Where is kawasaki made

Other motorcycle manufacturers want to move production to the US? Sounds hard to believe, but we have heard faint hints of at least one European OEM considering assembling knock-down kits in the US, if things get bad. And why not? This sort of thing has happened before in the States, and it worked out pretty well at the time.

Starting back in the s, both Kawasaki and Honda had significant motorcycle manufacturing operations in the US, and both ran through the s. Kawasaki broke the ground here as the first Japanese manufacturer to make vehicles in the US.

The first bike produced was the KZ While production of some of those LTD models moved to Japan, where they copied the made-in-America custom bits Morris wheels, Jardine exhaust , it was the revolutionary Kawi plant, dropped straight into the American heartland, that was really behind the boom. And he would know. The machines we got were open-spec, while American-bound bikes were choked up to save the environment.

Ever wonder why you hear about American bikes barely idling when cold, while the same bike ran fine in Canada as soon as you pressed the starter? Now you know. However, one made-in-America Kawasaki that did come to Canada was the legendary Dan Gurney-designed KZP police bike, an air-cooled inline four that Kawasaki sold to law enforcement agencies starting in there were similar models made earlier under different names. Early versions of the bike even nabbed the starring role in CHiPs.

Another former Kawasaki service manager tells a similar story from his days working on the east coast, wrenching on bikes for the local cop shop. Kojiro Matsukata, born in Satsuma currently Kagoshima Prefecture in , became a secretary to Japan's prime minister during his father's administration between and In , the younger Matsukata was appointed the first president of Kawasaki Dockyard Co. By expanding business into rolling stock, aircraft and shipping, and implementing Japan's first eight-hour day system and other measures, he nurtured and grew Kawasaki into a leading heavy industrial company in Japan.

Matsukata was also known as an art collector. In addition, the Tokyo National Museum houses his extensive collection of Ukiyoe prints. In , Kawasaki Dockyard completed a cargo-passenger ship, Iyomaru GT , its first ship after becoming a publicly traded company. During the 10 years of private management between and , the Company built 80 new ships, including six steel ships such as Tamamaru about GT.

Since the first steel ship was built in Japan in , ship material had rapidly modernized from iron to steel. The beginning of Kawasaki Dockyard is thus the beginning of Japan's modern shipbuilding industry.

Shozo Kawasaki had fully realized that the Company's shipyard needed a drastic increase in capacity since Kawasaki Dockyard was established in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture. He planned to construct a dry dock by reclaiming land next to the shipyard.

In , a land survey began, and in , boring tests were carried out. After the incorporation of Kawasaki Dockyard, Kojiro Matsukata pursued the plan. But they had something more important - a strong desire to succeed and a promise from the factory to supply the best products. The fledgling entrepreneurs negotiated with several private companies around the United States to distribute the first bikes, which were small two strokes sold under the brand name of Omega.

But U. Here was the first indication that Kawasaki would become a company specializing in high-performance fun. These bikes were sold under the Kawasaki name -- and there was a second operation, Eastern Kawasaki Motorcycle Corp. In , this firm and the original Chicago company merged to form Kawasaki Motors Corp. KMC in Southern California. In , the incredible Mach III cc two-stroke triple launched Kawasaki's performance image around the world.

By the time of the legendary four cylinder cc Z1 in , Kawasaki was a major power in the motorcycle industry, and KMC was building its own unified distribution network to offer dealers and customers better service.

Diversification came early when Kawasaki pioneered the personal watercraft business in Martin is a seasoned content creator who has been writing about cars for over a decade, and has been in love with them for even longer.

Growing up, Martin was surrounded by gearheads who instilled a deep love and understanding for cars in him at a young age. He loves to learn and write about all the developments happening in the auto industry - especially in the EV space.

When he's not writing about cars, he likes to spend quality time with his wife, kids, and fur baby. Via Scrambler Via Pinterest. Via bikereview. Via Motorcycledaily. Via Kawasaki. Via: Ultimate Motorcycling. Via: Maxabout News. Via overdrive. Via Wikipedia. Via: Bikesrepublic. Via: Moto. Via Youtube. Via classic-motorbikes.