Meguro motorcycles
 | |
Native name | 目黒製作所 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Meguro Seisakusho |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | Meguro, Tokyo, Japan August 1924 |
| Founder | Nobuji Murata Takatsugu Suzuki |
| Defunct | October 1964 |
| Fate | Merged into Kawasaki Heavy Industries |
Area served | Japan |
| Products | Motorcycles, gearboxes |
Meguro (Japanese: メグロ) is a brand of motorcycles originally built by Meguro Manufacturing (目黒製作所, Meguro Seisakusho) before the company was absorbed into Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Once a prestige brand, supplying the Japanese government with military and police motorcycles and racing alongside Honda, Meguro became bankrupt after launching a range of lightweight motorcycles which sold poorly, and experiencing a yearlong strike.
The Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan rates the 1937 Meguro Z97 as one of their 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology.[1]
History
[edit]
Meguro Manufacturing was founded by Nobuji Murata and Takatsugu Suzuki in 1924 to produce motorcycle parts for the nascent Japanese motorcycle industry. Named after a district of Tokyo, Meguro had its roots in Murata Iron Works, which was established in 1922. After the 1929 Wall Street crash, Meguro invested in Harley-Davidson and obtained drawings, tooling and important knowledge of metal heat treatments in order to make gearboxes. These were then used in their vehicles and those of another early Japanese company called Rikuo (陸王; "Land King"). The resulting transfer of American intellectual property taught the Japanese how to produce motorcycles in quantity.
In 1935, Meguro debuted the 500 cc single-powered Z97, based on a Swiss Motosacoche design, but production was restricted due to the start of World War II,[2] during which the company supplied aircraft parts. Meguro started full production again in 1948, the Z97 being joined by models with 125 cc, 250 cc and 350 cc overhead valve singles. In the 1950s, Meguro entered racing and built its first twin-cylinder design, the 651 cc T1 "Senior", with a British-inspired pre-unit parallel twin engine, and later the K series "Stamina" model, a copy of the BSA A7, one of which Meguro had bought in 1953. Its quality and engineering were superior to that of the BSA,[3] and it was described by British motorcycle designer Edward Turner as "too good to be true".[citation needed] For the first time, the Japanese motorcycle industry was seen as a threat.[4] Its other models, designed in collaboration with Kawasaki, were entirely of Japanese design. Meguro raced their 500 cc overhead camshaft single at the Asama Kazan speedway in Tsumagoi, Gunma.[5] For many years, the company was only outsold by Honda.[6] In 1958, Meguro developed a range of 50 cc, 125 cc, 250 cc and 350 cc consumer products, which failed to sell due to being too expensive.[7] By 1960, Meguro was Japan's longest-running motorcycle company out of the hundreds that had once flourished producing copies of European models. The company had become affiliated with Kawasaki; it first changed its name in 1962 to Kawasaki-Meguro, which produced the successful 125 cc B8.[7] Then, in October 1964, seeing the commercial and marketing value of a motorcycle division and Meguro's established sales outlets alongside its heavy industry operations,[8] Kawasaki took full control of the company.[7][9]
"Kawasaki-Meguro Works"-branded 125 cc, 175 cc and 250 cc single-powered motorcycles continued to be sold until 1969. The 500 cc K series twin-cylinder model was later enlarged and developed into the 625 cc Kawasaki W series, which would see use as an official vehicle for government purposes.[10]
Influence on Kawasaki retro models
[edit]
In 1999, Kawasaki launched the 675 cc parallel-twin W650 with retro styling inspired by the Kawasaki W2,[11] and the 250 cc four stroke single-cylinder Meguro-inspired Estrella. Kawasaki discontinued the W650 in 2007, but replaced it in 2011 with an enlarged version, the 773 cc W800.
