Bonneville, Katana, Commando, Ninja, Express; just like their four-wheeled brethren, motorcycles have come with a lot of great, vivid names. Some recall famous races while others arouse an emotion akin to waking up with morning wood. There have been some great bikes over the years, and many of them have carried even greater names.

What you call a product can have as much to do with its emotional connectivity as does the physical manifestation. Occasionally a product takes off, perhaps in spite of its moniker – Apple’s women’s hygiene conjuring iPad being a prime example. But when it comes to bikes, rarely do the makers miss the mark in badging. After all, think of Honda’s Pacific Coast, a fully enclosed bike that only sold like two copies but can still evoked visions of leaning through turns on Highway 1 in Big Sur, maybe stopping at Nepenthe for a brief recharge before once again saddling up.

So, we all can agree that what something is called can drive its emotional positioning and even its place in the historical lexicon. With that in mind, and this being Two Wheel Tuesday – it is Tuesday, isn’t it? – which motorcycle do you think carries history’s greatest name?

Image: [moto ancienne]