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Unread 04-29-2008, 08:48 PM
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Default Kawasaki Triples Club

I remember when I was in my early teens that my dad was friends with some members of the famous Kawasaki Triples Club of California. Tuning these engines is NOT easy and requires a lot of knowledge. The guys of the Triple Club put together manuals and stacks of information on these H1 and H2 motorcycles that was made available to their members. The club has since passed away with time and it has been legend that only a few people remember. The flame has not yet died out and I have come across some tuning documents that I'll be working with during my build.

Until then I thought I would post some helpful information here on this thread for people to read. It's hard to find good info on the Kawasaki Triple and I hope to point some people in the right direction or at least give everyone some good, useful information. These bikes really bring back a lot of memories for people and I would like to do my part in keeping them alive and running well.
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Unread 04-29-2008, 08:54 PM
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I've had a pretty decent history with a few H2's and H1's in my childhood. My dad has had a lot of motorcycles and still have a PERFECT H2 in his collection. I was barely big enough to ride them in my early teens and he even let me take em out on the road on some weekends! My mom would have killed him if she ever found out! My ol man had 2 perfect Kawasaki Triples: a bright orange H1 500 and a candy blue H2 750. What sweet, sweet motorcycles. He would let me take em out and ride a few miles and they were scary fast. Now that I look back on it he was kinda crazy for letting me take them out on the road at such a young age. I was very lucky. He told me the other day that he has a couple pictures of me on them from way back in the day! I can't wait to go check them out.

He has since sold or traded those off and he now keeps one last triple in his shop... a flawless green H2. I grab the keys and take it for a ride when I go up and visit him. I'm planning on another trip this next month so maybe I'll grab a video camera and shoot some footage.





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Unread 04-29-2008, 09:02 PM
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To start off with here is a few links with some interesting reading and history.

The Tale of the H1: http://www.mcnews.com.au

Restoring and Remembering the Kawasaki Triples: Motorcycle.com Triples Article

History of the Kawasaki Mach III and Mach IV: Motorcycle Hall of Fame Article

So for those who don't know about the Kawasaki Designations-

Kawasaki 500cc triple = H1 = Mach III
Kawasaki 750cc triple = H2 = Mach IV
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Unread 04-29-2008, 09:08 PM
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I have a VERY NICE and extremely informative article to scan from my Classic Motorcycle Mechanics magazine about the Kawasaki 400cc triple. It explains some of the heritage behind the bike and they borrow one from a younger enthusiast who recently was gifted one. In exchange for the time borrowing the motorcycle for the article the author gives the bike a once-over and a PROPER tune-up which involves the ignition and carburetor adjustments. The engines behavior changed from weak to VERY powerful and responsive after the tune-up. The new owner of the bike was shocked at the improvement.

I just need to get my scanner hooked up to my other computer at it only works with Windows XP. My main computer I use now is operated by Vista. Oh well I love Vista and now that it's optimized I'm not going back.
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