After the Japanese got serious about making motorcycles in the late 1960s, bikes from every country became more sophisticated, more refined, more practical, and more reliable. Back then, no American or European motorcycle company would ever admit it; fortunately, those culture wars are now behind us.
When we look back at the Japanese motorcycles that debuted between 1960 and 2000, we see several standout bikes. Not all of them were successful?or even good?but each shows us the things we like about all motorcycles, not just those from Japan. These are motorcycles that have a little something in their souls and make us proud to be riders.
In each of these eight icons, you?re likely to find something that influenced the design of the motorcycle that you?re riding today?no matter where it was built.
Kawasaki H1 Mach III (1968-76) When the Kawasaki H1 Mach III came to the US in 1968, the American motorcycle market was the largest in the world. If you thought of a Japanese motorcycle at the time?which you typically wouldn?t?something cheap and cheerful like the Honda CB350 came to mind. The Kawasaki H1 Mach III wasn?t cheerful; it made you hold your breath in fear.
As one of the smallest of the Japanese motorcycle makers, Kawasaki needed a marketing breakthrough and set its sights on producing a 60-horsepower engine for the street?a leap beyond what you could get from the best British bikes of the time. Kawasaki embraced the two-stroke engine concept that Ernst Degner brought...