Test Ride 1971 Kawasaki H1 500 Mach 3 Triple Walk around of Three cylinder 2 stroke widow-maker III
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Walk around and short test ride of my 1971 Kawasaki H1 500 mach 3 III. The bike is a 2-stroke triple 500cc called the widowmaker. Oil injected with electronic ignition. Build date of June 1971. I bought the bike 8 years ago and until the week i recorded this video, i had never started the engine. I bought the bike and put it in dry storage, until i had the time and money to bring it out and get it ready for the road. The bike is almost completely original and unrestored. I am made this video prior to listing the bike for sale. The bike sold and now resides in the North-East United States.
I sincerely apologize for the very bad audio quality in this video.
The amazing sound of these motorcycles is lost in the terrible quality of the microphone in my cheap camera. I promise to use better quality video equipment in the future.
I had a 1971 Candy Blue H1 Mach III from new here in the UK (reg FCH 911J). Rode it all over the UK the TT and the majority of the Road Race circuits and lived to tell the tale. 75 now and still miss it 😢
I just sold my first model (Blue) H2 750 which I had for 30 years. Sold it because I am getting a bit old too. But I miss it.
My dad has one, he bought some time in the 80s and by 2000 it was left unused until 2018 when he got it running. Boy is that noise something crazy but beautiful.
That is great to hear that he has it running again to share it with the next generation. They are iconic machines!
J W Casebeer definitely!
You should hear one with expansion chambers!
I had a '71 Kawasaki 350 twin when in the army. But, the 3 cylinder 500 was my dream bike. Looking back, glad I never had the opportunity to ride one because the torque curve on these 2-cycle engines is insane.
Like Esmeralda, I also had a 1971 A7 Avenger 350cc rotary-valve twin. It was a real screamer between 5,000-7,000 RPM, was a chore to keep "up on the pipe", but was very satisfying to ride when doing so! A veritable rocket.
This was my first bike I ever owned.. It was a crazy machine that always wanted to lift up in the air and there was a holy shit position on the throttle where you go from sane to warp speed. I learned a whole lot from that sled.
7500rpm is when the Rocket Power started.
I have the same experience, as you.
The Most funniest cycle I have owned.
Bllly
6,000 was when mine came on.@@MrBluzhound
I had one of these. Magical engineering? I don't know what it was but it has never left my 'blood stream'. If Kawasaki brings it back I'll be the first in line.
There truly is something magical about a Kawasaki 2 stroke.
@@JayWCase A kind of perverted allure....
charming and bloody dangerous as some women can be...Yet unforgettable and unequalled in some respects.
Had 1 in 1976 my high school bike. Also had a 65 mustang 2+2 fastback 289. 4 speed.
Never coming back.
Come on man....that was just a nice nickname
and as most of nicknames it did actualIy overstress what riding the mighty Kawa triple was like.
Moving on to what that bike really was like compared to the others, I totally agree with your comment 👏
There were holes in hedges all over the UK when this bike came out. Brilliant in straight lines, brakes? Handling 😱
haha!
That is a great piece of historical trivia.
Thanks for sharing.
Gotta love the sound of a 2 Stroke... 👍😉
For sure!
The audio quality in the video is very poor, but at least we can imagine how these amazing bikes sound in person.
@@JayWCase They were a great sound at the time and you're right, the sound quality here doesn't do it justice.
Great noise! It would be a hell of a thing if 2 stroke street bikes were still being manufactured and imported into the states. Hell of a power to weight ratio.
You don't want that for an everyday rider. That's a classic. Only Sunday rider.
I agree with your perspective.
Yeah i learned the hard way, h1 drinks gas like a full size pickup.
Beautiful original widowmaker. Love it..
Thank you for the kind words.
The original widowmaker ! Also nicknamed
" the flying coffin" here in Italy :-)
An excess in all respects yet it was a great piece of machinery ...and sooo beautiful :-)
The Flying Coffin!! haha, that's a good one.
Thank you for sharing.
