History of Kawasaki Green

I just finished reading the Retro Roots article in the Winter 2008/2009 Motorcyclist Retro.  I have disagree with Mitch Boehm's source, long-time Kawasaki employee and race-team member, Steve Johnson.  I won't dispute the time frame of, "probably 1970." That is probably accurate enough, but that hue didn't come from an AMC Pacer since it didn't come out until the 1975 model year.  In model years 1969 & 1970 AMC did use a lime green color they called Big Bad Green, but it was only used on their pony cars, the Javelin & AMX.  The color was one of three bright "Big Bad" colors AMC offered to attract young buyers - and apparently the eye of Mr. Molly.  (Big Bad Orange and Big Bad Blue were the other two.)  In 1970-1971, AMC also offered the Jeep CJ-5 in Renegade I & II packages that came in hot colors and a lime green was one of them.  I suspect this is the same color they used on the Javelin/AMX, though they called it something else.

One reason I remember this so well is while I was out busting up the trails on my '66 Suzuki 80, my dad was out enjoying the same trails in his '54 Willys M-38A1, powered by a 283 Chevy and painted in Big Bad Green.  That Jeep always turned heads on the street or trail due to it's bright paint, big tires (for the time) and healthy tone from the glasspacks bolted to the federwell exit headers.