Amen. Not before mine got the shakes on the highway from an overpass bump. Last speed I saw was 105. Ended up sliding on concrete…for a looong ways. Scraped and bruised and never did it again.
I just got to ride a H1 500. It is scary how fast that thing accelerated. I understand why so many got hurt in these things lol two strokes in general are just crazy 😆 though I still wish they made two stroke street bikes, there are so much fun.
Yeah I got it...🤔 when I was a sixteen year old boy and in the Kawasaki motorcycle 🏍️ dealership in Montgomery Alabama in 1974 i saw an H-2 & said that is the one 💞👍😉..." Oh no" said the salesman 😂 you need a Kawasaki G5 100 cc
Back in the good ol' days, I had a '73 Kawi H1 500. Expansion chambers, and 14 tooth front sprocket, (1 tooth smaller than original, lower than original gearing). On a long straight road, with me aerodynamically laying on the tank, I could regularly hit 123 to 125 mph. What totally great fun. And gottdamn, what an unforgettable, one of a kind sound. Like I said, good ol' days.
@@tphvictims5101 Heck yes brother im 60 and in 1979 i got a H2 Green Mean Machine , omg the fun i had and i use to get full of adrinaline just starting it knowing the speeds i was to go :) Fast and Stop pure fun for a 19 year old :), had the pleasure of riding her 4 years :)
I always ran Klotz in that bike. Another modern super amazing smelling oil is Castrol RS-TTS. All the protection and more of the old bean oils but without any of the horrible gumming and sticking issues. Try it, you'll like it! 🏁 🏁 🏁
When I was 8 years old my Uncle bought a new orange Kw 500 triple back in 72. I could here him coming miles away. I rode on the front many times with him. I will never forget the sound or the smell its etched in my brain forever.
Best sounding two stroke bike ever when accelerating!! That sound is unique and no yam , suzi, honda, etc ever sounded so sweet as a two stroke S3 , H1 or H2 Kawa!!
This video gives me good memories. I watched this out of nostalgic memories of the (slower) 1976 KH500 I had when I was 17. It was my first big bike and the throttle felt like a warp switch to little me. Twist it and the world goes past you in a backwards blur. I got an indicated 115mph and I could wheelie it in 2nd gear and it used to stay up till I needed 3rd. The engine blew after 2 weeks and it was never the same after that. Did I mention the massive speed wobble? I have bikes now and they are statistically faster accelerating than the old KH but nothing feels like when that 2 stroke power band kicked in.
Bei God,this are brutal bikes.They forgive no driving mistake.As a young man I've survived a Kawasaki S1.It was an amazing time. Greatings from Germany 👍🇺🇸
Mine in 1972 was 126 mph. At the old Amelia Earhart runway! We used to to drag race there. Was undefeated for the 2 years that I owned my H2 triple. I still dream about that bike. My nickname was Rocket Man.
2 strokes need to come back. I remember riding a triple back in the day, maybe a 500???. It was a blast. The next weekend went to buy a brand new RZ350. With the Toomey pipes, that little thing will kick some ass!!! I miss those days.
This is my favorite triple video also! Had watched it numerous times, until a year or so ago. Then couldn't find it. Looked all over for it. THANKS for reposting it. Had a 1972 S2 350, peppy little wheelie machine. Have a 1975 S3 400 now. Nothing like the sound and smell of a 2 stroke triple.
The best video on youtube! Am in the process of restoring a 74 H1. The exhaust pipes will be headed to England (yes the UK) tomorrow for strip and re-chrome since no shop in the good ol' USA will chrome exhaust pipes. And there's no shop in Kansas that will strip and re-chrome other parts like the wheels which will be sent to Houston! The EPA needs their tiny heads examined shutting down plating shops with all the crazy regulations they can dream up along with all the jobs that go along with them. What a bunch of friggin' BS!!
I’ll never forget riding a brand new Mach 3. It almost through me of the bike as I wasn’t use to that kind of power then. Thanks for sharing. Brought back fond memories
@@dirkadirka5395 Bet they are afraid to open up their H1’s up for any length of while riding!/LOL! But at 65yrs young my H1 doesn’t scare this old fart!/LOL!
@@scottwheaton9689 yep cant wait to get my 74 H1-E out as a previous Kawa triple owner in the seventies this is the only one I never owned in the H series. I to am 65 yrs old and quite adept at wringing two strokes necks.
This video is legit. My father bought a red 1970 H1 when i was 16 years old. I experienced this very thing many time. Riding it and riding next to it. My dad loved this bike and he rode it as it was designed to be ridden. Awesome memories.
They always sounded like a bag of spanners on override, but I enjoyed my ride on one in 1972, I swapped my Bonneville for one of these for the day - OOH that was FUN.
Just awesome!! Sound, acceleration and brilliant memories of the two stroke oil burners of yesteryear !! Thanks for posting your video!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
A friend gave me a lift to work on one of these when I lived in Auckland NZ in 1973 it had a 3 gallon tank we filled up before we left for work drove 32 miles (55kms) caning it all the way and had to switch on the reserve tank 2 miles from the factory, it drank petrol like you would not believe (well you probably would lol).
My fastest H1 was 71 March 3. Did an indicated 125 in the day. Ive owned every configuration except the S1. My H2 cost me $500 in 79. It only had 8000 miles on it. I bought it of drag racer/record holder Dave Armstrong. I was the coolest kid on the street! At least that's what I told myself.
hi, please compare 0-60mph the H1 v. H2 v. Z1 900 all stock, i've always wondered cause i rode on the back of an H1 when i was a kid and i thought i was on a rocket LOL...
What a rush - brings back memories of my youth. I used to ride with two mates with H1s they both regularly reached 125 mph - left my poor old Suzuki 500 for dead at 110 mph!
