Download "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History"
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252F_A0mSEadvas%252Fsddefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
Table of contents
Similar videos from our catalog
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252F5gBk04ajuxk%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FNFZrz-_ONKU%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FQ4nG42RHAok%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252FeMgmz_u3y6g%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252FhKECspYqI5w%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi%252FjzAKboLynZc%252Fmaxresdefault.jpg&w=1139&q=75)
%3Aformat(webp)%2Fi.ytimg.com%252Fvi_webp%252Fng0afcXJWjM%252Fmaxresdefault.webp&w=1139&q=75)
Video tags
Subtitles
Russian
00:00:03
[Music]00:00:13
[Applause]00:00:15
[Music]00:00:18
they were nearly the last Japanese00:00:21
company to get into the motorcycle00:00:22
business a giant corporation that00:00:29
already knew how to build huge ships00:00:30
that sailed around the world00:00:34
bullet trains that can go 170 miles an00:00:36
hour and parts for jet airplanes00:00:41
kawasaki had a long-standing reputation00:00:43
of building big powerful engines so when00:00:47
the company decided to create a00:00:48
motorcycle their engineers faced a00:00:50
challenge how to use their expertise to00:00:53
create powerful engines small enough to00:00:56
fit into a bike00:01:03
we00:01:05
we need a total performance to perform00:01:10
at the brain they turn the world of00:01:14
motorcycle engineering upside down00:01:16
creating some of the most revolutionary00:01:18
designs ever produced there's a it also00:01:22
feels aggressive and emotional00:01:27
[Applause]00:01:30
[Music]00:01:32
this is our human capital system just to00:01:42
make sure they got everyone's attention00:01:43
they painted their bikes and unusual00:01:46
color lime green beautiful looking green00:01:49
color we run you know the have to trade00:01:52
more thing of Kawasaki a trademark we00:01:59
enforce blasting the word ninja you tell00:02:04
some of the other ninja they know00:02:05
exactly what you're on you're on a00:02:06
Kawasaki sport bike after so much00:02:11
success with ships trains and jumbo jets00:02:14
why did Kawasaki get into the motorcycle00:02:16
business and even with all their00:02:18
engineering right cool they're really00:02:20
challenged to older more established00:02:22
brands00:02:23
[Music]00:02:25
[Applause]00:02:26
[Music]00:02:39
[Music]00:02:46
[Music]00:03:01
although it's recorded history dates all00:03:03
the way back to 201 Cobain is one of00:03:06
Japan's most modern cities00:03:14
Kabang is a major shipping port it was00:03:19
one of the first Japanese cities to00:03:20
trade with the West American Park a00:03:32
tourist destination on the waterfront00:03:34
takes his name from the words America00:03:37
[Music]00:03:42
one of the parks famous landmarks is the00:03:45
Red Steel port Tower built in the shape00:03:47
of a giant's assuming a traditional00:03:50
Japanese drum its observation deck00:03:52
towers 350 feet above the water00:03:59
nearby is a giant Ferris wheel the park00:04:03
attracts tourists by the thousands00:04:06
[Music]00:04:12
Rilke babies is a delicacy here00:04:15
[Music]00:04:23
Koby is home to more than 10000:04:25
international corporations including00:04:27
Procter & Gamble and Nestle00:04:31
it is also home to a company that's been00:04:34
in business for almost 80 years before00:04:36
ever thought about building a motorcycle00:04:41
[Music]00:04:47
kool-aid Japan is world headquarters for00:04:51
Kawasaki Heavy Industries00:04:56
[Music]00:04:59
Kawasaki Heavy Industries was founded by00:05:01
a man named Zozo Kawasaki in 1878 it00:05:07
began as a shipbuilding company Shozo00:05:11
Kawasaki was one of the first in Japan00:05:13
to use Western designs for his ships his00:05:17
company prospered and over the years it00:05:20
became one of the world's manufacturing00:05:22
giants building not only ships but00:05:27
trains industrial equipment and parts00:05:30
for cars and airplanes00:05:33
[Music]00:05:36
in one way or another the Kawasaki00:05:38
product probably touches your life00:05:41
everyday but hardly anyone knew the00:05:43
Kawasaki name to build brand awareness00:05:47
the company started building motorcycles00:05:49
in 1955 it was a way to embrace the00:05:52
growing popularity of motorcycles in the00:05:55
US00:05:59
[Music]00:06:05
a new building in kobe celebrates00:06:07
kawasaki history and shipbuilding and00:06:09
motorcycles in a clear reference to both00:06:12
american music and pop culture the00:06:14
motorcycle part of the building is00:06:16
called Kawasaki good times world now we00:06:20
are in kobe kawasaki motorcycle museum00:06:23
