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May 31, 2023

How Japan Conquered The Motorcycle Industry

The land of the rising sun touched every country on Earth with their rays of

The land of the rising sun touched every country on Earth with their rays of motorcycling light

In today's competitive motorcycle market, Japanese manufacturers command a significant portion of riders thanks to the variety and sheer quantity of their offerings. These brands have become household names, and are often known now for their affordability and reliability. They even perform well at the top of the motorsports scene, with iconic pairings such as Rossi's Yamaha era and Marquez's Honda dominance.

But going back to just after the Second World War, not a lot of people would know about Japanese motorcycles. The war-torn country was in the process of recovery and its economy was being injected with investments for stimulation. In just under half a century, Japan would go on to dominate the two-wheeled industry and give the Europeans a run for their money. This is the story of how the land of the rising sun became a motorcycling powerhouse.

RELATED: 10 Motorcycles That Helped Japan Take Over the Industry

The first motorcycle to ever touch Japanese soil was a Hildebrand and Wolfmüller in 1896. After a quick demonstration in front of the Hibiya Hotel in Tokyo, a certain fascination for motorcycles developed among the Japanese. By 1907, the Ishikawa Trading Company of Tokyo imported Triumph motorcycles into Japan, which were later copied by Eisuke Miyata to develop the Asahi. The Asahi was used by government and law enforcement agencies in Japan for escort duties.

The Japanese weren't just content with importing and copying motorcycles from overseas, they wanted to make a home-grown motorcycle to showcase their capabilities. In 1908, Narazo Shimazu built Japan's first motorcycle engine in Osaka. Alternatively, they also built a motorcycle frame but placed a foreign engine in it. This trend continued until the Americans came in 1916, bringing Harley-Davidson and Indian into the Japanese market. These large engines became popular with the Japanese, up until medium-sized motorcycles stole the show in 1922, when Triumph and Norton came back with better offerings.

For most of the early days of motorcycling, imported motorcycles roamed the streets of Japan. There were some efforts from local manufacturers such as Miyata Works, but their production runs were limited compared to the industrial might of foreign manufacturers.

In order to draw more attention to motorcycles and Japanese-made ones, manufacturers set up races and publicity stunts. One of these stunts included Narazo Shimazu's 15-day ride of 1430 miles from Kagoshima to Tokyo aboard his Arrow First motorcycle in 1926.

Racing in Japan took place mostly on horse racing tracks, which meant that riders raced in a dirt flat track. Japanese riders eventually made their names in international racing series, such as Kenzo Tada in the 1930 Isle of Man TT. It wasn't until Pitt Mossman and his five-man team's racing demonstrations did the Japanese think about making their own racing steeds.

After the Second World War, the Japanese economy had a lot of recovery to do. By 1948, the motorcycle industry recovered some of its former prowess, consistently producing over a thousand units for a few years. Most of the offerings were scooters, which were some of the most needed in a new urban landscape.

The Japanese journey to world (motorcycle) domination only began by 1951, when the industry churned out over 11,000 units in a single year. Within the span of eight years, Japanese manufacturers will hit 1,000,000 units made. This explosive growth was mainly led by Honda, which only grew more thanks to one of the most iconic marketing campaigns. Capitalizing on their Honda Super Cub, the company pushed the "Nicest People" advertising initiative to market motorcycles to non-motorcyclists, especially in the United States. For half a decade, the 50cc Honda Super Cub dominated the Japanese industry, until manufacturers developed slightly larger engines and marketed them towards riders as an upgrade to their little scooters.

RELATED: Is The Honda Super Cub The Most Versatile Custom Bike Platform Ever?

As the leading figure in Japanese motorcycles, Honda was quick to venture outside their money-making 50cc scooters. In 1959, they entered the Isle of Man TT with a two-speed 125cc bike. They managed to finish sixth, seventh and eighth in their category. This caught the attention of competitors, specifically Yamaha, who looked towards poaching the American market out of Honda's grip. The company sent a YD-125 tuned for racing performance to Catalina Island in 1958 in an effort to increase brand exposure in foreign markets. They managed to finish in sixth, which was more than enough to draw on-lookers towards the bike.

Motorsports played a large part on how Japanese motorcycles came to how they are today, considering the big four (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki) motorcycle manufacturers organized a myriad of races, ranging from climbing races, motocross, rallies, and road races. Through these ventures, engineers and designers slowly perfected the art of blending speed, performance, reliability, and styling.

The most iconic classic Japanese motorcycle today is the Honda CB750. First released in 1969, the bike was the first inline-four from Japan and featured disc brakes, electric starter motor, and the nw famed "Honda" build quality. With just the Honda CB750, Japan was able to take the world by storm and bring the fight into Europe and the US. The bike was fast, able to reach 125 mph, which made it a formidable offering compared to Triumph and Ducati's bikes at the time. It started an arms race in Japan, with Kawasaki throwing the next punch with the Z1 900. While it may just look like an upsized Honda CB750, Kawasaki fitted dual overhead cams, which eventually became the norm for manufacturers.

Yamaha was the next to take a slice at the cake with their XS750, a bike that used shaft drive instead of the usual chain. They also tried to differentiate the bike with an inline-three engine, which was later switched out to an inline-four. Not wanting to be left behind, Suzuki started making four-strokes alongside their two-strokes, eventually making the GS750 that looked awfully similar to the Z1 900. To draw a distinction, Suzuki over-engineered the bike to handle better and be more resilient compared to its contemporaries.

Come the 90s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have already enjoyed a healthy reputation. From UJMs to sport bikes, the Japanese took the world by storm thanks to their mass-production abilities and unrivaled reliability and quality. For almost any motorcycling need, there was a Japanese motorcycle up for grabs. The 90s was also home to some of Japan's biggest leaps in motorcycling innovations, such as the Kawasaki ZX-11, Honda CBR900RR, Yamaha R1, and the infamous Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa. This era of motorcycles took the Japanese industry in a different direction, one that is focused on speed and pure performance.

RELATED: 10 Things That Make The Suzuki Hayabusa An Iconic MotorcycleIn the 21st century, Japan continues to excite with their motorcycles. Some models that are simply unforgettable include the Yamaha R6, Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki GSX-R750, and Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade. There are more motorcycles worth mentioning, but listing them all requires a whole article.

The country continues to be a leader in both Motorsports and technological innovations, such as Honda's recent foray into self-balancing motorcycles and Kawasaki's expedition towards hydrogen power for motorcycles. In the field of Motorsports, Japanese manufacturers remain competitive outfits despite Ducati's recent dominance in both MotoGP and WSBK.

A part-time writer and a full-time automotive enthusiast. If it has wheels and looks pretty, he's all over it.While he loves European cars more than other cars, nothing can match his love for motorcycles, especially the classic ones. You can find him parked in a café or shredding chicken strips around the twisties.