Kawasaki VIN Decoder & VIN Check — Models, Recalls, Specs, MPG & Safety
“Let the good times roll”
Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. is the motorcycle and powersports division of Japanese conglomerate Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), headquartered in Akashi, Hyogo. KHI itself was founded in 1896 by Shozo Kawasaki as a shipbuilding company. Motorcycle production began in 1953 with the KE-1 engine, and the first complete Kawasaki motorcycle (the B7) launched in 1961. Kawasaki spun off the motor and engine business as Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. in 2021.
Kawasaki is one of the four major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers and produces street motorcycles, off-road motorcycles, ATVs, side-by-side utility vehicles (Mule, Teryx) and personal watercraft (Jet Ski — a Kawasaki trademark, originally introduced in 1973). The Ninja H2 supersport (2015) was the first production motorcycle with a supercharged engine, producing 326 hp in track-only H2R form. The Z H2 hyper-naked uses the same supercharged platform.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7012) and as KWHIY in OTC US trading. Recall data for every Kawasaki VIN sold in the US is reported to NHTSA. ForCar.org decodes any Kawasaki VIN to surface trim, factory options, open recalls and original delivery price.
Kawasaki at a glance
- Founded
- 1896 (KHI shipbuilding)
- Motorcycle entry
- 1953 (engines), 1961 (complete bikes)
- Founder
- Shozo Kawasaki
- Headquarters
- Akashi, Hyogo, Japan
- Stock ticker
- OTC: KWHIY / Tokyo: 7012
- Iconic sportbike
- Ninja ZX-10R, Ninja H2 (supercharged)
- PWC market share
- ~40-50% (Jet Ski)
- Spun off
- 2021 (Kawasaki Motors, Ltd.)
- Basic warranty
- 1 year / unlimited miles
- Powertrain warranty
- 1 year / unlimited miles
Decode any Kawasaki VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN below to retrieve the trim, factory options, original window-sticker MSRP and any open NHTSA recall affecting that specific vehicle. ForCar.org pulls the same dataset that Kawasaki dealers use to notify owners of safety recalls.
VIN Decoder
Signature Kawasaki technology
Kawasaki heritage
Shozo Kawasaki founded the Kawasaki Tsukiji Shipyard in 1878 in Tokyo, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries was incorporated in 1896. The conglomerate produces ships, aircraft, helicopters, robots, gas turbines, locomotives and motorcycles. Motorcycle production began in 1953 as a small division building two-stroke engines for other manufacturers; the 1961 B7 was Kawasaki's first complete motorcycle. The 1969 Mach III H1 500cc two-stroke triple was famously fast and difficult to handle. The 1972 Z1 900 inline-four established Kawasaki as a top-tier four-stroke manufacturer, succeeded by GPZ900 Ninja (1984), ZX-10R, Ninja H2 supercharged (2015) and current Ninja ZX-10RR.
Market position
Kawasaki competes globally in motorcycles, ATVs and personal watercraft against Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, BMW, Ducati and KTM. The Ninja sportbike heritage and Z naked-bike series anchor street segments, while the KX motocross line wins major MX titles. Kawasaki's personal watercraft (Jet Ski) division dominates the PWC market with approximately 40-50% global market share. KHI's 2021 spin-off of Kawasaki Motors, Ltd. as a standalone subsidiary positions the motorcycle business for greater commercial focus.
New-vehicle warranty
KAWASAKI VIN Decoder — Free VIN Check Video Guide
Watch our quick KAWASAKI VIN decoder walkthrough. Learn how to decode any KAWASAKI VIN number to get full vehicle history, recall alerts, specifications, fuel economy (MPG), safety ratings, and known problems — completely free on ForCar.org.
All Kawasaki models (246)
Frequently asked questions
When was Kawasaki founded and by whom?
Kawasaki was founded in 1896 by Shozo Kawasaki and is headquartered in Akashi, Japan.
Where is the VIN on a Kawasaki vehicle?
The 17-character VIN appears in four standard locations: dashboard at the windshield base (driver side), driver-side door jamb sticker, the engine bay (firewall or engine block stamping), and the vehicle's title, registration and insurance documents.
How many Kawasaki models can ForCar.org decode?
ForCar.org indexes 246 Kawasaki nameplates. Any 17-character Kawasaki VIN is decoded against the NHTSA dataset to return trim, factory options, open recalls and original window-sticker MSRP.
What is the Kawasaki warranty?
Basic: 1 year / unlimited miles. Powertrain: 1 year / unlimited miles.
How to check Kawasaki recalls by VIN?
Enter your VIN in the decoder above. ForCar.org queries NHTSA's open-recall dataset for that specific VIN and returns any safety recalls or Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) that affect your vehicle.
Disambiguation: This page covers Kawasaki Motors, the powersports division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries — not the broader KHI conglomerate (shipbuilding, aerospace, robotics) or Kawasaki Yokohama (a separate train operator).
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