of which the official name is kawasaki00:06:26
good times world00:06:34
[Music]00:06:46
kawasaki was third of a Japanese before00:06:49
including Honda Yamaha Suzuki to make a00:06:53
motorcycle but they had a secret weapon00:06:55
a skill and engineering that would make00:06:58
them stand out00:07:01
kawasaki assigned engineers from the00:07:03
aircraft division to build its first00:07:05
motorcycles and from 1955 to 1965 that00:07:09
created a variety of bikes but none was00:07:18
special none address the real mission assigned00:07:20
to kawasaki motorcycle engineers00:07:25
that mission was to develop completely00:07:28
new technologies for a breakthrough00:07:30
design a motorcycle that would turn the00:07:33
motorcycle world upside down00:07:39
[Music]00:07:42
[Applause]00:07:45
[Music]00:07:47
in 1968 what started out as an00:07:50
engineering exercise became a real00:07:52
motorcycle called the Mach 3 two teams00:07:56
of Kawasaki engineers were pitted00:07:57
against each other one team would00:08:01
develop a traditional 2 cylinder engine00:08:02
but the second team built something00:08:04
never tried before a 500cc engine with00:08:08
three cylinders it was a revolutionary00:08:12
design but the result was classic00:08:14
Kawasaki an engine producing massive00:08:16
amounts of power until the mach 3 no00:08:21
Japanese company had ever designed a00:08:23
motorcycle with three cylinders Kawasaki00:08:26
did to get more horsepower at first the00:08:30
three cylinder experiment was a failure00:08:32
the middle cylinder kept overheating and00:08:34
engine kept blowing up but the00:08:36
engineering team kept trying finally00:08:38
they had the idea of adding extra large00:08:40
cooling fins to the engine it worked00:08:43
their engine went from experiment to00:08:45
production this is a mock straight00:08:47
triple which was introduced in 1969 in00:08:51
the United States this motorcycle is00:08:54
very unique at that time even unique00:08:56
right now it has three cylinder00:08:58
air-cooled to cycle the two-stroke00:09:01
engine00:09:03
you00:09:17
it took an entire year to solve the00:09:19
engineering challenges of a three00:09:21
cylinder engine but the result was worth00:09:23
it when the Mach 3 went on sale in 196900:09:28
it was the most powerful production00:09:29
motorcycle in the world my dad took me00:09:32
up to the local high school on the back00:09:33
of his Mach 300:09:34
he said go sit on that curve right there00:09:36
and he did wheelies boxing on his Mach 300:09:38
all the way down the parking lot and00:09:40
that will stick with me forever00:09:41
those things ran hard super super fun to00:09:45
ride00:09:48
[Music]00:09:53
Matt Mach 3 was a three-cylinder 50000:09:56
fought over the freestone or 75000:09:57
two-stroke and they were rocket ships00:09:59
actually outperformed every motorcycle00:10:02
existed at that time00:10:04
so this Mach 3 made Kawasaki famous00:10:18
but Kawasaki would need more than just a00:10:20
Mach 3 if it wanted to take on Honda00:10:23
Yamaha and Suzuki Kawasaki would need a00:10:26
long-term strategy00:10:32
that strategy was simple if one00:10:35
engineering exercise could revolutionize00:10:37
the motorcycle world and what they00:10:39
needed to do was keep the revolution00:10:41
going00:10:42
[Music]00:10:48
[Music]00:10:52
just three years after producing the00:10:54
mach3 kawasaki unveiled another design00:10:56
breakthrough a new bike called the z100:10:59
with a larger 900 cc engine the z1 the00:11:03
900 was amazing you know that that bike00:11:06
made a huge impression and really00:11:08
established Kawasaki has a performance00:11:11
force this Kawasaki v1 it was introduced00:11:14
in 1972 in the United States this is00:11:18
very unique again the four exhaust pipes00:11:21
make it massive and it's beautiful00:11:24
machine00:11:28
[Music]00:11:37
when this bike hit the streets is00:11:39
Kawasaki it changed everything all of a00:11:41
sudden you had a bike that not only made00:11:43
a lot of horsepower things stopped00:11:44
really well not a sport bike by current00:11:47
definitions that is a sportive thing if00:11:49
you get00:11:50
[Music]00:11:51
the z1 was sporty but sporty isn't00:11:54
enough was the z1 engineered well enough00:11:57
to win we're really mattered could it00:11:59
win on the racetrack00:12:11
there's an old saying in the motorcycle00:12:13
world race on Sunday sell on Monday in00:12:17
the late 1970s a British rider named00:12:20
Reggie Moore was racing the Kawasaki00:12:23
z1000 Kawasaki looking at that going00:12:27
some publicity dude behind and I don't00:12:31
care what anybody says Racing sales00:12:33
bikes yeah00:12:34
race until we put more onboard Kawasaki00:12:38
pulled ahead and it's race to catch up00:12:39
with the competition and it did it on00:12:41
