I've had the H1 and both the 350 and 400 RD's and an RZ350 too and in a straight line the H1 would leave them for dead. Handing and braking not so much. Mine was a blue and white 69 model. I bought it for next to nothing in 1975 or so. I was just old enough to have a driver's license when I had it. Luckily I had a great deal of dirt bike riding experience so at least I knew how to ride. Most poor bastards that bought them didn't have a clue what they were doing. I started working at a Kaw-Yamaha dealership while I was still in school and ended up a sales manager and later general manager of a 3 store dealer when I retired. Kinda got in my blood and never left!
I had one of those. If I held the throttle wide 0pen on the highway I'm sure it would have gone over backwards. And it had drum brakes and no steering damper. Very scary bike. I feel lucky to survive that one
@@Freimopp777 ride safe bro! Growing up my friend had one. He used to rip through the gears on his way home late at night. Passed right by my window & I loved the sound of that beast!
They're great, not the all out death trap that the legend makes out, just gotta watch that peaky powerband past 6000rpm, the induction noise is addictive.
@@spigot993 Two of my buds had them in 69 & 70. Stock pipes. Late at night I could hear them racing along the river, which was on the other side of town! I fell in love with the wail these bikes produce!
Wild and crazy speedo and tach. Love RD's, Mach 3's and 4's.Remember following a '69 H1 on the blvd. He jumped on it and plumes of smoke came out, till you couldn't see him down the road. Excellent sound. Better times.
The two stroke Kaw's were the hottest bikes at the time ! However, that ring ding, ring ding sound, and smoky exhaust turned a lot of us off !! Most of us stuck with the Harley's or the 4 stroke Honda's !!
I hear you, I only wish I still could hear and smell my brand new 1978 RD 400 that I bought when I was 16 years old! I just sold my last bike ‘also a Yamaha’ a couple years ago, but the one I miss and regret selling is my 78 RD 400.
Can't wait to have my '69 H1 up & running again. About to start rebuilding the engine after spending a heap of money on rebore, crank, clutch basket, gearbox & vapour blasting etc - nothing left to chance.
This brings back a lot of memory's, I started riding in the 60s, motorcycle #6 was a brand new Kawasaki Mach III, 3 months after I turned 14, my friends all said I'd be dead in a week, well here I am, 65 and still kicking. subbed. 👊 😎
I used to have an H1. I think it was a 1974. I always thought the H1’s looked nicer than the H2’s. In 1984 I bought. XL 600. I could ride some long ass wheelies on that Honda. I think the “standing third gear” wheelie was my best.
In 1973 I had the H2 750 and as I recall it would pull up slightly at about 80 mph in 4th gear. According to the speedometer it's top speed was 139 mph but likely less than that in reality. And yes it would wobble at certain speeds in excess of 100 mph (it has been over to 50 years). One night coming home from an evening college course (in the country at high speed) I had to make a "pit" stop after drinking too much coffee. When I started driving again the road was filled with cattle that escaped a field. If I had not stopped for the pit stop I likely would have been killed.
A wheelie is when you are on the back wheel, the front wheel is high enough in the air that that you have to turn it to one side to be able to see and then you kick it into 2nd gear, then you straighten up the front , come down and speed away hoping no cops saw you. By the time you are quite good at this the frame will have cracked and a weld job and gussets are needed.
I was offered a J reg original H1 in 1975, light metallic blue in colour for 240 pounds! Bit of a jump from my Honda CB 125 at the time. Bill Smith Motors in Aigburth Road had another exact bike for sale and it sat in there for ever. Another bike shop local to me in Birkenhead had a beautiful Egli Vincent for less than a grand. Anyone got a time machine?...
I had a 72 H1 Mark 3 the best and most fun bike I ever owned and I had many different brands in 50 years , that Beauty was a fast wheelie Beast, I got 11s -12s out of it in the quarter easily back in the 70s ,, love that Bike 💙
Great footage 🎥🎬🎞️👍‼️ I owned a 1980 KZ 1000 E model , Kawasaki rules the Rheams you don't need to talk When it comes for a fast forward on a motorcycle ♥️🔴‼️
Fifty years ago, high school students in Japan were banned from commuting to school on motorcycles due to a number of accidents involving these motorcycles.
Clutch was Slipping Or you're holding clutch in a little bit. As if you were scared to let it all the way out or something. Also, you had plenty of room to let that thing go all the way up to around a 130. I detected some fear
Nice video well done the wheel stand was extremely weak that was nothing period in 1970 I had a 500 Triple and I could do 80 mph wheelies for about a half a mile but that was then and this guy's doing it now I still enjoyed the video. But that is not a strong wheel stand display at all
I wonder if its the same fuel tank as kc100 , had one in the 80s and it was insane acceleration upto 60mph and not a penny more 😅 it just stayed absolutely bang on 60mph it was comical 😅, insane acceleration though for a poxy 100cc 🤠🇬🇧🖖⚡️🙏👌
I had a blue tank 71 500 a couple of times had the front wheel off the ground especially when the power band came in 6000+rpm nothing too dramatic though
Awesome! I'm doing a complete restoration on the same bike now. Excellent video and sound. Makes me feel like I'm riding. Just subscribed. Here is a link to my new Kawi H1 Triple video too, Cheers! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mnnS6m_1EYo.html
I raced one at Fremont in Calif. When they first came out. I was on my 66 Sportster which was a $2000 unit and the Kaws were about $800. It was ugly and cheap looking it sounded worse and smoked like a cigar. I was running very low 13s and 100 mph (I weighed 215lbs, like having a rider and a 100 lb sack of cement). It passed me at about 200 ft from the end. They were throw away bikes, had a plastic bushing for the swing arm. Cheap shitty 2 strokes but they were quick. Now the KZ 1000, that was a great Bike!!!
Who mentioned Harley’s there shite Until the power valve two stroke came about the likes of the kh and gts were piss poor You’ve obviously never owned a modern two stroke
they dont want you to know this but the H2 AND H1 share the same transmissions,bolts right in,they both scream and both will kill you quick,owned many of them,unreal acceleration
Those who were pulling 80mph wheelies on a 500 Kaw, I call B.S.. I had one, and won quite a few trophies at the strip with it. I could run high 12/low 13 second timeslips with it. There were absolutely NO wheelies after 65-70mph, unless you had a modded motor.....
I test rode a 1970 500 in 1972-unintentionally pulled a wheelie at about 80mph. I bought a 1971 Honda 450 instead. Still ride bikes with three in my garage.
Wheely, what was it, 6 Feet! Buddy, I was pulling wheelies at 16 down my street on a 1975 Honda 400f Super Sport. Ha ha ha ha, what you did was nothing! But I do like the bike. Have a good day.
They are different for sure standard two strokes like the kh have no power valve and are tuned from factory to run well all through the reverse range Unless tuned by a two stroke wizard they performed average Running one tuned to make max power would render them useless below all but max revs No good for road use If you check the torque it is as flat as a witches tit 80 mph wheelies were just not possible due to a lack of power
Fast as hell in a straight line, handled like shit, high speed wobble, suzuki with the water Buffalo was the same thing, speaking from experience 67 yrs old, knew them well, liked the 380 suzook best, sold my hodaka combat wombat and bought, if your young u probably have no idea what im talking about lol
The Suzuki 750 was a highway cruiser, and the 500 Kawasaki would run away and hide from it. Hell, I geared my CB 500 Four Honda down 3 teeth on the front sprocket, and ran right beside a buddy who had a 750 Zuk
