Kawasaki H1 Mach III
The ’60s was put to bed by a hot supermodel that everyone wanted to go out with
Like pop culture, motorcycle design and engineering made huge strides during the ’60s – especially in the 500cc category. At the beginning of the decade, we had parallel twins and pushrod singles – some great ones, but fairly safe bets like the rock ’n’ roll hits of the time.
By the time the ’70s loomed, though, we had The Rolling Stones at their wildest, Led Zeppelin and
The Doors. And, in motorcycling terms, that translated into the Kawasaki H1. At a time when even the sharpest Brit 500s would just about nudge the ton, here was a bike that American magazine Cycle World speed-trapped at just over 119mph. And that from a two-stroke triple that weighed 382lb, made 60bhp and cost £589. At the time, Triumph claimed 39bhp from their top-of-the-range 500 the Daytona. The times they were a-changin.’
The culmination of an official Kawasaki policy to develop a machine that would out-perform the best of the competition at the time – largely consisting of Brit and American twins – the H1 was a sensation right from the moment is was announced in 1968. By the time significant numbers of the 498cc H1 made it in to dealer showrooms for 1969, a legend had been born.
In the US market, that was probably mostly the result of that 119.14mph recorded by Cycle World – alongside a standing quarter time of 12.72 secs laid down by rival magazine Cycle Guide the following year. So what if the handling of the H1 was less impressive, with rear shock damping that disappeared almost before new owners had used a couple of tanks of fuel? In fact, the wild handling seemed to only pump up the Kawasaki’s reputation even further. It was rock ’n’ roll on two wheels.
Yet, under the skin, there was nothing too radical about the H1. Horizontally-split crankcases followed Kawasaki’s normal practice; a virtually bullet-proof six bearing 120° crank and piston porting were well within the Big K’s comfort zone, too. Only the trick electronic ignition – with surface-discharge spark plugs – was in any way exotic. But boy, did the engine deliver.
Ride one today and it will still leave you grinning – unless it still has the original rear shocks and cheap tyres fitted, that is. Then it’ll bring quite a different expression to your face. The brakes are only just up to the job, the handling may not be a match for the best of British – even with decent shocks and modern tyres fitted, though both will make an enormous improvement – and the all-up gearshift pattern takes a little while to get used to. You’ll still need to treat the throttle with respect exiting corners, too – unless you’re a master of the cranked-over wheelie, anyway. That 60bhp may not sound a lot if you’re used to more modern bikes, but it’s the way the H1 delivers those ponies that makes it probably the most exciting 500s of the ’60s.
In fact, I’ll stick my neck out. Not just probably – definitely. A 500 with a top end nudging 120mph would still cut it today – and so does a well-sorted H1. It’s got all the essentials for true classic status. Ground-breaking? For sure. Unbelievably fast compared to the contemporary competition? Check. What else do you want? Throw in that uncompromising dragstrip styling and some pretty loud, typical period colour schemes and you’ve got a winner. The H1 is a great way to sign off on the ’60s.
In the end, it was tightening emissions regulations – rather than moral outrage at its fearsome performance and untamed handling – that did for the H1 (and its big brother the 750cc H2). By the mid-’70s, twostrokes were increasingly personae non grata in much of America – by far the most important market in the world for motorcycle manufacturers. Kawasaki had covered their bases by launching the four-stroke Z1in 1972 anyway. But for a few glorious years, the H1 was as fast as anything on the street. Kawasaki had done what they set out to do.
GEZ KANE
‘I’LL STICK MY NECK OUT. A 500 WITH A TOP END NUDGING 120mph WOULD STILL CUT IT TODAY’