If you asked any motorcycling enthusiast to name the best motorcycle manufacturers in Japan, Kawasaki would likely be among their top choices. Since it was founded in the early '60s, Kawasaki Motorcycles has produced some of the most iconic Japanese motorcycles of all time, loved for their exquisite designs, advanced technology, and powerful engines.
Over the years, Kawasaki has evolved into a global brand with manufacturing plants in several countries, including Japan, the US, the Philippines, India, and Thailand, to name a few. But, while the Kawasaki name is known worldwide, there are many details and quirks about the brand that many people are probably unaware of. Let's explore ten exciting facts about Kawasaki and the incredible motorcycles it makes.
10 The First Foreign Motorcycle Manufacturer To Have A Factory In The US
Kawasaki has always been a forward-thinking company, so when it noticed a growing demand for motorcycles in the US, it knew it had to set up a plant there. In the mid-1960s, a few of Kawasaki's top executives met and hatched a plan to build a manufacturing plant in the US. Since Kawasaki was already selling products in the US, the move made sense, as it would save the company a lot of time and money previously spent on shipping products across the pond.
The first factory based out of Chicago became such a success that, within two years, Kawasaki built a new branch to distribute bikes to the East Coast. After Kawasaki's success, it wasn't long before Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Nissan followed suit.
9 Kawasaki Had Humble Beginnings In The US
Kawasaki began in the US on little more than a promise. For one, its first headquarters was in an old building that was formerly a meat warehouse. This kept overheads at a minimum, allowing Kawasaki to invest more in the production of motorcycles.
The team that Kawasaki sent to the US arrived with almost nothing — they had no brand image, no distributors, and barely any customers. The only thing they had was a strong belief that the quality of their products would be so good that it would earn them customers — and it did!
8 The First Kawasaki Motorcycles Sold In The US Had A Different Brand Name
The B8 was the first-ever Kawasaki bike to be sold in the US. However, most people don't know that since it was sold under the Omega brand name. This was a result of a partnership between Kawasaki and a California-based distributor called Ken Kay.
The bike had a 125cc two-stroke engine producing 11 horsepower, allowing it to reach a top speed of 70 mph. Though it was not a powerful bike, the Omega was the cheapest 125cc motorcycle with an electric starter at the time. The strategy worked well as it gave Kawasaki a low-risk way of entering the lucrative US market.
7 Kawasaki Has Broken The Production Motorcycle Speed Record Six Times
Over the years, Kawasaki has built some of the fastest motorcycles ever, six of which even broke production motorcycle speed records. The first Kawasaki bike to break the record was the iconic Z1. This four-cylinder, carbureted, chain-drive motorcycle could reach 132 mph in 1972, making it the perfect Kawasaki answer to the iconic Honda CB750.
Other Kawasaki bikes that share the record-breaking honor include the 1984 Ninja GPZ900R at 158 mph, the 1988 Tomcat ZX-10 at 165 mph, the 1990 ZX-11 at 176 mph, the 2000 ZX-12R at 186 mph, the 2006 ZX-14 at 186 mph.
6 Kawasaki Has A Rich Racing History
One of the main reasons why Kawasaki has millions of fans across the globe is its success in motorcycle racing. Kawasaki has been competing in motorcycle racing for nearly as long as it's been around, starting in the 60s when the B8 made its debut at the 1963 MFJ Hyogo Prefectural Motocross Race.
Since then, Kawasaki has competed in almost every motorcycle racing competition there is, including the Superbike World Championship, MotoGP, Endurance World Championship, AMA Superbike, AMA Motocross, and World Motocross Championship.
5 The Kawasaki H2 Is The First Supercharged Production Motorcycle
In 2015, Kawasaki felt that the motorcycle market was "sleeping", so it decided to build one of the most outrageous bikes ever — the H2. The H2 was an instant hit, largely thanks to its fantastic design that made it look like it was sent from the future.
However, the thing that makes the H2 one of the most iconic sportbikes of all time is its power plant — it uses a 998cc supercharged inline-four engine sending up to 200 horsepower to the rear wheel, allowing it to reach a top speed of 209 mph.
4 The Kawasaki H2's Paint Has Pure Silver
Another thing that sets the H2 apart from other sportbikes is the fact that it has real silver in its paint job. Kawasaki uses a special painting technique where special chemicals are sprayed onto the body panels in successive layers. The ensuing reaction leaves a thin layer of silver behind, resulting in a darkened silver mirror finish that looks gorgeous.
However, it's not just the looks that make the painting technique special. According to Kawasaki, the H2's paint job contains properties that allow light scratches to repair themselves. Self-healing motorcycles are not only in Sci-Fi movies after all.
3 The First Kawasaki Ninja Was An Instant Success
In the 80s, Kawasaki envisioned producing a sub-liter bike that would be a successor to the Z1. The result was the GPZ900R, also known as the Ninja 900 or ZX900A. The GPZ900R was the earliest member of the Kawasaki Ninja family and was lauded for its revolutionary design.
Developed in secret for six years, the GPZ900R was powered by the world's first 16-valve liquid-cooled four-cylinder engine producing 115 horsepower, allowing it to reach a top speed of 151 mph. Barely a year after its introduction, the GPZ900R was entered into the Isle of Man Production TT, where it finished in first and second place.
2 Kawasaki Owns A $500 Million Racetrack
Kawasaki is obsessed with dominating the motorcycle racing scene, so it invested in a world-class international racing circuit to test its bikes. The circuit is called Autopolis and was developed in the 90s to host international racing tournaments.
The circuit was built at a cost of $500 million by a wealthy real-estate developer known as Tomonori Tsumaki. Unfortunately, it ended up being a huge failure as visitors criticized it for being too far from hotels and shopping centers. Kawasaki ended up buying it in 2005 at around 10 percent of its build cost.
1 Lime Green Is Synonymous With Kawasaki
One marketing tool that Kawasaki has used to separate itself from the competition is the use of the color green. In fact, Kawasaki is currently known as "Team Green" in the motorcycle racing championships it participates in.
However, it wasn't always like that. Before 1968, Kawasaki Racers were usually painted red, as green was believed to be an unlucky color at the time. Wanting to prove the myth wrong, Kawasaki painted all bikes participating in the 1968 Daytona 200 lime green. The bikes were so successful that Kawasaki adopted lime green as its official racing image color.