H-1 Project

[Tundra Tom]

Aka: "The Widow Maker"...
I've reserected a 10 year old project, a '74 Kawi Mach 3 two stroke triple.


New connecting rods, bearings and journals, crankshaft seals, case seals and all engine gaskets. New clutch plates, front brake pads and a bunch of other crap I forgot about.
Other than the con rods, I had purchased this stuff long ago.




Hope to have it smoking by this weekend.

[G2mk3]

mmmmmm kawasaki triple

actually a friend and I looked at a gt550 in hammond, but it needed a bit more love than we were willing to give it.

[Tundra Tom]

If they've been sitting for more than a few years they likey need Con Rods as they tend to rust with no oil in the crank case. I found this shoved in a corner in a machine shop and got it cheap, it ran for a while but the crank seals were going and it would lose compression. When I tore it down the inner crank seals were toast too....common. Then it sat for many years till I was either going to use it or lose it.
If it wasn't in decent shape with under 7000 miles I doubt I would have invested the cash. Super easy to work on. Even got a parts bike to scavenge from.
Hope to get it to First Thursdays at Dulanos May 7th.

[arcticsp2003]

Nice bike...

I have a 72 Mach IV in need of resurrection. Maybe next year....

damn college gets in the way....

[Stagehand]

I'm not totally familiar with these, but these were famous, crazy fast, first of their kind kinda thing. Brown tank with yellow stripes, eh? Werent they the fastest thing ever, for about two years? Just about the pre-sportbike wave crest or something like that.

I almost just asked why there was no oil in the case but then it dawned, even through the rum soaked smog :lol

[Putts]

Originally Posted by Stagehand

I'm not totally familiar with these, but these were famous, crazy fast, first of their kind kinda thing.

I remember when they were new and I was in high school.

The Norton 750 Commando was the muscle bike to have, and then the Mach 3 came along and fast had a new meaning, or so it seemed to a teens drooling eyes. I'd have taken the Norton back then, I'm not so sure now. It'd be kind of fun buzzing down the road killing mosquitoes with both the front and back end.

[Ranmar850]

Originally Posted by Putts

I remember when they were new and I was in high school.

The Norton 750 Commando was the muscle bike to have, and then the Mach 3 came along and fast had a new meaning, or so it seemed to a teens drooling eyes. I'd have taken the Norton back then, I'm not so sure now. It'd be kind of fun buzzing down the road killing mosquitoes with both the front and back end.

I have the Norton now, back then, took a T500 Suzuki over the H-1 at the time, would like both of them now--but only if this was the triple, the original, before they emasculated them.


had friends with them, the later duck-tailed disc-braked model just didn't go as hard as the original--hell, they had models with factory paint variations that I haven't seen for decades, like the very dark charcoal-grey metallic with the kawasaki logo and stripes in black, or the red with white stripes and logo, all drum braked.

[Putts]

I think the guy who drove one at my high school had this color scheme.



He'd open it up pulling out of the parking lot and it was like the space/time was getting torn open around it.

Yup, yer gonna have fun, Tom.

[Stagehand]

They look remarkably unremarkable for their attributed vitesse.

Edit: Purported. Not attributed. Purported is the word I was looking for.

[Ranmar850]

Originally Posted by Putts

I think the guy who drove one at my high school had this color scheme.



He'd open it up pulling out of the parking lot and it was like the space/time was getting torn open around it.

Yup, yer gonna have fun, Tom.

I reckon they were the last of the drum-braked H1's, only real difference was that they had smoothed the sides of the tank, the earlier had knee indents. As to the comment above, you had to ride it to appreciate it. By todays standards, not all that quick, but, at the time, and with a 60/40 rear/front weight basis, scary fun. front wheel always left the ground under hard acceleration.

[anonny]

Cool.... I have a 72 following me home this weekend.

[Tundra Tom]

Originally Posted by Putts

I remember when they were new and I was in high school.

The Norton 750 Commando was the muscle bike to have, and then the Mach 3 came along and fast had a new meaning, or so it seemed to a teens drooling eyes. I'd have taken the Norton back then, I'm not so sure now. It'd be kind of fun buzzing down the road killing mosquitoes with both the front and back end.

Kinda like this Tyll?


Well, I got the H-1 back together but it wouldn't start.
Gas on all 3 plugs, spark on only #3. Strange, going to check the wiring again from the points the the harness as they were all dis-connected on tear down. Cleaned the points and checked gap. Plugs are new but still swapped them to be sure. Plug wires were replaced but still checked them with a continuity tester while flexing them. Maybe test the coils. Mmmmmm...any thoughts?

[metlcutr55]

looks like a good project! made me dig up this old pic & memories, thanks!



the fellow in the middle had his 750 since high school. sat for years under a tarp in a garage. the fellow on the top and me on the bottom bought the green 750 (wasnt green then) together at an auction in '97 for $75 with the intentions of building a hillclimber. but after removing the mung it was too complete and clean, so we went thru it 100% except for the bottom end, out of frame redo. this inspired the middle guy to dig his out and we all did the same to it but including the bottom end. then i was the odd man out, so i found the 500 and just cleaned it up, did the tins yellow and added chambers. took them to the laconia nh rally in '98, all kinds of good natured flack from the harley crowd. big clouds of blue smoke, we told them we were "mosquito control". sweet sound, 3 x 3 chambers in a row!

the fellow in the middle Chris is gone, cancer. the green one is still owned by my buddy Ed. and my 500 is gone, sold for short bucks shortly thereafter, much fun as it was i dont like fiddling with them and used the $ toward my klr.

[Putts]

Originally Posted by Tundra Tom

Kinda like this Tyll?

Yeah, exactly like that.

Seems to me between the Norton and the Honda CB750, you've got what it takes to be the iconic standard motorcycle.

Right! Back to the oddity that is three cylinders, 2 strokes, and one screemin' banshee .... once it's up and running.

[Ranmar850]

Like this one? mine


Or with the fairing



or a mate's



or another mate's



Did someone mention CB750's?