15 Facts You Never Knew About Kawasaki [Video]

Kawasaki is one of the motorcycle industry’s most recognized and legendary brands. For decades, the company has been fulfilling the desires of motorcycle enthusiasts, producing bikes for every riding class. As such, the brand has established itself as the leading motorcycle manufacturer. What are some interesting tidbits of information you didn’t know about the infamous Japanese automobile manufacturer?

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Who Is The Founder of Kawasaki?

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.’s founder is Shōzō Kawasaki (1837-1912), who started his career as a tradesman at 17 years old. When he was 27, he began a shipping business based in Osaka, where he found his interest lay in the modern shipbuilding industry. As such, and in 1878, Kawasaki founded Tokyo’s Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard.

In 1906, he opened another factory, and the company expanded its product line.

Who Is Kawasaki Named After?

Kawasaki is named after Shōzō Kawasaki, the founder of the company.

Which Country Brand is Kawasaki?

Kawasaki is a Japanese corporation that operates publicly and is multi-national.

What Does Kawasaki Stand For?

Kawasaki is a family name that is a combination of two Japanese words – “kawa” meaning river and “saka” meaning cape or “river cape.”

What Is Kawasaki Known For?

Kawasaki is one of Japan’s Big Four motorcycle companies, making it mostly known for its line of motorcycles. However, its presence is felt in other industries such as aircraft, aerospace, power and energy, robotics, precision engineering and shipbuilding.

Is Kawasaki A Good Brand?

Like many Japanese automakers, Kawasaki is recognized for being extremely dependable. It’s a great brand for novice riders who are looking for lightweight bikes with little displacement engines. Riders won’t pay a lot but learn a lot before buying a bike with a bit more power.

A four-year-old bike has a low failure rate, much lower than the 24% industry average, making their cost quite reasonable.

What Was The First Kawasaki Motorcycle?

The first officially-designed Kawasaki motorcycle was the Kawasaki B8, modeled after the Meihatsu B7 and used the engines Kawasaki produced. In 1962, the Kawasaki Aircraft Company created the BB 125cc two-stroke motorcycle. Around this time, the company was merging with Meguro Manufacturing Co.

Where Was Kawasaki Motorcycles Manufactured?

Kawasaki motorcycles are built throughout the world where Kawasaki Heavy Industries plants are – Japan, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. Kawasaki took steps to become the first foreign motorcycle company to establish a factory in the U.S.

When Did Kawasaki Come To The U.S.?

The first American Kawasaki Motorcycle Corporation was established in March 1966. It was established in Chicago at a former meat warehouse.

Where Are Kawasaki Factories Located In The U.S.?

Since many of its products were being sold in the U.S., Kawasaki executives opted to construct a plant there. This saved them time and money (such as foreign duty charges) from manufacturing and shipping them across the waters.

Americans also benefited from the decision as it meant a boost in the local economy and jobs. Locations for Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A. include Maryville, Mo. And Lincoln, Neb.

The Lincoln consumer products manufacturing facility began in 1974, while the Maryville production plan for general-purpose engines opened in 1989. Both locations include KMM Research and Development Centers to quickly meet consumer demands.

What Was The First Kawasaki Motorcycle In The U.S.?

The first Kawasaki motorcycle was built at the Lincoln plant and was the Kawasaki KZ400. It was released in 1974, making it the first and only Japanese vehicle type to be manufactured in the U.S.

Does Kawasaki Own Harley Davidson?

No acquisition between the two companies has taken place, which means Kawasaki and Harley Davidson Motor Company are still two separate companies. An article was written about the acquisition on April 1, 2014, but it was an April Fools’ Day joke. You can read about it here.

Are Kawasaki and Suzuki The Same Company?

Suzuki and Kawasaki are not the same company and offer models of their own. Both companies are based in Japan, and with the 2003 model line-up, a consumer can go into a Suzuki or Kawasaki dealer to purchase the same bike. Cosmetics is the only thing that separates the two bikes. Everything mechanical is the same.

How Many Motorcycles Does Kawasaki Sell?

In fiscal 2019, Kawasaki said about 499,000 motorcycles, a 50,000 unit drop from the 2018 fiscal year of 550,000 units.

What Things Does Kawasaki Produce?

Kawasaki is a manufacturer of many different products that range from supercharged motorcycle cruisers, Ninja sportbikes, motocross motorcycles, ATVs, cars, jet skis, ships, jet engines, gasoline engines, missiles, space rockets, trains, etc.