Universal Japanese Motorcycle
The basic platform was an upright, open seating position motorcycle powered by a carbureted, air-cooled engine wrapped in a steel-tube cradle-type frame, and at least one disc brake to bring it all to a stop. The simple design made motorcycling accessible to riders of all types and skill sets. UJMs were available in various displacements, and their ubiquity helped grow motorcycling in America during the 1970s and ‘80s.
Source: Motorcycle.com [1]
The term "Universal Japanese Motorcycle", or UJM, was coined in the mid-1970s by
The UJM template featured a four-cylinder engine, standard riding position,
In 1976, Cycle described the new phenomenon, saying:
- "In the hard world of commerce, achievers get imitated and the imitators get imitated. There is developing, after all, a kind of Universal Japanese Motorcycle.... conceived in sameness, executed with precision, and produced by the thousands."[5]
In the 2010 book, Sport Bikes, Hans Hetrick wrote that:
- "throughout the 1970s, the Japanese companies experimented with different types of engines and frame designs. Their ideas soon came together in a rock-solid package. This design became known as the Universal Japanese Motorcycle, or UJM."[6]
Subsequently, in the 1980s and 1990s, the Japanese manufacturers diversified their ranges, producing faired
History
A defining example of the type,
The CB750's first Japanese competitor was the Kawasaki Z1 in 1972.[9] It was followed in 1976 by the Suzuki GS750 and by the Yamaha XS Eleven in 1978. These manufacturers all produced smaller versions of the same UJM formula, including, for example, the Honda CB500 of 1971.[9] By 1979 Harley-Davidson's big bike sales were down 90%.[12]
The first Japanese vehicle manufacturing plant in America opened in 1975 to produce the UJM Kawasaki KZ400.[13] Until then the bikes had been imported from Japan.
The term UJM appeared as early as 1976 in a
The UJM was a general-purpose road bike, and the style went into decline in the early to mid 1980s[9] with the segmentation of the market and the development of niche products,[17] such as sport, dual-sport, touring, sport touring, café racers, and cruisers. Honda sold about 400,000 CB750s, and the model run ended in 2003 with the Nighthawk.
There have been several market revivals led by increased demand for simplified standard general purpose,
Specification
The UJM had an advanced design and an excellent specification compared to contemporary European and American competition.[6] The press described it as cheap, reliable, easy to ride,[13] manufactured with precision,[23] and with a reputation for excellence.[24]
Technical specifications typically included a standard riding position, front
and had an electric starter.References
- ^ a b "2009 Suzuki TU250X Review". Motorcycle.com, Pete Brissette, Oct. 06, 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ISBN 0-7603-1077-7, retrieved 2010-02-20
- ISBN 0-8018-8530-2
- ^ "You Meet the Nicest Sportbikes in the 250cc Neighborhood". The New York Times, May 27, 2011, Dexter Ford.
- ^ "Honda Nighthawk 700S". Cycle Magazine.
- ^ a b "Sport Bikes (Full Throttle), Hans Hetrick, p. 12". Edge Books, Capstone Press 2010, ISBN 1429647515.
- ISBN 0-8019-9099-8
- ^ Ford, Dexter (May 27, 2011). "You Meet the Nicest Sportbikes in the 250cc Neighborhood". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d Branch, Ben (2016-12-20). "A Brief History of the UJM - The Universal Japanese Motorcycle". Silodrome. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ISBN 9780774858441.
- ^ "Dick Mann's 1970 Daytona 200 Victory | Mann & Machine". Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
- ^ "Harley Davidson 1971 Crises ...{Strategos}". www.strategosinc.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
- ^ a b Young, Roger T. (August 1994). "20 Years in America". American Motorcyclist. p. 30. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ Connor, Andrew. "The Dawn of the Japanese Sport Bike". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ISBN 978-1429647519.
- ISBN 978-0-8018-8530-3
- ISBN 978-0-7603-1077-9, retrieved 2010-02-20
- ISBN 9780801990991.
- ISBN 978-0-7603-4797-3. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Honda Brings Back the Past with the 2013 CB1100 – a CB750 All Grown Up". thekneeslider.com.
- ^ "Suzuki GD 110 – Charming, comfortable and able commuter". insideracing.com. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
- ^ "2015 Yamaha SR400 | FIRST RIDE". Motorcyclist. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
- ^ a b Neilson, Cook, ed. (November 1976). "Kawasaki KZ650". Cycle. 27 (11): 29–36.
- ISBN 978-0-9821733-3-6. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
Further reading
- Alexander, Jeff (2008). Japan's Motorcycle Wars : An Industry History. UBC press. ISBN 978-0774814539.