I've had the H1 and both the 350 and 400 RD's and an RZ350 too and in a straight line the H1 would leave them for dead. Handing and braking not so much. Mine was a blue and white 69 model. I bought it for next to nothing in 1975 or so. I was just old enough to have a driver's license when I had it. Luckily I had a great deal of dirt bike riding experience so at least I knew how to ride. Most poor bastards that bought them didn't have a clue what they were doing. I started working at a Kaw-Yamaha dealership while I was still in school and ended up a sales manager and later general manager of a 3 store dealer when I retired. Kinda got in my blood and never left!
@michaelschmitt541310 ай бұрын
Made my heart beat faster. I owned one back in 1972. The sound even when idling just brought back so many memories.
@johnoliver331610 ай бұрын
I had one of those. If I held the throttle wide 0pen on the highway I'm sure it would have gone over backwards. And it had drum brakes and no steering damper. Very scary bike. I feel lucky to survive that one
@savage22bolt322 жыл бұрын
I've wanted one since 1969. Never got one. That's probably why I'm still alive!
@savage22bolt322 жыл бұрын
@@Freimopp777 ride safe bro! Growing up my friend had one. He used to rip through the gears on his way home late at night. Passed right by my window & I loved the sound of that beast!
@spigot9932 жыл бұрын
They're great, not the all out death trap that the legend makes out, just gotta watch that peaky powerband past 6000rpm, the induction noise is addictive.
@savage22bolt322 жыл бұрын
@@spigot993 Two of my buds had them in 69 & 70. Stock pipes. Late at night I could hear them racing along the river, which was on the other side of town! I fell in love with the wail these bikes produce!
@bw244210 ай бұрын
Having that much speed and power on tap was an ever present temptation to me to go beyond my common sense.
@strattuner10 ай бұрын
they dont want you to know this but the H2 AND H1 share the same transmissions,bolts right in,they both scream and both will kill you quick,owned many of them,unreal acceleration
@TheGazza6369 ай бұрын
Could smoke a fag waiting to get to 60mph
@TheRamsberg10 ай бұрын
I love how the tach and speedo just totally give up when it's opened up!
@dicktomasko15539 ай бұрын
Ya vibration
@TrustyZ90010 ай бұрын
Wild and crazy speedo and tach. Love RD's, Mach 3's and 4's.Remember following a '69 H1 on the blvd. He jumped on it and plumes of smoke came out, till you couldn't see him down the road. Excellent sound. Better times.
@timothyproksch291510 ай бұрын
Nothing like a two stroke I don’t care what anybody says
@diethardmichaelmeyer366410 ай бұрын
Schon der Geruch von Zweitakt macht mich geil!
@chrishorbatt35049 ай бұрын
I say your right!
@Adam-gm5tm9 ай бұрын
I hear you, I only wish I still could hear and smell my brand new 1978 RD 400 that I bought when I was 16 years old! I just sold my last bike ‘also a Yamaha’ a couple years ago, but the one I miss and regret selling is my 78 RD 400.
@fexploder3281 Жыл бұрын
The sound of that bike is lovely.
@lagerx619 ай бұрын
The Wheelie was bad. But the Sound of this old 2stroke motorcycles is perfect.
@Fogman56789 ай бұрын
Werent called "WindowMakers" for nothing. They were all quick,but the 750 Triple was Iconic.
@user-wg5zz9ho7v7 ай бұрын
The (500)held land speed record over...all.
@GregAkers9 ай бұрын
The two stroke Kaw's were the hottest bikes at the time ! However, that ring ding, ring ding sound, and smoky exhaust turned a lot of us off !! Most of us stuck with the Harley's or the 4 stroke Honda's !!
@ax01adventures8610 ай бұрын
I used to have an H1. I think it was a 1974. I always thought the H1’s looked nicer than the H2’s. In 1984 I bought. XL 600. I could ride some long ass wheelies on that Honda. I think the “standing third gear” wheelie was my best.