race tracks in America we're pretty more00:12:44
in the z1 we're almost unbeatable it was00:12:47
a great bike I love the power because00:12:49
now I could go fast without having to00:12:51
struggle too hard for it and I did quite00:12:54
well on that one Kawasaki became the00:12:59
first Japanese motorcycle brand to win00:13:02
the American Motorcycle Association00:13:03
championship with reg pretty more00:13:06
onboard the z1 Kawasaki took the title00:13:09
two years in a row 1977 and 1978 Wow00:13:14
it was just like riding a bike that00:13:18
you've known for many many years00:13:21
but in actual fact you know we had good00:13:23
brakes we had good power00:13:34
[Music]00:13:36
[Applause]00:13:38
put more success on the track will to00:13:40
keep or increasing Kawasaki sales00:13:43
especially in the United States anyone00:13:47
use this break for the first time in00:13:50
Kawasaki it's a huge one compared to00:13:53
standard size at that time z1 needed00:13:58
good brakes the bike you could buy off00:14:00
the showroom floor a top speed of 12500:14:03
miles an hour it created some standard00:14:09
not only in the Kawasaki but there and00:14:11
motorcycle industries worldwide but it's00:14:15
Super Sport should be00:14:18
[Music]00:14:26
kawasaki the company started00:14:28
next-to-last in terms of making00:14:29
motorcycles was catching up fast it00:14:35
created the mach 3 in 1969 is z1 in 197200:14:40
and then won two championships in the00:14:42
late 70s but could kawasaki go for the00:14:45
jugular and totally redefine what the00:14:47
modern SportBike00:14:48
should be00:14:49
[Music]00:15:02
the answer would come only one year00:15:05
later in September of 1980 management in00:15:09
Japan release a new bike they called the00:15:11
Z 900 our00:15:13
[Music]00:15:17
but Kawasaki is American staff in00:15:20
Southern California thought they had a00:15:21
better idea they wanted a new bike to be00:15:25
called the ninja00:15:27
chalice Aki motors corporation in the00:15:29
United States they invented their ninja00:15:34
name because at that time ninja was a00:15:36
Superman for the crazy boys down at00:15:39
college hockey USA found to found that00:15:41
name and there's some crazy guys down00:15:42
there at that time and they came up with00:15:44
that ninja name that really stuck they00:15:52
love the name the name back at Kawasaki00:15:54
headquarters in Japan it struck a00:15:56
balance between what would sell in00:15:58
America and the clearly Japanese design00:16:00
philosophy using creating the bike the00:16:02
philosophy that shapes can have both00:16:04
positive and negative qualities this is00:16:08
a bike is a pause positive negative is00:16:12
combinations and then we are making is a00:16:17
positive and negatives and they shadows00:16:24
making wizard by design philosophies00:16:28
then 6000:16:36
in addition to their distinctive design00:16:38
philosophy kawasaki used a unique color00:16:40
to stand out lime green and the reason00:16:45
why is as unusual as the color itself in00:16:52
the late 60s green was considered bad00:16:55
luck on a racetrack but Kawasaki put its00:16:58
base in engineering not superstition00:17:00
mixing nine parts yellow with one part00:17:03
blue it created what it called a color00:17:05
of defiance the lime green color was an00:17:09
attempt to psych out the competition00:17:11
well everybody knows what makes a Cal00:17:13
psyching that's it beautiful looking00:17:15
green colors we run you know the that's00:17:18
a trademark tang of Kawasaki the00:17:20
original Ninja was another marvel of00:17:22
Kawasaki engineering stringing together00:17:24
a long list of firsts it was a00:17:26
completely new design the engine more00:17:28
compact the first Kawasaki with a00:17:31
water-cooled motor00:17:33
[Music]00:17:40
this one is original Ninja 900 and the00:17:45
engine is compact and it's lower than00:17:48
the other bikes the center of gravity is00:17:51
lower because of the engine location is00:17:54
it located down and 4 and also the00:17:57
hearing it's at the two purposes here00:18:00
one is writer protection and - of course00:18:04
it's a enhance the maximum top speed00:18:11
[Music]00:18:18
there was a bike that had you know a00:18:20
racing level of suspension and engine00:18:24
performance and even a kind of a racers00:18:26
Crouch to the seating position you know00:18:29
that had really been anything like it00:18:30
before00:18:31
first real sport bike on the Japanese it00:18:34
had the right correct ride heights it00:18:37
had red wheels it had the short00:18:40
handlebars it was just a tight little00:18:42
package and and it was the first00:18:44
purposeful sport bike that I remember00:18:47
coming out00:18:48
[Music]00:18:57
after I designed the most of the engine00:18:59
components and also the exhaust pipes00:19:03
