Spanish motorcycles: what do the names Bultaco, Montesa, OSSA, Derbi mean

Have you ever thought about what you would call your own motorcycle brand? There are many systems for naming them.

Sometimes—the most common today—you have to look for words that don't mean anything and that sound good in almost every language.

That's what Voge or Zontes, for example, have done. Other times, they didn't overthink it and used the founder's last name. Piaggio, for example, or Harley-Davidson, with the last names of the two founding partners.

Other systems involve looking for an association of ideas. Like Triumph, which clearly sounds like triumph; BMW, the initials of something as basic as Bayerische Motoren Werke ("Bavarian Motor Works").

Or even elaborate legends. Lambretta, a kind of fairy that lives in the Lambro River, which runs through Milan. It's near the factory where the famous scooter was made.

In Spain, as you probably know, we've had countless motorcycle brands.

More than 200 have been counted throughout our history. Some are as little known as AMS (which stood for Ángel Muñiz Serrano) and others as international as Bultaco or Montesa.

Each of them had its own name. Here, we tell you the story of some of the most important ones.

Bultaco, Montesa, OSSA and Sanglas: The origin of the legendary names

The case of Bultaco is one of the best known, but also one of the most curious. Its founder, Paco Bultó, was already using "Bultaco" long before creating the brand.

It was his telegraphic address, a play on his last name and his first name: Bultó + Paco. That's where he was informed of the results of the races that his previous brand, Montesa, achieved.

When he decided to set up his own motorcycle factory, they didn't hesitate to take advantage of that word, resonant and powerful. In addition, it was associated with the famous logo of the raised finger that symbolized the rider's gesture as he passed the wall saying that everything was going well.

Montesa and the military order

As many of you know, Don Paco was not only the founder of Bultaco. A few years earlier, he was one of the two founding partners of our other great brand: Montesa.

In this case, it wasn't a last name or a modern idea. This name was chosen because of the ancient Order of Montesa, a military and religious order of medieval origin.

The choice was not random: he wanted to convey nobility, tradition, and historical strength and that image of a "noble knight" mounted.

The typography of the logo reinforces that idea. The famous Gothic "M" of Montesa connects with that chivalric past. It gives the whole a solemn and distinguished air that accompanied the brand for many years.

OSSA, from projectors to motorcycles

OSSA may sound forceful, but in reality, it's an acronym. It was born from Orpheo Sincronic, S. A., a Barcelona-based company specializing in film projectors.

The company decided to diversify its activity and ended up making motorcycles, although the original name, intended for another business, was kept.

By the way, some say that the famous four-leaf clover that served as their logo isn't what it seems. It actually represents the mechanism that synchronizes the images in a film projector.

In any case, OSSA became a solid, easily recognizable name. Over time, it became more associated with motorcycles than with the film projectors that originated it.

Sanglas, a last name with weight

The Sanglas brand didn't need to invent anything: it took directly the last name of its founders, the brothers Martín and Javier Sanglas.

In their case, simplicity was a success. They were engineers, they had a metal construction workshop, and before those motorcycles, they were already making stationary engines in their company, "Talleres Sanglas"

The word "Sanglas" was short, resonant, and full of personality. It soon became synonymous with robust motorcycles, designed for a market—the official agencies, basically—that needed large 4-stroke single-cylinder road bikes.

From Derbi and Rieju to Lube: How the great Spanish motorcycle brands were born

Derbi also has a very clear explanation: these are the initials of DERivados de BIcicletas. In fact, Simeón Rabasa started out making bicycles before moving on to motorcycles.

His company was actually called Rabasa, like him, and later became Nacional Motor S.A. The name Derbi remained, which, in addition, sounds like racing, sport, and competition, only as the trade name of its motorcycles.

Rieju, the ingenuity of the acronym

Something similar happened with Rieju, a name that was born as an acronym of the last names of its founders: Riera and Juanola.

What at first might have seemed like a simple play on letters ended up being one of the most enduring brands in Spanish motorcycling.

