1972 Kawasaki 500 H1B

[Skub]

It's crap weather today,so I pulled off the carbs to set the fuel levels. Got the three pretty much bang on,but I'll have to start again,because when I let them sit for 10 minutes or so,two of the three needle valves are leaking,so game over until I those arrive. No point putting the carbs back on to take them off again in a few days.

On a side note,the petrol is breaking down,either the clear tubes,or the reservoir itself,as there is milky goo dripping out the end after it has been sitting. Not best pleased at that,since it's a Sealy tool specially for fuel.

[Yorick]

How do the 2 bikes compare?

Will you still keep them both?

[Skub]

How do the 2 bikes compare?

Will you still keep them both?

Over the year I've had the H1a,I've gradually set it up right and it runs as nice as it's ever going to for an old stroker. Of the two it runs the best,but until I have the carbs set on the H1B,it's not a fair comparison. The A is the old engine and from 6k - 8.5k there's a real punch. The B redlines at 7.5k and has a less violent powerband.

At the moment I enjoy riding the A more than the B,but we'll see when everything is sorted,then we'll decide if they are both staying,or not.

[Yorick]

FB_IMG_1724608994300.jpg (47.83 KiB) Viewed 1210 times

[ChrisW]

Put the orange bits on whichever rides the best

[mangocrazy]

The A is the old engine and from 6k - 8.5k there's a real punch. The B redlines at 7.5k and has a less violent powerband.

7.5k RPM on a 500cc triple is a really conservative red line. So Kawasaki detuned the 'B' motors, then? And weren't the 'A' motors detuned from the original Mach III?

[Skub]

The A is the old engine and from 6k - 8.5k there's a real punch. The B redlines at 7.5k and has a less violent powerband.

7.5k RPM on a 500cc triple is a really conservative red line. So Kawasaki detuned the 'B' motors, then? And weren't the 'A' motors detuned from the original Mach III?

The 69 - 71 bikes are the same engine wise. Some markets had CDI and some had points ignition. The UK market returned to points because the frequencies here were different from the USA and the CDI messed with UK tv and radio reception.

Kawasaki stopped the scalloped tank with the H1a,but the donkey is the same. The H1B was the first to see significant changes,not just styling,but with transfer port height,etc. Kawasaki touted the same bhp,but the B makes it's power a little differently. It will still pull deep into the red,but the line on my clocks starts at 7.5k. Maybe they did that to make them last a little longer.

[Skub]

7.5k RPM on a 500cc triple is a really conservative red line.

Looking into the redline matter a bit further,it seems I was wrong. The B has the same redline as the earlier bikes,but the tacho dial on my B looks like it's one from an H2,so that would make more sense to me. I can duly ignore the first red part.

[Skub]

New needle jet valves arrived today.so time to begin the process of setting the fuel level again etc.

[Skub]

There's a gnarly old rubber seal. I reckon that's the 52 y/o original.

I'm constantly surprised how many parts are still available from Kawasaki for these old bikes. I regularly see folk asking daft money for NOS parts,when the genuine thing can still be bought at a fraction of their asking price.
An ebayer was looking £25 for this seal and the genuine part can still be bought for less than £7.

[ChrisW]

An ebayer was looking £25 for this seal and the genuine part can still be bought for less than £7.

I've re-trained myself on this in the last year or so - oem is more than frequently a wiser choice than ebay or anywhere else with great SEO.

[JackyJoll]

New needle jet valves arrived today.so time to begin the process of setting the fuel level again etc.

Don’t confuse me. The float needle and its seat are not a jet.

[Yorick]

There's a gnarly old rubber seal. I reckon that's the 52 y/o original.

I'm constantly surprised how many parts are still available from Kawasaki for these old bikes. I regularly see folk asking daft money for NOS parts,when the genuine thing can still be bought at a fraction of their asking price.
An ebayer was looking £25 for this seal and the genuine part can still be bought for less than £7.

What's NOS ?

[KungFooBob]

New Old Stock

[ZRX61]

There's a gnarly old rubber seal. I reckon that's the 52 y/o original.

I'm constantly surprised how many parts are still available from Kawasaki for these old bikes. I regularly see folk asking daft money for NOS parts,when the genuine thing can still be bought at a fraction of their asking price.
An ebayer was looking £25 for this seal and the genuine part can still be bought for less than £7.

Looks like the gas cap seal. I bought one for a Z1.. or rather I ordered one. It showed up with several others in the same bag. Dumb ass parts guy charged me for one & handed over seven.

[A_morti]

What's NOS ?

Now they've stopped making the only superbike that counts, you'll soon be in the market for discontinued spares

[Skub]

The tacho dial on the H1B has an H2 facing and since I found out it has repeatedly offended my ocd,so I managed to beg a proper tacho in great condition off a triple club member. This has pleased me no end.

[kendo57]

That picture just made me smile, i had totally forgotten the words ' Nippon Seiki' .
When i was a lot younger it was the term used to describe ' hitting the red line' as it was a bit
further round the Tacho. A bit like turning something up to eleven.

[Ian]

What's the amp?

[Skub]

What's the amp?

Fender Bassman 59 Reissue LTD. Boy that's a mouthful.

It was my working amp for quite a few years and overkill most of the time. Pic is with a Baritone I nailed together a few years back.