Japanese Big Four

The Japanese Big Four are the large motorcycle manufacturing companies of Japan: ^{[1] [2] [3]}

• Honda, which produces motorcycles since 1946 ^{[4] [5] [6]}
• Suzuki, which produces motorcycles since 1952 ^[7]
• Kawasaki, which produces motorcycles since 1954 ^[8]
• Yamaha, which produces motorcycles since 1955 ^[9]

Notes

1. Zuehlke 2007, p. 14.
2. Pashley 2008, p. 11.
3. Cycle World 1984, p. 24.
4. Alexander, Jeffrey W. (2008), Japan's Motorcycle Wars: An Industry History, UBC Press, pp.  112–116, 197–211, ISBN   978-0-8248-3328-2
5. Sakiya, Tetsuo (1982), Porter, Timothy (ed.), Honda Motor: the men, the management, the machines , Kodansha, ISBN   978-0-87011-522-6
6. Frank, Aaron (2003). Honda Motorcycles. MotorBooks International. ISBN   978-0-7603-1077-9 . Retrieved 28 January 2012.
7. "Twist the Throttle: Suzuki". Discovery Channel. Discovery Communications, LLC. Archived from the original (Video) on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
8. Kawasaki Museum, Kawasaki as "Kawasaki Motorcycle Co. LTD." Archived 2010-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
9. "Yamaha 125YA-1". 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive Technology. Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2013. This model was Yamaha's first motorcycle and the starting point for Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd.

Sources

• Pashley, Tony (2008), How to Build Motorcycle-engined Racing Cars, Veloce Publishing, ISBN   9781845841232, Competitive engines are manufactured by the big four Japanese companies: Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, and Yamaha.
• "Harley talks to Big Four, Looks to Triumph", Cycle World , 23 (1), January 1984, The enactment of the import tariff ... hasn't kept the two sides -- Harley-Davidson and Japan's Big Four manufacturers--from talking to each other... [Harley has] met with representatives of Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki to discuss possible alternatives to the tariff.
• Zuehlke, Jeffrey (2007), Supercross, Motor Mania Series, Lerner Publishing Group, ISBN   978-0-8225-9014-9 , retrieved 2016-10-18