Heavy Metal: 1974 Kawasaki H1

By Margie Siegel
Published on June 4, 2009
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1974 Kawasaki H1
1974 Kawasaki H1
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Small is good: H1’s 498cc 2-stroke triple produced a claimed 60hp while a Triumph 750 barely broke 50hp.
Small is good: H1’s 498cc 2-stroke triple produced a claimed 60hp while a Triumph 750 barely broke 50hp.
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Ignore their fearsome reputation; later H1s are actually quite civilized. Good looking, too.
Ignore their fearsome reputation; later H1s are actually quite civilized. Good looking, too.
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H1’s triple pipes draw the eye.
H1’s triple pipes draw the eye.
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Details like the rear seat cowling are nicely executed.
Details like the rear seat cowling are nicely executed.
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Years produced: 1969-1976
Claimed power: 60hp @ 7,500rpm
Top speed: 114mph (period test)
Engine type: 498cc, air-cooled, 2-stroke inline triple
Weight: (wet) 188kg (415lbs)
Price then: $1,195
Price now: $1,500-$3,500
MPG: 23mpg (period test)

Cue the music. Turn the petcock to the “prime” position, wait until the Plexiglas filters are full of gas, then back it to the “on” position. Turn the ignition on and engage the choke. Kick twice.

The triple cylinder 2-stroke fires and Van Halen’s heavy metal band strikes up the staccato beat of “Hot for Teacher.” Listen to the beat for a minute. The beast is easy to kick start, but it is cold blooded, and it takes a while before it is ready to roll from its den. Wait until the Kawasaki H1’s exhaust note smoothes somewhat — although it won’t smooth much. Now you’re ready to rock and roll.

“In 1971 I was in high school and friends with a kid named Dennis Baxter,” Bill Swagerty explains. “He got one for Christmas. It was radical. It was a 3-cylinder, 2-stroke fire breather with electronic ignition and a lopsided power-to-weight ratio.”

Bill fondly remembers a trip to Lake Havasu, Ariz., with his friend. “He picked me up and we ran out there, but the bike seized up on the way. We walked to a store, got some 2-stroke oil, and it started up like nothing ever happened. That bike was so powerful that it wanted to fly, even two up. The front end came off the ground in third gear.”

Beginnings of the H1
The Kawasaki H1 was introduced three years before, in late 1968. The Sixties were in full swing, and dizzying changes in art, music and politics were taking place. Motorcycles were changing, as well. The economical transporters of the Fifties had become sporting machines primarily ridden by young men. Speed sold, fuel economy didn’t. Motorcycle manufacturers took note, and bikes blossomed out in chrome, with quarter-mile times prominently advertised.

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