1975 Kawasaki Triple

[Dave]

i hear the suspensions are somewhat scary and the powerband is ridiculous when it hits. try pm'ing 71h1triple (i think thats it) on here, he is currently restoring one and has past experience

[BobTheBiker]

I've heard the same stuff about the suspension and brakes. They're a BLAST to ride though.

I tried an RD250 yesterday, and I'm not gonna lie, that was probably the most fun I've EVER had on a bike. hella big learning curve to ride though.

[Smittie61984]

I fucking love those things. I swear I saw one the other day except it had dirtbike tires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zuXSsDEzCk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buga91RLVHg

I do remember someone saying that Kawasaki H1/h2 almost has the frame technology of a walmart bicycle, braking power of the flinstone mobile but it's all good once you hit the throttle.

[was92v]

I've ridden and worked on many of them. They are not bad bikes for the day. Steering head bearing and swingarm bushings need to be checked, but by 75' they handled and stopped as well as most bikes that size. Just have it pointed in the direction you intend to go by the time the clock hits 6000 RPM and you will be fine. Mucho fun. A 500 Kaw was the first bike I ever rode that would, just by dropping a gear to pass a car at 50 or so, pass said car on the rear wheel without really meaning to. The 500 and 750's made enough torque to ride fine under the power band, it just gets much more interesting when you ride the pipe.

['73 H1 Triple]

Originally Posted by Dave

i hear the suspensions are somewhat scary and the powerband is ridiculous when it hits. try pm'ing 71h1triple (i think thats it) on here, he is currently restoring one and has past experience

Someone called ?

The top picture is the "newer" style ( '73 to '76 ) which has a disk brake up front and CDI ignition. The bottom picture is a '71 H1A which is a points style ignition and has drum brakes. That style was '69 to '72.

Here's a link to the Kawasaki Triple Resource page which has tons of info on pretty much everything he'll need to know.
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/

Make he reads this section as it's directed to new owners.
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/newbies.htm

Have your Dad register on http://kawasakitriplesworldwide.com/phpBB2/index.php . It will take a few days to be approved ( had a bad spam problem in the past which implemented this, sorry ) but if you PM your dad's user name, I'll send an email to the Mod that handles this and it *may* make it quicker.

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on the Triple board who are more than willing to help out. A good search function too.

So exactly what year did your Dad get? Any pics of it? At $100 for any decent looking, complete triple, he did quite well.

He should resist the temptation to fire it up until it's been gone over to make sure he doesn't have a catastrophic failure. It would be better to purchase a few parts than have to replace major components.

I'm JRD on the triple forum.

Jeff

[No Worries]

From 1975 to 1979, I rode two-stroke triples. Suzuki's GT 550 and 750. I hopped them up, but they were no match in a straight line with the Kawasaki's. Back then, you could buy two-stroke oil in any drug store. Now I do a double-take even if I see the oil in a motorcycle shop.

keep the high handlebars? I had my 79 Suzuki for one day before I changed the buckhorn bars to superbike bars. Steel brake lines, GG pads, fork brace, and Metzeler Lasertec tire will vastly improve the front.

Works Performance shocks (longest ones possible) and Lasertec tire will bring up the rear, literally.

['73 H1 Triple]

Originally Posted by No Worries

keep the high handlebars? I had my 79 Suzuki for one day before I changed the buckhorn bars to superbike bars. Steel brake lines, GG pads, fork brace, and Metzeler Lasertec tire will vastly improve the front.

He speaks the truth. Highbars are for show but not for safe riding

[No Worries]

I rode two-stroke street bikes for 8 years before I got my first four-stroke. I remember the first time I came down Lookout Mountain with my GS1000. Engine braking. Wow. But going the other way, from a four-stroke to a two-stroke, would be eye-opening when you close the throttle and expect the engine to slow you down.

And by the way, those Suzuki GT's were not peaky at all. A Suzuki GT750 with a Gixxer front end, clubman bars, and Bassani expansion chambers would look and sound so cool.

[Dnyce]

Originally Posted by No Worries

And by the way, those Suzuki GT's were not peaky at all. A Suzuki GT750 with a Gixxer front end, clubman bars, and Bassani expansion chambers would look and sound so cool.

fuckin build it.

[Phenix_Rider]

WOW- H1, No Worries, thanks for all the info! I just emailed dad the links. I'll let you know when he signs up. We were running errands today and looked a few places for a Haynes or Clymers manual- couldn't find one, but I'll check a few dealers tomorrow.

The guy he's getting it from doesn't seem to know much about it. Good guy, but it sounds like he got some misinformation. He says he cleaned/rebuilt the carbs, and that it was run on the street not too long ago. Problem is, he said it's a four-stroke, and it sounds like the carbs are all out of whack, and the petcock may leak. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the thing firsthand yet. Apparently, the title only says it's a 1975 Kawasaki 500. I've told dad the first thing we need to do is replace the tubes, tires, and brake lines, and rebuild/synch the carbs.

I'm looking forward to riding this thing. It'll mostly be used as a commuter, so that 78mpg sounds great, and the 60hp and 42ft-lbs sounds frightening with skinny tires and old components.