Inside Kawasaki’s Race Bike & Production Development with 4X Japanese MX Champion Taka Katsuya

Takeshi Katsuya joins us for Chapter 363! Taka is one of the key people behind the development of Kawasaki motorcycles—working on both the production side and the race team side. If you’ve ridden a newer Kawasaki and liked the changes, Taka is one of the guys to thank. A 4x Japanese Motocross Champion, Taka brings over 20 years of testing experience, starting with Factory Honda and now playing a major role at Factory Kawasaki. If you're curious about how bikes are developed and how that R&D translates into race wins at the highest level, this is the chapter is for you.

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00:00:00 Intro
00:03:34 Testing at Glen Helen
00:08:21 Jason Andersons bike set up
00:14:44 Jorge Prado's bike setup
00:19:06 Who's looking fast at the test track?
00:20:55 Taka's back story
00:42:24 Signing with HRC
00:46:52 Racing Stefan Everts
00:51:10 Leaving HRC Honda
01:03:09 Racing in Australia
01:14:09 Racing Tim Gajser and Jeremy Martin
01:19:23 Taka's choice to retire
01:20:37 Test riding for HRC Honda
01:31:54 What's the first day of production testing look like?
01:38:08 Kawasaki 450SR
01:40:16 The challenge of test riding in Japan
01:46:10 What went into developing the 2024 KX450F
01:51:53 What's a day at work look like for Taka?
01:54:11 Do the engineers ride the bikes?
01:57:26 Developing a bike thats decent in all conditions
02:03:56 Stock VS Factory Suspension
02:10:04 What made Taka fall in love with testing
02:19:47 How to approach testing new parts
02:26:57 How to set up a brand new bike
02:33:59 What it's like testing for Romain Febvre
02:38:10 Why do Factory Riders need test riders?
02:42:56 Is testing based more on visual feedback or feel?
02:45:13 What Taka enjoys the most about testing
02:49:15 Where do Motor Mounts make a difference?
02:52:26 Jase on testing the FCP Race Cups
02:56:40 How sensitive is Taka to bike changes?
03:04:18 What's the best production bike ever made?
03:12:07 How does Ken win on a 7 year old bike
03:13:48 The best riders can win on anything
03:19:29 Closing

#podcast #motocross #gypsytales #moto