1975 Kawasaki H1 500 two stroke 3 cylinder F Mach III 500

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[@poulsonarrow]

There's that sound of the 70s don't ja love the smell of 2stroke in the morning ....

[@smackfpv]

Rode a friends in the early eighties. Remember being amazed at the "hit" when you got into the power band.

They never knew what they have for they never Got Around Redline for That's not the Real Redline of them Bikes But Where the Power Band is and if you Kawasaki thinking at the Time was That would Warn People of the Danger that was Near A lot of People die Because they would Never Get it around Redline until one day there out on the Road Racing someone and they Find out how Deadly there Bike is By Hitting Redline in 3rd Gear coming out of a Corner and that Power Band would come on and Faster then anyone can React that Rear Tire Brakes Loose and there off the Road at 80MPH and Hit a Tree That's how Many Find out of the Real Power this Bike has It was made for Drag Racing and then it is Still hard too Keep the Rear tire from Braking Loose in 1st and 2nd When the Power Band comes on at 9,500RPM

[@johncox4301]

Some people have no business on a motorcycle ever.Sadly the end is bad.Dont blame the bike.

[@ralphcantrell3214]

I was raised on them. I got my license on my 14th birthday, then wheelied away on a '71 H1 500 with chrome expansion chambers and never looked back. 😎 I wound up owning 5 or 6 of them from 1975 until the mid '90s, and then went on to modern 4-strokes. The "brown" colored 1975 model you are referring to was officially called rootbeer. I had one of those too.

[@verbalwidget7267]

I was lucky enough to be alive and a teen growing up in these times, 2 Stroke triples of Kawasaki and Suzuki, V8 mussel cars and very little emissions restrictions. Great Era, Thank You for sharing.

[@svtirefire]

Fascinating, I'd love to see what kind of car a shellfish drives.

[@thomashall1380]

I HAVE HAD 3H1'S AND 4 H2'S. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE ALL GOOD. GLAD I'M STILL ALIVE.

[@markkelly4983]

Beautiful specimen! That droning, groaning sound is just magic... Great job!! 👍

[@Floyd_F]

3 cylinders, 2 strokes, 1 love. Amazing bike!

[@ringofthebrave]

This Kawasaki is a real beauty. I wish I could have had a smell of this sweet exhaust smoke.

[@bennybenitez3731]

😂😂😂

[@rockthesix1679]

2 stroke engines are Gods gift to humanity.

[@coobay978]

I had one of these when I was 17 for 2 weeks before a US postal jeep pulled out in front of me. I ended up in the hospital and the bike in the junkyard. Been riding dirt bikes ever since. No more street bikes for me.

if you Hit the Redline 9,500RPM you would have Fond out that's not the Real Redline but where the Power Band Started you could Easy run them up too 12,0000RPM and no Warning like most Power Bands you get a Warning it's coming on There is no Warning in them H-1 and H-2 and that's why they put a Fake Redline where the Power Band Starts

[@sassed12many]

Back in the day my neighbor bought a used H2 that was highly customized. It had a quarter turn throttle. I rode it up the street and back... 3rd gear 70 mph. Brakes grossly inadequate. Told him to never let me ride it again. Never forgot that ride nearly 40 years ago

[@lindycorgey2743]

I rode a 750. It was scary fast. If Wile E. Coyote had one of those. He would have smoked the Road Runner.

[@otisarmyalso]

3rd 55mph wheelies at flick o throttle and no. Front disk brake back then

[@Nickel8237]

My first street bike @age 17 was a 71 H1. Bored, milled, ported, drag bars a bubble front fairing and Denco chambers. I wore my Guardian Angel out! Love ......

[@garybuchanan6062]

I had a red 69 and a blue 70 model. It was a wheelie machine. I would race and beat 429 Mustangs on Forest Ln in Dallas. Some fun.

[@jameshaydon2362]

Fastest accelerating bike in its time, handling was a bit iffy for the inexperienced rider and it earned the unflattering title of the widow maker. And then they made a 750. Beutiful and very desirable bike, love it.

