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

AMA Supercross: 2012 Indianapolis Results

Six more rounds remain in the 2012 AMA Supercross season and the championship is more or less decided. The first third of the season was a thrilling four-man fight for the title. The middle of the season saw contenders drop like flies and now, what looked to be a dramatic battle for the title is shaping up to be a second consecutive AMA Supercross Championship for Ryan Villopoto.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Daytona Results

James Stewart gave his 2012 AMA Supercross championship hopes a much needed boost with a big win in sloppy, muddy conditions at Daytona International Speedway. Heavy rains made the Ricky Carmichael-designed track in Daytona’s tri-oval section even more difficult than the GOAT conceived, with the terrain rough, choppy and rutted. Series point leader Ryan Villopoto became an early casualty of the track conditions, sliding outon the second corner.

Ryan Dungey to Miss Daytona Supercross Round

Ryan Dungey will skip the Daytona round of the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship following surgery to repair a broken collarbone. The Red Bull KTM factory rider injured the collarbonein a crash during training ahead of last weekend’s St. Louis round.

Oh hi there Mobil!

There was a time when Grand Prix racing was a lucrative affair, with the bikes and their riders resembling the fag packets that sponsored them. However, two unfortunate and costly blows hit the paddock; the banning of tobacco advertising in 2005 followed by the global economic crisis. The off-shoot saw grid numbers drastically dwindle with staple teams, like Kenny Roberts' outfit, and manufacturers, Kawasaki and Suzuki, succumbing to the events and disappearing.

2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, Ninja 650 and Versys Pegged for Recall

Kawasaki is issuing a recall for certain 2012 Ninja 250R and Ninja 650 sportbikes as well as the Versys 650 due to a risk of the passenger footpegs falling off. According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the circlips on the footpegs’ mounting pins may break under engine vibrations, potentially leading the footpegs to detach. This poses a potential danger to the passenger.

AMA Supercross: 2012 St. Louis Results

Ryan Villopoto returned to the top of the podium and extended his lead in the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship to 13 points with a victory at the Edwards Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo. The Monster Energy Kawasaki rider had his win streak snapped at three after losing to Red Bull KTM‘s Ryan Dungey last week in Atlanta, Ga., but Villopoto returned to form in St.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Atlanta Results

Ryan Villopoto‘s winning streak was snapped, KTM scored its second series win and Cole Seely impressed as an injury replacement for Trey Canard as the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship landed in Atlanta, Ga. Racing for the American Honda Muscle Milk team, Seely nabbed the holeshot and led the opening seven laps before finally being overtaken by Red Bull KTM’s Ryan Dungey. Monster Energy Kawasaki‘s Villopoto had a poor start by his standards, finishing the first lap in sixth place.

WSBK: 2012 Phillip Island Results – Video

Max Biaggi won the opening race to the 2012 World Superbike Championship while defending champion Carlos Checa came back from a high-speed crash in the first race to win the second at Australia’s Phillip Island circuit. Reigning champion Checa of Althea Ducati had a stunning high-side crash while leading on the sixth lap of Race One. The WSBK paddock was already in shock with the death of 17-year-old Oscar McIntyre in the Superstock 600 race the day before but thankfully Checa was not seriously injured.

Kawasaki Recalls 20,512 Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-6R

Kawasaki is issuing a recall on 2008-2011 Ninja ZX-10R and the 2009-2012 Ninja ZX-6R sportbikes due to a defect affecting the batteries. According to documents released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the regulator/rectifier on affected units may not sufficiently charge the battery. As a result, the battery may unexpectedly be fully discharged, causing the engine to stall.

AMA Supercross: 2012 Arlington Results

Defending champion Ryan Villopoto won his third consecutive AMA Supercross race in Arlington, Texas, but the victory was overshadowed by a season-ending injury suffered by one of his main challengers Chad Reed. TwoTwo Motorsport Honda‘s Reed trailed Villopoto in second place for the first six laps at Cowboys Stadium. Disaster struck on Lap 7 however as Reed crashed hard in the whoops.