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

Wesll Quad Prototype

A number of manufacturers have tinkered with various three-wheeled motorcycle applications over the years. Companies like Piaggio, Can-Am, Brudeli and even Harley-Davidson have produced unique trikes with ranging levels of success. The Wesll Corporation is attempting to do one better, literally, as it develops a four-wheeled mechanism that could be applied to many different kinds of bikes.

Tricked Out ZX-14 to Debut at IMS New York

Among the many bikes set to be unveiled at the New York Cycle World International Motorcycle Show next Friday, is a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 tricked out by Steve Kehler at Tricked Out Custom Cycles (TOCC). This ZX-14 sportbike was created as a rolling testament to the success Rickey Gadson earned during his 25 years of motorcycle drag racing. Gadson, an eight-time world champion, will join Kehler for the official unveiling of the bike during the New York IMS show.

Kawasaki Special Edition Ninja Unveiled

In addition to Metallic Diablo Black, Sunbeam Red and Candy Thunder Blue, the 2009 Ninja 250R will be available in a Special Edition Lime Green and Metallic Diablo Black combination. The great-looking paint scheme of the new Special Edition Ninja 250R which features Kawi green with black side panels, echoes the MotoGP ZX-RR. This is a strange time to release such a bike since the British motorsports site Autosport.com recently reported that the Japanese manufacturer will announce its withdrawal from MotoGP racing on Jan.

Top Motorcycle News Stories of 2008

2008 was an interesting year in the world of motorcycles. But the biggest stories of 2008 have left some big questions for 2009. What’s in store for the New Year?

CHiPs Star Estrada is a Reserve Officer

The TV show CHiPs was what first got me interested in motorcycles. A young boy when the late 70′s show made its debut on the air, I thought it was extremely cool to be on the California Highway Patrol, but especially so while riding around on a Kawasaki 1000. Erik Estrada even had a cool name and car on the show, going by ‘Ponch’ and driving a Firebird.

Kawasaki Ninja 250 Rental for the Track

If you ever wanted to get some track time on a motorcycle you should know that its not as easy as you would imagine. Rent My Ninja can take care of all the details so you can get out there and have some fun, they will rent you a Ninja 250 that is setup for your weight (plus gear), give you riding class (Kevin, the owner has over 20 years of experience) and arrange the track time, all you need is approved riding gear and $250 (if you book it in advance) and your off to the races! The schedule is now set for 2009, starting in February and ending in September.

5 Awesome Motorcycle Gift Ideas for those Pesky Teenagers

Those darned teenagers and their troublesome ways could use some motorcycle-inspired gifts for the holidays. And although you may not understand the mind of a teenager, you can at least massage their brains a bit by imposing your motorcycle hobby onto them. Here are 5 awesome motorcycle gift ideas for pesky teenagers: Capcom’s MotoGP 08 Video Game Recommended Ages: Rated E for Everyone Who Has It: Anyone who sells video games should have it ( BestBuy for example ) How Much: $59.99 They’re not old enough yet to be speeding around a track at ridiculous speeds but at least they can pretend to be and MotoGP will put them in the riders seat.

Off-Road Motorcycle and Free-Ride Bicycle Compared

What if anything do bicycles and motorcycles have in common? Besides the whole two-wheel thing, it isn’t outright apparent that these two “handle-barred beasts” share more than ancient ancestry. Modern Off-road motorcycle and Free-ride bicycle designs side-by-side illustrate how much technology the two have in common.

Motorcycle.com Weekly Community Round-up!

Here are a few things going on around the Motorcycle.com Forum Network: Lane Splitting??? kj20203 of the 1130cc.com forums asks if lane splitting is illegal. Lane splitting is riding your bike between lanes to cut through traffic.

The Best Racetrack You’ve Never Heard Of

Last week I had the opportunity to ride one of the best tracks in the world, but you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s called the Autopolis International Racing Course and is located in northern Kyushu, Japan, a 90-minute bus ride from the nearest city, Kumamoto. Autopolis is a wonderfully flowing, 2.9-mile track that rises and falls like a symphonic overture, with inclines that range up to 7.2% uphill, 10% downhill.