Kawasaki is undoubtedly one of the most visible motorcycle manufacturers on the planet, best known for its iconic Ninja motorcycles and for favoring its signature lime green on its bikes. As with many of its Japanese contemporaries, Kawasaki didn’t start out building motorcycles — its roots lay in the Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard, formed by founder Shozo Kawasaki in 1878.
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Kawasaki first dipped its toes into the motorcycle market with 1953’s KE-1 engine before taking over fellow Japanese manufacturer Meguro in 1960. The Kawasaki-engined Meihatsu B7 emerged the year after, but things really kicked off when the B7-based Kawasaki B8 came onto the scene in 1962. The B8 took the top six places in a Japanese 125cc motocross race in 1963, and Kawasaki never looked back after that.
Kawasaki’s built them all over the past 60-odd years, whether it’s cruisers, tourers, or cutting-edge superbikes. But despite the huge variety, one thing unites them all: the engines. Kawasaki’s bikes have played host to some amazing engines, from the 128-hp, 636cc unit in the 2019 Ninja ZX-6R to the supercharged 998cc powerplant in its flagship H2R, the latter of which peaks at a crazy 326 hp once its ram-air intake kicks in at high speed. Still, there’s more to Kawasaki than just those two engines, so let’s look at some of the most powerful examples the company has shoehorned into its bikes over the decades.
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