When choosing a new motorcycle, one of the four main brands of Japanese motorcycle companies immediately comes to mind: Kawasaki. With decades of experience in competitions such as MotoGP, Superbike, Endurance Racing, Kawasaki is a legendary brand that every lover of two wheels well knows and esteems.
Let's discover together what made these two-wheelers famous, revealing the history, design, and technology that have belonged to the Kawasaki brand for decades. Here is a list that reveals the secret of its success and the basis of its great international fame.
10 Mr. Shozo Kawasaki: The Ancient Maritime Origins Of The Myth
Mr. Kawasaki's origins have nothing to do with motors. Born, in fact, in Kagoshima to a kimono merchant, Kawasaki Shōzō became a trader down through his teens in Nagasaki, the only place in Japan then open to the West. He started his own business in Osaka at age 27, which failed when his cargo ship sank in a storm. In 1869, he joined a company that traded sugar from the Ryukyu Islands, founded by a samurai from Kagoshima.
Due to many maritime accidents he suffered in his life, Kawasaki put his trust in Western ships because they were more solid, stable, and faster than typical Japanese ships. At the same time, he became very interested in the modern shipbuilding industry.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. traces its origins to 1878 when Kawasaki Shōzō (川 崎 正 蔵) founded the Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard in Tokyo, Japan. It shortly became, in 1896, the Kawasaki Dockyard Co., Ltd.
9 Kawasaki Submarine Takes Over The Seas
Consistent with the spirit of its founder, Kawasaki heavy industries produce submarines.
It has engines Stirling engines for increased underwater endurance, a variety of automated systems, improved surveillance capabilities using high-performance sonar, increased stealth capabilities, and enhanced safety measures.
8 Kawasaki Aircraft Rules The Skies
Because of its meritorious capabilities and technical expertise, the Japanese government again contracted the company for a program that involved, this time, the conquest of the skies. Right after the end of World War I, there was a need for the Japanese army to equip themselves with combat aircraft and Kawasaki was able to deliver their first airplane. The technological developments that today have led to very sophisticated aircraft began at this time thanks to Kawasaki.
7 Kawasaki Robotics Commands The Production
Kawasaki Robotics is a leading supplier of industrial robots and robotic automation systems with a broad product portfolio, able to service a wide range of applications all around the world. After the end of World War II, Japan's economic boom began thanks to the use of technology and automation within manufacturing processes.
The Kawasaki company took advantage of the opportunity provided by the government's economic support by entering the new field of automated manufacturing and in 1969 produced Japan's first Industrial Robot. The use of robots would later expand to the military and civilian fields. The world economy would never be the same again and today it is clear that it is this technological development the reason for Japan's economic success.
6 The Economic Journey To The West Is Done By Motorcycles!
Kawasaki's first base of operations was an old meat warehouse in Chicago.
That's right. Its first base of operations was in an old meat warehouse. Kawasaki Motorcycle Corp. got off to a subdued start in America after establishing its presence in 1966. When the team began operations in the stars and stripes country, their goal was to make their dreams come true. They didn't focus on anything extravagant, but instead, put all their eggs in the production of bicycles. And it was a great success. The company was the first foreign motorcycle company to begin operations in the United States. Kawasaki took the initiative in a foreign land to become one of the world's leading bicycle manufacturers. Foreseeing the potential of the new U.S. motor market, Kawasaki soon began producing motorcycles that would conquer not only the consumers but also the imagination of the Western population.
Kawasaki soon developed a brand, which was recognizable throughout the world, where green meant Kawasaki.
5 Kawasaki's Too Fast To Handle: The Streets Have A New Master
The legendary 1960s marked the culture of the West and vehicles of incredible symbolic value were produced. Similar to what happened with four wheels, when Ford launched the Mustang, Kawasaki launched the famous H1 or Mach 3 in 1966. This revolutionary 500 cc motorcycle quickly gained a reputation for being "too fast to handle" and also became famous in motocross.
RELATED:
Kawasaki built bikes that were reliable and tough. It used a special grade of plastic that was especially strong so that the bikes would be light, easy to handle, and durable. It was the model of the perfect motorcycle in terms of performance, power, and aesthetic beauty.
4 Kawasaki's Widowmaker: Love And Excitement Ride Fast On Two Wheels
Just five years had passed since the revolution represented by the mighty H1 and Kawasaki still amazed the world. This time it was the H2, an even more powerful motorcycle, which became famous worldwide under the nickname of The Widowmaker. Its 750 cc engine, truly monstrous by the standards of motorcycle engines of the time, enchanted riders like haunting music from which they could no longer detach themselves. This motorcycle became the one and only true lover for an entire generation of men.
RELATED:
3 A Ninja Is Born And The World Would Never Be The Same Again
In 1978, Kawasaki kicked off a secret project that would change the motorcycle world forever. The world's first liquid-cooled, 16-valve, inline-four motorcycle engine was created. First unveiled to the press in 1983, it was the beginning of a new era and a legend that everyone still admires today. This sports bike was named "Ninja", and began to dominate in its class.
RELATED:
2 Top Gun Is World's Fastest Production Motorcycle By Kawasaki
Kawasaki did not rest on its laurels and continued its development to confirm itself as a leader in the motorcycle market in both performance and aesthetic beauty. Thus was born the ZZ-R1100, which from its introduction in 1990 until 1996 was the fastest production motorcycle on the planet. Competitors tried hard to dethrone this bike, but in 1999 they had to stop competing because this king was too strong to be defeated.
1 Kawasaki Legend Continues
After nearly forty years of legendary motorcycles, Kawasaki isn't tired and made motorcycle history again in 2015 with the creation of the Ninja H2, combining the names of their two most powerful creations and resulting in a supercharged 1000 cc inline-4 cylinder. This was truly a motorcycle unlike any other, the crowning achievement of incredible technological and artistic work. Kawasaki's future looks brighter than ever.
RELATED: