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Kawasaki motorcycles are manufactured by the Motorcycle & Engine division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries.[1]
History[edit]
Kawasaki Aircraft initially manufactured motorcycles under the Meguro name, having bought an ailing motorcycle manufacturer, Meguro Manufacturing with whom they had been in partnership. This eventually became Kawasaki Motor Sales.[2] Some early motorcycles display an emblem with "Kawasaki Aircraft" on the fuel tank.
During 1962, Kawasaki engineers were developing a four-stroke engine for small cars. Then some of the engineers transferred to the Meguro factory to work on the Meguro K1 and the SG, a single cylinder 250 cc OHV. In 1963, Kawasaki and Meguro merged to form Kawasaki Motorcycle Co., Ltd.[3][4] From 1962 through 1967, Kawasaki motorcycles used an emblem which can be described as a flag within a wing.
Work continued on the Meguro K1, a copy of the BSA A7 500 cc vertical twin[5] and on the W1. The K2 was exported to the U.S. for a test in response to the expanding American market for four-stroke motorcycles. At first it was rejected for a lack of power. By the mid-1960s, Kawasaki was finally exporting a moderate number of motorcycles. The Kawasaki H1 Mach III in 1968, along with several enduro-styled motorcycles to compete with Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda, increased sales of Kawasaki units.
1974 saw the establishment of a Kawasaki assembly facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, US, named the American Kawasaki Motors Corporation (KMC), to complete Japan-produced components into finished motorcycles for the North American market.[6][7]
Kawasaki's engines division, housed in a single office complex in Grand Rapids, Michigan, consolidates research and development projects for engines.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Annual Report 2010" (PDF). Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
- ^ Kawasaki Museum, Kawasaki as "Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. Ltd." Archived 2010-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ K Hulsey, Classic Vintage Motorcycles: Kawasaki history Archived 2010-08-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Daniel Levy, Stastsheet.com Kawasaki Motorcycles - "Independent In Thoughts And Actions"". Archived from the original on 2019-10-09. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
- ^ Motorcycle Classics, Kawasaki W2TT Commander.
- ^ Kawasaki's US factory. Motorcycle News, 13 February 1974, p.7. Retrieved April 4, 2022
- ^ Kawasaki's Plant in Lincoln, Nebraska cycleworld.com, July 11, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022
- ^ "Kawasaki's Engines Division To Consolidate All Functions Including Research & Development In A Single Office Complex In Grand Rapids, Michigan | Small Engines - Lawn Mower Engines - Parts - Kawasaki". www.kawasakienginesusa.com. Retrieved 2016-05-01.