[@danwilliams5867]

yup had 750 H2 was a screamer

[@mike-xn1qj]

@@danwilliams5867 Oddly I went from an RD400 in Texas, (wrecked) to a 500 just like this in Florida( turned out I'd bought a stolen one) and finally the H2 in Colo. Had air shift, expansion pipes, a slick and a flipped shifter lever, would try for all I was worth to keep the front end on the ground.

[@yamaharaptor01able]

Got a 77 rd400 now. I'd trade 10 of em for this bute! My dream bike for sure👍😎

[@richardmoorer2668]

I had the same blue 71 500 and a 72 blue 750

[@manueldebrito7910]

Was my 1 bike. 70 s we called it the 750 EATER 😭 Only problem was back wheel trying to catch up to front wheel , you had to get used to the wobbling on curves at high speeds. NOT a bike for weak hearted rider. Time flies.

[@stevezelev7008]

I had a 72 H1. I was doing 90 and when I backed off the rearend went into a bad wobble. I had to roll it back on and SLOWLY back off the throttle. Scared the crap outta me. Hard to keep in tune, brakes marginal, but I loved the thing.

[@cosmyccowboy]

I had a 1986 Honda magna v65 that would go into a high speed wobble when you got over 140, it scared the shit out of me first time it happened! I backed off and thought that’s weird I wonder if you go faster will it stop... the answer was no ! It got worse

[@kyleklintok7730]

Had a A7 Avenger 350cc twin for awhile. When you hit 6,000 rpm the front wheel exploded upward in any of the first three gears. Kawasaki's two stroke power was phenomenal then. Exciting times (and cheap)(and easy to work on). Wish I was working on one now.

[@davew5611]

That was the first bike I ever owned. Mine was green. Only thing I had ridden before it was a Sears mini bike. Just went to the Kawasaki dealer paid for it and rode it home. I figured how hard could it be. After stalling it a few times I got it home. Absolutely loved it. Wish I still had it. Still riding though.

[@lindycorgey2743]

Ha ha ha. 🤣 Cool story.

[@119topdawg]

I owned the exact same bike in 75 to 80. I miss that bike daily. What a stunner

[@AudiophileTubes]

One of the most stunningly visual (and sounding) motorcycles ever made! Ken, you are the Hugh Hefner of motorcycles, surrounded by your 'harem' of gorgeous, timeless bikes!

[@despabikes]

Just a few months ago I noticed you guys only had 3K subscribers, and now you’re pushing 40,000 subscribers. You guys are on your way. Before you know it you’re going to have a show on the discovery channel (or something). I think what you’re doing now is more interesting than the American chopper show that was on Discovery. You guys have interesting personalities too, perfect fit for a TV show.

[@KaplanCycles]

Lol, you are right thank you

[@davemetz7368]

10 years ago I acquired a "75 Kawasaki H1 triple 500 along with a "83 FXRT shovelhead from someone who passed away. What 2 awesome bikes !! Your " triple " is magnificent !! I recently gave my FXRT shovelhead to my son, who just loves it. A year after getting these bikes I sole the triple for $1500. What a mistake. Keep up all these great videos of your bikes. This is from the person who told you what your frog stands for. God Bless You !

[@andywarrington4738]

i had one......i miss it more than other bike i had ......one of the best looking bikes made , widowmaker ........yeh

[@TerryPorterElectronics]

That is a very nice and neat H1, looks brand new! I owned a brand new H1 in 1971, it was the first disk brake model, and my first road bike at 17 year of age. I paid $970 AUD for it brand new and boy did I have some fun :) Properly warmed up if you crack the throttle in first gear, there is no way you can stop it wheel-standing when it hit about 7000 rpm unless you lay forward over that nice long tank. If you heard one in the rain, you would *always* hear the rider back off before 7000 rpm to prevent coming off as the back end lost traction and went sideways! It handled like crap compared to todays bikes but the front disc was awesome in a word full of drum brakes, and one always carried spare spark plugs as they would foul up a lot. I earned the nick name 'spark-plugs' because of that bike and the fact I was always changing them out when out riding with my friends. The two stroke oil choice was critical and made a massive change to performance and reliability. In those days I found 'Castrol two stroke oil' to be the best. The H1 was definitely the most awesome bike in the world in 1971, it made 750 Honda Fours look absolutely geriatric, could easily drag off a Ford GTHO (to 100 MPH). My H1 stayed the King until I traded up to a brand new 900 Z1B costing $1975 AUD in 1974. Your model was slightly less highly tuned and slightly more reliable than mine. It was also more refined and available in more imaginative colours. It probably handled better too.

