Kawasaki is a global brand specializing in the production of various equipment. In addition to the usual motorcycles, the company produces aircraft, ships and other large equipment using the most modern technologies. The Kawasaki company, whose history has long roots, remains one of the prominent players in the market for the production of various equipment.
Kawasaki company began to produce motorcycles quite late, skipping the 50s of the last century, when the entire industry in Japan began to increase its pace of development. It was during this time period that the transition began not only to the Asian market, but also to the countries of Europe and America. The initial goal of all firms in Japan engaged in the production of various equipment was the desire to provide the population with the equipment that could be some kind of alternative to public transport. Obviously, in the early years, the results could hardly have been high, but the growth trend, of course, was outlined.
The refinement of technological processes, and then participation in various world competitions, laid the foundation for the formation of future success.
The founder of the company is Shozo Kawasaki, who comes from the family of a simple kimono seller. The beginning of Shozo’s career was not at all connected with motor vehicles, he started with the job of a seller, later got a merchant ship. 1876 in the life of Shozo was marked by the fact that he opens his own shipyard and begins to occupy a leading position in the sugar trade.
The history of kawasaki dates back to the shipyard that was founded by Shouzo Kawasaki. Gradually, this company expanded, starting its activities in other industries, including civil and railway construction. In 1911, the company focused on organizing shipping, and then the company began building aircraft and its components. The Chinese-Japanese war gave a new impetus Kawasaki’s business development, making it possible to provide repairs to all military vessels and other equipment. After the war, Shozo Kawasaki decides to make Kozhiro Matsukata, who became the first president of the Kawasaki concern, as manager. This position was assigned to him for thirty-two years, during which time he introduced an 8-hour work week, which was an innovation in those days.
Since the moment when Japan began active hostilities, Kawasaki became the main supplier of various equipment for the army. The situation changed radically after the war, then the company experienced a real decline in its production. The first gaps of the upcoming progress appeared in 1950, when the first engine was designed at one of the plants. In 1951, production technologies for 2-stroke and 4-stroke engines were installed, which were installed on bicycles from the Noriz company.
1954 - More than two hundred Bikescooter KV-2 scooters were released. The next step of the company was the joint production of Meihazu 60 - a bicycle with an outboard engine.
1957 - during this period, mass production and production of motorcycle equipment begins. Initially, they went under the Meihazu brand, but since 1961, the Kawasaki brand was finally approved. 1966 - expansion begins on the American market, however, this does not bring definite success. And in 1975 this process was slightly stopped and the company decided to return to the Japanese market.
In 1966, the first Samurai kawasaki motorcycles appeared, equipped with a special dual pipe system located at the rear. The motorcycle had an engine of 90 cm3 and a 5-speed gearbox. This model was a true leader for five years, until Honda began to produce motorcycles of this type.
1968 - this date became the moment of mass production of Mach III motorcycles, samples of which immediately began to be delivered to European countries. This model was a real discovery among motorcycles of this type, having engines with a volume of 500 cm3. 1973 - The company launches the H2 750 Mach IV with an improved design.
Following the success of the MachIII, the company launches the new Z1 motorcycle, which is widely recognized. Without stopping at this, the designers begin to work on the continuation of the series and release the Z2. There are no special differences between them, except for the engine, which was reduced to 750 cm3.
1977 was marked by the fact that the production of Z1000 and Z1000LTD, having a volume of about 1016 cm3, was started. The production of the Z650C begins, which is distinguished by titanium wheels and an engine capacity of 652 cm3. 1978 - The Z400 was equipped with a 6-speed gearbox, and Z650SR motorcycles were also produced. 1979 - Kawasaki launches the ZI3000, which has a 6-speed gearbox and a 1286 cm3 engine. Being a rather bulky machine, this model nevertheless aroused considerable interest among buyers.
1983 - release of the AR 125 model begins, having a volume of 125 cm3. A 6-speed gearbox and a liquid-based cooling system make it one of the most popular models of the time. In 1985, continued growth in the production of 4-stroke motorcycles. So, the LTD450 based on the Ninja engine was born. 1988 - the engine is increased to one thousand cm3, resulting in the appearance of the ZX10 model, which has an aluminum frame in the design. The end of the 80s was marked by an increased interest in “retro” models, when the nostalgic design was combined with the latest technological innovations.
At this time, production work focused on sports types of motorcycles began to develop rapidly. On the basis of Kawasaki, the ZZ-R appeared, which belongs to the class of machines with a volume of up to one thousand cm3. Along the way, the retro style in the development of motorcycles developed, for example, the ZXR bike was released, combining the original design and powerful technological “stuffing.” 1992 - the Estrella bike belonging to the category of motorcycles up to 249 cm3 was born. This model has become very popular in Japan, as evidenced by the high sales figures recorded at that time. 1998 - a model with a volume of 125 cm3 and a 4-stroke engine is produced. At the same time in the United States, Vulcan Nomad, a motorcycle with a 2-cylinder engine, was in full swing. 1999 - release of the Drifter model, which has the design of past years. In general, the end of the century for the company Kawasaki was marked by the release of models based on the improvement of already released motorcycles, thus practically stopping the serial production of new models.
Big victories began in 1969, when the first competition was won. This success belonged to Dave Simmonds, who defeated his rivals on a 125 cm3 Kawasaki motorcycle. From 1978 and for four years, Kawasaki showed quite decent results in races, which, however, did not lead to any triumph in competitions. In 2002, the first race was carried out as part of the MotoGP competition. However, neither this race nor its subsequent ones led to the expected victories and successes, which led to the fact that in 2009 it was decided to withdraw from the competition. The company was more successful in superbike competitions.