I bought one new, 1973 fresh back from Vietnam. $1361.00 on the road Virginia Beach..... 3 of us bought at the same time. First bike, taught me a LOT, 126MPH was straight out top end. By 15K miles it was ready for the junk yard.... 5th gear was long gone along with the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gear wheelies!
Boy, did that get the juices flowing for this old guy! Had one and had the time of my life and survived. Then.....came my KZ900........now that was a rocket ship. My parents convinced my oldest brother to talk me into selling it and buying a car. Should never have taken that brotherly advice. I saw the same bike, same colour and all at a Tim Horton's in Ontario a couple years ago. Original owner and the bike was stock. I almost hijacked the bike from him.
Had an H1 in '76.. I was a skinny kid and had to sit up on the tank to keep it on the ground.. Damn that thing was fast.. This vid reminds me of those days.. Candy Green H1.. ahhhh
Sounds like me in the "70s". 135 lbs. and a 73 Candy green H1 with chambers. Not the best handling bike, but the straight a ways were great. Still have the bike today.
Had one in 1970. Never ran longer than 100 miles and shook like a wet dog. Middle cylinder never happy. Ran it to 130 mph in Montana, spark plug cover blew off... sold it for $850 after shipping it East to new home. Told the new owners but they didn’t believe me. They just watched me in mocassins and shorts run it on the street in front of the house from 0 to 60 in 4.0 and back. Convinced me 2 strokes not for me. 4
My H1 number 498 was a Bridgeport engine. @ 9k it would be at 115, but it was clocked by a cop at 129 mph. Broke a record in Cali @ 11.9 in the quarter. A record at the time for a stock 500. Because the ports were so big it would only pull at 6500 rpm. But then you better hold on. it was a freak. I completely rebuilt it. Changed the swing arm bushings to bronze and cast iron. Boy did it handle better. It was the fastest bike in 73. I used to demolish 750 Hondas. Had it until 75. Bought a Z1 with a 1013 kit and murdered everyone. Sold it to a maniac worse than me. He got arrested on the LIE.
thanks for post. Smiled from 15 seconds to end. Built one from 3 piles of junk and would stay with a 750 Ninja through 3rd gear. Owned 5 bikes at the time and that got ridden the most. Still sorry I let it go. #10 fun factor scale.
I went from a Honda CL350 to a '70 Mach III. I told my bud {the seller} "Freddie, I'm going from a 350 to a 500, hot different can it be?" The dumbest statement I've ever made and the quickest education I ever got.
Fastest 2 stroke I ever rode was a '86 Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf Special. Used to embarass GSXR 750's real bad, and it would do roll on wheelie's on command.
I had one built by a Kawasaki snowmobile drag track tech it was really fast power band kicked in at 7000 to about 9500 and felt like you were going to fly off the back when it it 7000 loved that bike
I am so disappointed that they are gone.I had 2 500 Kawasaki's and a 750 triple water buffalo with 3 into one tuned exhaust.i do not think they deserve to be discontinued ,a lot of 4 strokes make the same amount of exhaust.
That's me on it. It's a handful compared to most other classic bikes but you get used to the girth and solidarity quickly. Biggest hinderment is ground clearance especially with expansion chamber's which it now has. It was stock in this video other than K&N pod filters, blueprinted ports, properly domed and squished combustion chambers..
I can tell you that when I was much younger and reasonably stupid, I had my 1970 Kawasaki 500 III up to 110, on a 35mph stretch of road. And it was still accelerating and the front end felt rather light.
My 1972 H1 two-up was wound 1000rpm into the red! By calculation that is 140mph with two people on it. Allowing for instrumentation error it was at least 130mph. Whatever it was damn fast!
Hey Bud, thanks for posting that video. Well ridden H1, and well tuned also. I've seen guys stick them sold with a high speed roll off and back on the throttle move like he did, if jetted too lean. Reminds me of my own Bought New 1973 H1D 500 ($1300 out the door). I transformed it into a 500 GP bike and put it on the podium (2nd) at Ontario Motor Speedway in 500GP, 4 years later. You are mostly correct. BUT, I road raced a 1972 H2 750 for 18 races (Modified Production & Super Street) in 1980. Rode it at Willow Springs, Riverside Intl, and Ontario Motor Speedway, here in Southern California. If you bracing/triangulated the frame (front steering head to swing arm pivot), Added wide (for the day) 18" Akront rims Fr & Rr with 8 Gauge stainless spokes, Goodyear road racing Slicks and proper/1" longer Gas/Koni 7610 shocks, the bike became a solid handler/performer. It handled as well, and out ran DOHC CB750F's and GS750's. Only well ridden KZ750's were a match for it. Yes, once in awhile, a Ducati would slip by too. Damn Cook Neilson anyway!! ;-) I also added a "Superbike" handlebar, air caps, a fork brace and improved the front fork's dampening and travel. You should also turn the fork legs around so the calipers are to the rear and lower on the fork sliders. The front end becomes much more stable. A dual disc brake kit (RH Caliper, Lines, Rotor & Master Cylinder) was a Factory Option on every disc brake H1/H2 sold. I bought one with my H1D, and swapped it to the H2 once I started racing it. The rotors MUST be drilled since they were so heavy. Once done like I di, the front end was actually light than stock, even with dual discs. The clutch needed seriously heavy springs and Barnett plates, but I never had a slipping problem (if you did the adjustment correctly). Yes, a trued and balanced crank (Thank you Jorge Arrues of Kontiki Kawasaki. RIP) with balanced pistons was critical. My Blue H2 "Widow Maker" finished in the Top Ten (7th, with x2 Podiums at Carlsbad Intl Raceway, an English designed "Scratcher" Course and beat x2 750 Norton Commando's on their home court) against bikes 8 years newer. Disc brakes work perfectly fine in the rain. It was a cost decision to keep the bikes affordable. Who needs rear brakes anyway? Ride safe and have fun. cheers Boots Langley La Mesa, Ca
I had a purple Kawasaki S3 400 these bikes were small and light and most GT 250 Suzuki Courier riders would mistake it for a 250 and try and race, but once the famous Triple acceleration kicked in it was like going into hyperspace, also thrashed a Yamaha RD400 !