[@arndtwc]

That year there was two models. One with CDI ignition and drum front brake. The other was point ignition with front disc brake. I would take the CDI with drum brake.

[@geerbangr]

Never saw a triple more perfect that that one.

[@krtrains123]

1 second ago I had a 1973 H 1 Dark Metallic Green , it was a wonderful machine

[@Freimopp777]

My 1970 Mach 3 in candy Red is 22 years older than me but I always wanted one. Looking forward to the first ride in spring.

[@Freimopp777]

@John Fields purple H2c? Not with my own eyes. One of my favorite color is Pearl Candytone Gold with 3 stripes for 1972 H2

[@alancharlap9812]

The Ugliest color they made for that Bike! #1 White. #2 Charcol Black Metallic & then Blue!

[@RickyJr46]

My good friend Mike Kauzlarich roadraced a blue H2 #818 in AFM meets at Sears Point during the '70s. He said the trick to surviving the wild ride was to keep his arms and upper body loose and just let it move beneath him. He was quite successful on that machine, at a track which put a premium on handling. And maybe balls, too!

[@RickyJr46]

John, Google search AFM Mike Kauzlarich and you'll find a few pics of him (with the trademark ponytail) and his #818. Sadly, he passed away in 2018 and the world lost not only a superb rider but a real character!

[@zonacrs]

Holy crap! First street bike I ever rode. My sisters boyfriend said "if you can start it, you can ride it". Put all of my 120lb 14 year old ass into the kick starter and rode around the block. Scared the shit out of me having only ripped desert on my 125 Elsinore. Great memory, thanks for bringing that forward in my mind.

[@whiskypapz6666]

I remember during the 70s it was advertized in Cycle magazine as " The Kawa triple 500 mach III..faster than anybody's 750 !

[@NoName-zn1sb]

Amen, bro!

[@lindycorgey2743]

The 750 didn't have a throttle. It had an on/off switch that they called a throttle. It was an incredible machine.

[@daleanderson7794]

Lindy Corgey rode a friend of mine’s 750 triple! No low end torque but scary power at 3000 rpm and up!

[@DrFiero]

My first street bike was the (‘73?) 750 variant. That was in around 1983. Went from my TS100 to that. Just a minor up shift. ;)

[@kevinwelsh9962]

had a green one in 1978, loved it, still miss it

[@mikemurphy9369]

I've got a 1971 blue mach that I tucked away in the basement in 1985 when my son's were born and I had to start acting responsible and drove a pickup till today. I think they're grown up enough, and I sure miss runnin it . Thanks for the video you give me All kinds of incentive. But there is no way I could ever kick that thing over sitting down, even when I was a kid

[@PetesClassicCycle]

Love the H1!! I did one for a friend last year. Hardest part of working on these is giving them back when you're done.

[@paulgrenier6773]

Owned a1975 H2 750. I've owned many bikes, nothing that had the off the line power that bike had. Balls City!!

[@daniellelemond7426]

0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds is what I remember. A true beast!!

[@AndrexT]

0-60 in 3.2. 0-100 in 11.

[@arndtwc]

I think it was 4.0 seconds, but it set the fastest 1/4 mile out the crate at a little over 12 seconds. I think it was 12.6 seconds, later it was 12.4 seconds.

[@AndrexT]

@@arndtwc 3.2 and I thought 11.8. Zero to 60 is definitely right though. I just looked it up. Standing 1/4 is 12.4. I quoted 0 - 100 mph

[@decadantdog4444]

Those were the days.

[@cosmyccowboy]

Man I miss the 70’s!

[@AndrexT]

That is a beauty. I had a 1971 H1B Mach 3 with 3 sets of points, yours has CDI ignition. The tank decal is not quite right. They called it 'Laser Blend' and went from silver to blue using small silver dots. Mine was production raced tuned and was a beast. Under full acceleration, my feet would slip off the pegs! You should get 0 - 60 in 3.2 seconds and 0 - 100 in about 11 seconds. It will pick up the front wheel in first and second, slide forward pop the clutch and smoke the back wheel! Another trick is that when riding behind one, smoke from the exhausts contra-rotates due to the rotation of the back wheel and the three exhausts. Mine was in the UK and I see on the Vehicle Licensing Centre website that someone still has WTO 127J. I would love to see it again, it was a great bike. I have a 1971 Motor Cycle magazine in the garage with an H1 road test in it. Thanks for the great memories.

