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Honda Model Designation |
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Honda has made so many different models over the years, it would be very difficult to go over each model. If this is an interesting topic which you want to study in depth, I suggest that you buy a Honda Motorcycle Identification Guide which is available for about $40 from the Honda Parts Department. This page will go over the most basic classic model designations of the 1960's and 1970's that sometimes confuse the novice collectors. You can click on the small thumbnail picture and it will pull up the full sized image |
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| CB | CB BIKES CAME TYPICALLY WITH THE ENGINE AS A STRESSED PART OF THE FRAME. THEY HAD LOW EXHAUST PIPES AND WERE GEARED FOR HIGHER TOP END SPEEDS THAN CL MODELS. |  1968
CB 160 |
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| CL | CL MODELS HAD HIGH UPSWEPT PIPES AND SOME HAD FULL "CRADLE" FRAMES, THESE WERE CALLED SCRAMBLERS AS IN STREET/TRAIL/OFF ROAD. DO NOT TRY IT! NOT SUITED FOR OFF ROAD THEN, OR NOW. BIGGER GAS TANKS, HIGH EXHAUST AND SLIGHTLY LOWER OVERALL GEARING WERE THE ONLY MAJOR ENGINEERING DIFFERENCES! |  1966
CL 160 |
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| CA | CA MODELS WERE OFTEN CALLED DREAMS, THEY HAD LOW PIPES, SINGLE CARBURETORS, A LEADING LINK FRONT FORK, ENCLOSED CHAINS, AND FLARED FENDERS. THEY WERE HEAVIER, WITH A MUCH SOFTER RIDE, AND WERE DECIDEDLY SLOWER. THEY HAD TERRIBLY WEAK BATTERIES THAT ARE HARD TO FIND NOW. SOME OF THE 150 MODELS WERE ALSO CALLED BENLY TOURING |  1969
CA 160 |
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| CD | IF YOU WANT TO GET REAL DEEP, THERE WAS ONE MODEL THAT WAS CALLED A CD. IT WAS ONLY 175CC MADE FROM 1968-1970. IT IS EVEN REFERRED TO AS BOTH CA AND CD IN THE HONDA IDENTIFICATION GUIDE. THIS MODEL WAS A FOLLOW ON TO THE "DREAMS" IT HAD SEMI FAIRED FENDERS, A MORE SQUARE TANK, BUT CONVENTIONAL FRONT FORKS. THEY HAD ONLY A 4 SPEED TRANSMISSION AS OPPOSED TO THE OTHER 175CC MODELS THAT HAD 5 SPEEDS |  1969
CD 175 |
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1970'S DESIGNATIONS |
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| CB,CL | CB DESIGNATIONS CONTINUED INTO THE 1970'S AND
1980'S. CL MODELS CEASED TO EXIST AFTER 1974.
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| SL | SL MODELS CAME IN 1969-1973 IN 70,90,100,125, 175 AND 350CC ONLY. THEY WERE THE FIRST SERIOUS OFF ROAD HONDAS. THEY HAD UPSWEPT EXHAUST PIPES, BETTER SUSPENSION, LOWER GEARING, BUT WERE STILL STREET LEGAL. THEY WERE STILL MUCH HEAVIER AND LESS WELL SUSPENDED THAN THE OTHER 2 CYCLE BASED JAPANESE COMPETITION. |  SL
350 |
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| XL | XL MODELS WERE THE NEXT GENERATION OF STREET TRAIL MODELS. THE VERY FIRST XL WAS THE 250 IN 1972. XL'S CAME IN 70,75,80,100,125, 175, 250, AND 350 CC. THEY HAD TURN SIGNALS AND WERE STREET LEGAL, SOME OF THE 350 XL MODELS CONTINUED INTO THE 1980'S. |  1976
XL 125 |
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| XR | THESE MODELS INTRODUCED IN 1979. THEY CAME IN 70, 80, 100, 185, 200, 250, AND 350CC. THEY WERE FOR OFF ROAD, THEY HAD HEADLIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS BUT GENERALLY WERE NOT STREET LEGAL. SOME XR MODELS CONTINUE INTO PRESENT DAY WITH DIFFERING ENGINE DISPLACEMENTS. |  1979
XR 185 |
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| CR | THESE WERE THE FIRST TRUE MOTOCROSS HONDAS. THEY WERE WORLD CLASS FROM THE BEGINNING IN 1973. |
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