You can beat any other bike in the right conditions with the right rider. I beat my mates up this great hill with many sweeping bends when they were on RD350s and I was on an Ossa 250 trail bike with knobbies. I was lent way over and the knobs were squirming away but the frame was so strong and stiff. Great handling bike. Come the straight road and they were gone! : )
There were three of us who bought the S1C, ok not H2 but hey we were only 17. And the sound of three triples at speed was something else. The S1C could handle very well but was oddly fussy with tyres and change the crap fork oil to something decent. Still remember the reg numbers JNL 632 634 and 636 P mine was 632.
My buddy had a 250 and his buddy had a 500. Before he bought the 250, he rode the 500. He came back and said "it's really nice, but I think there's something wrong with the steering at speed." He said "No, that's because your front wheel was off the ground!" And thats why he bought the 250.
Loved my H2, ported it, added Denco expansion chambers, good shocks. Broke a rear wheel spoke @ 100mph, passed the guy I was racing without my bike under me. Took 3 months off riding, recovering/rebuilding the bike. Made it better ( bronze bushing in swing arm, new fork internals, etc). Thrilled me to lift the front end @ 100 shifting into 3rd gear with rider in back. Too scary @ 130 mph! Put 35,000 miles on it, then moved on to 83 Honda Interceptor for much better handling/braking. Modified it, road 38,000 accident/ticket-free miles...then ( 25 years later) found out I had broken my neck when I crashed the H2. Haven't driven since on two wheels ( sigh).
I owned 5 triples in my lifetime: 2 x H1 500's - one with chambers - both fast. 1 x S1 250 - surprising for a little 250 how quick it would get to 60 mph. 1 x H2 750 with chambers & later a set of stock pipes - it was an awesome ride. 1 x H2 750 drag bike which I never got going properly - but the previous owner did the 1/4 mile in 10.45 seconds at 128mph. It used modded pistons & ports. I only managed 12.0 seconds at 115mph using just stock pistons but the light frame cracked so I cancelled the project.
Zone Television I had a 76 blue 750 triple ported, big jets in the carbs everything polished-street bike angel wing handle bars back pad behind seat.it would bury the speedometer at red line in 5th gear.0 to sixty in about 4 seconds.it was extremely fast.i ran l86 hot champion plugs in it and chevron blend 2 stroke oil in oil injection.very little exhaust smoke even on start up.but it would out run anything out there.yamaha and Suzuki didn't stand a chance and a Honda 750-4 was a joke..LOL those were the good days bro..
watching that put the biggest smile on my now old face. I was18 again giving taking my mates new kawa h1 for a TEST ride!! Wheelies every where and scaring the shit out of myself.But i had to feel that rush of speed it gave when the power band came on. Handled like a bag of shit. After riding nortons for 2years
Coldsmoke I had a Mint Stock 75 H1 Brown Like Yours with Only Denco Chambers Didn't Run like Yours... So who ever did the Porting on the Cylinders Did a Great Job! ✅ I Have 4 H1's To date 1969 - 71 - 71 - 71 Two Run... Enjoy 75
@@mikecarmean6446 Nice collection you have (had) and thanks! Stock H1 cylinders are terribly casted and it's amazing they move any air at all, especially the later ones. If you have $750 burning a hole in your pocket, call the gentleman that runs this two-stroke porting company in the link below. He is an absolute gem to deal with, will complete your work in about a week and he will make your cylinders breathe fire while maintaining stock reliability. I sent mine to him for real porting and the results have been amazing.. above and beyond what you see in this video and it has an original set of Dencos right now as well. Cheers 🏁🏁🏁 2-stroke-porting.com/
mate dont beat yourself up if he loved the bike like the rest of us who owned a kh back in the 70s or 80s he died with a smile on his face doing some thing he loved bet you ask any one who had a kh 350 to the kh 750 they are a wild ride and most of us are lucly to be here
You had to understand what this machine was cursed with. At 93 mph it developed a "death wobble" in the front end. If you panicked and let off the throttle the front end set back down and transferred the wobble to the rest of the bike. No recovery. The key was to keep the throttle open and ride it thru the wobble, shift to a higher gear and gradually let off to slow down. I studied this curse and when I had a chance to ride a friends bike it happened. I lived to tell about it. When I bought my own 500 the problem had been corrected by the factory and later years this was nothing to be concerned with. However, I never ride my friends bike again.
A little clean up on the ports and that bike easily passed the 140 mark. Expressway is far less unnerving than the little road this guy is on. I had three of them, but the newer ones were no match for the 71.
Ita all in the gearing sprockets jetting porting polishing ETC , My 1974 H2 took me to 135 mph and she still seemed to have a little more :)))) those were the fun days for me
Could build one of these bikes from memory, always wanted one of these motors planted in a bimota s-b5 frame with all the h1r tweaks to the motor, damm!!!
+keith madden Yup, I was going to comment on that as well, don't hold that throttle open too long :) I had a 76 KH400 that my brother and I bought for racing up in Seattle at SIR in the 80's. Never ran well, it was totally clapped out. I did get a 77 RD400 in College in 88 and it would smoke most of the newer cool kids Nighthawks S and VFR stuff. But didn't pick up the chicks. Then in the early 90's after I graduated I had some money and got into RZ350's, built race bikes and raced them, did pretty good for a while. Now that I'm old, I do some resto-mods and restorations of them and other classic 80's muscle bikes like GPz550 and GPz1100 and other air cooled stuff. My Shop is "Back in the Day Restorations"..