[@blairarthur302]

I had a 400 triple,with those handle bars you can flip them upside down and a bit of positioning and turn them into cafe style ,boy i miss that bike

[@overmarsdaria3222]

That engine noise and the the Ryder period jacket take me back to the 70s, just magic.

[@georgemcmillan9172]

I've owned several of the Kawasaki triples over the years. Best upgrade ypu could do, is a set of VW coils, and an oil tank. I still have a '75 Z1b cafe show bike. Love the old Kawis!!!

[@joem5639]

I use to own a 71’ H1 500. Same blue color but it was a fixer upper that was given to me. I got it running but sold it after hearing all the horror stories about the high speed wobbles.

[@alessandromatteini1410]

1979 Rochester NY college student - that was my first street bike, exactly. So proud, all I had to clean it was Windex and a spray can of Johnson's Wax. No one ever told me, don't wax the seat, which I did. Polished it good! I started sliding off the bike on the rev into 2nd gear after the light turned green - one of the most hilarious and terrifying moments of my life. What a motorcycle.

[@fouellet1701]

Back in the 70's they were a familiar sight on the streets and roads. Crazy and beautiful!

[@vladmoskalow2230]

I had this exact bike in a 1974 version, in the maroon metallic color. I bought it used in 1975 for I believe $2,200 if memory serves me well. . Went to Nova Scotia on it from NJ, with 2 other bikers. My buddy had a 1975 BMW R90/6, and his friend had, believe it or not the same exact 1974 Kawasaki H1 500cc in the same burgundy color as mine. I believe we logged about $2,000 miles on that trip. The Kawasaki was crazy fast in that era, but not a great handler in the twisties. I replaced that bike with a new Yamaha RD400 in spring of 1976. The Yamaha RD400 was quick, but not crazy fast like the Kawa H1. the RD400 was an excellent handling bike and could cruise at 70-80mph all day long due to super high gearing. I loved the Kawasaki H1 ... it was just as described in this video! Brings back old memories, the sound is unusual as the 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine is unique in the bike world.

[@gervaisfillion9417]

One of my friend add an 750 with 3 pipes,,,sound super we dont see them anymore,the center cilinder always broke because too hot so it need to be richer than the 2 others.

[@arndtwc]

That is not true about the center cylinder. But you had to keep the front fender on it. It flowed the air to the center cylinder to help cool it. Or you had the carbs out of adjustment. With the engine off, turn the throttle wide open and look in the carburetors at the slide. Just before the slides moves out site, all three should be at the same position. And the sound? That was the biggest complaint I hear, may did not like the sound.

[@streak2645]

Funny story: I had one of those but a cousin drove 500 miles to visit me and he saw it and he liked it. It needed some minor work but easy fix. My cousin said, man I would like to have that. I kinda told him if he had a way to get it back home I would give it to him. I came home from work the next day and that SOB had a dam UHaul trailer. Well, to make a long story short, I lost my bike! NOT FUNNY

[@yamaharaptor01able]

We've all been there,trust me🙄

[@svtirefire]

Well... it's kinda funny to me!

[@henryhartley9993]

Beautiful bike, brings back happy memories...

[@jhenry7406]

These bikes where a handful,most I've ever seen where blowed up,and had a lot of stories with em,nice anyhow

[@harrylime5147]

