Kawasaki Motorcycles

About Kawasaki

Kawasaki motorcycles are manufactured by the Motorcycle & Engine division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

The Kawasaki Company was founded in 1896 by Shozo Kawasaki as a shipyard meant for building oceangoing steel ships. At the beginning they constructed marine steam turbines, locomotives, freight cars, passenger carriages and bridge girders. In 1918 the Aircraft Department is established and after prolonged research Kawasaki succeeds in building Japan's first metal aircraft. Then came 1949 and they turned towards the motorcycles industry by making engines suited for motorcycles.

Kawasaki Aircraft initially manufactured motorcycles under the Meguro name, having bought out an ailing motorcycle manufacturer called Meguro Manufacturing Co. Ltd with whom they had been in partnership earlier, but later formed Kawasaki Motor Sales. Some early motorcycles display an emblem with "Kawasaki Aircraft" on the fuel tank. Kawasaki motorcycles from 1962 through 1967 used an emblem which can be described as a flag within a wing.

Kawasaki came out with their first bike in 1954, called Meihatsu. This bike had Kawasaki's own KB-5 engine. An improved model of the Meihatsu, called Meihatsu 125 Deluxe, was introduced in 1956.

Kawasaki was producing bikes for a while without much popularity, but technically progressing. Kawasaki started to be noticed as a big player on the motorcycles market due to the release of the 500cc H1 model (also known as Mach III). In 1973 Kawasaki introduced their first superbike, the Z1 which had a 903cc engine.

One of the most notable bikes in Kawasaki history, the GPZ900R came in 1983. This was the first model ever produced by Kawasaki to have a liquid-cooled engine and to reach 250 km/h. A year later they started to sell this bike in the US and they renamed it Ninja, thing which proved to be very benefactor, registering huge sales.

Their first ever motorsports victories were obtained by Dave Simmons in the FIM World Road Racing 125cc Championship. He won the West German and the Isle of Mann TT races and the series championship riding a KR-1. Then came 1981 and Kawasaki won the manufacturer's title in the FIM World Road Racing 250cc Championship, courtesy of A. Mang who was riding the KR250. Kawasaki's most notable win in their motorsports history was the Le mans 24-Hour Race back in 1983. The model which participated in that race was the ZXR-7.

Moto blog

2014 World Supersport Provisional Entry List

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) released a provisional entry list for the 2014 World Supersport Championship, with 23 riders including two to be announced at a later date. The provisional lists includes riders representing four different manufacturers: Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta and Yamaha. Honda is the most popular manufacturer with ten riders (though two are listed as TBA).

2014 WSBK Provisional Entry List – 27 Riders and 9 Manufacturers

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) released a provisional entry list for the 2014 World Superbike Championship. The provisional list includes 27 riders riding motorcycles from nine different manufacturers. Of these riders, 12 are riding in the new EVO sub-category which limits engine upgrades and electronics to Superstock class rules.

Kawasaki Reports Q3 2013-2014 Sales Results

Kawasaki reported the fourth-consecutive profitable quarter from its Motorcycle & Engine business, with an operating income of 1.5 billion yen (US$14.6 million) for the three months ended Dec. 31, 2013. Through the first three quarters of its 2013-2014 fiscal year, Kawasaki’s Motorcycle & Engine division earned a operating income of 4.0 billion yen (US$38.9 million), compared to a loss of 2.0 billion yen over the same period in the year before.

2014 AMA Supercross – Oakland Results

With three different racers tasting victory in the first three rounds of the 2014 AMA Supercross Championship, the season was shaping up to be one of the deepest and most competitive fields we’ve seen. But at Round Four at O.o Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., Ryan Villopoto showed why he remains the top dog, leading each lap for his second win of the season. The Kawasaki rider only trailed at the very start of the race, as Honda rider Vince Friese took the holeshot with Yamaha‘s Justin Brayton slotting in second through the first corner.

Update: Bike Stolen On ‘Round The World Adventure Recovered!

Martin Williams, the man who had his motorcycle stolen halfway through his trip around the world, has been reunited with his Kawasaki. A man walking his dog one morning spotted the bike and reported it to authorities. Williams was obviously elated to get his bike back, but the thieves unfortunately had their way with it before it was recovered.

Kawasaki Announces EVO Entry for World Superbike Championship

Kawasaki announced it will enter a factory-backed EVO-category entry for the 2014 World Superbike Championship. Kawasaki has signed David Salom to ride the EVO Ninja ZX-10R. The team will be run by the same operation behind the non-EVO factory team of Loris Baz and reigning WSBK Champion Tom Sykes, forming a three-rider Kawasaki factory lineup.

2014 AMA Supercross – Anaheim 2 Results

Chad Reed earned his first AMA Supercross win in nearly two years with a hard-fought battle in the second round of three rounds at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. The win was the 42nd career victory for the TwoTwo Motorsports Kawasaki rider, but the first since Jan. 21, 2012, in Los Angeles.

Motorcyclist On ‘Round The World Adventure Gets Bike Stolen Halfway

Sometimes bad luck hits you in the worst way. Martin Williams had modified his Kawasaki KLR650 to tackle a trip around the world. He only made it halfway before it was stolen.

Melissa Paris To Race FIM CEV Superstock 600 In 2014 Aboard Kawasaki ZX-6R

With the recent turmoil in the AMA Pro Roadracing series lately, many teams and riders are looking at other options for the 2014 racing season. Among those is Melissa Paris, who recently announced she would be taking her talents to Spain next year to race in the highly competitive FIM CEV Superstock 600 class, aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R prepared by Stratos Racing. The Spanish Roadracing championship will be run under the guidance of the FIM for the first time starting next year, which will have the side benefit of exposing Paris to more international teams and competition.

NZ Superbike Series Points Leader Is A Grandfather Of Three!

Dennis Charlett is stamping his authority on the New Zealand Superbike championship. The 45 year-old father of five and grandfather of three (no, those aren’t typos) won the first three races of the season during the series opener in Christchurch, placing him firmly at the top of the points standings heading into round two at Levels Raceway, near Timaru. The championship favorite certainly got the wake-up call as Taupo’s Suzuki rider Scott Moir raced to a convincing win in Saturday’s Superbike race, while Charlett was forced to settle for fourth place.