Why is the CB called CB?

[avsbezzy_imp]

It's been on my mind for a while but can not find the answer....:huh:
So I thought may be a forum member has the answer.:idea:

 

[VTR1000F_imp]

Maybe anabbreviation for 'Cool Bike'. I'm surprised they did not call it '1200'the engine sweptt volume aproaches this larger number...

 

[Houtman_imp]

Honda gave the CB letters to their sporty road bikes.

 

[Greg_imp]

This short history contains clues to a possible explanation for CB-named motorcycles.

Here are some excerpts:

1949 The company produces its first real motorcycle, powered by a 98cc a two-stroke motor. When an employee sees the first one assembled and it is ridden outside the factory, he says, “It’s like a dream.” The name “Dream” was adopted for the bike, officially known as Model D.

1951 Mr. Honda is infuriated by the noise, smell and fumes from the two-stroke motorbikes (including his own) that crowd Japanese city streets. In response, the company creates its first four-stroke motorcycle, the Dream E (146cc).

1952 Despite the fact that he despises such “primitive” powerplants, Honda flirts with his original notion of auxiliary motors for bicycles. The Cub F (two-stroke, 50cc) clip-on motor is sold through thousands of independent bicycle shops across Japan. It is only manufactured for two years, but it introduces the “Cub” trademark, which will be popular for decades in various guises.

1958 The Super Cub (aka C100, aka CA100, aka simply “the Honda 50”) hits the market. It features a pressed-steel frame, leading-link fork, step-through design and a 50cc four-stroke motor. It is destined to be sold under various names, and will later grow to 70cc, and finally 90cc. It will become the most popular motorcycle–indeed, the most popular motor vehicle of any kind.

1963 This year, Honda focuses on F-1 car racing, and the motorcycle racing program suffers. Sales of street bikes remain strong, however: the Super Cub is awarded the French Mode Cup; Honda opens its first overseas plant in Belgium; Grey Advertising unveils the famous “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” campaign. Early the following year, Honda buys commercial time in the Academy Awards for a “nicest people” television ad featuring the Super Cub.

1969 Honda unveiled the CB750 at the Tokyo Motor Show in late ’68, but it didn’t hit the market until early ’69. It is impossible to overstate the impact this bike made, as the first modern mass-market four, and the first mass-market bike to come with a disc brake. Until well into 1970, CB750s were made with sand-cast, not die-cast engine cases. In truth, die-cast cases were lighter, stronger, and more oil tight. But it’s the sand-cast models that are prized by collectors.

- - - - - - -

Okay, that was fun. Ever since “like a dream” resulted in that bike being called the model D, Honda people have chosen the first letter of meaningful words for inclusion in the model name.

The Super Cub was also known as the CA100. The word Cub represented Honda’s most successful vehicle. My guess is that CB stands for Cub B. In any case if Honda marketers were hoping the good mojo associated with Cub and the letter C would help propel the CB series to success they must have been very pleased with the result.

 

[Ridem32_imp]

CB stands for CUB.

 

[wildezt_imp]

This is an older thread we had with the same question it has some info too.....

 

[Stealth128_imp]

I always thought that CB stood for street bike CL stood for street trail bike and SL
stood for scrambler??.

Thanks,
Stealth 128

 

[chrisross_imp]

How would CB stand for street bike? That's like saying the USA stands for cheese and eggs.

Now, CB meaning "City Bike" I could understand..

 

[avsbezzy_imp]

This short history contains clues to a possible explanation for CB-named motorcycles.

Here are some excerpts:

1949 The company produces its first real motorcycle, powered by a 98cc a two-stroke motor. When an employee sees the first one assembled and it is ridden outside the factory, he says, “It’s like a dream.” The name “Dream” was adopted for the bike, officially known as Model D.

1951 Mr. Honda is infuriated by the noise, smell and fumes from the two-stroke motorbikes (including his own) that crowd Japanese city streets. In response, the company creates its first four-stroke motorcycle, the Dream E (146cc).

1952 Despite the fact that he despises such “primitive” powerplants, Honda flirts with his original notion of auxiliary motors for bicycles. The Cub F (two-stroke, 50cc) clip-on motor is sold through thousands of independent bicycle shops across Japan. It is only manufactured for two years, but it introduces the “Cub” trademark, which will be popular for decades in various guises.

1958 The Super Cub (aka C100, aka CA100, aka simply “the Honda 50”) hits the market. It features a pressed-steel frame, leading-link fork, step-through design and a 50cc four-stroke motor. It is destined to be sold under various names, and will later grow to 70cc, and finally 90cc. It will become the most popular motorcycle–indeed, the most popular motor vehicle of any kind.

