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

Kawasaki Celebrates 40th Anniversary of KX – Video

Kawasaki is marking the 40th anniversary of its KX dirt bike lineup with a special web page and a new documentary (look for Part 1 below). The KX legacy began in 1974 with the KX250 which was based on the works machine ridden by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Jimmy Weinert in 1973. The KX Dirt Domination page highlights the successes of the KX line over the last 40 years, including its astounding run in AMA Supercross and Motocross over the last decade.

Motorcycle Results From The 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

The 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is in the books, and while much of the media attention focused on Sebastien Loeb demolishing the outright course record, setting the first eight-minute lap with a 8:13.878 — over 90 seconds faster than the previous lap record —in his Peugeot 208 T16, history was made in the motorcycle divisions as well. Below are the times for all the motorcycle competitors in this year’s event. As expected, Carlin Dunne aboard the Lightning electric superbike, took top honors among all motorcycle competitors, marking the first time an electric motorcycle has done so.

Kawasaki Will Live The Legend With The Lone Ranger

Concentrating on a “Live the Legend” campaign line, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.  announced a tie-in with The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer. The powersports manufacturer will use this re-imagining of the classic story to carry product messages for its off-road motorcycles, four-wheel vehicles and street motorcycles.

WSBK 2013: Portimao Race Report

Marco Melandri and Eugene Laverty split a pair of victories at Portugal’s Portimao circuit while Sylvain Guintoli took advantage of some misfortune to his championship rivals to increase his lead in the 2013 World Superbike Championship standings. Guintoli has been leading or sharing the lead in the championship since winning the first race of Round 1 in Australia, but amazingly continues to lead despite having just that single victory after six rounds. The Aprilia rider has accomplished this through his consistency (Guintoli leads all racers with nine podium finishes in 12 races) and ability to finish each race (he’s the only rider in the top seven without a DNF).

Isle of Man TT 2013: PokerStars Senior TT Race Results

For a while there, it looked as if John McGuinness would be held off the top podium position through the entire 2013 Isle of Man TT. McGuinness had recorded third-place finishes at the Superbike, Superstock and the second Supersport TT races earlier in the week, but the active leader in Isle of Man TT wins was stuck at 19 wins all week. That finally changed and the Honda TT Legends racer finally earned win #20 in the final race of this year’s event, the Senior TT.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Lightweight TT Race Results

James Hillier set new lap time and race time records in a dominating victory in the Lightweight TT race for the 2013 Isle of Man TT. All three of the Kawasaki rider’s lap times were faster than the previous lap record for the Lightweight TT class, for a record overall time of 57:42.245 and average speed of 117.694 mph. The race started with another Kawasaki rider (the class is dominated with Kawasaki Ninja 650s with a few Suzuki SV650s) Dean Harrison taking the early lead through the Glen Helen viewpoint but Hillier was right on his tail about half a second behind.

Kawasaki Offering Racer Rebate On Select Ninjas

Are you a current or potential roadracer looking for a new bike but don’t know which to choose? Kawasaki might make your decision a little easier, as it is offering a $3000 rebate on Ninja ZX-6R or ZX-10R models.   Racers who want to take part in the Kawasaki Racer Rebate Support Program need to visit their local Kawasaki dealer and apply.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Royal London 360 Superstock Results

We’re only three days into the racing action for the Isle of Man TT and one rider has already established himself as the star of this TT. Michael Dunlop, of the famous Dunlop racing family, took the victory at the Royal London 360 Superstock race, giving him his third win of the 2013 Isle of Man TT. The latest win gives Dunlop six in his career on the Mountain Course, tying him with such noted names as Geoff Duke, Jimmie Guthrie, Jim Redman and John Surtees.

Isle of Man TT 2013: Monster Energy Supersport Race 1 Results

Michael Dunlop captured his second victory in the 2013 Isle of Man TT, winning the first Supersport race a day after doing the same in the Superbike race. But it was a different Dunlop that led early on the first lap. Older brother William Dunlop on the Milwaukee Yamaha R6 had the fastest time through Glen Helen, between the ninth and tenth milestones of the Isle of Man’s Mountain course.

Corbin Rider Appreciation Day July 5 & 6 In Conjunction With Rebirth Of Hollister Rally

Corbin has announced that all vendor spaces on the lot are filled for their 4th Annual Rider Appreciation Day, held this year on July 5 and 6. Last year, Corbin had thousands of riders show up to help celebrate our country’s birthday and take part in the festivities and expects a much bigger crowd this year, since the city has approved the Hollister Rally and the event covers two days. Mike Corbin reported that the city is feverishly working on the final details in order to make this year’s Hollister Rally one to remember.