Had one, I am from the days of RDs, Kawasaki triples, The Kawasaki triples did not survive crashes as well as an RD would. The oil pumps would get snapped off the crankshaft would get damaged the cases would get damage. That’s why there are not many of them around. I rode raised club races for eight years. Every single Kawasaki 500 triple wiggled. There’s nothing you could do to fix it. It was a combination of the skinny frame tubes, the skinny forks, the skinny swinging arm, the wire wheels...If you sat watching a road race at the end of a long straightaway with a heavy braking zone before the next turn, you would see them dancing/wiggling/twisting as the writer sat up and jumped on the binders. Every single one of them did the Watusi. That’s why everyone of them crashed, and that’s why they are so few today.. I actually ended up with an H1-R Road racer like the one duhamel raced for the factory.. The guy I got it from was sick of the horrible handling. Even the perimeter framed road racer wiggled. I ended up trading the whole chassis to Eric Buell And I put the three cylinder sandcast cases/close ratio six speed/dey clutch,chrome cylinder bore engine In a Suzuki X 6 250 hustler frame And drag racing it.It turned 10.6 in the quarter mile. It only had 59 hp, and Kawasaki got its horsepower readings at the crankshaft so they seemed high. I ran castrol castor bean oil premix. What a wonderful smell that was.. when the crankshaft needed replaced when it was a road racer, Kevin Cameron the writer for cycle magazine to this day had a Kawasaki shop or he was a mechanic there, and we called him since he was supposed to be the guru of Kawasaki‘s. He said he wouldn’t dare take a chance shipping a new crankshaft/rebuilt crankshaft through the mail.. so we drove from Ohio to Boston in Chevy Vega to pick up this delicate precision rebuilt crankshaft.When we got back to the shop, that crankshaft was so out of true, it wouldn’t even fit in the case.. that was the first and last time we ever trusted anything Cameron ever said or did.. when considering a Kawasaki triple, consider the age of the crankshaft seals. The two stroke Kawasaki engines always made more piston slap noise than any other make because, Kawasaki did things like use straight cut primary gears because they deliver power at the optimum angle, and they put their wrist pins on dead center of the piston for maximum power, with no regard for noisy piston Rado as the piston fluttered on the dead center wrist pin.. other makes like Suzuki put their wrist pins slightly off center so the piston would be slightly cocked and not rattle as much.. but in the end, Yamaha earned the Road race tracks. It’s better to have a good handling machine with a bullet proof engine, then something that’s merely fast in a straight line, and cannot carry that speed even approaching a corner. Yamaha engines do not mind crashes either. I have tossed my RD down the track at least 8 times , with no damage other than scrapes on the engine. In fact, I raced my RD for eight years, same crankshaft. I won six championships, and two national championships with that machine, totally stock engine down to the paper element in the airbox and the lid on the air box.. you can get more power out of a two stroke by raising the exhaust port, shaving the piston skirt, juggling jetting for altitude, but I have found, leave the machine alone, the factory knows more than we do,And just concentrate on learning to ride. But you ain’t never gonna win a race on a Kawasaki 500 triple, not if there’s an RD in the race.. I had a couple of the Kawasaki 350 triples. I had a 72 with a drum brakes in the front, that engine had a four main bearing crankshaft. That crankshaft flexed and burnt the thrust washers on the primary drive side. It never failed but it was going to. The next year, 1973 and the later Kawasaki 400 triples had six main bearings. They were excellent handlers. They were right there with the RDs, but they could not survive crashes without damaging the engine because it was so wide. But what a wonderful noise they made revving to 12,000

[@bikeru.k1981]

Had a RD 400 back in day! memories , 2 stroke heaven!

[@BlackPete...]

Same. It was my first road bike. First thing I did when I got it home was remove the "400" stickers and tell my parents it was a 250.

[@jameybeem8261]

Can't beat the Kawasaki triples for looks!!😎

[@chrisjenkins5846]

Suzuki gt 750 triple ....best.looking retro 2 stroke. Hands down

[@dannyr.8326]

I know it won't happen but maybe the leaders could find it in their hearts to allow the production of these machines again. We need them!

[@issacbourne5111]

You should check out Amsoil's *smokeless* 2 cycle oil. It will make that thing run so much better you won;t believe it. I use it in all my 2 cycle stuff. It only smokes when it's cold then once warmed up, no more smoke. Very good for environment.

[@Foontflaky]

When these ruled the streets is a distant memory that I remember fondly.

[@dr.hugog.hackenbush9443]

The 500s of the mid '80s would like to contest that.

[@PaddleDogC5]

125 mph bike

[@NoName-zn1sb]

@The Postman - 1969 H1 "fastest accelerating production motor vehicle in the world"'

[@chucktalley5616]

I raced Kawasaki dirt bikes for a small dealer in Apple Valley Cal. in 1969 and 70. They had a H1 demonstrater that I rode on the street. Straight line rocket but didn't like the twistys and better give yourself plenty stopping room. Lots of fun.

