Kawasaki Classic Cars for Sale

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, founded by Shozo Kawasaki in 1896, produces Kawasaki motorcycles under its motorcycle and engine division.

History of Kawasaki Bikes

When the Japanese company was established, it mainly manufactured ships, defence equipment and aircraft. In 1960 Kawasaki bought Meguro, which was struggling financially, and started making motorcycles under its name. At the time, Meguro was the only Japanese motorcycle manufacturer with 500cc models. The first complete motorcycle from the company was the two-stroke B8 125cc in 1961. In 1962, Kawasaki and some of its engineers worked on a four-stroke engine for a car, and when a few of these engineers transferred to Meguro, they began developing the SG, a 250cc OHV with a single cylinder. The Meguro KI. Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. Ltd was formed when KHI and Meguro merged. From 1962 to 1967, the motorcycle maker used a logo of a flag inside a wing. The manufacturer continued to improve the K1 while developing the W1. When four-stroke engines gained popularity especially in America, the manufacturer exported the K2 for testing, but it was not very well received due to a lack of power. However, the company increased its exports by the mid-1960s. The Kawasaki H1 Mach III produced in 1968 was one of its best-performing models.

Kawasaki Classic Motorcycles

The Japanese manufacturer produces bikes for different categories, including road racing, dual-purpose and off-road. To compete with six-cylinder bikes from other manufacturers, Kawasaki released the KZ1300 which was equipped with a water cooling unit and shaft drive. Its GPz550 arrived in 1981 to launch the 600 class. The Ninja Series, which was produced in 1986 as a sports bike, is Kawasaki’s most famous model. Its GPz900R was introduced at the Laguna Seca, and the liquid-cooled four-valve bike was an instant success. In 1989, the manufacturer released the first ZXR-designated bikes, which were replicas of its race bike in 750cc and 400cc. in the year 2000, the motorcycle maker introduced the ZX-12R, which was the flagship of the ZX series.

Kawasaki Racing

The motorcycle company got its first world championship in 1969 with Dave Simmons in the 125cc class. In 1978, Kawasaki won the world championships in 250cc and 350cc with Kork Ballington. The motorcycle manufacturer dominated the next few years, with Anton Mang winning four titles in three years. Kawasaki joined the Moto GP World Championships in 2003 with a team led by Harald Eckl. It was in 2004 that the ‘Green Team’ got it first podium finish with Shinya Nakano. Kawasaki Motors Racing was formed in 2007 after the company split with Harald Eckl. The subsidiary was responsible for all of the manufacturers racing activities and created an in-house factory team. However, in 2009, the motorcycle maker announced that it was suspending its MotoGP racing activities.