A few years later, Mr. Juanola (who had nothing to do with the also famous licorice lozenges) left the company and the Riera family remained as sole owners, which they still are.

Lube, Bejarano's dream

In Bilbao, Luis Bejarano was an engineer with experience in motorcycles. He worked, for example, at the English company Douglas. He decided to create his own brand and named it Lube, an acronym of his first and last name.

A classic example of how to put your personal signature on an industrial project.

For years, Lube was very present in Spain. During the 50s, it became the leading national brand and its name was etched in the memory of several generations of motorcyclists.

GasGas and Macbor: The most recent Spanish brands and their meaning

The case of GasGas is different. It was the name of the Bultaco dealership of Casas and Pibernat, also famous riders of the brand.

When Bultaco closed, they started importing SWM, but unfortunately, the Italians lasted only a few more years. Then, they came up with the idea of making their own trail bike, with the help of the genius Paxau, the technician responsible for the first GasGas bikes.

That shop was named after the popular expression we all use when encouraging someone to open the throttle. The name for the brand was already there, full of energy and off-road spirit, and it became one of the most international symbols of Spanish trial and enduro.

Macbor, a new generation

Among current brands, Macbor deserves mention, created by the Bordoy family. The name comes precisely from that origin: MAC (son of, in Scottish) + BOR (Bordoy). A modern way to keep the family name present, as was done in the past by Sanglas or Ducati.

The brand was born in the 90s. It was then dedicated to children's motorcycles, from the most basic ranges to true competition cross bikes for young people. It disappeared a few years ago to reappear later as a generic brand, with the current range.

Today, Macbor is an example of how a Spanish brand can compete in the current market with a range that goes from 125 cc urban bikes to mid-displacement trail bikes.

Soriano, Gimson, Ducson or Avello: Other stories of names with great tradition

In addition to the major brands, dozens of names with their own explanations emerged in Spain.

Soriano, for example, took directly the last name of its founder, Ricardo Soriano. It was one of the first to manufacture motorcycles in our country and its name is remembered as an absolute pioneer.

In Gimson we find another acronym: it comes from Gimbernat and Sons, that is, "Hijos de Gimbernat". This family from Figueres created a very popular brand of mopeds, with a name that made its family roots clear.

Ducson, a great rival of the previous ones and of Derbi, was born thanks to Vicente Solá. He was Rabasa's brother-in-law and partner when they started, back in the 1920s, and they went their separate ways, both remaining in the bicycle business.

In the 50s, they decided to start making mopeds. They would do it well. The name?

Ducson sounded good. In addition, foreign, in a country and at a time when being foreign was very positive.

The brand Clúa takes its name from the last name of its creator, Joan Clúa, who made microcars and motorcycles in Barcelona. Cofersa, one of its great rivals, in this case from Madrid, took its name also from the family, but transformed: Construcciones Ferrusola, SA.

Ferrusola, by the way, was the last name of the founder's wife, José Mercader.

In Asturias, the last name of the Avello family was first linked to the production under license from MV Agusta. Later to Puch and finally to Suzuki. It was only used as a brand in those early years.

The first motorcycles they built, under license from MV Agusta, bore the curious name MV Avello

Motobic was born in Bilbao and sought a modern name, with international resonance, for its mopeds.

The word combined "moto" and "bicicleta", a clear reference to its origins in the world of pedals and its lightweight vocation.

To mention one last name, another of those utility motorcycles from the 50s, with a Hispano Villiers engine: Roa.

It manufactured several thousand units before moving on to three-wheeled vehicles and the attempt to make a van.

Its name was the initials of its founder's name: Rafael Onieva Ariza.

The value of a name

Behind each of these Spanish brands, there's much more than a simple word. As you've seen, there are last names, acronyms, military orders, popular expressions, or even telegraphic addresses.

All of them reflect their era and a way of understanding the motorcycle.

The most curious thing is that many of those names, which arose almost by chance, still carry strength and identity today.

Because, in the end, a motorcycle can evolve, change its style or technology... but the name, when it's well chosen, remains forever. Just ask Bultaco