I'm so sick of that Widowmaker b******* oh. It's a comment worthy of a this user has no content CZcamsr. I owned a red and white H1 and then a 72 blue H2. Street race and drag raced both of them. I know exactly what happened with people who thought they were Hot Shots until they climbed on one anyone that scared the crap out of them because it was so radically more powerful than anything they had ever stepped on they climbed off the bike blaming the bike instead of blaming their own lack of talent. No Talent no patience. There was no way for anyone got owned any street bike before then to be prepared for that radical jump in horsepower on a lightweight motorcycle. If you just jump on one and twisted the grip without knowing what was going to happen, what happened was their fault, not the bike's fault. the bikes. What bike handled better? And the fact that they continue to win historic road races is proof of that. They were light and nimble and moved easily in and out of tight spaces. Without a doubt, you had to ease your way up learning its tendencies before you tried high-performance writing. But I saw guys that thought they were Hot Shots because they owned a BSA or a Triumph they thought they could jump on Kawasaki H1 and twist the grip the way they had on their much less powerful bikes. They were stupid and vain and tried to blame the bike instead of admitting it was just too much bike for them to handle. I drag raced and Street raced including racing guys up a 13 Mile Stretch we raced along the Olentangy River in central Ohio that included lots of Bends and chicanes and two places long and straight enough to hit 115 miles an hour one of which went into a sharp chicane meaning breaking from 115 miles an hour down to 45 or so I could pitch it into a left right chicane. The only problems I ever had on either bike we're self-inflicted mistakes, not the fault of the bike.
Haha...its so sick how we laugh about it but the rush was amazing!
@@mongosaqqara
Breathtaking performance,beautiful styling, exciting sound and an impressive build quality when compared to the time standards.
Overall It was complete game changer,together with the Honda Four 500/750,in the motorbikes market.
In the UK 'The Triple with a Ripple' 😂
Fabulous bikes.
I remeber my first ride on an orange H1, holy shit what a ride !!!
HEH that Orange was un-holy......my friends hated it....I loved it because it was so different..
That was probably a 1972 H1B.
Another fantastic machine.
In 1973/1974 I rode with a bunch of guys, one of them jerry had one of these it was orange. I think it was a 1970 or 71 man that bike was lighting! Jerry spent half the time on one wheel! One night jerry and I ( I was on a Honda 500 4cyl) and Dudley (a blue KZ 750 3cyl 2 stroke) pulled up to a red light. Jerry on the KZ500 was in the middle, I’m on the outside and Dudley is on the inside all 3 in a line waiting on the light to change. A cop pulls up on our taillights and I mean he is within a foot or two. I thought everyone saw him until the light turned yellow and Jerry stood up on that crotch rocket and started twisting the throttle! The light turns green and he leaves a thick black strip 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, Dudley took a right and Jerry hit the center line and was gone!!!
@@JayWCase or it could have been an h1c
A buddy of mine got a first edition Mach III in '69. Damn that thing was fast. He was about half nuts and it's a wonder he didn't splatter himself all over the pavement.
Wow, the 69 was a beautiful bike. Explosively fast and unruly. Anyone operating one without restraint was flirting with death. Thanks for the comment.
I had a cbr600 my senior yesr of highschool…. I thought it was fast, my shop teacher would roll his eyes then regale us with tales of the widow maker!
At 17 I bought one and it lasted me 2 weeks before a US mail jeep took me out. That bike was super fast. Nothing like it when you hit the power band.
Just found your channel when I came across your oil filter comparison. Great job btw. This video brought back memories. My first street bike was a 70 model Suzuki GT380 three cylinder 2 stroke. I was 15 years old & got in 1976. I loved that bike.
I had one when I got back from Nam, bike scared me worse than the war. It was the original widow maker until the 750 M2 came out crazy fast bikes.
I want one I love my gsxr 750 and my fzr 600 but I need that two stroke ring back in my life. My first Street legal motorcycle was a 97 ke 100.
The motoring public was not prepared for what these bikes were capable of.
My brother had a brand new white and dark blue '68 in ...1968. I rode on the back of it at max speed on the Autobahn in Berlin, Germany many, many times back then as a twelve year old. It was a screamer. Couple other brother had the subsequent 750 triples, which were even scarier bikes. Thanks for posting this.
From southern California ~ Ride Forever!