That's because the porting was slightly more radical on the 69 version. Many people had their ports modified to copy the 69 ports. Also the later versions had CDI ignition - as the point ignition on the 69 version would go out of adjustment every 1000 miles. Add some expansion chambers & stronger clutch springs & the later H1 models would accelerate faster than the 69 model.
wheres this dribble come from??? You cant reproduce the bridged ports DUH I think Yoshi hit the nail on the head dude. Where did you copy this stuff from?
My H2 would go over 125, but that's where I chickened out. Once you got used to the handling, you could do anything with it. It was not an easy bike to master.
I rode my dad's H2 Mach 4 and recorded it. Uploading soon. I didn't dare pulling it hard though, i was still getting used to riding a full motorcycle(i'm used to riding 50cc, not 750cc)
I am glad to see someone with common sense. When I bought my RD400, Mr. Cones told me that he had never seen one that hadn't been dropped or wrecked. I took his advice to heart. Knock on wood, have stayed on two wheels and I'm 60.
I had one of thes bike...what a blast.... really fast from cornner to cornner....i drove it fast all the time...death bike....well.i still ride and love it ...but not that bike...miss the thrill
I never was a wheelie master on my 74 h2 but i would wind it up way farther than most any of these riders,11 12 thousand like it was nothing.Had it on 140 and chickened out, with plenty of throttle left. Had a 71 h1 that was bored 80 over,my buddy would ride iit all the way down the quarter mile on the back wheel and still win.Gave 50 dollars for it in 1975.
*That incredible throaty growl. Those were the days. H1. H2 'widow maker' for sure.*
Riding the H1 and H2 has been the best safety lesson I ever had.
lmao, true
Amen. Not before mine got the shakes on the highway from an overpass bump. Last speed I saw was 105. Ended up sliding on concrete…for a looong ways. Scraped and bruised and never did it again.
I just got to ride a H1 500. It is scary how fast that thing accelerated. I understand why so many got hurt in these things lol two strokes in general are just crazy 😆 though I still wish they made two stroke street bikes, there are so much fun.
Yeah I got it...🤔 when I was a sixteen year old boy and in the Kawasaki motorcycle 🏍️ dealership in Montgomery Alabama in 1974 i saw an H-2 & said that is the one 💞👍😉..." Oh no" said the salesman 😂 you need a Kawasaki G5 100 cc
Back in the good ol' days, I had a '73 Kawi H1 500. Expansion chambers, and 14 tooth front sprocket, (1 tooth smaller than original, lower than original gearing). On a long straight road, with me aerodynamically laying on the tank, I could regularly hit 123 to 125 mph. What totally great fun. And gottdamn, what an unforgettable, one of a kind sound. Like I said, good ol' days.
Yep Hemis would hide when the heard that sound !
I had the same bike. I’m going on 70 years old. It was a blast 💥
@@tphvictims5101 Heck yes brother im 60 and in 1979 i got a H2 Green Mean Machine , omg the fun i had and i use to get full of adrinaline just starting it knowing the speeds i was to go :) Fast and Stop pure fun for a 19 year old :), had the pleasure of riding her 4 years :)
thats weird, thats all the 750 can do is 125.
@@yamahale No, it was a 500 cc. The H2 was a 750.
The sound! The sound! I'm 18 again! I just wish TH-cam could introduce a "smell" function. Two stroke exhaust......
Hey martin....I could smell my 73 mach 3 H1 cooking , when he came to that intersection ...you pulled that memory right out of my mind !
I was thinking exactly the same thing. And that feeling where it would hit the Kamikaze section of the power band. Good times.
Yup, with Castrol R.
I always ran Klotz in that bike.
Another modern super amazing smelling oil is Castrol RS-TTS.
All the protection and more of the old bean oils but without any of the horrible gumming and sticking issues.
Try it, you'll like it!
🏁 🏁 🏁
yes, especially when running Yama Lube R two stroke oil ;)
When I was 8 years old my Uncle bought a new orange Kw 500 triple back in 72. I could here him coming miles away. I rode on the front many times with him. I will never forget the sound or the smell its etched in my brain forever.
Best sounding two stroke bike ever when accelerating!! That sound is unique and no yam , suzi, honda, etc ever sounded so sweet as a two stroke S3 , H1 or H2 Kawa!!
The only bike close are the Triumph Street Triples with the old-style crankshaft timing. Doesn't have that 5k-7.5k power pulse though.
I can still remember that sound in my head. 72 H1B . My bikes since then are faster but oh the sound
I had this exact trio of Triples... Also 2 RD350s...
Love the sound. I had a 1970 Mach III. Glad we all lived to tell about it. LOL
How I love the old Kawi triples ……. Thankyou for the ride
This video gives me good memories. I watched this out of nostalgic memories of the (slower) 1976 KH500 I had when I was 17. It was my first big bike and the throttle felt like a warp switch to little me. Twist it and the world goes past you in a backwards blur. I got an indicated 115mph and I could wheelie it in 2nd gear and it used to stay up till I needed 3rd. The engine blew after 2 weeks and it was never the same after that. Did I mention the massive speed wobble? I have bikes now and they are statistically faster accelerating than the old KH but nothing feels like when that 2 stroke power band kicked in.
Bei God,this are brutal bikes.They forgive no driving mistake.As a young man I've survived a Kawasaki S1.It was an amazing time. Greatings from Germany 👍🇺🇸
I happen to have a modified S1.
Onboard video below ⤵️⤵️
th-cam.com/video/S9vBsAHShrg/w-d-xo.html
Mine in 1972 was 126 mph. At the old Amelia Earhart runway! We used to to drag race there. Was undefeated for the 2 years that I owned my H2 triple. I still dream about that bike. My nickname was Rocket Man.