1963 This year, Honda focuses on F-1 car racing, and the motorcycle racing program suffers. Sales of street bikes remain strong, however: the Super Cub is awarded the French Mode Cup; Honda opens its first overseas plant in Belgium; Grey Advertising unveils the famous “You meet the nicest people on a Honda” campaign. Early the following year, Honda buys commercial time in the Academy Awards for a “nicest people” television ad featuring the Super Cub.

1969 Honda unveiled the CB750 at the Tokyo Motor Show in late ’68, but it didn’t hit the market until early ’69. It is impossible to overstate the impact this bike made, as the first modern mass-market four, and the first mass-market bike to come with a disc brake. Until well into 1970, CB750s were made with sand-cast, not die-cast engine cases. In truth, die-cast cases were lighter, stronger, and more oil tight. But it’s the sand-cast models that are prized by collectors.

- - - - - - -

Okay, that was fun. Ever since “like a dream” resulted in that bike being called the model D, Honda people have chosen the first letter of meaningful words for inclusion in the model name.

The Super Cub was also known as the CA100. The word Cub represented Honda’s most successful vehicle. My guess is that CB stands for Cub B. In any case if Honda marketers were hoping the good mojo associated with Cub and the letter C would help propel the CB series to success they must have been very pleased with the result.

That answer satifies me. Thanks Greg!

 

[Criquibi_imp]

CB = CUB BENLY
https://www.google.fr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...rn3yCNeePg

 

[Capo]

OK. What does Benly mean?

 

[Rolls_imp]

Well, this article states Benly means "convenient" in Japanese.

Honda CA95 Benly Touring - Motorcycle Classics

 

[Greg_imp]

The etymology (origin of words) of CB and Benly probably includes more than one source.

Soichiro Honda was very intelligent and had engineering prowess along with artistic sensibilities. It is almost certain that he had a strong belief in kotodama and named his vehicles with it in mind.

"Kotodama or kototama (言霊?, lit. "word spirit/soul") refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. English translations include "soul of language", "spirit of language", "power of language", "power word", "magic word", and "sacred sound". The notion of kotodama presupposes that sounds can magically affect objects, and that ritual word usages can influence our environment, body, mind, and soul."

Wikipedia article on kotodama


[url=http://powersports.honda.com/experience/articles/090111c0811f48a3.aspx]1959 Benly CB92 Super Sport

 

[avsbezzy_imp]

The etymology (origin of words) of CB and Benly probably includes more than one source.

Soichiro Honda was very intelligent and had engineering prowess along with artistic sensibilities. It is almost certain that he had a strong belief in kotodama and named his vehicles with it in mind.

"Kotodama or kototama (言霊?, lit. "word spirit/soul") refers to the Japanese belief that mystical powers dwell in words and names. English translations include "soul of language", "spirit of language", "power of language", "power word", "magic word", and "sacred sound". The notion of kotodama presupposes that sounds can magically affect objects, and that ritual word usages can influence our environment, body, mind, and soul."

Wikipedia article on kotodama


[url=http://powersports.honda.com/experience/articles/090111c0811f48a3.aspx]1959 Benly CB92 Super Sport

What an educational post, thank you!

 

[Capo]

^ Love that. I prefer model names for bikes, and cars, rather than alphanumerical tags. Especially when some thought goes into them.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

A small update.

Excerpt:

Byron Wilson, March 16, 2015
MotoUSA

"A little while back we received an email from a reader asking what the CB in Honda’s famous CB line of motorcycles stands for. We’ve heard numerous explanations for the CB moniker over the years, including “city bike,” “cross beam,” “citizen’s bike” even “chokusetsu baiku” (personal motorcycle), but none have ever been definitively confirmed by the Japanese manufacturer. So we decided to do some investigating to see if we could come up with a conclusive answer.

Our first contact was with Jon Seidel, a longtime American Honda press manager. Seidel was under the impression that there was no significant meaning behind the letters, but he passed the question along to Gary Christopher, a senior manager inside American Honda.

Christopher then proceeded to reach out to several individuals inside the company to see if anything could be discovered regarding the CB classification. Here’s what he found.

Like Seidel, Christopher had been told by a number of Japanese staff over the years that CB was no more than a model designation, with no particular significance attached to it. He contacted Bob Young, a longtime National Service Manager at American Honda, who was also heavily involved with the development and testing of the CB750, and “Mike” Hishiki, a longtime test rider and development team member of Honda R&D for their take.

Young and Hishiki also had never heard any specific words attributed to CB, thinking it was just the next logical step from the C-series (C100 Super Cub for example), to the CA-series (like the CA71) to the CB. The two could not remember any time when Mr. O. Saito, a project lead engineer on the CB750, referenced any meaning, such as “city bike,” to the CB, nor was there any confirmation that Mr. Honda ever uttered “chokusetsu baiku” in reference to the letters.

