1969 Kawasaki H1 first start

[@kevinhill1848]

That is absolutely stunning 👍 👌

[@charlesfloyd3680]

Thank you!

[@txcch595]

👍🎌

[@charlesfloyd3680]

Hi Gary, Thank you for the nice comment. The relative lack of smoke is due to a couple of factors. First, I always rebuild the check valves and reset the cracking pressure to around 4.5-4.7. Secondly, I always run Maxima SuperM smokeless 2T oil. The combination works nicely. Chuck

[@garythornhill4635]

Thanks for the tips!

[@charlesfloyd3680]

@@garythornhill4635 You're welcome. The early H1's are my passion. Is your '70 Peacock Gray or Red? If you get a chance send me some pictures. Would love to see it. Chuck [e-mail]

[@garythornhill4635]

Fabulous bike. How is it that it does not smoke badly? My ‘70 smokes much worse - oil pump is adjusted to spec and run Klotz oil, but still too much smoke.

[@miketurner3964]

Gary, now there’s big question! Compression, jetting, General carb condition, fuel contamination, timing even oily choked up baffles can cause problems. I’ve just restored an S1, had to get professional help to get it set up right- other than compression, had a little bit of all of the above. You’ll get there, just ask about there’s some clever people about.

[@johnvreede832]

Absolutely gobsmacked by what you've done. Is this a restoration or some time-warped new bike? I'm helping a friend bring his Mach III (Fr# KAF-04439) back to life, that he bought new in San Francisco in '69. We're not aiming to do what you did, its battle scars will remain, though we can use this, as Scott said, as a benchmark A question - what process did you use on the top fork crown that left it so bright, yet the as-cast surface detail is still there? It looks like factory new, not polished (which always has the wrong 'colour') - jv

[@charlesfloyd3680]

Hi John, Thank you for the nice feedback! I love these bikes and have since they were new and truly enjoy bringing them back to life. Your friend's bike likely rolled off the assembly line the same week as mine being so close in VIN. Please tell him I wish him all the best in his efforts to get his back on the road. With regard to the "top fork crown" you reference, I wish I could tell you that I actually had applied my magic formula to that piece. I have restored them but that particular one is/was an NOS item I purchased years ago. If I were to restore one today (and I will shortly on another H1) I would have my "go-to" Vapor Blasting guru (see Scott Beamo below) take a pass with his amazing vapor blasting equipement prior to minimal hand polishing. The vapor blasting has the advantage of preserving all the casting imperfections without removing any material. Only way to go IMHO. Chuck [e-mail]

[@scottbeamo3330]

Chuck, Absolutely beautiful! Your workmanship is top notch! Nothing out of place. Benchmark bike??

[@charlesfloyd3680]

That's very kind of you Scott. Many thanks!