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9 Pages – PDF Download – Complete Series – Kawasaki H1 500 Project
“Seized and shattered – now for the rebuild
John Naish is a member of the world’s second oldest profession – journalism. he’s also a Kawasaki triple nut and Mechanics reader.
‘Would we like him to write about his own H1 rebuild?’, he asked.
‘Remember there is absolutely no guarantee on this.’ the shop mechanics had called after me as I rode the H1 out of his life and into the London traffic.
Just over a year later, as I coasted to a halt on the hard shoulder of the new Brighton bypass, clutch in and the engine seized, I remembered his words well.
But I didn’t feel bad or cheated. You can’t give a guarantee on a second-hand US import, 1974 Kawasaki 500 H1 two-stroke triple. Not even if it’s in good nick, with low mileage and all the original paint and parts.
There are only two things you can rely on with a bike like that. It will blow your mind, and it will break. That kind of old-tech frantic power delivery comes at a price – mostly petrol and parts.
The former owner, who worked in a small motorcycle shop in North London, had
known just that. But he didn’t appreciate the upside. The man was a British bike freak and had bought the legendary Kawasaki from its importer on a whim.
He wanted to find out if the stories were true. To his dismay, the tales about schizoid handling, the gas-guzzling and the unpredictable power delivery were just too accurate for comfort.
After a few rainy months battling the bike around the capital’s oil-slicked streets, he lost patience, returned to his torquey four-stroke twins and left the H1 in disgrace at the back of the workshop…”
9 Pages – PDF Download – Complete Series – Kawasaki H1 500 Project
