Whats in a name?

The annals of motorcycling run deep with an eclectic array of manufacturers. Some are still with us, but many have long since shuttered.

A good number of the companies got their names from the founder’s (or founders’) surnames, while others found lasting fame with anagrams, acronyms, or pure whimsy. All possess their own individual, poetic inflection—Velocette, Excelsior, Malaguti, Italjet, Norton, Mondial, Villiers, Laverda, Moto Morini, Montesa, and so forth.

Within the paradigm of the various brands are model names that—when born of sport and performance—tend toward the audacious with bold declarations intended to imbue a machine with an indelible soul.