The 1976 KZ900 LTD drew heavily on American styling influences, and was the first Japanese cruiser. At some periods, Kawasaki was actually making more motorcycles in the US than Harley-Davidson. By the end of the ’70s, all the Big Four were making American-style cruisers, and many of Kawasaki’s were made right in the USA.
While the KZ900 LTD model only lasted in the lineup for a few months before the KZ1000 came along, it set a precedent. Humble beginnings, for sure, but that beginner bike was an important part of Kawasaki’s line in the 1970s, and it paved the way for the production of the KZ900 LTD in 1976, one of the most important models to ever come from a Japanese OEM.Īs the first Japanese factory cruiser, the KZ900 LTD was built to take Harley-Davidson’s US market dominance head-on, and to a certain extent, it was successful. The first bike produced was the 1975 KZ400. It was Kawasaki’s way of dealing with tariffs and international currency fluctuation, just like you’d figure. Toyota and the rest of the gang weren’t even building cars in the States when Kawasaki opened its plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1974. Kawasaki broke the ground here as the first Japanese manufacturer to make vehicles in the US. The Kawasaki KZ400 wasn’t just the first Japanese motorcycle manufactured in America, it was the first Japanese vehicle of any kind to be built in America, including automobiles, trucks and ATVs. Starting back in the 1970s, both Kawasaki and Honda had significant motorcycle manufacturing operations in the US, and both ran through the 2000s. And why not? This sort of thing has happened before in the States, and it worked out pretty well at the time. Other motorcycle manufacturers want to move production to the US? Sounds hard to believe, but we have heard faint hints of at least one European OEM considering assembling knock-down kits in the US, if things get bad. When the Motor Company talked about ramping up overseas production to avoid potential European tariffs, Trump fired back via a tweet that partially read, “Now that Harley-Davidson is moving part of its operation out of the U.S., my Administration is working with other Motor Cycle companies who want to move into the U.S.” You might even have heard about him sparring on Twitter with Harley-Davidson.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard US President Donald Trump has been at the focus of some controversy this summer.
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