Revival
[edit]On December 8, 2020, Kawasaki announced the revival of the Meguro brand with a new model—the W800-based K3—available on February 1, 2021. Both the K3 and W800 are mechanically identical, but the K3 is visually distinct and priced higher.[12] The K3 was followed by the S1, a 250 cc single based on the Kawasaki W230, in late 2024.[13]
Former models
[edit]| Years produced | Name | Displacement (cc) | Layout | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937–1938 | Z97 | 500 | Single, OHV | Capable of 11 PS (8.1 kW). |
| 1938-1941 | Z98 | 500, 600 | Single, OHV | |
| 1947-1951 | Z1 | 500 | Single, OHV | |
| 1950-1951 | J Junior | 250 | Single | Equipped with a hydraulic front fork and no rear suspension; engine designed by Tetsuji Makita of Kurogane fame. |
| 1951-1952 | J2 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | 1952 models were equipped with rear suspension. |
| 1951-1952 | Z2 | 500 | Single, OHV | Equipped with a hydraulic front fork. |
| 1952-1953 | Z3 | 500 | Single, OHV | Improved rear suspension compared to the Z2. |
| 1952-1956 | J3 / J3A | 300 | Single | |
| 1953-1954 | S Junior | 250 | ||
| 1953-1955 | Z5 | 500 | Single, OHV | Equipped with a four-speed gearbox. |
| 1953-1956 | Y Rex | 346 | Single, OHV | Capable of 13 PS (9.6 kW). Competed in the São Paulo 400th Anniversary Race in 1954, but did not start after a crash during qualifying. |
| 1954-1956 | S2 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | Equipped with a four-speed gearbox. |
| 1955-1956 | Z6 | 500 | Single, OHV | Improved engine capable of over 20 PS (14.7 kW); used by postwar government agencies. |
| 1955-1960 | T1 Senior | 650 | Parallel twin, OHV | Capable of 29.5 PS (21.7 kW). |
| 1956-1959 | S3 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | |
| 1956-1960 | Z7 Stamina | 500 | Single, OHV | |
| 1957-1959 | Y2 Rex | 346 | Single, OHV | Improved engine capable of 16 PS (11.8 kW); frame design incorporating both steel tubing and plating. |
| 1957-1960 | T2 Senior | 650 | Parallel twin, OHV | Capable of 31 PS (23 kW); used mostly as police motorcycles. |
| 1958-1960 | F | 250 | Single, SOHC | |
| 1959 | S5 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | |
| 1959-1962 | FY | 325 | Single | |
| 1959-1962 | YA Argus | 325 | Single | Sports version of FY. |
| 1960 | KS Stamina Sports | 500 | Parallel twin | Tokyo Motor Show-exclusive sports-tuned prototype; capable of 39 PS (28.7 kW). |
| 1960-1963 | S7 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | Later models were equipped with a starter motor and 12-volt electrical system. |
| 1960-1965 | K Stamina | 500 | Parallel twin | |
| 1962-1964 | S8 Junior | 250 | Single, OHV | Equipped with a starter motor, 12-volt electrical system, and swingarm rear suspension. |
| 1962-1964 | AT Autorack | 250 | Single, OHV | Commercial model based on the S3; equipped with a lower-height rear carry rack. |
| 1963-? | J8 | 300 | Single | Changes made to exhaust system compared to the J3. |
| 1964-1969 | 250 Meguro SG | 250 | Single | Branded as a Kawasaki, and the last model to wear the Meguro nameplate until 2021. |
| 1965-1966 | K2 | 500 | Parallel twin | Branded as a Meguro-Kawasaki, and also sold as the Kawasaki 500. |
| 1966 | 650 X | 650 | Parallel twin | Tokyo Motor Show-exclusive Kawasaki W series prototype, branded as a Meguro-Kawasaki. |
References
[edit]- ^ "Meguro Z97 Motorcycle". 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
This model was manufactured as the first luxury-class medium-sized motorcycle for personal use in Japan, and approximately 850 units were sold.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Popular Mechanics, Feb 1953
- ^ Pictorial History of Japanese Motorcycles. Cornelis Vandenheuvel. MBI Publishing Company, 18 July 1997
- ^ Edward Turner: The Man Behind the Motorcycles. Jeff Clew. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 1 February 2007
- ^ Mick Walker's Japanese Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle. Mick Walker. Redline Books, 1 November 2002
- ^ Japanese Production Racing Motorcycles. Mick Walker. Redline Books, 15 September 2004
- ^ a b c Japan's Motorcycle Wars: An Industry History. Jeffrey W. Alexander. UBC Press, 31 January 2009
- ^ The Guinness book of motorcycling facts and feats. L.J.K. Setright Guinness Superlatives, 1979
- ^ Economic Tsunami: China's Car Industry Will Sweep Away Western Car Makers. Kevin James Baker. Rosenberg Publishing, 2007
- ^ The Kawasaki Triples Bible: All Road Models 1968-1980, Plus H1r and H2r Racers in Profile. Alastair Walker. Veloce Publishing Ltd, 15 January 2011
- ^ Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader. July 2004 Dominion Enterprises
- ^ Giacomini, Sabrina (2020-12-08). "New Meguro K3 Revives Important Chapter In Kawasaki History". RideApart.com. Retrieved 2025-07-31.
- ^ Punsalang, Enrico (2024-10-01). "Check Out Kawasaki's Meguro S1 and W230, What Neo-Retro Motorcycles Should Be". RideApart.com. Retrieved 2025-07-31.