[@ericeverson5956]

I bought a 1971 Kawasaki 500 3 cylinder in 1971 and it set me back the princely sum of $1,050.00. Michigan tax was the $50.00 bucks.

[@sicks6six]

1970s UK these were everywhere, often with micron 3 into 2 expansion pipes.unfortunately handling and brakes did not match the 2T engine and not many survived, or the riders, widow-makers,

[@NoName-zn1sb]

Right on!

[@SlickD217]

That three cylinder two stroke sounds crazy!!

[@daboo7725]

My older brother had one of those back in the day. He was 6' 3 --- 230 lbs. I remember him telling stories of out running 750's everyday ! He eventually traded up to a KZ 900 then KZ 1000. All 3 bikes were complete beasts and out run most anything on the streets at the time

[@danielchammen6972]

Wow that really is a sweet blue H1. The same colour as my early modified 72 S1 I had back in the mid eighties. The S1 motor was worn so I bored it out to take the S2 350 pistons,which you could do because the S1 is just a sleeved down S2 fitted the larger carbs and kept the stock 250 gearing.Everyone who took this mono wheeled rocket for a ride said that is one fast bike Woohoo screaming 2 strokes forever. Also I've just come across some amazing information about the early H1s, a real game changer so much so that its going to rewrite the history books in a big way. I'll update you guys soon about this.

[@little1reefard]

I had the two tone green H1. In 1978. Man was it fun.

[@gregsmith7959]

I bought same one, H1 500 used in 1979 (it was green) that the owner dropped for $600, rebuilt the motor and fixed it up. Let it go after I graduated from College. Nice Looking bike

[@brettmann2889]

I bought one back in 1997! ( I was 17 at the time , coolest bike around )mine was Green , love hearing that unique sound of the three cylinder two stroke ! thanks for sharing.

[@garyposthuma9607]

I had one just like it and i wasn't afraid of it lucky im still alive 66 now had it at 18

[@cosmyccowboy]

In 1973/1974 I was riding with a bunch of guys, one of them Jerry had one of these. I think it was a 1971 I know it was orange and it was lighting fast. I rode a Honda 500 4cyl.one night jerry and I along with Dudley pulled up to a red light all three in a row waiting on the light to change. I’m on the outside, Jerry and the KZ500 is in the middle and Dudley is on the inside on a blue KZ750 3cyl 2 stroke 1974 I think. A cop pulls on our taillights and I mean he was only a foot or two off! I thought everyone saw him until the light turns yellow and Jerry stands up on the KZ and starts twisting the throttle! The light turns green and Jerry leaves a black strip of rubber on the pavement about 15 or 20 yards long, he turns around with a big ole grin on his face until he sees the cop! You should have seen his jaw drop! I took a left and Dudley took a right and Jerry hit the center line and was gone!

[@randyvinson7928]

Those were real fast for there time frame real bad ass!

[@BlackPete...]

Wow... What a beautiful bike. An H1 with no crash damage! And only around 10 grand... It's a bargain for some lucky collector.

[@wolvowarrior9159]

My friend had one of these in metallic burgundy with a red Kawasaki stripe down the tank. When he had to have a new clutch fitted over here in the UK, Haynes publications used his bike as the donor for there manual, they had it for three or four months & I had to run him round everywhere on my Kawasaki 250 triple. Those triples were so stylish in their day wish I had one now.

[@interstellaraxeman4468]

I bought one from the Kawasaki dealership with my paper route money,.... A 1975 H1 500 Kawasaki, it was a slightly different blue color, a little lighter almost an aqua/turquoise thing going on,....GREAT BIKES!!! They should make them again,..maybe a retro production run. That would be just swell....

[@2002MX5]

I love the smell of Castor beans in the morning. And expansion chambers.😛

[@clutchpedalreturnsprg7710]

YamaLube

[@mikemiller3007]

Mine was metallic brown with a yellow stripe. Definitely not what a junior in high school needed.

