Great 5 cyl Mod. Brilliant. I had a Suzuki RG 500 Gamma. Terrific bike but some time before that I had a 500 3 cyl H1 Kwacker and have never forgotten the pair of them. I`ve gotten old now (73) and am not in good health but the thought of those strokers and the way they went puts my blood pressure through the roof and makes me shake with delight. You can get over lots of things but you cannot get a fast stroker out of your system ever. There must be a God otherwise how could I ever have had those bikes and the thrills that went with them. Screw it all on man !!.
@Jack Warner Not at all...was a simple question out of curiosity, to see what it might take to own such master piece. Does it make you sleep better at night being such an ass, towards a simple question..like it would put you at risk to let someone know what you payed for a motorcycle? What a snotty way to be, must be the norm for ones living across the pond.
When I wrote for CYCLE and CYCLE WORLD magazines (late 1960s) I got a free H-1 (one of the first imported to the USA) thanks to Alan Masek, head of American Kawsasaki. The first time I washed my nice white beauty it refused to start afterwards. The Japanese had not made the 'bentobako' ['lunchbox' = CDI] waterproof! So back she went. Riding up into the California foothills with Walt Fulton Jr. was insane fun. I had a Japanese photographer pal behind me as we zipped along. "I wouldn't ride behind myself going that fast" Walt complained. I thought "How do you ride behind yourself?") Great engine, lousy suspension, marginal brakes. CG set too far back - Millyard's version should certainly correct that! Looking at Alan's great specials always makes me laugh with childlike joy. And that mean Ring-A-Ding growl! Great job, Mr. Millyard. Thanks for making this video and sharing it.
I respect your opinion and you're right about the CG, but nothing else. I don't know how much time you spent on an H1 but I owned A red and white one for one whole riding season where I rode it every day and went prowling for street races on weekends before buying an H2 which I wrote for two years. I was never beaten in a street race on either bike. You just Had to get used to leaning forward any time you opened the throttle. When drag racing, street or strip, you put your crotch between the seat and the gas tank and your chin just above the tachometer with your feet trailing out behind. People that had problems with wheelies were those who sat upright on the seat with their arms Out full-length locked elbows in front of them. Maybe the Honda 750 I better brake because of the front disk, but I don't know what else. As a writer, you got to ride all different kinds of production bikes. Wouldn't you admit that part of the problem is that there with its insane weight to horsepower ratio there was no motorcycle made that could prepare you for riding an h-1? And I get tired of people criticizing the suspension as though they are smarter than the Great Kawasaki Engineers. Especially when they don't say exactly what they think is wrong with it or what they would do to make it better. And even if they did it would be an amateur opinion. They aren't smarter than the engineers. Take any production motorcycle made at the time to a road course and which bike do you think would win? I had a red and white H1 (before my blue H2). Of course, the bike was built and geared to get into the mid 12s in a quarter-mile but still someone with some Talent who took the time to learn what the bike needed from the rider can hustle one around a Road course. That was especially true with the H2. No question it was a wild child. They both were. That's why I loved them. they changed my life.
Like the fellow above he is 73 and still misses them , I'm 56 and in 1980 thru 1986 I had the H2 750 triple Green and mean , she was the 1974 year , I suppose I will be 73 if God wills it and my blood pressure will go up like our ole friend Crobular !! :)
Spent most of my 20s on two strokes never forget them this bike is magnificent thanks for bringing back fabulous memories of these lovely bikes I had a H1 500 same colour 👌😊👍
Wonderful to hear and see in motion this marvelous mutant. I was given one of the very earliest H-1 "widowmakers" by American Kawasaki back in 1968 and rode it hard through the California foothills. Pogo-stick suspension, poor weight distribution and marginal brakes, but FAST and FUN. Thanks for building and posting this beauty.
I had a 1969 ,, 500. And the only way I knew if it was running good, was if I gave it full throttle in 3rd gear, at 80 mph,, and the front wheel come off the ground,,, then I knew it was running good. I will guess that the kawie 500 was the first SUPER BIKE... I BET the 5 cylinder is a monster to drive. Thanks for sharing your videos.
This has a great sound. Done correctly. Great work. All the other altered cylinder addition 2 cycles I've come across out here sound strange, lean or labored at idle like something wasn't done correctly. This one has just the right crackle and idles effortlesly and smooth.