2 strokes need to come back. I remember riding a triple back in the day, maybe a 500???. It was a blast. The next weekend went to buy a brand new RZ350. With the Toomey pipes, that little thing will kick some ass!!! I miss those days.
This is my favorite triple video also!
Had watched it numerous times, until a year or so ago. Then couldn't find it. Looked all over for it.
THANKS for reposting it.
Had a 1972 S2 350, peppy little wheelie machine. Have a 1975 S3 400 now. Nothing like the sound and smell of a 2 stroke triple.
Here is what a triple sounds like from the sidelines ! th-cam.com/video/Tz0XsRbygig/w-d-xo.html
The best video on youtube! Am in the process of restoring a 74 H1. The exhaust pipes will be headed to England (yes the UK) tomorrow for strip and re-chrome since no shop in the good ol' USA will chrome exhaust pipes. And there's no shop in Kansas that will strip and re-chrome other parts like the wheels which will be sent to Houston! The EPA needs their tiny heads examined shutting down plating shops with all the crazy regulations they can dream up along with all the jobs that go along with them. What a bunch of friggin' BS!!
I’ll never forget riding a brand new Mach 3. It almost through me of the bike as I wasn’t use to that kind of power then. Thanks for sharing. Brought back fond memories
That induction roar of the kawi 2 stroke tripple motor is wicked! 👌
I'm so glad somebody ran one of these things wide open because all the other videos I watch they are a bunch of posers
Bang on,, revving it in the driveway.
@@dirkadirka5395 Bet they are afraid to open up their H1’s up for any length of while riding!/LOL! But at 65yrs young my H1 doesn’t scare this old fart!/LOL!
@@scottwheaton9689 Nice!
@@scottwheaton9689 yep cant wait to get my 74 H1-E out as a previous Kawa triple owner in the seventies this is the only one I never owned in the H series.
I to am 65 yrs old and quite adept at wringing two strokes necks.
same thoughts here, lmao.
This video is legit. My father bought a red 1970 H1 when i was 16 years old. I experienced this very thing many time. Riding it and riding next to it. My dad loved this bike and he rode it as it was designed to be ridden. Awesome memories.
Awesome man! I bought a new one in 1974. The beautiful sound and amazing acceleration brings back memories. Thank you.
I bought mine new in 1970 for $995. I rode it all over the country until the Harley buff in me kicked in...
They always sounded like a bag of spanners on override, but I enjoyed my ride on one in 1972, I swapped my Bonneville for one of these for the day - OOH that was FUN.
That sound just brings back so many good memories
The greatest bike that I never rode.
Still on my bucket list.
Just awesome!! Sound, acceleration and brilliant memories of the two stroke oil burners of yesteryear !! Thanks for posting your video!! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Thanks for the video i had a 1971 that i ran around Bridgehampton Race Track in 1978 we rented the track for the day awesome memories thanks!
Had one of these in 1972. . can smell the 2 stroke burning hoil coming out the 3 pipes!!!. .I SURVIVED!
A friend gave me a lift to work on one of these when I lived in Auckland NZ in 1973 it had a 3 gallon tank we filled up before we left for work drove 32 miles (55kms) caning it all the way and had to switch on the reserve tank 2 miles from the factory, it drank petrol like you would not believe (well you probably would lol).
My fastest H1 was 71 March 3. Did an indicated 125 in the day. Ive owned every configuration except the S1. My H2 cost me $500 in 79. It only had 8000 miles on it. I bought it of drag racer/record holder Dave Armstrong. I was the coolest kid on the street! At least that's what I told myself.
hi, please compare 0-60mph the H1 v. H2 v. Z1 900 all stock, i've always wondered cause i rode on the back of an H1 when i was a kid and i thought i was on a rocket LOL...
" It only had 8000 miles on it" About ready for a complete rebuild then,they didn't last long,but while they were on song nothing to top them really.
What a rush - brings back memories of my youth. I used to ride with two mates with H1s they both regularly reached 125 mph - left my poor old Suzuki 500 for dead at 110 mph!
I bought one new, 1973 fresh back from Vietnam. $1361.00 on the road Virginia Beach..... 3 of us bought at the same time. First bike, taught me a LOT, 126MPH was straight out top end. By 15K miles it was ready for the junk yard.... 5th gear was long gone along with the 1st, 2nd & 3rd gear wheelies!
15k was good for one of these, folk usually tuned em and bent the crank 😅
Boy, did that get the juices flowing for this old guy! Had one and had the time of my life and survived. Then.....came my KZ900........now that was a rocket ship. My parents convinced my oldest brother to talk me into selling it and buying a car. Should never have taken that brotherly advice. I saw the same bike, same colour and all at a Tim Horton's in Ontario a couple years ago. Original owner and the bike was stock. I almost hijacked the bike from him.
Had an H1 in '76.. I was a skinny kid and had to sit up on the tank to keep it on the ground.. Damn that thing was fast.. This vid reminds me of those days.. Candy Green H1.. ahhhh
Sounds like me in the "70s". 135 lbs. and a 73 Candy green H1 with chambers. Not the best handling bike, but the straight a ways were great. Still have the bike today.
Them corners gave me goose bumps, ex H1 pilot
Had one in 1970. Never ran longer than 100 miles and shook like a wet dog. Middle cylinder never happy. Ran it to 130 mph in Montana, spark plug cover blew off... sold it for $850 after shipping it East to new home. Told the new owners but they didn’t believe me. They just watched me in mocassins and shorts run it on the street in front of the house from 0 to 60 in 4.0 and back. Convinced me 2 strokes not for me.
