One of the ‘Big Four’ of the Japanese motorcycle industry, Kawasaki motorcycle production started after WWII supplying small capacity bikes to the home market, but by the early 1960’s was producing 4-stroke motorcycles such as the W1 which were heavily influenced by British designs. By the late 1960’s however, Kawasaki had introduced the first of their now legendary two stroke triple cylinder bikes including the fabulous 750cc H2. By 1972, and with Honda dominating big bike sales with their CB750, Kawasaki returned to four stroke manufacture with another iconic machine, the 900cc Z1 which heralded a new era in ‘Superbike’ design.
Throughout the 1970’s Kawasaki continued to develop and extend the ‘Z’ range with 650, 750 and later 1000cc versions. To capture an even greater share of the worldwide motorcycle market, Kawasaki introduced models in most capacity classes, plus a very comprehensive selection of off road and competition bikes, including some excellent motocross bikes. In more recent years, Kawasaki have offered a very wide range of sports bikes (the ZX range), high speed tourers and commuter bikes.