The 2011 Earthquake and subsequent Tsunami in Japan of late has hugely affected the motorcycle industry, especially since Japan is home to the "Big Four" motorcycle manufacturers: Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki.
As the disaster relief efforts continue in Northeastern Japan, not much news is available about how much of an impact the devastating earthquake has had on motorcycle exports from Japan.
But some information is becoming available from the Big Four companies.
Honda has announced that it will temporarily suspend operations at both its Hamamatsu and Kumamato facilities this week
Yamaha released a statement, reporting its factories were not damaged by the quake. Yamaha continued to keep it's factories open, and will re-evaluate the situation later. Yamaha also reported it will co-operate in rolling electricity blackouts affecting many parts of northern Japan.
Suzuki said that it will suspend production until March 17. Suzuki management will then decide when to return to production.
Kawasaki has not yet released any information regarding the earthquake, or if it had any impact on its motorcycle manufacturer.
Some factories/Assemblers in the USA probably have sufficient stock to carry them over a little while.
But their is some concern that Bridgestone tyres manufacture may be an issue, so the long term effects on the motorcycling world may have repercussion into the future
A hog in Japan takes a hit