Strictly speaking, the use of codes letters to define different model isnt an acronym which term usually applies to the replacement of words with their capital letters. Nor were the Japanese the fist to use the system. Although the fading British industries of the 1960s generally relied on machine names, as did Italian models, letters designations were nothing new to Harley-Davidson and many others.
But what the Japanese and the success of their machines did archives, was the installation of coded model designations into popular parlance so much so that they became, and remain today, part of the motorcyclists everyday lexicon.
HONDA
Despite suggestions that CB stands for city bike, it designates cross beam, i.e. transverse engine. The X was added to denote four (instead of two) valves per cylinder, although this has been dropped. The letter R was added to denote Racing style.VF denote V4 configurations, with VT for V-twins. R was again added for racing machines.RC denotes Honda's racing machines. XL is for Hondas roadgoing trial bikes, again with R or V added as appropriate. XR denotes Hondas endure machines.
SUZUKI
GS was adopted to denote Suzukis mid-70s four stroke, with GT use for its two strokes. The X was added to GS with the switch from two to four valve heads, R was again added to denote Racing replicas. F (as in GSF650 Bandit) stands for sporting, or faired, as in GSX650F. RG denoted production racer, although this speared to the street with its race-replica two strokes, letter becoming RGV with its V-twin versions. DR denotes Suzukis roadgoing four stroke trail bikes, TS its two stroke trail bikes.
YAMAHA
Until the late 70s , Yamaha ranges was dominated by two stroke roadgoing, Race Development RDs and trail bike DTs. The manufactures first for stroke roadster were denote by XS, trail bikers by XT, with later sport tourers prefixed FJ or XJ. The five valves four stroke of 1985 on become FZs, with R added, as was the norm, for race replicas. Later these became YZFs, as derived from the firms factory four stroke racers. Five valves trail bikes became XTZs.
KAWASAKI
In the 70s, Z denoted Kawasakis four stroke roadsters, KH in two stroke versions, two stroke trail bikes were KLs. In 1981 GP-developed superbikes became GPzs, then briefly into GPX before the arrival of the race replica ZXRs. Since then, things have been more complicated. In the US, the ZXR was called ZX-7, followed by ZX-11 and ZX-6 (called ZZ-R1100 and ZZ-R600 elsewhere). From 1995 this was simplified with its race-reap being ZX-6R,ZX-7R, etc. ZZ-R designation lives on with the ZZ-R1400.
Article taken form MCN (Motor Cycle news).
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"OLD SKOOL BIKE BORN TO RIDE AND YOU'LL NEVER RIDE ALONE"