[@tonyespinoza4722]

Tony Nicosia was the guru on the triple.. kawasaki contracted him to research and development ... I think he's still alive.... Tony N was from Fremont California.. Erv Kanemoto.. put 750 triples in a champion flat track chassis... they used to race them at the San jose mile. ..then Erv was the head honcho of the Rothmans team with Freddie Spencer..250 and 500 cc grand prix circuit

[@mrdollar287]

I had a 350 S2 not long ago and it was the best frame for a triple.

[@DM-hw4cr]

Wow. I had the burgundy colored one. Tough to keep running correctly. 3 points and 3 condenser that needed to be checked frequently. Fun machine

[@wheelie63]

really one of THE nicest bikes you guys have EVER shown............this one is SO very beautiful and desirable............i have always had a thing for the '71 model in this color scheme.........but i think this one is even better..........wb

[@broughtupright7269]

Ahhhh memories...a 1970 candy red H1 cafe racer was my first street bike at 16...bored, ported & polished, H2 carbs, Bassani pipes, CDI, rear sets, cafe seat & cowl, Hurst front disc, Ceriani forks, Koni shocks, Tomasselli clip ons, Magura levers, Dunstall headlamp, Akront rims etc etc. 💥💨🏁 ...the H1 was a blast but not as fun as my 2nd street bike, a tricked out '78 RD400E that loved the twisties kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXXRhHSYqMRnp6c ...but... 🎼"Kawasaki lets the good times roll Kawasaki lets the good times roll Get aboard, get away and you're gonna say LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!"🏁 kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJPKnJ6sftumrbc

[@bonkeydollocks1879]

The 750 coined the phrase "its as easy as falling off a kawasaki" due to the frame not up to the job but I think that is unfair, people knew what they were getting on, it was only the people who couldn't ride gave it a bad reputation. They are great looking and sounding bikes.

[@RickyJr46]

A buddy who raced the H2 750 told stories about the time he left his girlfriend on her ass in an Oakland intersection! She wasn't ready for his quick getaway, a bit strange because Kauz never did it any other way.

[@mach1954]

I had two of these at the same time.Should never have sold them !! 🙈🙈Not a lot of grunt under 5500 revs but once you hit the power band all hell breaks loose. Awesome machines !! If you’ve never ridden one you need to !! 😎😎😎😎

[@raymondoliver7381]

Seeing them two strokes brings back memories of when I worked at Kawasaki and owned a couple of the Japanese two strokes , personally my favorite is the three cyclinder two strokes , but Suzuki also make some great ones to..... hats off to you guys for keeping these babies on the road sure wish I lived closer , raised in Texas living in Tulsa,Oklahoma now , maybe one day I'll get up there to check out your establishment. Raymond Oliver

[@johnkrischan622]

The H1 would eat the Suzuki GT 550.

[@andrekiefer3612]

Nice Sound i love the smell of 2 Takt. Thats pure live.

[@waynerogers6621]

I bought a 1970 h1 in 1971 for 600.00 and a restored 1970 is going for 16,000. I've read that after 1970 these chainsaws on wheels were detuned but the handling was upgraded although the only handling problem I had was keeping the front wheel on the ground. Funny story I bought it as a first bike and had no idea how fast it was just liked the way it looked. I drove it around Texas for a year while in the Marines and had a lot of fun. Now I'd like to buy another one but at 69 my reflexes aren't what they use to be. 10k sounds fair for a bike in that condition.

[@homefront3162]

First Streetbike I ever Rode ...

[@MikeSmith-ve2qu]

You sir always seem to have every bike I ever wanted...

[@arndtwc]

I have see a lot of them at 20,000 miles were wore out and needed oversize pistons. I love 2-stroke bikes and I think they are a lot more fun to ride then a 4-stroke. But they have a short life. If you run one to long the piston will get so loose it will break the skirt of the piston off and then you have a mess. When I was a kid my father sold Kawasaki motorcycles so I have see a lot of them. I saw the H1 when it came out in 1968.

[@lowbuckfabrication]

I have one ....cant wait for summer

[@2-strokeracer531]

I sometimes take my '73 TS 185 out locally.. It's in mint shape, and I get some looks.. I couldn't imagine the looks the owner of THIS thing is gonna get... ☑️

[@whojahbless1560]

Sounds mean. Wooooh. Awsome bike.