and industrial systems just like the00:19:06
Mach 3 the first ninja was created by a00:19:08
team of engineers but when it was00:19:10
finished riding the bike became a very00:19:13
personal experience after completion of00:19:16
this bike I wrote it in a ruling ground00:19:19
and it's something like I'm kind of00:19:23
sending our own on the desert nobody00:19:25
there and what I saw was just a scenario00:19:28
you are moving backwards my weight and00:19:30
their motorcycle weight combined and00:19:33
moving very fast00:19:36
[Music]00:19:39
the first ninja was also the first00:19:42
Kawasaki motorcycle to use a00:19:43
computerized ignition system it may00:19:46
sound simple now but in the early 80s00:19:49
controlling the air & fuel mixture in00:19:52
the engine by a computer was a major00:19:54
advancement in the motorcycle world00:19:56
Nissan's motorcycle ever Caltech has00:19:59
ever made00:20:03
so significant that the name ninja has00:20:06
become virtually synonymous with the00:20:08
word SportBike now many cops will look00:20:11
at your sport bike and say there's a00:20:12
ninja well that's just kind of become00:20:14
one of those terms like crescent wrench00:20:16
in fact mean adjustable in ranks is made00:20:18
by Crescent but people call it a00:20:20
crescent wrench same thing with the00:20:21
ninja sport bikes are ninjas especially00:20:23
at their Kawasaki in 1990 Kawasaki00:20:28
engineering breakthroughs led to another00:20:30
new design the zx-11 pushed motorcycle00:20:34
engine development even further00:20:37
[Music]00:20:39
and it did it by using an old American00:20:42
hot rodder trick force more air into an00:20:46
engine and you get more horsepower in00:20:50
1990 this year is very important because00:20:53
kawasaki introduced this net x11 which00:20:59
is the first ninja with Remillard00:21:01
engine it around their first Grammy at00:21:05
Mozza going the world ram-air is00:21:09
remarkably simple concept the faster the00:21:12
motorcycle goes the more air that's00:21:14
random the engine a simple concept00:21:16
turned into a masterpiece of motorcycle00:21:19
engineering the faster the motorcycle00:21:21
goes they're more powerful their engine00:21:26
will become00:21:28
[Music]00:21:29
[Applause]00:21:30
[Music]00:21:35
[Applause]00:21:36
in 2006 kawasaki engineers pushed the00:21:41
ninja maimed and to get another category00:21:43
of motorcycles this time their target is00:21:46
to build the fastest street-legal00:21:47
motorcycle ever made00:21:51
[Music]00:21:58
[Applause]00:22:02
how do you create the fastest00:22:05
street-legal motorcycle ever built00:22:07
Kawasaki engineer decides the answer is00:22:10
size they created a monster sized ninja00:22:14
called the zx-14 the zx-14 has a 1.400:22:21
liter engine that's a huge engine for a00:22:23
motorcycle and as big as engines used in00:22:26
many cars in fact the zx-14 is faster00:22:30
than virtually any car on the road00:22:36
[Music]00:22:39
1400 the concept of a motorcycle with a00:22:45
king over open road at first we develop00:22:49
the engine for very fast acceleration in00:22:53
the road zx-14 basically ultimate GT00:22:59
bike you know once again going from00:23:09
concept to reality would be a major00:23:11
engineering challenge for one thing the00:23:14
zx-14 design team had to develop an00:23:16
entirely new and much stronger frame00:23:18
because the bikes new engine cranks out00:23:20
nearly 200 horsepower milk throws a00:23:23
stone by arranging the same core state00:23:25
the chassis is really the main part of00:23:27
the motorcycle after you test the engine00:23:29
you have to test the chassis to make00:23:31
sure it's strong enough to handle all00:23:33
the power it's a whole lot of motor in a00:23:37
capable chassis those kind of bikes are00:23:39
their own experience you know a big long00:23:41
fast GT is its own thing but boy I mean00:23:45
on the right roads and in the right00:23:46
setting there's nothing like it I mean00:23:49
beautifully smooth hand handling bike00:23:51
and then you come to a corner roll it on00:23:54
and just it's so there you know00:24:05
[Music]00:24:17
this is where kawasaki build the zx-1400:24:21
and all its other motorcycles00:24:23
[Applause]00:24:28
the Kawasaki motorcycle factory at the00:24:31
company's enormous akashi works a giant00:24:34
industrial complex just west of kobe00:24:36
japan00:24:40
[Music]00:24:42
[Applause]00:24:44
our people deliver the parts to the00:24:47
assembly line directory but some00:24:49
medium-sized or being size parts we keep00:24:52
a couple of hours in this area and00:24:55
they're big people deliver the medium00:24:58
path and big path to the line every two00:25:00
hours smaller parts are placed in the00:25:09
computer coded containers that will00:25:11
arrive at precisely the right place in00:25:13
