support the japp economy instead of their own

Answer 11

Once upon a time there were a bunch of old guys on shiny chrome bikes that went 100 tops, they called them Harleys. They have long beards, smell like weed, and wear skull caps. Yet they still say their classy and ride around at 11pm by peoples houses on "burn rides" with their illegally loud pipes and wake everybody up.

Now, guys and girls wanted to be weekend warriors like them so they go buy one of these overpriced motorcycles and feel that they have to put stickers all over their cars and trucks, wear sweatshirts and brag about their Harley. They ride about 200 miles a year. This is how Harley became famous and known today. Watch out for Harleys bad but classy marketing scheme kids!

Answer 12

I always thought it was an anti-Japanese, not-so-nice term from the 60's and 70's referring to any car or bike that was made in Japan. The implication being that the Japanese eat a lot of rice, so their autos and bikes must eat rice, too.