Christopher’s conclusion is that, though later models may have been assigned specific meanings in accord with the model designations, the CB was just the next step in a series of model identifiers of the time. It’s not an earth-shatteringly sexy revelation, but that’s probably as solid an answer as we’re ever going to get."

 

[Cormanus]

Interesting and likely. Thanks Au2O3.

 

[peterbaron]

A small update.

Excerpt:

Byron Wilson, March 16, 2015
MotoUSA

"A little while back we received an email from a reader asking what the CB in Honda’s famous CB line of motorcycles stands for. We’ve heard numerous explanations for the CB moniker over the years, including “city bike,” “cross beam,” “citizen’s bike” even “chokusetsu baiku” (personal motorcycle), but none have ever been definitively confirmed by the Japanese manufacturer. So we decided to do some investigating to see if we could come up with a conclusive answer.

Our first contact was with Jon Seidel, a longtime American Honda press manager. Seidel was under the impression that there was no significant meaning behind the letters, but he passed the question along to Gary Christopher, a senior manager inside American Honda.

Christopher then proceeded to reach out to several individuals inside the company to see if anything could be discovered regarding the CB classification. Here’s what he found.

Like Seidel, Christopher had been told by a number of Japanese staff over the years that CB was no more than a model designation, with no particular significance attached to it. He contacted Bob Young, a longtime National Service Manager at American Honda, who was also heavily involved with the development and testing of the CB750, and “Mike” Hishiki, a longtime test rider and development team member of Honda R&D for their take.

Young and Hishiki also had never heard any specific words attributed to CB, thinking it was just the next logical step from the C-series (C100 Super Cub for example), to the CA-series (like the CA71) to the CB. The two could not remember any time when Mr. O. Saito, a project lead engineer on the CB750, referenced any meaning, such as “city bike,” to the CB, nor was there any confirmation that Mr. Honda ever uttered “chokusetsu baiku” in reference to the letters.

Christopher’s conclusion is that, though later models may have been assigned specific meanings in accord with the model designations, the CB was just the next step in a series of model identifiers of the time. It’s not an earth-shatteringly sexy revelation, but that’s probably as solid an answer as we’re ever going to get."

Interesting and likely. Thanks Au2O3.

thats what ive read way back. Same with the yamaha RD's huge speculation it meant 'race developed'. it didnt. R = road, 'd' was next in line to be used for model designation.

..and CB stands for.. ???

 

[Rocky_imp]

A small update.

Excerpt:

Byron Wilson, March 16, 2015
MotoUSA

"A little while back we received an email from a reader asking what the CB in Honda’s famous CB line of motorcycles stands for. We’ve heard numerous explanations for the CB moniker over the years, including “city bike,” “cross beam,” “citizen’s bike” even “chokusetsu baiku” (personal motorcycle), but none have ever been definitively confirmed by the Japanese manufacturer. So we decided to do some investigating to see if we could come up with a conclusive answer.

Our first contact was with Jon Seidel, a longtime American Honda press manager. Seidel was under the impression that there was no significant meaning behind the letters, but he passed the question along to Gary Christopher, a senior manager inside American Honda.

Christopher then proceeded to reach out to several individuals inside the company to see if anything could be discovered regarding the CB classification. Here’s what he found.

Like Seidel, Christopher had been told by a number of Japanese staff over the years that CB was no more than a model designation, with no particular significance attached to it. He contacted Bob Young, a longtime National Service Manager at American Honda, who was also heavily involved with the development and testing of the CB750, and “Mike” Hishiki, a longtime test rider and development team member of Honda R&D for their take.

Young and Hishiki also had never heard any specific words attributed to CB, thinking it was just the next logical step from the C-series (C100 Super Cub for example), to the CA-series (like the CA71) to the CB. The two could not remember any time when Mr. O. Saito, a project lead engineer on the CB750, referenced any meaning, such as “city bike,” to the CB, nor was there any confirmation that Mr. Honda ever uttered “chokusetsu baiku” in reference to the letters.

Christopher’s conclusion is that, though later models may have been assigned specific meanings in accord with the model designations, the CB was just the next step in a series of model identifiers of the time. It’s not an earth-shatteringly sexy revelation, but that’s probably as solid an answer as we’re ever going to get."

Interesting and likely. Thanks Au2O3.

thats what ive read way back. Same with the yamaha RD's huge speculation it meant 'race developed'. it didnt. R = road, 'd' was next in line to be used for model designation.

..and CB stands for.. ???

Interesting and likely. Thanks Au2O3.

thats what ive read way back. Same with the yamaha RD's huge speculation it meant 'race developed'. it didnt. R = road, 'd' was next in line to be used for model designation.

..and CB stands for.. ???
"can't break" :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

 

[Lord Popgun]

From what I gather from watching Ancient Aliens is that ANYTHING we can’t explain is—Aliens.

So, Aliens.