the factory at precisely the right time00:25:15
so our people just pull the cut to the00:25:18
line so not necessary to handling two00:25:21
times three times four times00:25:24
[Music]00:25:39
at Kawasaki the classic Japanese00:25:42
manufacturing philosophy of efficiency00:25:44
has taken a giant step further while00:25:47
people are building machines other00:25:48
machines are watching the people00:25:50
kawasaki has what it calls a human era00:25:53
proof system00:25:54
[Music]00:26:00
a system that begins with a collection00:26:02
of card activated drawers and likes to00:26:04
make sure the right parts are being used00:26:07
for each bike this is a human era00:26:10
precision the river sample each hunger00:26:16
has it a kind of electrical data carrier00:26:22
so for example I'm a some areas operator00:26:27
motorcycle patrol model a so moderate00:26:33
bathtub so I pick up apart and00:26:38
[Music]00:26:47
let's model the model see it's Tom who00:26:55
[Music]00:26:56
what see you are come for I picked up00:26:59
another book00:27:00
[Music]00:27:02
[Applause]00:27:07
but if I miss to pick up and next model00:27:12
become its Allah I can be like so00:27:21
supervisor no something wrong00:27:24
after on the line so this kind of00:27:27
distance we applied many stations very00:27:31
important place there are multiple00:27:37
different human airproof systems00:27:39
throughout the factory00:27:40
starting with each bare chassis as it00:27:42
begins its trip down the assembly line00:27:44
after he picked up the wire harness from00:27:50
the right concept how can we know the00:27:52
right position the light is Sun on so if00:27:55
he may not need to pick up00:27:58
[Music]00:28:01
we have many discussion of the panel so00:28:04
this is very important to pick up the00:28:09
past the right path to the right00:28:14
[Music]00:28:24
preventing mistakes in the factory is00:28:27
such an important concept at every new00:28:29
Kawasaki employee regardless of what job00:28:32
they're hired to do anywhere in the00:28:33
company is required to spend their first00:28:36
three months working in the factory00:28:38
they're called freshman three miles rich00:28:41
man hired via a genial pop come on life00:28:45
quite example that the experience of the00:28:48
line for this is beautiful huge business00:28:56
it's good for business because the00:28:58
fundamental lesson all freshmen learn is00:29:01
the Kawasaki is obsessed with avoiding00:29:03
mistakes in the factory we run many00:29:07
kinds of models on the line so operator00:29:11
need to know what torque range is good00:29:16
for this model so our electrical00:29:20
indication system shows operator by00:29:22
lighting the red right so operator pick00:29:26
up the right torque range and use it you00:29:29
operate a youth wrongful grade conveyor00:29:33
assembly lines will be stopped00:29:42
[Music]00:29:45
kawasaki encourages every worker to take00:29:48
an active role in quality control any00:29:50
worker can stop the entire assembly line00:29:52
that they think there's a problem00:29:54
quality control second step when00:29:56
operator finds us any quality program or00:29:59
operator00:30:01
operation delayed anytime he can call00:30:06
switch button then number lines are00:30:09
known we ask our operator whenever he00:30:13
has programs don't hesitate to stop line00:30:16
[Applause]00:30:17
[Music]00:30:21
on average the assembly line stops for00:30:24
three to five minutes every hour total00:30:26
downtime of this line from the morning00:30:30
by now so today this line right up is00:30:36
about three minutes per hour I get to00:30:42
the condition today00:30:48
there are two different assembly lines00:30:50
for each motorcycle being built the00:30:52
first one is a sub assembly line or00:30:54
individual components from outside00:30:56
vendors are put together wrong bender we00:31:01
sense the 35 avoid example gasket and00:31:04
ossible here00:31:11
and especially like it's bringing a00:31:15
possible and our people to the line it00:31:21
is terrible to the cleaner00:31:25
[Music]00:31:34
this is the final station of the papa00:31:37
thermodyne we received the front walk00:31:40
from the offended by the order of allah00:31:44
centralized order after family the front00:31:48
walk to the eunuchs we are to move the00:31:50
front fender and spot for you00:32:00
[Applause]00:32:01
[Music]00:32:05
overhead conveyor belts move what look00:32:07
like mechanical skeletons to the final00:32:09
assembly line in a matter of minutes00:32:11
they will emerge the other end finished00:32:14
motorcycles ready to roar the fossil of00:32:17
the may obsolete I put the handlebar or00:32:21
these kind of a00:32:24
small stuff here we have to move the00:32:31
herring this is the middle area of the00:32:34
main assembly line00:32:39