@garycrouse1918 Жыл бұрын
been there done that on mine. love this video , no side roads either side , no traffic , good road system . lessens danger
@wegfdfhz Жыл бұрын
Can't wait to have my '69 H1 up & running again. About to start rebuilding the engine after spending a heap of money on rebore, crank, clutch basket, gearbox & vapour blasting etc - nothing left to chance.
@wayno2311 ай бұрын
69 the most collectable i think.
@chriscampion990610 ай бұрын
Man oh man I lover the sound of two stroke smoking .
@josephpacchetti59978 ай бұрын
This brings back a lot of memory's, I started riding in the 60s, motorcycle #6 was a brand new Kawasaki Mach III, 3 months after I turned 14, my friends all said I'd be dead in a week, well here I am, 65 and still kicking. subbed. 👊 😎
@markmath288310 ай бұрын
I test rode a 1970 500 in 1972-unintentionally pulled a wheelie at about 80mph. I bought a 1971 Honda 450 instead. Still ride bikes with three in my garage.
@steveking20859 ай бұрын
Takes me back to the 80s great times 👍👍
@RioSul5010 ай бұрын
In 1973 I had the H2 750 and as I recall it would pull up slightly at about 80 mph in 4th gear. According to the speedometer it's top speed was 139 mph but likely less than that in reality. And yes it would wobble at certain speeds in excess of 100 mph (it has been over to 50 years). One night coming home from an evening college course (in the country at high speed) I had to make a "pit" stop after drinking too much coffee. When I started driving again the road was filled with cattle that escaped a field. If I had not stopped for the pit stop I likely would have been killed.
@wordreet7 ай бұрын
There's no mistaking the epic sound of a triple! 2 stroke or four stroke, they sound different and amazing.
@dicktomasko15539 ай бұрын
I had one of those...neat bikes..
@ThirtyYearstoolate5 ай бұрын
I remember those bouncing needles. I got stopped for speeding once. The cop asked: "How fast were you going"? I replied with a shrug of my shoulders.
@milojanis49019 ай бұрын
Those who were pulling 80mph wheelies on a 500 Kaw, I call B.S.. I had one, and won quite a few trophies at the strip with it. I could run high 12/low 13 second timeslips with it. There were absolutely NO wheelies after 65-70mph, unless you had a modded motor.....
@victorlamothe673210 ай бұрын
Love the two strokes we got screwed over on there replacement.
@LiquidAudio11 ай бұрын
Awesome! I had a Kawasaki 400 triple and even that was fast. Love the sound!
@firebrand0710 ай бұрын
Explosive powerband👍
@TheGazza6369 ай бұрын
Bout the same as my ride on lawn mower
@robertreasor752210 ай бұрын
His clutch is slipping. You could hear it sometimes when he shifts.
@Abszurdista-fatalista9 ай бұрын
This is about how my tuned Pannonia P21 took off.
@garymontgomery4549 ай бұрын
Loved the 2 stroke 💪👍
@hazepennington93038 ай бұрын
I had a 72 H1 Mark 3 the best and most fun bike I ever owned and I had many different brands in 50 years , that Beauty was a fast wheelie Beast, I got 11s -12s out of it in the quarter easily back in the 70s ,, love that Bike 💙
@pasko590009 ай бұрын
Le monde motard se divise en deux .. ceux qui ont pilotés des Kawas 2 temps …et les autres 😂
@MeYou-yz2yz9 ай бұрын
Those who know Yamaha's RDs are better. 😂
@milojanis49019 ай бұрын
The 3 cylinder Kaws would bury an RD 350 OR 400
@pasko590009 ай бұрын
@@milojanis4901 easily !😄✌
@sparked31138 ай бұрын
A wheelie is when you are on the back wheel, the front wheel is high enough in the air that that you have to turn it to one side to be able to see and then you kick it into 2nd gear, then you straighten up the front , come down and speed away hoping no cops saw you. By the time you are quite good at this the frame will have cracked and a weld job and gussets are needed.
