Kawasaki took its first steps thanks to Shozo Kawasaki, who established shipyards in Tokyo in 1878. Later, in 1896, he founded Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Kawasaki created Japan’s first steam engine in 1901 and later also manufactured aircraft, including the Ki-61 fighter used in World War II.

It wasn’t until 1961 that Kawasaki produced its first motorcycle, the 125 B7, powered by an engine based on the knowledge the company had gained from developing and manufacturing aeronautical engines.

Kawasaki has been producing motorcycles on a large scale for over 60 years. Today, in addition to motorcycles, the company manufactures various vehicles such as ATVs, tractors, trains, boats, personal watercraft, and small airplanes.

In motorsports, Kawasaki reigned as champion for six consecutive seasons in the Superbike World Championship and also won the Constructors’ World Championship in the 500cc, 250cc, and 125cc Motorcycle Grand Prix categories.

In Spain, the GPZ Ninja sports models became popular in the mid-1980s, followed by the iconic Kawasaki ZXR 750 R in the early 1990s, nicknamed “Telefónica” because its green, blue, and white design matched the colors of the Spanish telecommunications company logo.