this is the final equation of the line00:32:41
final operator checks divots spots and00:32:44
if there is no defects he carried to the00:32:47
final inspection line00:32:53
[Music]00:32:54
the last stop in the factoring is the00:32:57
final inspection area first workers00:33:00
visually inspect each bike they fire up00:33:03
the engine for the first time letting it00:33:04
warm up before the very last step00:33:07
just00:33:10
[Music]00:33:27
[Music]00:33:35
the bar code for each bike tells the00:33:38
powertest computer what program to run00:33:40
it also records all the test results if00:33:44
your bike broke down three years after00:33:46
it was built the factory could go back00:33:48
and pull up its barcode specifications00:33:50
and test results00:33:52
[Music]00:33:56
it's like a motorcycle with a medical00:33:58
record00:33:59
[Music]00:34:04
in another part of the factory the new00:34:07
world of high tech meets the old world00:34:09
of tradition every time Kawasaki00:34:13
engineers create a new engine design00:34:14
they stop to celebrate their work with00:34:17
what they call a new engine starting00:34:19
ceremony00:34:25
[Music]00:34:35
[Music]00:34:43
Japan is made up of four major islands00:34:47
which altogether are slightly smaller00:34:49
than the state of California00:34:59
tokyo's with de facto capital of Japan00:35:01
there's actually no legal definition for00:35:04
Tokyo status as the capital of the00:35:05
country but it is home to both the00:35:07
Japanese government as well as the royal00:35:09
family and has in fact been considered00:35:12
Japan's capital city since 186800:35:23
when most Westerners travel to Japan00:35:26
they go to Tokyo a mega city with 3500:35:29
million people and the largest gross00:35:31
domestic product of any metropolitan00:35:33
area in the world few Westerners ever00:35:40
see the southernmost island in Japan00:35:42
it's called khushu and it's widely00:35:45
regarded as the birthplace of Japanese00:35:47
civilization00:35:50
[Music]00:35:55
you00:35:58
you00:36:01
khushu is considered a very spiritual00:36:04
place00:36:09
[Music]00:36:13
khushu is extremely mountainous and home00:36:16
to one Japan's most active volcanoes00:36:20
[Music]00:36:22
sitting on one side of the volcano is00:36:24
one of the best most challenging00:36:27
racetracks in the world but few people00:36:30
even know its name00:36:37
[Music]00:36:45
it is called a topless and it takes a00:36:50
full day to get there in Tokyo atados00:36:54
was what an amazing facility it was just00:36:59
it's it's very far away from anything00:37:01
you're kind of out in the wood00:37:07
it is an hour and 45 minute flight from00:37:10
Tokyo to khushu but it's like taking a00:37:13
trip back in time from the neon signs of00:37:20
Tokyo to a very different rural looking00:37:23
Japan after arriving at the airport on00:37:30
Kyushu the next step is a long bus ride00:37:33
up a narrow mountain road to the track00:37:35
we took a long long bus ride you go on00:37:38
these winding mountain roads through all00:37:40
these little forests and everything and00:37:41
then here's this huge beautiful facility00:37:49
[Music]00:38:03
kawasaki introduced the new Ninja zx6r00:38:06
Tatopoulos it was the first time Western00:38:09
journalists had ever been invited to00:38:11
ride the track riding at our top list00:38:14
was it's a magnificent tractor so it was00:38:16
such a neat variety of corners and the00:38:19
grip was quite good00:38:26
all the different ninja models feel00:38:29
remarkably at home a topless including00:38:32
the zx-14 the biggest baddest ninja of00:38:35
them all00:38:39
we had a 614 on the track which was a00:38:42
scream I mean it's a big fast bike and00:38:44
kind of tiptoed through the corners and00:38:46
pull the trigger a really nice long00:38:48
front straight and a lot of fun00:38:50
beautiful setting00:38:54
[Music]00:39:03
the front straight a topless is just00:39:06
part of the 2.9 mile circuit that has 1300:39:09
different corners00:39:15
the topless is the only track in the00:39:17
world built on the side of an old00:39:19
volcano it sits in the mountains 300000:39:22
feet above sea level and riding a00:39:26
rollercoaster is the experience of a00:39:28
lifetime00:39:31
[Music] [Applause]00:39:32
[Music] [Applause]00:39:35
you00:39:39
firing down the hill a lot of speed and00:39:42
then you come to a right and that right00:39:45
hand corner it's you know it's so00:39:50
deceptive you know you have a catalogue00:39:52
of corners that you've seen and you sort00:39:54
of try to apply what you've learned00:39:56
about turns to these turns and that's00:39:59
the kind of corner where you look at it00:40:00
you go oh wow I got to slow down well no00:40:02
don't slow down because you don't have00:40:05
to because you get driven into the00:40:06
pavement which increases the grip and00:40:08