This really makes me miss a 76 kh400 i had.Full klf bodykit,aftermarket Beckett pipes,i 'loved' that bike,but,unfortunately i'm 6ft 2 and i just cramped up riding it,i tried everything to make me fit it but had to give it up! I bought it for a grand about 5 years ago,sold it for 2700 a few months later,my brother thought i was nuts paying a grand for it ,probably due to the slightly garish green and white paint scheme,white seat etc,but i loved it!:-)
One of the main inspirations for purchasing a mill and lathe is Allen Millyard. Andreas Georgeades is another. The last (and certainly not least) is John Britten.
@NoNoNoNii I disagree, back in the late 70s I knew of a Suzy GT380 and Kawa KH250 that had 3 into 1 expansion chambers. Not good for top end power but good at low revs and mid range. They both sounded gorgeous. Check out the old Saab two stroke cars. They had 3cyl 2stroke engines with one exhaust.
Thats sounds absolutely beautiful! Personally I love it but who thought to put a 5 Cylinder 2 stroke that wide on a motorbike into production 😂 would happily trade my kx250 for it
I've been dying to know what this would sound like. Yes, it has the 5/10 cylinder gurgle!!! Something like this based off of the Yamaha Banshee would be sweet!
This would be my first time seeing this back in the day when I work for Yamaha they put two 650 Yamaha engines and race them at Bonneville Salt Flats and Yamaha won the speed record
I had a 500 tripple ... fern easy (prone) to wheelie when 'coming on the pipe" ... wonder how this one fares. also my triple was not a great handling bike ... but very fun. Wonder if Allen cured some of the chassis ills while he was at it?
And if you listen carefully, you can hear the sound of a V10 gallardo too. Cylinders odd-numbered make almost the same sound. That's crazy because this engine is a 2 strokes!!
@@AllenMillyard Hi Allen. You don't know me mate, but I just want to say a big thank you for all the pleasure you've given me watching those incredible modifications to brilliant bikes, making them even better, and doing extraordinary things like the V10 in a bike frame. I dare say you could somehow motorise a unicycle! I take my hat off to you sir. Thanks again.
@thedomonator apparently the original cranks were modular and pressed together so if one chose...? and had extra donor engines...? a bespoke crank could be reassembled into any combination.
Those 2 extra jugs must add enough weight to keep the front down while winding it out - -- on my H1 AND my H2 I rode only on the back wheel til about 60 mpg.....
sounds like a 4-stroke V4 (180 crank honda VFR) with a high frequency 2-stroke sound overtop. or more likely, that crankshaft has some crossplane elements to it (90 degree throws) and it's akin to a 2-stroke version of yamaha's current R1. bassiest 2-stroke i ever heard. best of the lot. in short, how many of my children do i have to sell...??? LOL
That Bike Is awesome. I have an H2. Some of the cylinder & head work was done by Paul Gas. I am curious has to how much more HP did you get from the added two cylinders ?
That is COOL! Sounds like an Audi version of a chainsaw! You have done some absolutely brilliant work, just got done reading an article on your bikes and I am very impressed. Was the crankshaft a custom forging, or did you weld pieces together into one crank?
Had a the kh400 could never eliminate the air bubbles in the injection supply lines, they would seize on a regular basis,was 17 so didnt really know what was going on!
@mikeb1444 I saw a 4 cylinder 1000 he had made for a customer in Sweden, and the ignition was offset 90 degrees from eachother, so I'm guessing you are a bit right with that 787 Mazda comparison. Apparently the swedish dude had the bike as a showpiece in his living room, and said he would never start it, though. So maybe nobody will ever hear that wonderful sound.. boohoo..: ( It must sound fantastic, that 1000! : )
My project suggestion for Mr. Millyard would be same engine configuration but with honda, yamaha, kawasaki, suzuki etc.. 60 or 80cc watercooled minicycle 2 stroke barrels. Totally custom case, frame, (bike).. Would get the width, weight down still cranking out well over 100hp at who knows? 13,000 or so rpm?
This is the dumbest little detail, but I love the S-series kickstart lever on the H1. I always thought the H-series starters looked sticky-outty and slapped on, while the S-series is rakish and out of the way.
