what does it all mean Bazzel?

[Evil_Weasel]

could be...and i've also heard the same CB= city bike thing as jaynuss

[OreoGaborio]

ZX stands for "Zook Xucks"

[Woodsy]

GSXR:

GS=Grand Sport
XR=eXperimental Racing

CBR:

Cross Beam racer

CBR is cross beam racer but the GSX-R is not correct. The 'G' simply stands for streetbike, while the 'S' means it's a four-stroke motor. The 'X' refers to the four-valve-per-cylinder engine, and the 'R,' of course, means race replica. no kidding that is the real reason behind it.

[Woodsy]

Y = Yamaha
Z= Racing
F = Four stroke (or Factory Production)


R = Series
6 = 600cc
1 = 1000cc

YZ was the product code that replaced MX for yamaha sportbikes back in the 70's and has no meaning but F is for four stroke, R does stand for racing though. that is why early race models were YZR and the street version were YZF

[Woodsy]

I've read in a few places that RR was "Race Replica"

+1 RR is race replica

[daviid]

ive also heard CBR = Cross Beam Racer, but for all intensive purposes, it really means Cheap Bastid Racing

[Woodsy]

A honda CB was a City Bike

and now that I think of it...that would make the CBR a City Bike Racer

this is a very popular theroy but honda has never confirmed this. so far as anyone can tell it is just another designator and seeing as up untill that point honda had other C models with no city affiliation it is just a product code. honda did confirm that CBR is Cross Beam Race but the corrilation between the two is pure coincidence.

[Woodsy]

and for all you who were wondering about bikes with actual names the Hayabusa was named after a bullet train which was named after a WWII fighter which was named after a very fast falcon ( based on the dates each of these used the name). the symbol on the side of the bike has a meaning approximating to strong and fast. which is appropriate because its feathered namesake can reach speeds of 300KPH in a dive.

[ChicknStripEatr]

I've read in a few places that RR was "Race Replica"

Wrong. Everyone knows RR stands for Ruff Ryder....duh!!!

[eboos]

OK. so H-D is labeled as the alphabet bikes but all those letters actually stand for something. F= footshift. X= 19-21" front wheel, L=16" front wheel etc...
FXSTS:
F-foot shift
X-19-21" front
ST-softail
S-springer front

FLHTCUI:
F-footshift
L-16"
H- fairing mounted to forks
TC-twincam
U- ultra
I- injected

You more or less have it. Before the 1970's there were FL models (full size touring bikes) and XL models (Sportsters). In 1971 Harley combined the front end of a Sportster and the frame and engine of a full sized bike following the custom trends of the time and combined the name FX.

The long and the short of it:
FL - bikes with a wide 16" wheel.
FX - bigtwins with a narrow 19" or 21" front wheel (exception the Fatbob, FXDF, which has a FL style front wheel).
XL - Sportsters with an intergrated engine and transmission and rightside drive.
FLST/FXST - Softail
FXD - Dyna
FLHT/FLHTC/FLHTCU - Electraglide series touring bikes, C = Classic, CU = Ultraclassic
B as in FXDB or FXSTB - Black for the Dark Custom themed bikes like the Night Train, the Crossbones and the Street Bob
FLSTS/FXSTS - Springer Softail models, bikes with a classic looking exposed spring fork instead of a telescopic fork
FLHR - Road King, formerly the FLHS - Electraglide sport, a touring bike with a windshield instead of a fairing.

I could go on and on.

[SVRACER01]

i beleive the "X" in FXR is experimental (for the frame). the fact that the X is used for the sportsters is a coincidence. the sportys (XL) had whole different meanings based on engines and whatnot.

sportys just dont fit into the equation that HD has laid down. thats kinda why i left it out. i assume you got that from a website somewhere and it seems to just kind of dumb it down more than my description.

[eboos]

1971 FX Superglide. No coincidence.

No website, I sell Harleys for a living.

The funny thing is that Harley doesn't even stick with their own equation for model designations. S could equal sport in the case of the XLS1200, and the FLHS or is could mean custom in the case of the FLHRS. They named the Superglide Custom FXDC, C usually stands for Classic. X could mean special in the case of the VRSCDX or could just give a sence of sportyness like the FLHX or sport like the FXDX which they could have used FXDS but they named the convertible that. There seems to be some rules that they follow, but not all the time.