you can just go so faster there00:40:13
[Applause]00:40:18
when we were at the track the zx-1400:40:22
would come by and it just it sounded00:40:25
like a jet I mean it just was making00:40:27
enemies is crushing air you know it's a00:40:29
little bit bigger and makes so much00:40:31
power and it would just come by00:40:40
it was pretty awesome00:40:42
[Music]00:40:47
few Westerners ever get a chance to ride00:40:49
a topless00:40:57
most of the time the track is used by00:40:59
factory test riders pushing new bikes to00:41:02
the limit the motorcycle industry is a00:41:06
highly competitive business00:41:08
and while Kawasaki would let one of00:41:09
their test riders describe a high-speed00:41:11
lap around topless they didn't want his00:41:13
face or name to be made public crippled00:41:17
calls don't leave the first corner you00:41:20
see the second corner the second corner00:41:22
is the most exciting corner on the00:41:24
course reassured original metal corner00:41:27
determines who will win or lose the race00:41:30
braking is very very important in this00:41:32
corner so if you brake correctly you can00:41:35
really open the throttle when you exit00:41:38
[Applause]00:41:40
[Music]00:41:45
the test riders know every into the trap00:41:52
still the section they call the00:41:54
rollercoaster00:41:55
scares even them and they ride the track00:41:58
every day the roller coaster is a long00:42:01
downhill straight that drops more than00:42:03
160 feet in elevation before ending in a00:42:06
tight turn to the right00:42:07
well of course aw well night without you00:42:09
guys when you ride down a very steep00:42:11
hill00:42:12
we call it the roller coaster at the end00:42:15
of the downhill straight there's a00:42:17
realist height right-hand corner it's00:42:19
really scary but when I take the ideal00:42:22
line through the corner I feel really00:42:24
comfortable00:42:39
a last part of that lap is just it's00:42:42
just a scream with all the directions00:42:44
change --is and there's a couple places00:42:45
where you had to be really careful00:42:50
[Music]00:42:52
a topless is a very challenging track00:42:58
[Music]00:43:01
especially if your riding is VX 14 a00:43:03
motorcycle with nearly 200 horsepower00:43:07
extremely smooth very refined incredibly00:43:10
powerful so you have this bike and you00:43:14
know basically it it's a sport bike I00:43:16
mean it comes out of sporting intentions00:43:19
it comes out of Kawasaki history of00:43:21
making horsepower Kawasaki the x4 teen00:43:23
is an expert spike the thing is so fast00:43:26
that novices will get in trouble a00:43:30
little foot on the throttle thing to 10000:43:32
miles an hour so you've got half your00:43:34
brain ready for that thing it00:43:35
accelerates so hard the nice thing about00:43:37
the X 14 and bikes lights have to have a00:43:40
lot of motor in nowadays they also stop00:43:42
and turn pretty well the zx-14 is all00:43:46
about power00:43:54
the lime-green zx6r ninja has a smaller00:43:58
engine the bike is lighter it is a00:44:00
motorcycle built to carve corners00:44:06
[Music]00:44:09
look at that 6r and you can see how00:44:13
nimble it is you can see how light it is00:44:15
kawasaki has done a great job to get the00:44:16
weight out of it00:44:28
[Music]00:44:30
the newest Kawasaki zx6r is the first00:44:34
total redesign of the bike in nearly ten00:44:36
years and boasts a brand new engine00:44:39
there's so many things well it'll stop00:44:41
it'll turn in00:44:42
it'll avoid gravel it'll do all the00:44:44
things you need to do yet it's got00:44:45
enough punch to take it out and win a00:44:47
national Super Sport championship on it00:44:48
so that's a pretty well-rounded00:44:50
motorcycle right there00:44:52
even though the Japanese are known for00:44:54
their efficiency in engineering the zx6r00:44:57
is a flight example of kawasaki is00:44:59
unique passion and our street00:45:09
[Music]00:45:14
this arises with motorcycle designs are00:45:19
just ah00:45:20
[Music]00:45:31
an art form that attacks your senses as00:45:34
harder than attacks the road including a00:45:37
bigger screen profile we open the00:45:39
truffles you feel like you've left your00:45:41
brain at the starting line00:45:45
[Music]00:45:57
kawasaki is such a big company and you00:46:00
know the japanese sort of have this00:46:01
reputation00:46:02
I think undeserved everyone says well00:46:04
you know the Italians well they build00:46:05
bikes with passion etc as if Japanese00:46:08
bikes aren't built by people and there00:46:11
is no passion00:46:14
[Music]00:46:21
[Applause]00:46:22
from its unique engine starting ceremony00:46:25
to the christening of ships a hundred00:46:27
years ago Kawasaki has always had00:46:30
passion [Music]00:46:38
the next-to-last Japanese company to get00:46:40
