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 – Phillip Island Results

The 2014 World Supersport season opened in dramatic fashion after a red-flagged restart turned the 18-lap race into a five-lap sprint, with MV Agusta making a triumphant return to the top of the podium for the first time since 1976. The Supersport event began with a hard-fought battle between three-time champion Kenan Sofuoglu, Kev Coghlan and Michael van der Mark. Sofuoglu and his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R held a slim lead over Coghlan’s Yamaha R6 and van der Mark’s Honda CBR600RR when the race was halted after CIA Insurance Honda rider Jack Kennedy suffered an engine problem and leaked oil onto the track.

2014 WSBK – Phillip Island Results

When he signed with the team, Eugene Laverty said he would give all he possibly could to bring Suzuki back to the top of the podium once again. Well, it sure didn’t take the Northern Irishman long to accomplish that goal, winning the very first race of the 2014 season at Australia’s Phillip Island course. The win was Laverty’s third in a row, including the final two races of the 2013 season when he raced for Aprilia.

Kawasaki Announces “Bike Nite in the Daylite” Event in Daytona

What would Daytona Bike Week be without bike shows? Well, if you own a Kawasaki that you want to show off or if you’re just a fan of Kawasakis, we’ve got news of an important event that you’re going to want to add to your calendar. On Friday, March 14th from noon to 3:00 PM, Kawasaki is hosting “Bike Nite in the Daylite” at the Daytona Int’l Speedway.

Paton Enters 2014 Isle of Man TT

Italian racebike manufacturer Paton announced its return to international racing in entering the Lightweight TT race in the 2014 Isle of Man TT. The Paton name has been around since 1958, most notably competing in the late ’90s and early 2000s in the Grand Prix World Championship, but has been relatively quiet since the end of the 500cc era. Paton will enter its all-new S1, the company’s first street-legal motorcycle.

Nakagawa Replaces Teranishi as President of Kawasaki Motors USA

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) announced a number of executive changes including the appointment of Masafumi “Masa” Nakagawa as the new president of Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. (KMC).

Aren't motorcycles brilliant?

WE'RE not saying MCN's verdicts lack variation but here's a few of the weekly paper's recent headlines on just-ridden bikes: ‘Simply brilliant’ On the Kawasaki Z1000, November 27, 2013 ‘Brilliant’ On the BMW S1000R, December 4, 2013 ‘We thought it might be good. It's not: it's bloody brilliant!’ On the BMW R nineT, January 29, 2014 ‘Simply brilliant’ On the Yamaha MT-07, February 19, 2014

2014 AMA Supercross – Arlington Results

James Stewart‘s hot streak continues with his second-consecutive win and fourth AMA Supercross podium in five weeks after an impressive effort at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Fresh off of signing a contract extension with Yoshimura Suzuki, Stewart took control of the Arlington main event on the third lap, passing holeshot-taker Ryan Dungey and running away with the win. With his win last week at San Diego, Stewart becomes the first rider to win back-to-back races this season and establishes himself as a championship contender as we approach the mid-way point of the 2014 season.

Results From Day 2 Of World Superbike Testing At Phillip Island

World Superbike testing at Phillip Island came to a close today, and when the dust settled, reigning champion Tom Sykes stamped his authority, setting the fastest time of the test at 1:30.239, just five thousandths shy of the outright lap record held by Carlos Checa. The time was set during the morning session of testing, though nobody was able to best Sykes for the remainder of the day. Eugene Laverty, who was fastest on day one, showed his pace was no fluke as he stayed near the top of the time sheets, ultimately finishing second behind Sykes, with a best time of 1:30.513.

Results From Day 2 Of World Supersport Testing At Phillip Island

If there’s one constant when it comes to World Supersport racing, it’s that Kenan Sofuoglu will be at or near the front at all times. The former champ has a special ability when it comes to lapping middleweight sportbikes as quickly as possible, and it showed again at the conclusion of World Supersport testing at Phillip Island. Sofuoglu’s best time of 1:33.506 was set during the first day of testing, but still nobody was able to beat it.

Results From Day 1 Of World Superbike Testing At Phillip Island

Eugene Laverty, aboard his Voltcom Crescent Suzuki GSX-R1000, led the field today as the first day of World Superbike testing got underway at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia, site of the first race of the 2014 season. Under sunny skies and perfect weather conditions, Laverty adapted quickly to his new ride after spending last season aboard the Aprilia RSV4 Factory. The Suzuki offered incredible feedback and allowed him to push right out of the gates, ultimately setting a fastest lap time of 1:30.513.