1970 Kawasaki H1R 500

Kawi’s groundbreaking 2-stroke Grand Prix racer.

By Hamish Cooper
Updated on February 7, 2022
article image
by Phil Aynsley

Five decades ago a Grand Prix racer based largely on a street model finished runner-up in the 500cc world championship, prying open the door to eventual 2-stroke domination. That ground-breaking racer was Kawasaki’s 1970 H1R, a souped-up version of the Japanese manufacturer’s 1969 H1 road model.

The racer who finished second to Italian superstar Giacomo Agostini, as he swept to his sixth consecutive 500cc world title on MV Agusta’s pure GP racer, was tough Kiwi privateer Ginger Molloy.

His journey to the top echelon of GP 500cc racing started in the U.S. The Kawasaki H1R featured here is a remarkable time piece of originality from that impressive first year of racing.

An early convert to the potential of 2-strokes in the 500cc class, Molloy sourced one of the rare H1Rs available from a Florida dealership and first raced it in the 1970 Daytona 200. He finished seventh in a race where just 16 of the 98 starters reached the checkered flag.

A black motorcycle

The production model H1 “Mach III” had already established itself as a world-beater on the road. It wasn’t a bike for beginners. Powered by a 500cc, air-cooled 3-cylinder engine, the Mach III was nicknamed “The Widowmaker” because of its brutal power delivery and sketchy handling.

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