Looking Back at Japan's 90cc '10.5-Horsepower War': Kawasaki Started It in 1968

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The 19th installment of the "Catalogs as a Mirror of Their Era" column revisits the late-1960s horsepower race among Japanese 90cc motorcycles. In an era when a 16-year-old could get a license and the 90cc class became known as the "bike of youth," Kawasaki's 90-SS became the first to hit 10.5 horsepower in 1968. Yamaha's HS1 followed that same year, then Suzuki's Wolf 90 in 1969 and Honda's CB90 in 1970, each matching that 10.5hp figure.