So what we’re saying is here’s the new Meguro K3 – a modern retro roadster based on an old roadster that helped launch Kawasaki’s entire motorcycle business. Now you’re interested.
If you’ve not heard of Meguro, fear not as they’ve been defunct since 1964. Meguro began in the early 1920s as an ironworks. When the American economy crashed causing the Great Depression, Meguro invested in Harley-Davidson in return for their bike-building knowledge.
They began by building gearboxes (at first for another company, then themselves) until they produced their first bike in 1935: the 500cc single powered Z97. Work stopped almost immediately due to the onset of WWII but the Z97 made a lasting impression, still considered an early landmark of Japanese engineering.