@tritop8 ай бұрын
No sound is so deep planted in my old brain
@user-kj1od5ed7pАй бұрын
Thank you for sharing very cool motorcycles
@jimt785111 ай бұрын
I was offered a J reg original H1 in 1975, light metallic blue in colour for 240 pounds! Bit of a jump from my Honda CB 125 at the time. Bill Smith Motors in Aigburth Road had another exact bike for sale and it sat in there for ever. Another bike shop local to me in Birkenhead had a beautiful Egli Vincent for less than a grand. Anyone got a time machine?...
@DavidLouisLouis-qh9ni11 ай бұрын
Man I love that sound what a great machine ‼️
@TrustyZ90010 ай бұрын
If you find one, I'll go with 'ya.
@DavidLouisLouis-qh9ni11 ай бұрын
Great footage 🎥🎬🎞️👍‼️ I owned a 1980 KZ 1000 E model , Kawasaki rules the Rheams you don't need to talk When it comes for a fast forward on a motorcycle ♥️🔴‼️
@mechcavandy9862 күн бұрын
Waiting on the wheelie….🏍️💨🏁
@donalddday77418 ай бұрын
had one B4 disc brakes crazy motorcycle
@enricotogni97938 ай бұрын
what a climax sound!
@glennmosley76909 ай бұрын
That looks to be a 1970 H1, but someone added a disc brake apparently.
@davidmacphee35497 ай бұрын
Do it again! Do it again! Do it again! Do it again! Brings a whole new meaning to "Naked"
@davidwagner877617 күн бұрын
nice bike. sounds tight.
@user-wg5zz9ho7v8 ай бұрын
I had 1969 Kawasaki mach 3 H1 500,i paid 300 bucks for it. It was scary fast.
@matsfredsson9445 Жыл бұрын
You just have to aim - and shoot! I know the drill...😁
@1berto749 ай бұрын
adrenalina pura!!
@claudioremonti67409 ай бұрын
ricordo la lancetta del contagiri che sbatteva. Bellissimo
@1berto749 ай бұрын
anni fà mi ci feci un giro.... non osai accellerare più di tanto.... avevo paura di farmi la bua...@@claudioremonti6740
@claudioremonti67409 ай бұрын
@@1berto74 questa moto e la 750cc, come venivano soprannominate? sono certo che te lo ricordi. Hai fatto benissimo ad andare super cauto
@1berto749 ай бұрын
le bare a due ruote venivano chimate... mica so fesso che spalancavo il gas all'improvviso..@@claudioremonti6740
@claudioremonti67408 ай бұрын
@@1berto74 risposta esatta!! stai bene
@scottbrown833310 ай бұрын
The adrenaline rush of a 2 stroke bike with methanol mix
@jaycoppola43247 ай бұрын
Wow! The front wheel came up a whole 4-6 inches for almost a whole second! 🤔😅
@llewvirtue8617 ай бұрын
Bloody hell,thats ones handling alright too
@user-wg5zz9ho7vАй бұрын
Back in the 70s I had a 1969 Kawasaki Mach3H1 500 serial number started 000 I think I paid under 500$ scary fast,
@0like2294 ай бұрын
Incredibile frena anche
@ugopalermo1629Ай бұрын
Forse il Ceriani??
@cl25048 ай бұрын
Fifty years ago, high school students in Japan were banned from commuting to school on motorcycles due to a number of accidents involving these motorcycles.
@rockyesterline794210 ай бұрын
Clutch was Slipping Or you're holding clutch in a little bit. As if you were scared to let it all the way out or something. Also, you had plenty of room to let that thing go all the way up to around a 130. I detected some fear
@user-ge7sx1dp3m9 ай бұрын
直線番長✨素晴らしいバイクです✨ブレーキ強化しないと!危ないけど…それも!又魅力😊
@CPLJimmy-bh9kc10 ай бұрын
Wheely, what was it, 6 Feet! Buddy, I was pulling wheelies at 16 down my street on a 1975 Honda 400f Super Sport. Ha ha ha ha, what you did was nothing! But I do like the bike. Have a good day.
