OK Guys, it's educate Neil time. I think I know what you're referring to when you're talking about CELP Codes here, but what does CELP stand for? I even went to the trouble of googling motorcycling acronyms, but the so called comprehensive list, wasn't!:
All the Motorcycling Acronyms — A Comprehensive Glossary
By Dana Hooshmand
May 20, 2021
Last updated on
June 14, 2023
As I go deeper down the motorcycling rabbit hole, I still see motorcycle technology acronyms that people seem to assume everyone knows. But they don’t! I didn’t.
Aside from brand-specific terms (looking at you Kawasaki — why does every bit of awesome tech get its own narrowly-defined acronym?), there are many acronyms that apply to all motorcycles.
Manufacturers keep adding their own as well. A few manufacturers (like Aprilia, Ducati, and Kawasaki) seem to love them in particular. I won’t put the manufacturer-specific ones here, and will keep them for another article.
And technology progresses. As active cruise control has become a thing, so have the associated acronyms!
Here’s a list of all the motorcycle acronyms I have had to learn on my journey. I hope they’re useful to you.
Are you obsessed with motorcycles?
Well, I am. That’s why I created this site — as an outlet. I love learning and sharing what others might find useful. If you like what you read here, and you’re a fraction as obsessed as I am, you might like to know when I’ve published more. (Check the latest for an idea of what you’ll see.)
Motorcycle Acronyms — Summary Table
Below is a summary table of motorcycle acronyms. More detail below.
Acronym Meaning
ABS Anti-lock or Anti-skid Braking System
ACC Active or Adaptive Cruise Control
ADV Adventure (not really an acronym)
ATGATT “All The Gear, All The Time”
BS (BSIV, BSVI) Bharat Stage
BSD Blind Spot Detection
CAS or CPS Crankshaft Angle Sensor / Crankshaft Position Sensor
CC or CI Cubic Centimetres / Cubic Inches
CV Cavalli Vapore, or Caballos Vapore (metric horsepower)
DOT Department of Transport
DCT Dual Clutch Transmission, a kind of Honda automatic transmission
DRL (or DRLs) Daytime Running Lights
DTC Diagnostic Trouble Codes
ECU/ECM Engine / Electronic Control Unit
EFI or i.e. Electronic Fuel Injection, Iniezione Elettronica
FCW (system) Forward Collision Warning
Ft-Lb (or lb-ft) Foot-pound or pound-foot
hp, bhp, and rwhp Horsepower, brake horsepower, rear wheel horsepower.
I4 Inline Four
IMU Inertia Measurement Unit
kW Kilowatt, a metric measure of power
LCD Liquid Crystal Display
LED Light-Emitting Diode
Nm Newton-metre, a metric unit of torque
OBD/OBDII On-Board Diagnostics
ODO Odometer (not really an acronym, you can write “Odo”)
OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer, i.e. made in-house
OHC or DOHC Overhead Cam or Dual Overhead Cam
PS Pferdestärke, “Horse Power” in German, the metric unit.
PSI Pounds per Square Inch, a measure of pressure
RbW Ride-by-Wire
RPM Revolutions per minute
RSU Rear Suspension Unit, referring to a shock
SAE Society of Automotive Engineers, a standard-setting body
TCS Traction Control System
TDC Top Dead Centre
TFT Thin-Film-Transistor, a type of display
TPS Throttle Position Sensor
TPMS Tire Pressure Monitoring System
UJM Universal Japanese Motorcycle.
USD (Forks) Upside Down (forks)
WOT Wide Open Throttle.
