Kawasaki Motor Scooters

Kawasaki was founded in 1896 in Japan and has grown and expanded steadily since its inception. Kawasaki has headquarters in three Japanese cities and subsidiaries throughout the world. It was the first to create and manufacture watercraft known as Jet Skis. The Jet Ski has now become a generic term for all types of similar watercraft. They also produce motorcycles, ATVs, special terrain vehicles, engines, and other products. A leader in the industry, people often think out their products because they come from a known and trusted name.

However, despite the number of products they sell and the many countries across the world they can be found, Kawasaki does not manufacture or sell motor scooters. The closest thing to Kawasaki motor scooters would be Kawasaki motorcycles or all terrain vehicles. Some Kawasaki dealerships compromise on this point and sell motor scooters from other companies, namely Schwinn. One day, Kawasaki might produce motor scooters, especially if they can produce a lighter, faster one—the sort that could be used for sport applications, since they are mainly focused on sporting vehicles. In the mean time, if you are seeking a Kawasaki motor scooter, it might be best to consider other options. Most other Japanese companies do have a selection of models to choose from, including Yamaha and Honda. While Kawasaki is definitely a leader in the industry, they’re not the only game in town. You can also research by visiting Kawasaki dealers and finding out what alternative to Kawasaki motor scooters they would suggest, or asking them if they know of any plans to produce motor scooters in the future.

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries Consumer Products and Machinery company, more popularly known simply as Kawasaki, is the branch of the Japanese corporation Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and is most recognizable as being one of the leading motorcycle manufacturers in the world.

Kawasaki motorcycle engines were originally produced by the company’s aircraft division starting in 1952. By 1960 the company created a dedicated motorcycle division, releasing its first bikes, the Kawasaki Pet and the Kawasaki 125B7, the following year. The company’s followup bike, the B8, was redesigned into a motocross racer (the B8M) in 1963, and quickly became one of the winningest bikes in Japanese racing.

The company released bikes continuously from its inception, but often faced tough competition from Honda (which remains the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer to this day.) British racer Dave Simmonds won the company its first World Championship in 1969, and by 1973 Kawasaki released the powerful 900cc Z1, which finally stood wheel-to-wheel against Honda’s latest bikes.

The Kawasaki brand quickly gained recognition as the company expanded its line of street motorcycles and racing bikes by releasing a line of jet skis in the 1970’s and ATVs in the 1980’s. However, Kawasaki’s modern claim to fame was not released until 1984 – the Ninja sportbike.

Known as the GPz900R upon release, the Ninja received its famous nickname in the US, and received international praise as the “Bike of the Year.” Featuring unique styling and speeds that outpaced all other cycles of the time, the Ninja was also one of the first bikes to receive a liquid-cooled engine (as opposed to air-cooled.) This was a very successful technical innovation for the company, and remains a part of most of their engines today.

Today, the lime green Ninja cycle remains one of the fastest motocross bikes available. Production of a wide variety of Ninjas dominates the modern Kawasaki product line, running the gamut from racers to street cycles that are some of the most powerful in each respective category. In 2007, Kawasaki Motors Racing was launched to manage the Kawasaki Racing Team (Team Green), which formed in 2003 to compete in the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix.

Additionally, Kawasaki maintains a line of cruising and touring cycles made for endurance over speed. The Vulcan, the Eliminator and the Versys feature more western-influenced design and are marketed to long-distance travelers and pleasure-seekers. Alternately, the Concours is modeled on Kawasaki sport bikes but has risen in popularity in certain countries as a police and ambulance emergency vehicle.

Related Information:

Large Gas Scooters
Kawasaki does not yet have a motor scooter department.

Best Motor Scooters
Kawasaki is a leader in sports vehicles but they do not manufacture motor scooters yet.

Products
Kawasaki Concours 14 280 mm petal style, front brake rotor Rear brake caliper Large rear luggage rack		Kawasaki KLR 650 Manual transmission Chain rear wheel primary drive 6 speed gearbox
Kawasaki KX450F 4 speed 449 cc displacement 4 stroke powered engine		Kawasaki KX65 2011 model 248 cc parallel twin engine Liquid cooling 12.4 : 1 compression ratio
Kawasaki Ninja 250R Good ergonomics on the track Fun to ride Strong mid range power/li>		Kawasaki Ninja 650R Choice of colors like Passion Red, Candy Thunder Blue or Ebony Fuel injected engine Powerful aerodynamic stunner
Kawasaki Ninja ZX14 16 inch sized front and rear tires Fuel capacity of the vehicle is 20.1 liters 8 valves with 4 valves per cylinder		Kawasaki Vulcan 1700 17 inch sized front and rear tires Front dual hydraulic disc brake and rear hydraulic disc brake 6 speeds
Kawasaki Z1000 Heavier Flywheel High speed generator at the end of the crankshaft Enhanced engine, chassis and aerodynamics		Kawasaki ZX-10 Maximum horsepower of 2 kW/ 7000 r/ min Maximum torque of 2.2 Nm Fuel capacity of 14 liters