@michaelschmitt541310 ай бұрын
@@clickbeetle2720 absolutely. I experienced one when making a partial change in lanes when shifting gears. Took me totally off guard.
@michaelcrosby60719 ай бұрын
When is anyone going to pull a wheelie?
@erickriebel436610 ай бұрын
Nice video well done the wheel stand was extremely weak that was nothing period in 1970 I had a 500 Triple and I could do 80 mph wheelies for about a half a mile but that was then and this guy's doing it now I still enjoyed the video. But that is not a strong wheel stand display at all
@TheGazza6369 ай бұрын
Can smell the bulshit from here
@davidmacphee35497 ай бұрын
It's TRUE
@TheGazza6367 ай бұрын
@@davidmacphee3549 is it f**k true
@davidmacphee35497 ай бұрын
For me, it's true I only weighed 115 lbs. Sit farther back and pull it up to mock the Easy Riders then go and hide. @@TheGazza636
@TheGazza6367 ай бұрын
@@davidmacphee3549 50bhp is just about enough to get to 80 mph never lift the wheel up Come on it never happened
@pauloconnor7951 Жыл бұрын
1:24 Did that needle hit 10K ?!!!! ; Or just bounce ?
@scottw55011 ай бұрын
Yes, somewhere around redline, but no valves to worry about.
@ianmangham45703 ай бұрын
I wonder if its the same fuel tank as kc100 , had one in the 80s and it was insane acceleration upto 60mph and not a penny more 😅 it just stayed absolutely bang on 60mph it was comical 😅, insane acceleration though for a poxy 100cc 🤠🇬🇧🖖⚡️🙏👌
@mjt10610 ай бұрын
Excellent 👌🤪🤪🤪
@scottbarton246Ай бұрын
Oh hell yeah!!!! I had a ‘69!! Better know how to tune a mikuni, hahaha!!! Soooo fun!!!!
@davidstar41568 ай бұрын
pretty cool brought back some memories, however my s3 would've touched that guy in front on the back a few times.
@josephpacchetti59978 ай бұрын
The S3 was great, would smoke some 500s 👍
@davidstar41568 ай бұрын
yes and smoke it did🙃@@josephpacchetti5997
@davidrhodes765528 күн бұрын
I had a blue tank 71 500 a couple of times had the front wheel off the ground especially when the power band came in 6000+rpm nothing too dramatic though
@d.bruckner34592 жыл бұрын
This dude doesn't know what wheelies are ! I used to bring mine up on the highway and pass cars like a ski jumper going down the slope in flight ! lol
@velobob42992 жыл бұрын
Hey, me too. About all it was good for. The handling was awful.
@kentbergstrom30202 жыл бұрын
Me too, maybe we were a little more crazy in the 70's
@BikeLife609 Жыл бұрын
Nobody cares what YOU did
@rikbanter69411 ай бұрын
Billy bullshit
@jdjeep4610 ай бұрын
You did this on the widow maker or a modern bike? This bike in the video isn’t very forgiving.
@haroldbirge688111 ай бұрын
I like the RD400 mid-70s highway 9 California
@haroldbirge688111 ай бұрын
Some friends I knew road RD400's they were so fast I had dirt bikes and then eventually a 91 heritage Softail no 🍀rice burners for me 😎✌️
@pleun3154 ай бұрын
Mooie fiets ❤
@Phil-nz9ux10 ай бұрын
le compte tour déconne !
@pasko590009 ай бұрын
Au bout de + de 50,ans , on lui pardonne ! 😂
@gsxr41910 ай бұрын
I’d love to have another smoker.
@garemacquarrie68759 ай бұрын
Get an RGV250 with the pipes on the same side. So much fun..
@wayneselph877828 күн бұрын
Fast and smokey
@farrider33396 ай бұрын
Is the front fork ok ? Looks twisted to the left ?
