71 Kawasaki 500 H 1 Mach III discussion forum: RE: Kawasaki 500 H1
Title
RE: Kawasaki 500 H1
Entered by
DavidO
Date
2008-03-12 07:07:11
Yes, it was a widowmaker, but of the 24 motorcycles I had (mostly dirt) over 25 years, it remains my favorite. I replaced the frame, swing arm, tree, bars, dampers, struts, springs, expansion chambers, headlight, seat, brakes, carbs & connections, intake/filters, and the tires. (I include the tires because the oem\\\\\\\´s were really aweful.) Contrary to how that sounds, I fully enjoyed it all along it\\\\\\\´s evolution - I just had to fix the handling because I enjoyed running on some seriously twisty east Tennessee mountain roads where it routinely threatened to throw me into a rock wall or a river or an on-coming car... After I dialed up the handling, I felt it could manage more power and a little bit taller gearing, and I began to trust it enough for serious night riding. A high output modular headlight and tail/brake light cutout made night riding a lot more fun. It was a hoot to ride. If I was riding with friends or in traffic too long, the pipes would acculiate oil and it would get a little balky (NOT A CRUISER). Above 5000 rpm\\\\\\\´s, the exhaust flow would disperse onto hotter portions of the chambers and generate a smoke screen haevy enough to hide a truck and really irritate eyes. After a few years, I got married, traded it for a Z and tried to settle down. 3 Yamahas, 4 Hondas, 2 Suzukis, a Bultaco, 2 Maicos, 1 BMW R100 + a silver Buick later I did. They say you never get over your first, but I had 4 excellent but puny Hondas, a gimpy Yamaha, 3 Harley\\\\\\\´s (one chopped), a BSA, and a Triumph before I bought little Rex (a friend had the 750 - T-Rex). Out of the crate, I got around 25 mpg, and could stretch it to about 30, but going that slow was so far out of the power band that you were a sitting duck for Pintos and Beetles - a very bad place to be caught on a bike that routinely taught Detroit rat motors (big blocks) the meaining of acceleration.
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