The blue and white h1 is a 1969, I have one at the house 👍
@@shaggjkh1985 OK, maybe it was a '69 model, but the year was '68 as the German importer, from what I understood from my brother, got some in, and he (my brother) was one of THE first ones in the country to have one. I have a picture of me sitting on the bike in West-Berlin at twelve years of age and that's why I surmised that it was a '68. Also, it was actually called the Mach III then, to my recollection.
Over
Fast as hell death machine, horrendous front end high speed wobble, burnout king, I remember them well, those and the Suzuki gt 500 2 strokers, great to have now to put around on backroads and have conversation, nice bike, keep it clean and maintained, for the love of history
Right on!
Thanks Robert.
I owned both, and both were super but for different reason.
Had the exact same bike from 75 to 2006. Had the original tires and all. The clutch needed replacement but good god it was one scary ass ride when you went full throttle. Then when it came time to brake well lets just say at low speed they would lock up easy and at high speed you better have a lot of room to stop as brake fade was horrible due to drum brakes. Glad I got rid of it before it killed me but made you feel alive when you rode it hard! Sold it for $1800.
That's a great story.
I appreciate you sharing your experience.
30 years is a long time to own a bike.
Those 2-stroke-cycle Kawasaki Triples had a really bad-ass warble in their exhaust note under partial throttle openings! Nothing else quite like them. As I remember, they were produced in 500cc H1 Mach III, 750cc H2 Mach IV, 350cc S2 Mach II, and 250cc S1 Mach I, in that order. I was also just reading that there was additionally a 400cc version, but I had never heard of or seen that 400cc version of this bike prior to reading that article.
I owned a used 400cc for a week. Upgraded to a new 500cc and there was a big difference in power.
@@harrykritis6349 Do you have any photos or documents (owner's manual, etc.) pertaining to this bike? What was the model year? The model name? I'd really like to see what this bike looked like. Yes, the H1 was the original 3-cylinder screamer! I owned a '71 Kawasaki A7 Avenger 350cc twin-cylinder rotary valve oil-injection bike for a good number of years. Boy, could it ever lay down a cloud of blue smoke!
I kept for some time the original renges of the brown-yellow bike i bought in March 1976 i think, with the Kawa letters on them. Then someone broke into My car and stole all the tools including the Kawa ones. Fortunately i was wise enough to store them i 2 separate places so 2 of them i still have in My garage! Unfort i only have a few photos with the Kawa & My girlfriend, later wife, that i don't like to share. I sold the bike later on because My father insisted & provided the money for a small car.
@@harrykritis6349 Could you carefully fuzz out the portions of the photos containing the image of your wife? I'm really only interested in the bike. I'm sure both she & the bike are stunners!
@@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547 In a photo we were either partly sitting partly leaning on a wall, bike is partly visible only the color is obvious. Another photo the same. These were not digital of course so i have to dig deep into My photos archive to find them. No time for that either.
I was thinking you'd light the candle. Only bike that ever scared me.
In about 1978, Netherlands, i sat at the back of it. Never forget the sensation. As a 19 year old boy i could buy it but my parents prevented it and probably saved my life.
My brother had one...I had the Honda CB 450...we wound those like mad max lol......its a miracle we survived...so much fun!
I bought my H1a in 1971 brand new and I still own it. Even today when you hit that 6000 rpm the character change is still something else 49 years ago wow it was out of this world . Yes it was an animal but so exciting. A Jekyll and Hyde people could not believe that power bad and I was asked regularly how are you still alive. The reputation was bad, The original Widow Maker , wonderful memories.👍👍
That is fantastic!
Thank you for sharing. It is unusual for a machine to have the kind of impact on history and folklore that these motorcycles have had.
I had the 72 350 overbored, denco head work, JR chambers, ported, clip ons, rearsets. It was fun. 750 Hondas hated me.
The one that gave me 20+ stiches in in 1980.
Maybe my old bike? No.
It will kill you in a second !!!
Give it your deepest respect.
And my crash was in Branson!
Then I bought a suzuki gs1000
Much more the gentlemens bike
Same color... i paid $ 400 bucks for it
I agree.
The H1 is a bike that will hurt you if you don't understand what it can do.