into the motorcycle business Kawasaki00:46:42
puts its reputation on the line00:46:49
[Music]00:46:52
it took chances and create an atmosphere00:46:55
where engineers and designers were00:46:57
encouraged to experiment00:47:05
[Music]00:47:10
they do things differently Kawasaki they00:47:13
always have and perhaps they always will00:47:16
[Applause]00:47:17
[Music]00:47:23
on the first mach3 to the newest ninja00:47:26
painted in classic lime green Kawasaki00:47:29
the company that's always for surprises00:47:32
[Music]00:47:40
a company that has always used its00:47:42
engineering expertise to answer the00:47:44
questions others or even asking it00:47:53
happened during the mid 80s to early 90s00:47:57
that the pace was being up to every00:48:00
single year by a sizable margin a vise00:48:03
would lose 20 pounds in the year if I00:48:05
could gain 5 seconds on the quarter00:48:06
model it was huge jumps I was there during00:48:08
that time and I can remember telling the00:48:11
staff at sport rider magazine the guys00:48:13
that worked for me saying guys we need00:48:15
to ride better to be able to test these00:48:18
motorcycles we need to sense things and00:48:20
feel things better we need to be able to00:48:22
take our pace up because the bikes bikes00:48:24
are better than us00:48:29
youDescription:
In 1949, Kawasaki entered the motorcycle industry, producing small engines that could be adapted to motorcycles. With the help of BMW, 60 cc two-stroke, as well as a 150cc and a 250cc four-stroke engines were developed which became the KE engine. This was completed at the Takatsuki factory in 1952. Mass production of these 148cc, four stroke single cylinder engines, started in 1953 In 1954 that Kawasaki Motorcycles produced their first complete motorcycle under the name of Meihatsu (a subsidiary of Kawasaki Aircraft Co.).
Preparing download options
* — If the video is playing in a new tab, go to it, then right-click on the video and select "Save video as..."
** — Link intended for online playback in specialized players
Questions about downloading video
How can I download "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History" video?
http://unidownloader.com/ website is the best way to download a video or a separate audio track if you want to do without installing programs and extensions.
The UDL Helper extension is a convenient button that is seamlessly integrated into YouTube, Instagram and OK.ru sites for fast content download.
UDL Client program (for Windows) is the most powerful solution that supports more than 900 websites, social networks and video hosting sites, as well as any video quality that is available in the source.
UDL Lite is a really convenient way to access a website from your mobile device. With its help, you can easily download videos directly to your smartphone.
Which format of "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History" video should I choose?
The best quality formats are FullHD (1080p), 2K (1440p), 4K (2160p) and 8K (4320p). The higher the resolution of your screen, the higher the video quality should be. However, there are other factors to consider: download speed, amount of free space, and device performance during playback.
Why does my computer freeze when loading a "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History" video?
The browser/computer should not freeze completely! If this happens, please report it with a link to the video. Sometimes videos cannot be downloaded directly in a suitable format, so we have added the ability to convert the file to the desired format. In some cases, this process may actively use computer resources.
How can I download "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History" video to my phone?
You can download a video to your smartphone using the website or the PWA application UDL Lite. It is also possible to send a download link via QR code using the UDL Helper extension.
How can I download an audio track (music) to MP3 "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History"?
The most convenient way is to use the UDL Client program, which supports converting video to MP3 format. In some cases, MP3 can also be downloaded through the UDL Helper extension.
How can I save a frame from a video "Kawasaki Motorcycles - History"?
This feature is available in the UDL Helper extension. Make sure that "Show the video snapshot button" is checked in the settings. A camera icon should appear in the lower right corner of the player to the left of the "Settings" icon. When you click on it, the current frame from the video will be saved to your computer in JPEG format.
What's the price of all this stuff?
It costs nothing. Our services are absolutely free for all users. There are no PRO subscriptions, no restrictions on the number or maximum length of downloaded videos.