Cult bike Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III

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Cult bike Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III
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Cult bike Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III

Cult bike Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III
My face, what a grenade!

Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III – “or how to keep the front wheel on the ground”. This question was posed to the test drivers of MOTORRAD in 1969 with the beastly 60 hp two-stroke engine.

Werner Koch

07/28/2014

No question, the sensation with which the Japanese upset the motorcycle world in the 1960s was actually called the Honda CB 750 and not Kawasaki Mach III. In fact. But the friends of classy locomotion should stay away from the spit in the first test of the 500cc Kawasaki. The three-cylinder catapulted the Mach III from 0 to 100 km / h in 4.2 seconds – provided the driver did not click the front wheel on the motorcycle goggles.

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My face, what a grenade!

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What at the time was considered breakneck even by MOTORRAD test driver Ernst “Klacks” Leverkus, which is why he only recommended this machine to absolute experts. Especially since the Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III was almost 200 km / h fast. Such numbers were unimaginable for the motorcycle scene at the end of the 1960s. Up to now, a Honda CB 450 with 45 hp was considered a “heavy, fast machine”, which the young guys on their Japanese 250 cc two-stroke machines with almost 30 hp should kindly keep their hands off of.

Kawasaki Mach III sabered over the top at 150 km / h

But suddenly she was there. In blue metallic, with its three mufflers and the mighty wide three-cylinder engine. A specialist had got hold of the rare piece at a cheap Kawasaki dealer, and on Saturday morning, the usual screwdriver and handicraft day, every single one of our clique was allowed to try out the infernal machine. “But only one round for the pudding, the fuel is not enough for more.” The pudding was our village test round with a detour to the next town. Where the long incline was already used as a test bench when tweaking a moped – a speedometer of 75 km / h was long considered a record – the Kawasaki Mach III sabered over the top at a good 150 km / h. My face, what a grenade. It wasn’t just the brilliant acceleration, it was above all the shrill roar of the three-cylinder that multiplied the power felt by a factor of two. The brakes, the usual 200 duplex drum brakes at the front, were nowhere near up to the 500. Even with strong grabs, you only slowed down slowly.

Opinions were divided on the chassis, however. For Klacks, the “wide double-tube frame had very good stability”, for others the Kawasaki Mach III was a top quality jelly that had to be tackled with Koni struts and Metzeler tires. At least a hydraulic steering damper braked the fidgety front with the Ceriani fork when the front wheel touched down at an angle. “60 HP are the norm in the 500cc racing machine class,” Klacks wrote in MOTORRAD 10/1969 about the Mach III – so it was no wonder that it caused a sensation in racing.

Info Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III


Cult bike Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III


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Kawasaki 500 H1 Mach III: beautifully ribbed three cylinders and heads; the 60 hp generated from 500 cubic centimeters were hell on wheels in 1969.

Data: air-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke engine, bore x stroke 60 x 58.8 mm, cubic capacity 499 cm³, power 60 HP at 7500 rpm, three 28 mm Mikuni carburettors, slot control, separate lubrication. Five-speed gearbox. Double-loop tubular steel frame, Ceriani telescopic fork at the front, two-arm swing arm at the rear, front tires 3.25-19, rear 4.00-18, weight approx. 190 kilograms with a full tank, top speed 200 km / h. Price 1969: 4,300 marks.

Literature: Special books for the Kawasaki Mach III are not on the market, as the numbers sold do not suggest a worthwhile demand.

Specialists: The Kawasaki mechanics, who are familiar with the sometimes capricious two-stroke, always will
fewer. Often only long-established dealers can help with real problems. Information and technical support are available at www.zweitakte.de – there you should find competent contacts for everything to do with the Kawasaki H1.

Market situation: As with many real rarities from the 60s and 70s, these machines are in the hands of real enthusiasts who – if at all – only sell them for a lot of money. For a Mach III of the first series in its original condition you have to reckon with well over 6000 euros.

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