@richiebainbridge26085 сағат бұрын
Looks like bent bars 😂
@sloughton19612 жыл бұрын
Always wanted one, too skint
@SuperTambo69 Жыл бұрын
two strokes just sing dont they
@TheGazza6367 ай бұрын
They are different for sure standard two strokes like the kh have no power valve and are tuned from factory to run well all through the reverse range Unless tuned by a two stroke wizard they performed average Running one tuned to make max power would render them useless below all but max revs No good for road use If you check the torque it is as flat as a witches tit 80 mph wheelies were just not possible due to a lack of power
@thais19646 ай бұрын
Very Good brakes 😂😂😂😂. But i love it
@davidrhodes765528 күн бұрын
Yeah right 😅
@nanardbear31379 ай бұрын
Des avions c becanes
@edwardzamorski37112 жыл бұрын
Looks scary
@user-dl5hl8uw2e Жыл бұрын
cool!
@user-xc3cf4bv4d Жыл бұрын
Wow♥️
@carot20032 жыл бұрын
Great..
@timr3190810 ай бұрын
I used to have a moped that was that fast
@billwood6669 ай бұрын
Sure you did. LOL
@Topnikko9 ай бұрын
Quick for the day but slow by today's standards.
@spookydog695911 ай бұрын
😁epic
@donalddday77418 ай бұрын
top speed on mine ( when i let off ) ass per speedometer 138 mph
@TheGazza6367 ай бұрын
Lol
@robertparisi80169 ай бұрын
Fast as hell in a straight line, handled like shit, high speed wobble, suzuki with the water Buffalo was the same thing, speaking from experience 67 yrs old, knew them well, liked the 380 suzook best, sold my hodaka combat wombat and bought, if your young u probably have no idea what im talking about lol
@milojanis49019 ай бұрын
The Suzuki 750 was a highway cruiser, and the 500 Kawasaki would run away and hide from it. Hell, I geared my CB 500 Four Honda down 3 teeth on the front sprocket, and ran right beside a buddy who had a 750 Zuk
@utz3710Ай бұрын
You call 🤙 that a wheele, I think 🤔 not.
@txcch595 Жыл бұрын
クラッチ滑ってる?
@cramersclassics11 ай бұрын
Awesome! I'm doing a complete restoration on the same bike now. Excellent video and sound. Makes me feel like I'm riding. Just subscribed. Here is a link to my new Kawi H1 Triple video too, Cheers! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o9SehpmexJepiaM.html
@noneofyourbusiness46229 ай бұрын
I raced one at Fremont in Calif. When they first came out. I was on my 66 Sportster which was a $2000 unit and the Kaws were about $800. It was ugly and cheap looking it sounded worse and smoked like a cigar. I was running very low 13s and 100 mph (I weighed 215lbs, like having a rider and a 100 lb sack of cement). It passed me at about 200 ft from the end. They were throw away bikes, had a plastic bushing for the swing arm. Cheap shitty 2 strokes but they were quick. Now the KZ 1000, that was a great Bike!!!
@stephenpascoe58704 күн бұрын
There goes 4 minutes of my life 🙄
@dr.hugog.hackenbush944311 ай бұрын
These would be so much crisper with reed valves instead of piston port induction..
@milojanis49019 ай бұрын
But less top end power
@timr3190810 ай бұрын
Wouldn't that hurt if you crashed
@RPNization8 ай бұрын
Verschrikkelijk saai landschap om te motorrijden in Nederland, m.u.v. Zuid Limburg.
@pleun3154 ай бұрын
Welnee 😂😂
@aliceblob40017 ай бұрын
La moto in primo piano ha il manubrio storto ..... mica facile ....
@TheGazza6367 ай бұрын
Who mentioned Harley’s there shite Until the power valve two stroke came about the likes of the kh and gts were piss poor You’ve obviously never owned a modern two stroke
@Skin-ve2tt7 ай бұрын
Harleys ARE shite.
@alanarmstrong232311 ай бұрын
Na unless your in third gear it doesn't count as a wheelie.