ON 7 OCTOBER, 1922, Fukuoka City, Japan, could boast another addition to its growing population. That person was Hideo Yoshimura, and his name would ultimately become synonymous with superlative motorcycle performance.
But it would be another 32 years before that name was painted on billboard and hung above a small workshop in the backstreets of Tokyo.
As Japan began to militarise itself in the years leading up to WWII, Hideo was called into service and began his trainingtraining was cut short when Hideo and his parachute had a disagreement – which may have saved his life in the long run. So instead of flying planes during the war, Hideo was tasked with repairing them – a task he became very good at.