I owned one back in 1976-78. Liked it a lot (gave it an awesome paint job) but it needed *serious* respect from it's rider. The main problem? Downshifting. Into the powerband. If you revved when downshifting it might speed up - right into what you were trying to avoid. That powerband was uniquely spikey and small. but boy could that bike float at 100mph. Yeah it was a thing to behold. Killed a number of folks. You don't see 2-stroke bikes like this anymore - that may be a good thing...
i was a "death defying" high school student 1970-72 and loved fast cars and fast motorcycles. my Junior year, 1971, i saved up and purchased a new 1971 H1 500 mach 3. i was used to small hondas and big 4 stroke Triumphs and the H1 was like riding exploding dynamite. the bike is light, around 475 lbs. and the motor is completely insane the way it works. the bike was so dangerous that Kawasaki mandated that the dealer have every buyer of a mach 3 go through an hour training class where the dealer would show the new owner "some things to watch out for." one of those "concerns" was that the bike would flip over backwards in first gear almost automatically if you just twisted the throttle full-bore. the dealer demonstrated to me that if i was going to do a full-throttle launch, that i had to lean over the front end to keep it on the ground. a second "surprise" of this bike was that it would literally accelerate out from under the rider. this also was demonstrated to me. this bike had three characteristics that would allow the bike to "leave the rider behind." first, the seat was straight and flat and you could slide off the back under full acceleration. secondly, the power band of the triple cylinder came on EXPLOSIVELY at around 6000 and the motor would rev from 6k to 10k in about a second. the third thing that was frightening was that if you didn't prepare for a full throttle launch, when you twisted the handle-bar throttle with your right hand, the bike would take off, hit the 6-10 engine "explosion" time which would cause you to slide back on the seat and because you were still holding on to the handlebars, i.e. throttle - when you slide back you would actually twist the throttle further which made the bike accelerate more. the dealer explained this little "concern" to me and said that if i got into that situation, i was to try and "relax" my hand releasing the throttle allowing the return spring on the carbs to close the throttle and shut the bike down. of course, added to all this insane "self-acceleration" and "sliding back on the seat" stuff was the automatic "wheelie" that i noted earlier. i had been riding all kinds of bikes for about 4 years before i got the H1, and it scared me almost every time i got on it. there is NO question that it earned its name "widow-maker" because if you were a first-time motorcycle rider and you made the mistake to buy a H1 to "learn to ride on" - it is unlikely you would live very long. for a 17 year old high school kid pumped up on Adrenaline all the time, this bike was everything you could imagine. but THEN - Kawasaki came out with the H2 750 triple which a friend of mine purchased. he let me ride that bike ONCE. as completely insane as i was at the time, one time on that 750 was enough for me. i NEVER got on one of those bikes again. the H2 was like playing "Russian roulette" with 5 bullets in a six shooter.
Haha! Outstanding.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I had never heard a first-hand account of a dealer instructing a new owner about the operating concerns related to the H1.
That's a great moment in history.
Thanks again.
@@JayWCase i was fortunate to grow up from the late 1950's to the mid 1970's. it is almost impossible today to describe what America was like during that time. when i was a kid in the early 1960's, i went to "hobby stores" a lot for "fun" items to play with. one such item was a bottle of radium (the stuff they used to paint watch dials with) that i kept by my bed and painted stuff with to watch it glow in the dark. another fun item was a bottle of mercury that i used to play with in a bowel smashing it with my fingers and watching it go back together again. i had the Gilbert Chemical set which would allow a kid to blow something up mixing the wrong chemicals. and the cars and motorcycles were the same - there was NO regulation on ANYTHING! when the muscle car wars started in 1964, nobody cared about safety, they just wanted to build the fastest car you could sell. motorcycles were the same. Kawasaki came out with the Hi and H2 triples and both bikes should have never been sold to the public - but they were. but of course, crazy fast motorcycles have always been built. i wouldn't get on a Ninja or a Hayabusa today if my life depended on it. so i guess "widow maker" bikes are just something that crazy guys want - i know 50 years ago i did.
My first bike was a 73 Kawasaki H2 750 that I bought in 1988. I still have the bike and have picked up a 72 and 74 H2 since. I had a 75 H1 and wish I would have kept it.
