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

The Japanese fantasized about the new Kawasaki Ninja 250

The small sportbike was last updated in 2013, but the next update is just around the corner. The Japanese magazine Young Machine has published a hypothetical (or, who knows, very likely) image of the new generation Kawasaki Ninja 250, which will appear at the end of next year or in 2018. The render is intriguing: according to it, the younger “ninja” can get a “birdcage” frame and a “changeling” fork.

Kawasaki Vulcan SS

Jesse Bassett from the GasBox workshop became a contender for the title of Kawasaki designer. As part of the Breaking Boundaries Build-Off program, the evergreen brand offered him and five other designers to try their hand at tuning the Vulcan S. Without hesitation, Bassett cut the rear fender, installed a new seat, a long shock absorber and wheels.

Kawasaki Electronic Service Book

Starting from April this year, every new Kawasaki motorcycle will be equipped with a branded USB flash drive, which will store the entire service history of the motorcycle and other data about it. The so-called History Key will go in addition to the regular service book, as well as the element confirming membership in the free community of Kawasaki Riders Club.

2015 Kawasaki Vulcan S Announced

Kawasaki revealed a new cruiser model equipped with the 649cc parallel-Twin engine from the Ninja 650. The result is an entry-level cruiser with sportbike-derived power retailing for $6999 ($7399 with ABS). The fuel-injected engine is tuned for smooth power delivery, with revised camshaft profiles, intake funnel length, throttle body spacer and air intake for better low- and mid-range power delivery.

Ninja H2 Video XVI – High Precision Machinery + Video

Yes, folks, Kawasaki has released yet another teaser video for the Ninja H2. This time, it’s number 16, titled, “Beauty in High Precision.” In it, we see the impeller for the supercharger being created from a solid piece of billet aluminum. Admittedly, this inundation of H2 videos is getting to be a bit much, even for us, but if you’re a fan of machine porn, then Kawasaki’s latest video will surely please.

Webb Wins Salt Lake City EnduroCross

From an EnduroCross press release: Factory Beta and Stillwell Performance-backed Cody Webb took a decisive win tonight in Salt Lake City’s inaugural AMA GEICO EnduroCross event. The win was Webb’s second after taking the first round victory in Las Vegas and puts him and his Beta two-stroke 300 into the points lead. The race fans in attendance at the Energy Solutions Arena saw a night go almost perfectly for GEICO-supported Webb.

ECUnleased Performance Reflash Available For 2014 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

ECUnleashed now has a ECU performance reflash for 2014 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R models. If you aren’t familiar with ECU reflash tuning, specifically the ones offered by ECUnleashed, they provide more power by eliminating factory restrictions, optimizing fuel, ignition and throttle mapping, increasing rev limit, and removing the top speed limiter. It also delivers better response and control through eliminating the factory fuel cut off and optimizing the off throttle deceleration mapping.

Ninja H2 Video XV – Robot Welding + Video

In case you weren’t tired yet of Kawasaki’s H2 teaser videos, here’s yet another. In fact, it’s number 15 out of who-knows-how-many-more teaser videos from Team Green. This time, the focus is on the advanced robotic arms used to weld together the complex trellis frame of the H2 and H2R.

2014 AMA Pro Flat Track Grand National Championship On The Line At Pomona

Granted, flat track racing isn’t our specialty at MO, but we’re no doubt fans of the action. See our coverage from the 2012 season finale for proof. The following is from an AMA Pro Racing press release: A total of 15 races over eight months couldn’t separate Jared Mees and Bryan Smith by much.

Lee Rocker To Play Free Concert At AIMExpo

Lee Rocker, of 1980′s Stray Cats fame, and still considered one of the most influential upright bass players in rock n’ roll history, will perform a free concert at the AIMExpo Saturday Night, October 18 outside of the AIMExpo show floor at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center (OCCC). Rocker and the band take the stage at 7 p.m. to deliver a rockabilly performance. All AIMExpo attendees with either an admission ticket or a show badge are welcome to attend the intimate performance. Rocker’s performance is sponsored by the Ace Cafe Orlando, Bell Helmets, Kawasaki, Metzeler, AIMExpo, and MOTOTV. Ace Cafe, the legendary British hub for vintage motorcycle, car and music events, announced plans to open its first U.S.