4
There has never been a sound like the scream of the Kawi triples. I wish they would bring them back with modern suspensions.
My H1 number 498 was a Bridgeport engine. @ 9k it would be at 115, but it was clocked by a cop at 129 mph. Broke a record in Cali @ 11.9 in the quarter. A record at the time for a stock 500. Because the ports were so big it would only pull at 6500 rpm. But then you better hold on. it was a freak. I completely rebuilt it. Changed the swing arm bushings to bronze and cast iron. Boy did it handle better. It was the fastest bike in 73. I used to demolish 750 Hondas. Had it until 75. Bought a Z1 with a 1013 kit and murdered everyone. Sold it to a maniac worse than me. He got arrested on the LIE.
Had one. Nothing, absolutely nothing sounds as good as the cowl induction sound on one of these 2 stroke beasts.
The induction sound was the best!
It is brutal, with an fascinating sound and very dangerous.
thanks for posting what a lovely sound
LIKE A BOSS!! I'm restoring my 71 H1 now. Fast at Hell! going to make a video soon
thanks for post. Smiled from 15 seconds to end. Built one from 3 piles of junk and would stay with a 750 Ninja through 3rd gear. Owned 5 bikes at the time and that got ridden the most. Still sorry I let it go. #10 fun factor scale.
I went from a Honda CL350 to a '70 Mach III. I told my bud {the seller} "Freddie, I'm going from a 350 to a 500, hot different can it be?" The dumbest statement I've ever made and the quickest education I ever got.
I had one of these when I was 17. Great bike. Got mine up to 115mph once
Fastest 2 stroke I ever rode was a '86 Suzuki RG500 Walter Wolf Special. Used to embarass GSXR 750's real bad, and it would do roll on wheelie's on command.
+doacarnage
Wow - that would be a ride to remember - 4 cylinder 2 stroke with 95 bhp. !!
+doacarnage I had the same with chambers ported and tuned and it was so fast it wasn't fun anymore!
RG500, Greatest bike ever.
@@theoriginalmungaman impossible
I had one built by a Kawasaki snowmobile drag track tech it was really fast power band kicked in at 7000 to about 9500 and felt like you were going to fly off the back when it it 7000 loved that bike
Awesome, sound, driving and video! Thanks.....
I done that. J&R expansion chambers, 32 mm mikuni carbs, port job and KNNs. Done that - it was a rush.
I owned a 1975 and a 1971 H1 . The 1975 was stock and had a top speed of 117 mph .
You are correct sir. See my post above.
that bike is going so fast it went plaid! ! ! love the distortion
taken me back 20 years love that sound i had 400 s3a p reg loved it
I am so disappointed that they are gone.I had 2 500 Kawasaki's and a 750 triple water buffalo with 3 into one tuned exhaust.i do not think they deserve to be discontinued ,a lot of 4 strokes make the same amount of exhaust.
And I was always told those bikes couldn't handle. Another myth busted!
@ecky1965 Agreed!
That's me on it.
It's a handful compared to most other classic bikes but you get used to the girth and solidarity quickly. Biggest hinderment is ground clearance especially with expansion chamber's which it now has. It was stock in this video other than K&N pod filters, blueprinted ports, properly domed and squished combustion chambers..
I can tell you that when I was much younger and reasonably stupid, I had my 1970 Kawasaki 500 III up to 110, on a 35mph stretch of road. And it was still accelerating and the front end felt rather light.
My 1972 H1 two-up was wound 1000rpm into the red! By calculation that is 140mph with two people on it. Allowing for instrumentation error it was at least 130mph. Whatever it was damn fast!
Your nicked son. Mine felt light at 128mph
Depends on the chain sprockets you had on.
This made my day brother.
Glad you like it -
it brought back memories for me.
I can just imagine riding that right now
Hey Bud,
thanks for posting that video. Well ridden H1, and well tuned also. I've seen guys stick them sold with a high speed roll off and back on the throttle move like he did, if jetted too lean.
Reminds me of my own Bought New 1973 H1D 500 ($1300 out the door). I transformed it into a 500 GP bike and put it on the podium (2nd) at Ontario Motor Speedway in 500GP, 4 years later.
You are mostly correct.
BUT, I road raced a 1972 H2 750 for 18 races (Modified Production & Super Street) in 1980.
Rode it at Willow Springs, Riverside Intl, and Ontario Motor Speedway, here in Southern California.
If you bracing/triangulated the frame (front steering head to swing arm pivot), Added wide (for the day) 18" Akront rims Fr & Rr with 8 Gauge stainless spokes, Goodyear road racing Slicks and proper/1" longer Gas/Koni 7610 shocks, the bike became a solid handler/performer. It handled as well, and out ran DOHC CB750F's and GS750's. Only well ridden KZ750's were a match for it.
Yes, once in awhile, a Ducati would slip by too.
Damn Cook Neilson anyway!! ;-)
I also added a "Superbike" handlebar, air caps, a fork brace and improved the front fork's dampening and travel. You should also turn the fork legs around so the calipers are to the rear and lower on the fork sliders. The front end becomes much more stable.
A dual disc brake kit (RH Caliper, Lines, Rotor & Master Cylinder) was a Factory Option on every disc brake H1/H2 sold. I bought one with my H1D, and swapped it to the H2 once I started racing it.
The rotors MUST be drilled since they were so heavy. Once done like I di, the front end was actually light than stock, even with dual discs.
The clutch needed seriously heavy springs and Barnett plates, but I never had a slipping problem (if you did the adjustment correctly).
Yes, a trued and balanced crank (Thank you Jorge Arrues of Kontiki Kawasaki. RIP) with balanced pistons was critical.
My Blue H2 "Widow Maker" finished in the Top Ten (7th, with x2 Podiums at Carlsbad Intl Raceway, an English designed "Scratcher" Course and beat x2 750 Norton Commando's on their home court) against bikes 8 years newer.