Wow... This is crazy. Just subscribed and am watching your videos. I had the same bike in green. Bought it in1978 when l was 16. Scary bike... Dumped it showing off to a group of Gypsy Jokers from Spokane Washington. Thanks for the reminder of my ignorant youth.😅
I saw one of these bikes at the local Kawasaki dealer when I was a teen. I was told a 16 year came in to buy the bike. The owner refused to sell it to him. The bike was already already known as the widow maker! I started out with a Honda 90 when I turned 16.
Thankfully the dealer did the responsible thing and told the kid no.
16 is to young to die on a widow-maker! Honda 90 is a much better starter bike.
A FRIEND OF MINE FROM WORK OWNED ONE OF THESE. I HAD TRIUMPHS AND HARLEYS. ONE NIGHT RIDING A TRIUMPH, WE MET ENTERING THE PALMETTO EXP. BY ACCIDENT. THE RACE WAS ON SOUTHBOUND. NECK AND NECK AT 150 COMING INTO US 1, WE PASSED A TROOPER. WE BOTH SCATTERED. MET BACK UP ON MONDAY AT WORK.
That's a great story!
That would have made for an interesting discussion at work on Monday morning!
Had a 71 H1 500 same color, best sounding 2 stroke I've heard
I had one of these in '72, note: drum brakes front and rear. Went over a RR track at 127 mph. indicated. 3 stops from 90 and little to no brakes. Great first bike. power started about 4000 rpm. ran to well over 7500 in what seemed like a second, just a violent explosion, fun stuff.
My dad had one of all the Kawasaki 2 strokes. I wish he had kept one !!
That's awesome!
I wish he had kept two, one for you and one for me!
Oh, gee, Jay, that piston slap came STOCK from the factory! Kawasaki didn't want the pistons to grow in diameter during hard running and the resultant heat generated so as to cause a seizure of the pistons in the bore! I guess you could replace the stock pistons with forged items instead of cast, fitting them closer to the cylinder bore, but Kawasaki didn't do that, to keep the prices down. Besides, they ran just fine, too, even with all that piston slap, ran like a monster, all over the many graves of Hondas, Suzukis, Yamahas, and more!
Wonderful bike!
Thanks Paul,
I enjoyed the opportunity to own it.
11,000 actual miles. I wouldn't be too concerned about it needing an overbore just yet. I understand you said if you were going to commute longer distances it might be a good idea but I'm remembering the noise those things made when warming up after a cold start. I'd probably leave it be for another 15,000 miles or so unless a compression check indicated otherwise. Although I'd need to study up as I have never checked compression on a 2 stroke. I'm guessing it may be different than determining the health of a 4 stroke engine.
Gregory,
That is a very thoughtful comment.
A 2 stroke engine does wear faster and lose compression faster than a 4 stroke engine because the cylinder liners in 2 stoke engines are like Swiss cheese, they have various holes cut in them for the purpose of intake and exhaust gas movement.
There is a power surge @ 4000 rpm, can be a real handful then . Amazing that the electronics are still OK after about 50 years
Hahaha, That is a fact for sure Bob.
A feller better be holding on tight!
I've had every Kawa triple. Thats not piston noise, its small end bearings. Replace those first before messing with a rebore. Small end bearings are not expensive, and easy to change.
Damn... Iam picking one up tomorrow, Its not running but Its a Nice project.
Same colour... Cant wait 😁🔥
Ordered a new set of tires and iam gonna put it back together, maybe café it a bit with Black fork legs, rear shocks and Bits and pieces.
Not sure yet.... Time Will tell
Cant wait to feel those 50 year old 2 stroke 60 hp powah!
You are going to have a blast!
Keep us posted with your progress updates!
thats the one.................badASS, that one............
The H1 literally changed the world.
I had one of these and it looked exactly like it. Someone did add the turn signals to yours though. It didn't come with those in 71.
Don't need turn signals anyhow.
These bikes are only happy when they are going in a straight line!
@@JayWCase SO TRUE! And when I raced it I had to put my balls on the gas cap to keep the front wheel on the ground.
