Pointer 1954ca Comet 148 cc 1 cyl OHV 3607

Pointer 1954ca “Comet ” 148 cc OHV two port single frame # 28-22665 engine # PLB 241

One might say that both American and European influences have put their mark on the development of the Japanese motorcycle industry. Metallurgical know how, quality control, spare part management, dealer management and after sales management were subjects brought in by the licence agreement Harley-Davidson had made with Rikuo in 1929. The HD/Rikuo factory also became a laboratory for the whole Japanese manufacturing society with other factories coming to learn at the HD/Rikuo factory. As to design, many Japanese firms leaned on British products; already in the twenties and thirties various British makes were imported in Japan and were considered as the global state-of-the-art in single-cylinder and parallel-twin four-strokes. British bikes were seen as high-quality benchmarks for engineering and performance.
Post WW2 Japan’s economy and industry were devastated. Motorcycle production restarted with wartime factories converting to civilian products. There was a massive need for affordable and reliable transport amid reconstruction. The Japanese government encouraged technology acquisition and “learning from the West”. High tariffs on imports protected emerging Japanese makers while they learned. This “import substitution” strategy allowed companies to build capabilities before trying to compete globally.
Many early Japanese bikes were outright copies or close adaptations of British singles and twins. British bikes excelled in the types of machines Japan needed initially: practical, mid-sized four-stroke singles and twins suitable for commuting and light touring.
One of the many small makes that were active in the postwar years was Pointer, in business from 1946 to around 1962–1963. It was one of the more notable “forgotten” post-WWII brands that achieved some success in domestic sales and even early exports to the USA before disappearing during industry consolidation in the early sixties. Pointer motorcycles were produced by the Kawanishi Aircraft Co., a former aircraft manufacturer. Kawanishi’s N1K2-J Shiden Kai (“Violet Lightning – Improved,” codenamed George) is often considered one of the best late-war Japanese fighters and a worthy rival (or superior in some aspects) to late-model Zeros and even some Allied fighters like the F6F Hellcat. It was faster, more heavily armed (four 20mm cannons), and better protected than the Zero, though it arrived late in the war and in smaller numbers. Like many Japanese firms, Kawanishi diversified into motorcycles after WWII to utilize engineering expertise and factory capacity, since aircraft production was no longer allowed.
The Comet we offer here is fitted with a four stroke engine; later versions of this model were fitted with two stroke power sources. Bore x stroke is 57 x 58 mm, power amounts to ca. 5.6 hp @4,800 rpm. The engine design has many features of late thirties British machines, with external Pilgrim type oil pump and external oil lines to the cylinder head. The gearbox appears in some aspects similar to BSA and, surprisingly, the saddle is a German Denfeld. The aluminium front chain guard looks very sporty and the carburettor is Amal. The electrics are genuine Japanese Mishubishi products.
These early four-stroke Comets are very rare today and are seldom seen outside of Japan. Our machine has been excellently restored and was, until recently, part of an important Japanese motorcycle collection.