Disc brakes work perfectly fine in the rain. It was a cost decision to keep the bikes affordable. Who needs rear brakes anyway?
Ride safe and have fun.
cheers
Boots Langley
La Mesa, Ca
beautiful sound
nice driving
Uuhhh Glenn, you Drive cars, you RIDE motorcycles.
Thank you for the ride!
I dont ride mine faster than 100...frame flexes too much and has terrible brakes....you sir got some balls
The drum brakes were like throwing out an anchor on a rope to drag to a stop.
I dont care how fast you go. I only want to feel again that kick from 5000 rpm and on :)
The hand of god pushing you forward is how I referred to it.
The Best kawi h1 video on you tube
Thank you.🏁🏁
I had a purple Kawasaki S3 400 these bikes were small and light and most GT 250 Suzuki Courier riders would mistake it for a 250 and try and race, but once the famous Triple acceleration kicked in it was like going into hyperspace, also thrashed a Yamaha RD400 !
You can beat any other bike in the right conditions with the right rider. I beat my mates up this great hill with many sweeping bends when they were on RD350s and I was on an Ossa 250 trail bike with knobbies. I was lent way over and the knobs were squirming away but the frame was so strong and stiff. Great handling bike. Come the straight road and they were gone! : )
I had a 250 triple back in '82 and to this day it's the only bike I regret selling. :'-(
The guy on this bike has a ported and piped 250 trippple. :) Maybe he should post a video🤔
There were three of us who bought the S1C, ok not H2 but hey we were only 17. And the sound of three triples at speed was something else. The S1C could handle very well but was oddly fussy with tyres and change the crap fork oil to something decent. Still remember the reg numbers JNL 632 634 and 636 P mine was 632.
great sound up on the pipe...
My buddy had a 250 and his buddy had a 500. Before he bought the 250, he rode the 500. He came back and said "it's really nice, but I think there's something wrong with the steering at speed." He said "No, that's because your front wheel was off the ground!" And thats why he bought the 250.
Loved my H2, ported it, added Denco expansion chambers, good shocks. Broke a rear wheel spoke @ 100mph, passed the guy I was racing without my bike under me. Took 3 months off riding, recovering/rebuilding the bike. Made it better ( bronze bushing in swing arm, new fork internals, etc). Thrilled me to lift the front end @ 100 shifting into 3rd gear with rider in back. Too scary @ 130 mph! Put 35,000 miles on it, then moved on to 83 Honda Interceptor for much better handling/braking. Modified it, road 38,000 accident/ticket-free miles...then ( 25 years later) found out I had broken my neck when I crashed the H2. Haven't driven since on two wheels ( sigh).
lol @ 100 in 2nd, and 130 top speed. You should have known better than to trust those shitty twitchy gauges.
Music to my ears!
Thanks for saving & posting this vid. Ans your write-up in the description is very good!
Brings back memories 😇
I owned 5 triples in my lifetime:
2 x H1 500's - one with chambers - both fast.
1 x S1 250 - surprising for a little 250 how quick it would get to 60 mph.
1 x H2 750 with chambers & later a set of stock pipes - it was an awesome ride.
1 x H2 750 drag bike which I never got going properly - but the previous owner did the 1/4 mile in 10.45 seconds at 128mph. It used modded pistons & ports.
I only managed 12.0 seconds at 115mph using just stock pistons but the light frame cracked so I cancelled the project.
+Al Pal You think an s1 250 could be made into a decent track bike with a different frame perhaps ??
Human Footprint We don’t care about your gender or you sexual preferences but thanks for sharing.
your a fucking idiot
+usaisalwaysnumber1 ✌🏼️😁
Zone Television I had a 76 blue 750 triple ported, big jets in the carbs everything polished-street bike angel wing handle bars back pad behind seat.it would bury the speedometer at red line in 5th gear.0 to sixty in about 4 seconds.it was extremely fast.i ran l86 hot champion plugs in it and chevron blend 2 stroke oil in oil injection.very little exhaust smoke even on start up.but it would out run anything out there.yamaha and Suzuki didn't stand a chance and a Honda 750-4 was a joke..LOL those were the good days bro..
im an old school dirt bike rider
acer and i approve of this bike
Had a 71-500 I still have my 73 500 that we raced at Daytona in 1976. This is a nice safe way to ride a 500 especially since I'll be 73 soon.
Awesome!
What kind of speeds were you at a attaining on the Daytona banking? And did you liquify any Pistons?
watching that put the biggest smile on my now old face. I was18 again giving taking my mates new kawa h1 for a TEST ride!! Wheelies every where and scaring the shit out of myself.But i had to feel that rush of speed it gave when the power band came on. Handled like a bag of shit. After riding nortons for 2years
Heart pounding….I’m having flashbacks
Reminds me of some areas in southeast Ohio -- great bike riding roads there.
"Looks like he just hits 120mph or 193 km/hr “
some report mid 120's to 130, depending on tuning....but shit.....wow.....FUN....ain't the right word.....damned FUN....
I felt like I was in the cockpit.
That Bike looks like a 1974 or 75 and Runs Extremely Well for those years... Nice Bike! 💥💥💥💥💥
Thank you, it's a 1975 Brown H1. Blueprinted cylinders, stock exhaust with k&N pods in this video.
Coldsmoke I had a Mint Stock 75 H1 Brown Like Yours with Only Denco Chambers Didn't Run like Yours... So who ever did the Porting on the Cylinders Did a Great Job! ✅ I Have 4 H1's To date 1969 - 71 - 71 - 71 Two Run... Enjoy 75
@@mikecarmean6446
Nice collection you have (had) and thanks!
