The Japanese brand celebrates seven decades in the two-wheeled sector in 2023. To this end, it has prepared many events, among which this Kawasaki 70th Exhibition stands out.
Last July, Akashi’s company began to form the Kawasaki 70th Exhibition under a very special motto: “70 years of good times”. In this way, the Japanese brand celebrates the seven decades that it has been in the fruitful motorcycle sector, and it does so by showing the world its way of understanding the world of two wheels and how they make their way to thriving American market.
Currently, the brand sells its models in more than 90 countries around the world. Since 1953, it has applied the philosophy that at its beginning made it prosperous until reaching the current time: “Let the Good Times Roll”(Let the good times roll). Now your mission is to achieve “the joy and happiness of everyone involved with Kawasaki” and continue to grow sustainably.
Important brand milestones during this period
| 1953 | Launch of the first motorcycle engine “KE-1” |
| 1960 | It started integrated production of motorcycles at the Kobe Plant (now Akashi Factory) and launched the first Kawasaki brand motorcycle, the Kawasaki 125 New Ace. |
| Commercial association of Meguro Manufacturing | |
| 1963 | The “Kawasaki B8” completed the victory in the Aonogahara motocross race |
| 1964 | Merged with Meguro Works. |
| 1965 | “W1” motorcycle ad |
| 1966 | “American Kawasaki Motorcycle Corp.” established US sales company |
| Release of the “A1” motorcycle | |
| 1969 | Launch of “H1” motorcycle |
| 1972 | Launch of the “Z1” motorcycle |
| 1973 | Launch of “KX250” and “KX125” motorcycles |
| 1974 | A motorcycle assembly plant was established in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. |
| 1984 | Launch of the “GPz900R “Ninja”” motorcycle |
| 1990 | Launch of the “ZZ-R1100” motorcycle |
| 1994 | Launch of the “Ninja ZX-9R” motorcycle |
| year 2000 | Launch of the “Ninja ZX-12R” motorcycle |
| 2008 | Launch of the “Ninja 250R” motorcycle |
| 2014 | Launch of “Ninja H2/H2R” motorcycle |
| 2018 | New motorcycle model “Z900RS” wins grand prize at first “Japanese Bike of the Year” |
| 2021 | Separated from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. and founded Kawasaki Motors Co., Ltd. |
Kawasaki 70th exhibition in detail
This 70th Kawasaki Exhibition marks the foundation of the step forward taken by the brand when, in 1966, it founded American Kawasaki Motors (AKM). The project started with only 10 people leading, while the brand created new models such as “A1”, “H1” and “Z1”.
In 1974 Kawasaki was able to open the first factory in Yankee land, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, an operation that cost more than 20 million dollars at the time. Almost 50 years later it remains the nerve center within the vast Confederate state. Also, this year Kawasaki celebrated the 50th anniversary of the KX and Jet Ski brands and announced that in 2024 it will launch the Ninja brand on the market.
The newly opened Kawasaki 70th Exhibition is located in the “Kawasaki World” corporate museum of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group (inside the Kobe Maritime Museum). There we can delight ourselves with machines from the Japanese firm that marked the first and last of its history. Among them, the J1, 650-W1, H1 (MACHⅢ) and Z1 (Kawasaki 900 Super4) stand out.
This Kawasaki 70th Exhibition will be implemented from today until March 31, 2024. For more information about it, you can directly access the official website of the brand museum.