Nice to see an original unmolested H1A.
I knew these bikes. They would kick any 750 4 cyl fourstroke’s ass.
in 69-71 it was the fastest production bike in america amazingly fast
Thought you'd comeback into view laid over on the tank shifting with your left hand!
Hahahah, maybe next time!!
You don't even have to time it .. I got one I built from three of them out in Santa Clara .. You know Josh Trenge ..
Thanks
Hey, Glad you liked the video!
It was the spindly, flexy frame that made them suck vs the really good bikes like the RDs. We called them flexy fliers and they were much more likely to kill you with ill handling than the crudely steep powerband, which riders were cautious of. The H1 and H2 legends grew over time, but it's mostly BS because you just didn't see them all tricked out for production roadracing, just boulevard bikes.
Some of us had no problems cornering with a peg dragging on the road. I rode mine cross country and it was trouble free. I was never out run by a stock Yamaha not even the heralded RD's. Most people who bitch about the Triples either never rode one or lacked skill and self control.
had one same color
That's a nice collectable item. Why did you wait so long?
At high speeds if you don't have that steering damper mounted on the fork you can kiss you goodbye.
hahaha.
Fork wobble occurs on a bad day.
Super fast fun bike but it'd only do about 80 miles on a full tank of gas.
Did these have a feature where you could lube the chain with the oil used in the premix same tank it was positioned over the chain and you yanked on it and it dribbled oil on the chain. Had a buddy that had one in 80 or 81
bought at 16 white one put 3 to one exhaust my brother called it the tree top looker
That's a great story.
It would be very unusual to see an H1 with "3 into 1" exhaust these days.
Mines was a 1975 hif unreliable but fast as hell
Bought a 500 H1 brand new in 1975, cost me 1899, I was 16 lol
That's what its all about! ; )
I'm glad you survived the experience!
@@JayWCase I raced my friend's 70 442 W30 which was the fastest car in the neighborhood lol, and smoked him , good times
Absolutely gorgeous (just like mine back in the day. Awful sound recording. These sound fabulous - normally!
had one of them crazy quick original crotch rocket
My dream ❤️
Hey, you're waring a helmet. Most guy's around here have heads hard enough they don't need one.
Drove one many a mile. Dangerous SOB, but fun. Handles like crap, doesn’t stop worth a damn either. Goes like stink. Punch it out and add 3 foam air cleaners. Rocket power is from 7500-9000rpm or so. Hand on!
Hang, hang on
It looks almost the same as the yamaha RX100 or RX150 🤷🏻
Where do you get fuel for it? When I had mine the dealer told me the unleaded gas would ruin it.
non ethanol works perfect in any older engine. www.pure-gas.org/
A vintage 2-stroke engine does not require leaded fuel. If you can find fuel without ethanol you will get better performance.
@@JayWCase Actually the story was it gums up the engine.
Did you find a buyer? If so, if you don't mind me asking... how much did you get for her?
It sold to a retired police detective in the north-east united states for $7,500.
Such bikes you shouldn't sell !
I completely agree.
Unfortunately fond feelings for such machines don't keep the bills paid.
A Kawasaki dealer told me unleaded gasoline is murder on the engine, is that true?
I don't believe the absence of lead is the problem. The real problem is that almost all modern pump gas has ethanol (corn alcohol) added to it. The ethanol in our fuel causes lots and lots of problems for classic motorcycles of all types, especially 2-strokes. It is possible to find premium fuel without added ethanol, and it is worth the effort to find it for classic vehicles and small engine equipment.
Are they flair cords did they come with the bike ??? 😂 😂😂 jk jk
I own a 70 h1500 with a distributor cap and rotor can anyone identify?
Mehr braucht kein Mensch.
Was meinst du denn?
Death machine.......
It certainly developed that reputation! : )
No breaks 🥵
Not as fast as my 71 was.
Try taking the baffles out and getting past 10,000 rpm - sex on wheels
Sounds like a lawnmower
But flys like a rocket
@@MMCPN .. Yeah .. a mate had one back in the early seventies .. wow
Юпитер 5
Bad A$$!!
I agree with your assessment.
I hate these bikes. The Yamahas and Suzukis were better