Kawasaki MULE: The Early Years

It’s an awesome urban legend that the Beastie Boys wrote “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” on a cocktail napkin in five minutes in 1986. Well, something similar happened – although not quite so fast – when Rocky Mountain Kawasaki’s Joe Masek, Bill Gray and Jeff Mills attended an August 1980 dealer meeting in San Diego, California.

While discussing the merits of the new Kawasaki KLT200 3-wheeler for farm and ranch work, the trio hatched a concept for an even better four wheeled machine, with Masek and Gray tossing out ideas and Mills sketching them on – yep, you guessed it – a cocktail napkin. The concept would eventually become the first side-by-side for Kawasaki, the 1988 Kawasaki MULE 1000 four-wheel utility vehicle.

According to The Glint of Chrome in Young Men’s Eyes, when the trio showed their work to KMC Research and Development (R&D) director Misao “Lyndon” Yurikusa, they described it as “a vehicle with four wheels that could carry two people and heavier loads than an ATV.” The original drawings specified a 250cc to 440cc four-stroke engine with electric starting, a 500-pound capacity bed plus front storage, running and spot lights, an automatic transmission, and later four-wheel-drive capability. Mr. Yurikusa was so enthused that he became the project’s most ardent supporter during its multiyear development.

The first prototype was powered by a 340cc two-stroke snowmobile engine so noisy that it reportedly scattered cows and pigs during farm testing, causing engineers to search for a four-stroke alternative after all. They eventually adopted the liquid-cooled 454cc parallel twin from the 454 LTD cruiser. Fast forward to 1987, and after plenty more R&D work, the production model was nearing completion. Codenamed “Pony” in Japan, it had yet to receive a name for the United States market. Bob Lehner from Bozell Advertising, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A.’s agency at the time, suggested “MULE” – an acronym for Multi-Use Light Equipment. The name stuck.

Launched in 1988 to strong acclaim, the MULE side-by-side lineup soon included a 4WD model, the 535cc MULE 2010, along with an easy-on-the-turf 2020 model for golf courses, an industrial-spec 2030 model, and a compact 500 model. The three-cylinder diesel MULE 2500 arrived for 1999, with the four-passenger 3000 following for 2005. The range has since grown to include 27 different models in four lines, including the 812cc MULE PRO Series, 993cc MULE PRO Diesel Series, 401cc MULE SX Series and 617cc MULE Standard Series.

Now nearly 29 model years on, it’s definitely been a great ride – for the Pony that would become a MULE.