There’s a milestone coming for theKawasaki motorcycle brand. In September, the Japanese manufacturer will celebrate its 70th anniversary of making motorcycles, having started manufacturing powered two-wheelers in 1953. While that may mark the beginning of Kawasaki’s complete motorcycle production, Kawasaki actually entered the motorcycle business shortly after World War II. It was that time when it started producing motorcycle engines under the name Kawasaki Machine Works.
Since then, Kawasaki has continued with its “Let the Good Times Roll” plan by manufacturing and selling motorcycles to people in more than 90 countries and regions. And to commemorate its milestone anniversary, Kawasaki will host a special exhibition at the Kawasaki USA Heritage Hall in Foothill Ranch, California. Unfortunately, the precise date of the special exhibition has not yet been announced. The display of Kawasaki’s brand history will focus on the history of its motorcycle business in the US market, which was apparently a significant turning point in Kawasaki’s overseas strategy.
Kawasaki’s US history
Kawasaki’s KE-1 engine was its first attempt to enter the motorcycle industry. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, sales of the motorcycle engine alone did not bring the result that the Big K had hoped for. To try to expand sales, Kawasaki sought help from trading companies to help it expand into overseas markets. To make things work, Kawasaki entered into a business alliance and subsequently merged with the Meguro Manufacturing Company. Still, sales did not rise to the expected levels. It was then that the company decided to change its business model and sell directly to dealers. So in 1966, American Kawasaki Motors was established, and Kawasaki’s US operations began in earnest with only 10 employees. Over time, Kawasaki developed motorcycles like the Kawasaki A1 Samurai 250, H1 500 Mach III, and the iconic Z1 900.
Innovative thinking
Early in its US tenure, Kawasaki launched new sales policies aimed at expansion. One of those policies was the industry’s first model-year system. Another was to set up branches in designated regions of the US, thereby consolidating its place in the US market.
Then in 1974, Kawasaki made a $20M investment to build a manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. This manufacturing plant became the first one built by any Japanese auto or motorcycle manufacturer in the US. To this day, the plant manufactures all of Kawasaki’s Jet Ski personal watercraft and side-by-side OHRVs.
Other Kawasaki anniversaries
While September of this year may be the 70th anniversary of Kawasaki in the US, other milestones will happen soon. The KX and Jet Ski brands will celebrate their 50-year anniversaries this year. Next year will see the American-born Ninja brand reach its 40th anniversary.
