You’re undoubtedly familiar with Mazda cars. Most Americans became well-acquainted with Mazda in the early 1970s when the RX-3 s was heavily promoted with the slogan, “The Mazda engine goes hmmm.” What most fans of the cars with the innovative rotary engine didn’t know is that Mazda almost became a motorcycle manufacturer back in 1930. Here is the Mazda motorcycle history that you never heard about.Toyo Kogo Company – 1920Mazda was founded in Hiroshima as a manufacturer of cork products in 1920 with Shinpachi Kaizuka as President. However, a year later, industrialist Jujiro Matsuda took over and things changed. What was known as Toyo Kogyo Company morphed into a machine tool maker.Jujiro Matsuda
Prototype automobiles and three-wheelers were produced, with the three-wheel 1931 Mazda-Go finding great success in Japan. The truck-style vehicle introduced the Mazda name, which lives on to this day. Mitsubishi Zaibatsu sold the Mazda-Go domestically and internationally.1931 Mazda-GoThe Mazda-Go was the outgrowth of a motorcycle project that did result in production models.As was the case in many parts of the world in the 1920s, motorcycle racing was popular in Japan. There weren’t any Japanese motorcycle manufacturers yet, so Toyo Kogyo decided to get into the business. In 1929, development was started. The result was a 250cc four-stroke single that debuted in October 1930.1929 Mazda motorcycle prototypeIn its first race, the Toyo Kogyo 250 won against all-comers, most notably an Ariel. At the time, Ariel was a highly regarded brand in Japan.1930 Mazda production motorcycleSadly for the motorcycling world, Toyo Kogyo produced only 30 motorcycles before focusing on the Mazda-Go at the expense of two-wheelers.Mazda motorcycle R&D team – 1930The closest Mazda ever got to motorcycles again was its line of pickup trucks. Although the stylish 1950 Mazda Type-CA pickup never made it to the United States, its offspring did cross the Pacific Ocean. Mazda was the builder of the 1972 Ford Courier, and a rotary-powered Mazda pickup debuted in 1974.1950 Mazda Type-CAIt wasn’t unusual at the time to see dirt bikes in the beds of Mazda trucks. Had history played out differently, there might have been Mazda motorcycles in those truck beds.Photographs courtesy of Mazda Motor Company
Hello everyone and welcome once again to Ultimate Motorcycling’s weekly Podcast—Motos and Friends.
My name is Arthur Coldwells.
This week’s Podcast is brought to you by Yamaha motorcycles. Discover how the YZF-R7 provides the perfect balance of rider comfort and true supersport performance by checking it out at YamahaMotorsports.com, or see it for yourself at your local dealer.
This week’s episode features Senior Editor Nic de Sena’s impressions of the beautiful new Harley-Davidson Low Rider ST that is loosely based around the original FXRT Sport Glide from the 1980s. Hailing from The Golden State, these cult-status performance machines became known as West Coast style, with sportier suspension, increased horsepower, and niceties including creature comforts such as a tidy fairing and sporty luggage.
In past episodes you might have heard us mention my best friend, Daniel Schoenewald, and in the second segment I chat with him about some of the really special machines in his 170 or so—and growing—motorcycle collection. He’s always said to me that he doesn’t consider himself the owner, merely the curator of the motorcycles for the next generation.
Yet Daniel is not just a collector, but I can attest a really skilled rider. His bikes are not trailer queens, they’re ridden, and they’re ridden pretty hard. Actually, we have had many, many memorable rides on pretty much all of the machines in the collection at one time or another.
From all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!