I was told the following long ago by a biker I used to work with.
"CB" stands for "commuter bike".
"CBX" is commuter bike, extra. In other words they bung a few extra features such as anti dive brakes on a CB and call it a CBX.
"CBR" is a more obviously more racey than a commuter bike.
"VF" is vee four (which makes sense since VT's are vee twins).
Again, a "VFR" is a slightly raced up version of a VF.
"GP" is general purpose. At least when used by Suzuki. Not sure what it means when Kawasaki use it.
Don't know about GSX though. Or TL for that matter.
My bike doesn't leak oil; it marks its territory.
Interestingly outside work today is a yamaha YB6, early 70's commuter style, when at school a mate had a yamaha YDS5 or 6, which went to become the RD250 next model on. Try to make that one out.
Unfortunately, not.
The CB designation came out in the 60s. At that stage Honda made several variants of their bikes. For instance, the 305 cc Dream was the C77, with pressed steel frame and leading link forks. The same engine in a cradle frame with proper forks became the CB77. In street scrambler mode the CL77 (I think). There was a CA77 in there too. I think that may have been the USA version of hte C77.
So the "commuter" was just 'C'. Then they dropped the fressed steel frames, and switched to tube cradles for the commuters. Those became CD, eg CD175.
The X in CBX indicated DOHC. (I think in Suzuki's GSXR it indicates water cooled)
The R and RR pretended to indicate Race or Race Replica.
CP indicated a Police model
Originally Posted by skidmark
Originally Posted by Phil Vincent
Ixion, you forgot the CL (Street Scrambler) and CT (CunTy sTepThrough?) models.
Oh - and the CG (as in CG125 and CG150). As in fully enclosed Chain Guard?
And then there was the MT and MB models (two smokers), the GLs, and those funky CX v-twins.
... and that's what I think.
Or summat.
Or maybe not...
Dunno really....![]()
No, I mentioned the CL77.
CT, twin transmission ie hi/low range I think
I have a suspicion that the CG models indicated non Japan origin. I think the system broke down and pretty well collapsed in later years.
Originally Posted by skidmark
Originally Posted by Phil Vincent
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