Universal Japanese Motorcycle

Universal Japanese Motorcycle (UJM) is a term coined by the magazine Cycle World when describing a new breed of import motorcycle that fulfilled a market demand in the United States beginning in the 1970s. The quote from Cycle World magazine, "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.”

The UJM entered the US market as a move to create a new user base besides the bikers that rode heavy and unreliable motorcycles such as those from Harley-Davidson. It was a successful move that boosted the number of US riders to almost 1.5 million people. When the UJM hit the American market it was introduced by Honda and started in earnest with the CB750. The CB750 immediately became a performance benchmark and made its rival of the time. Its 736cc engine made 67 horsepower and could propel the bike and its rider to over 120 mph. Honda used a carburetor for each cylinder and yet made this seemingly complex arrangement relatively easy to manage. The tubular cradle frame with engine and five speed transmission included telescopic front forks, coil spring rear suspension, a disc brake at the front, and a comfortable upright riding position.

Appealing to so many riders in the American market was the fact that it was reliable. It didn’t have the tendency to leak oil like the American and British bikes and the electric start made it far more user-friendly. And with a starting price of $1,495 it was far more affordable to the average consumer.

When Honda revealed the CB750, Kawasaki had already started working on their own 750cc four-cylinder bike. They subsequently scrapped plans bowing to Honda and began work on something new, a 903cc, 81 horsepower Z1. It was faster and more powerful than the Honda but otherwise shared the same basic design concept. Both Honda and Kawasaki now offered U.S. consumers more power and more reliability for considerably less money.

In 1976, Suzuki debuted the GS750, a four-cylinder standard with just over 60 horsepower. In 1978 Yamaha came out with the bigger XS Eleven.