[@chareshorton2956]

That's a nice bike friend of mine had to 750 3-cylinder it was wicked . Imagine if they still produce those today what it would be

[@alancharlap9812]

It would bee the H! R 1000........The fastest production Track Bike that is produced for the Street..... 2 Strokes were beautiful to look at Delightful to ride & until the EPA said "No More".../.

[@markmath2883]

When looking for my first bike, test rode a used one; unintentionally popped a wheelie shifting gears at 80 mph. Scared me enough to buy a ‘71 Honda 450 instead. A friend of mine bought a new ‘71 350 triple, laid it down several times and gave up riding because of that.

[@Corvette.Ronnie]

I bought a used Mach III in 1973 with only about 8k miles on it. It had a wicked powerband a flat seat which could easily be a recipe for disaster. By the way, they all smoked like that. When they stop smoking you know you need to add oil.

[@tippycolfax]

I had one in green when I was 15.It quickly earned my respect.

[@timhicks2154]

In my younger days, I parted with 2-stroke motorcycles that are now worth a fortune. But we never knew back then, did we, how much they’d fetch nowadays.

[@NoName-zn1sb]

I'm gettin a woodie. Owned a '69 H1 Blue Streak. Brand New $995.00 ! In what year did they make H1s that didn't handle like pogo stick??!? Ride for 50 miles, stop, get off, yer still vibrating

[@GilFavor101]

Geezus, that thing rips even with a huge guy on it. That idle sounds amazing too. Good video here.

[@hancowman7622]

Kaplan is a light heavyweight at best.

[@GilFavor101]

@@hancowman7622 Kaplan is definitely a heavyweight or more, you have to factor in he has Adamantium in his bones.

[@looseballs1966]

I had two of those tripples back in 1984-1985, one was a 1978 400 the other was a 1978 750, both had the 2 tone green paint work and were in like brand new condition (hell they were only 6 or so years old with almost no milage on), the 750 was bone stock but the 400 got turned into my little shame them racer (shame them meening pretty much everything else on the road got left in the dust by it), I stripped it down to the bare bones stuff needed to make it function and that was it, gone was headlight (left the tail light because I really didn't want to be hit from the rear), turn signals, front fender, air box replaced by just UNI pod style filters, injection oiler and tank eliminated and just premixed in a fuel can, factory exaust gone and replace by light weight tuned expansion pipes, then it got the full treatment port job and bigger Mikuni square(or more propperly called flat slide I guess but I always called them square slideso ) slide carbs, anyhow I probably stripped 100 to maybe as much as 150 pounds of weight from that bike and probably nearlly doubled (or no less than a third minimum )more horsepower in the pipe carb and engine work done to it, lets just say it was like riding a rocket, I can honestly say I never had the balls to ever really hold that thing to the pegs to see just how damn fast it would actually run out at, but I will say this,,,,, in just 2 gears and a city block you could easily hit 60+mph and back to zero mph with room and throtle to spare, they were a rush to ride even stock and would give even some of the new bikes a run for their money, I always wanted to give the 750 the same treatement but life necessities took over and the bikes went by by.

[@checker3694]

That’s a beauty, best colour, love my H2.

[@Macdad260]

I bought a '72 brand new. About $1200 OTD if I remember correctly. The early models had a drum front brake and CDI ignition. In '72 you could get a front disc brake but it had points ignition. The CDI engines were faster. I also had a '69 Mach 1 Mustang at the time. From a rolling start the Mustang was faster. They both topped out at 115 mph.

[@L2fish]

My brother had one same color. Real fun to ride

[@davidmacphee3549]

I had an '72 Orange H1B for three years but it was stolen. I often dream about it and feel so happy but then when I get off and turn round, it's gone again. Drives me nuts

[@robertmiranda2458]

I love the smell of Brendsel in the morning

[@MrGallan50]

no wheelies??? the best part

[@sofalugger]

Had a 1971 with front DRUM brake!! Brill in straight line but `iffy` on corners. .put TT100`s or Red Lines? can,t remember but transformed it. .Should,nt have sold it really. . .but things move on . .Got a HP2 and Rc8, TST. .Noice

[@anonimous2451]

Holy sheet, I LOVE these bikes.

[@dw9453]

Thanks...