Stock H1 cylinders are terribly casted and it's amazing they move any air at all, especially the later ones.
If you have $750 burning a hole in your pocket, call the gentleman that runs this two-stroke porting company in the link below.
He is an absolute gem to deal with, will complete your work in about a week and he will make your cylinders breathe fire while maintaining stock reliability.
I sent mine to him for real porting and the results have been amazing.. above and beyond what you see in this video and it has an original set of Dencos right now as well.
Cheers 🏁🏁🏁
2-stroke-porting.com/
Coldsmoke Very Cool Info ✅
I started out on two strokes and that sound is just crazy. Love how it revs like a scared monkey after about 8000
I had a brand new 1972 H1B when I was 14 and I'm still alive and well!
But in a mental asylum !
best 2 stroke bike ever
I'm 60 years old and I was riding them bikes back then... The sound of that 2-stroke is like really good sex to me :-). Good video!!!
A good friend died riding the 500 triple. His fault riding like a fool, makes it hard for me to enjoy them. Have fun stay safe.
mate dont beat yourself up if he loved the bike like the rest of us who owned a kh back in the 70s or 80s he died with a smile on his face doing some thing he loved bet you ask any one who had a kh 350 to the kh 750 they are a wild ride and most of us are lucly to be here
A good friend of mine died riding the H1.His fault too,jumping a red light!
The 500 triple used to be called, "The Widow-maker"; with good reason.
You had to understand what this machine was cursed with. At 93 mph it developed a "death wobble" in the front end. If you panicked and let off the throttle the front end set back down and transferred the wobble to the rest of the bike. No recovery.
The key was to keep the throttle open and ride it thru the wobble, shift to a higher gear and gradually let off to slow down. I studied this curse and when I had a chance to ride a friends bike it happened. I lived to tell about it. When I bought my own 500 the problem had been corrected by the factory and later years this was nothing to be concerned with. However, I never ride my friends bike again.
YEAH CALLED SHIT FOR BRAINS RIDING IT...
A little clean up on the ports and that bike easily passed the 140 mark. Expressway is far less unnerving than the little road this guy is on. I had three of them, but the newer ones were no match for the 71.
+SouthernMan You must have had a faulty speedo -
that is not possible.
Ita all in the gearing sprockets jetting porting polishing ETC , My 1974 H2 took me to 135 mph and she still seemed to have a little more :)))) those were the fun days for me
Later H1s had less power. Down to 52 from 60hp
Could build one of these bikes from memory, always wanted one of these motors planted in a bimota s-b5 frame with all the h1r tweaks to the motor, damm!!!
My little H1 was a Bridgeport clocked @ 129 by a cop in the LIE!! I was riding my Z1 and my friend Frank was riding the H1.
you were entering slip-space
astreines reelles video. tolle maschine, zündung perfect eingestellt. super sound-audio..
Sustained high speed on a Kawi triple can result in a beautiful hole melted through the center piston. I...errrr...know this for a fact.
+keith madden Yup, I was going to comment on that as well, don't hold that throttle open too long :) I had a 76 KH400 that my brother and I bought for racing up in Seattle at SIR in the 80's. Never ran well, it was totally clapped out. I did get a 77 RD400 in College in 88 and it would smoke most of the newer cool kids Nighthawks S and VFR stuff. But didn't pick up the chicks. Then in the early 90's after I graduated I had some money and got into RZ350's, built race bikes and raced them, did pretty good for a while. Now that I'm old, I do some resto-mods and restorations of them and other classic 80's muscle bikes like GPz550 and GPz1100 and other air cooled stuff. My Shop is "Back in the Day Restorations"..
Not if you re-jet it, and keep the chambers clean.
Sounds sweet!👌
this gave me a BONE....
the 69 h1 was king.. they outran the 70,71' and. quicker than my 72 h2 but not at top end.
That's because the porting was slightly more radical on the 69 version.
Many people had their ports modified to copy the 69 ports.
Also the later versions had CDI ignition - as the point ignition
on the 69 version would go out of adjustment every 1000 miles.
Add some expansion chambers & stronger clutch springs & the
later H1 models would accelerate faster than the 69 model.
Also avalable with electronic ignition, the very first white model.
wheres this dribble come from??? You cant reproduce the bridged ports DUH I think Yoshi hit the nail on the head dude. Where did you copy this stuff from?
Al Pal p
MAN OH MAN DUZ THAT SOUND GOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!
Could you please do another video without the image stabilization .. Great video but too distorted. .. Please do more :)
500/3 MAYHEM.
My H2 would go over 125, but that's where I chickened out. Once you got used to the handling, you could do anything with it. It was not an easy bike to master.
no, that was the best it could do. You should have known better to trust those shitty twitchy gauges for any more than an approximate guess.
@@yamahale I guess ..
I rode my dad's H2 Mach 4 and recorded it. Uploading soon. I didn't dare pulling it hard though, i was still getting used to riding a full motorcycle(i'm used to riding 50cc, not 750cc)
I am glad to see someone with common sense. When I bought my RD400, Mr. Cones told me that he had never seen one that hadn't been dropped or wrecked. I took his advice to heart. Knock on wood, have stayed on two wheels and I'm 60.
I had one of thes bike...what a blast.... really fast from cornner to cornner....i drove it fast all the time...death bike....well.i still ride and love it ...but not that bike...miss the thrill
Widow maker ! 😊
Love it takes me back when I was a crazy fucker power band yer man
I never was a wheelie master on my 74 h2 but i would wind it up way farther than most any of these riders,11 12 thousand like it was nothing.Had it on 140 and chickened out, with plenty of throttle left. Had a 71 h1 that was bored 80 over,my buddy would ride iit all the way down the quarter mile on the back wheel and still win.Gave 50 dollars for it in 1975.
bullshit, a good H2 only went 125.