Sounding like it’s been restored or at least refurbished a bit, the seller says this two-stroke triple has a mix of original, NOS, and aftermarket parts on it. This 1971 Kawasaki H1-A 500 triple can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Holmen, Wisconsin, and the seller is asking $10,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to NW Iowa Kevin for the tip!
Weird, there are two exhaust pipes on this side but only one on the other side! You already know this is a three-cylinder by the title, if not for the reason that most of you are also vintage motorcycle fans, so you know the legend of the Kawasaki two-stroke triple monsters from the late 1960s and 70s. This is only the fourth Kawasaki H1 500 that we’ve seen here on Barn Finds, and it sure seems like there have been more of them shown. Maybe I’m thinking of the 750, which was also a three-cylinder and even scarier to ride.
Kawasaki made the H1 500 triple from late 1968 for the 1969 model year through 1975. The 1971 models are known as the H1-A, and they had a few differences, such as the Candy Blue color, a black chain guard rather than chrome, and the side covers received decals rather than badges. An unfortunate nickname was “The triple with the ripple,” due to the bike’s unsavory handling characteristics. The seller has this one priced right between Hagerty’s low and high range, which seems more than fair to me. Speaking of Hemi Cudas (what the), this bike is a hair quicker in the 1/4-mile than a 1970 Hemi Cuda. Although most big-displacement motorcycles are quicker than most cars, so there’s that. I just think it’s a fun fact.
What a jewel, though. I’m assuming the odometer was turned back to zero after this one was restored or refurbished, showing only 12.7 miles now. It appears to have been done very nicely, and I’m certainly no expert on these motorcycles, but nothing stands out as a glaring omission or addition to me. I know a lot of you have owned these bikes, so you know them much better than I do. Please let us know what you notice here, if there have been any liberties taken during the restoration. Not that it matters if anything was tweaked a bit, come to think of it. Here’s a brochure on the 1971 Kawasaki H1 Mach III.
The engine is Kawasaki’s 498-cc two-stroke triple-cylinder, with around 60 horsepower, backed by a 5-speed manual transmission that was a bit different. Neutral was on the bottom, below 1st gear, which wasn’t the favorite of a lot of riders. The seller says this is one of two Kawi 500s that they own, and it has a rebuilt crank, new pistons, rings, clutch plates, brake shoes, and more. The $10,500 asking price doesn’t touch the amount they have in this one, and if I could count the number of times I spent much more on a motorcycle or car than it was worth, I’d… er… be doing a lot of counting, or somethin’. Anywho, any thoughts on this gorgeous two-stroke triple?
“Triple with a ripple”-good stuff right there, Scotty G.! Another often repeated sarcastic reference was that the frame had actually been made by Tupperware.
Nice one here! A chunk of change and time invested here but still cheaper than that ‘66 Stang “project” (?) we’ve seen here lately. What do you want to bet that the odometer reading is due to it being rebuilt too?
Scalding performance from a 500cc bike running the 1/4 mile in 12.7/secs at 103 MPH on a 4” wide tire-and crazier yet that the later 500 (1987 Ninja twin) was 12.8 at 101MPH on a 5” tire!
Then think about the H2, with the same evil handling frame and enough power to turn 11.93 sec at 115 MPH..and some of us are still alive to talk about it!
Did that wind up in your garage there, NW Iowa Kevin? More than a few of us would be jealous, y’know.
And Howard-any of these show up in your neighborhood, and what’d they think?
Here’s your chance to buy it & become a Darwin Award Nominee.
I remember sitting in class in high school,& hear an H1 rider winding
it up through every gear,& lived to tell about it.
Did a ride on one a friend bought -that was all it took for me.
There are folks that have actually ridden one of these monsters, and those that haven’t. I was one of those mishugas that rode one. I realize many younger folks may say, they have all kinds of really fast bikes. This kids, was the pioneer to all those crotch rockets that came after.
With 4 stroke, 4 cylinders on the horizon, multi-cylinder 2 strokes were unquestionably the fastest, most unpredictable bikes made. While the Suzuki “Water Buffalo”( that was a triple with 4 pipes, perhaps what the author is thinking) was a docile bike compared to this, Kawasaki pulled out all the stops, and wanted to go down in history as the fastest production bike you could buy at the time and did.
I had a neighbor with a 305 Honda Scrambler, came home one day with one of these. It was orange. I was just a punk kid with Honda 50 roots, but he let me ride it. 1st thing I noticed, it was side tippy with those cylinders hanging out each side,( later revisited with my GWs) and noisy. Off I went,,slow at 1st, I was warned about the explosive power band at 5000rpms. Nice and easy, got out of sight, stopped, and let ‘er go. I’m sure he heard me. GM CHRYSLER,,,what a racket, and slid back on the seat, and sure enough, 5000rpms, the front wheel comes off the ground, backed off, 2nd gear, same thing, 3rd, got into the dangerous “speed wobble” ( 75-90mph?) these were known for, and that was enough for me. Thing is, I believe the frame was way too flimsy, and while the 750 enhanced the experience, it was really a poor bike. These were cheap. They sold for right around a grand new, when the all-new Honda 750 was almost $500 more and these were a gamble on most buyers part. Some say less than 2,000 were sold in the US in ’71, and very few bought another. Many found out the Honda 750 was a much better bike.
Don’t feel bad for Kawasaki, as the Z1/900 that came out in ’72 put all rumors to rest about Kawasaki, and these faded pretty fast.BTW, I believe those are aftermarket gauges as images I saw had the word “Kawasaki” on the dial face. Incredible find, most were dumped, but here’s your chance to relive motorcycle history, if you have the grapes, that is.
Nice find Scotty. When I was about 17 a friend had a 750 two stroke that bike scared the hell out of me they were nicknamed the widow makers. One ride and you understood how they earned that name they would pull so hard just hanging on was scary.
my father’s exact bike. my sister flew off the back more than i can remember LOL. awesome machine.