Kawasaki H1 1971

[mangocrazy]

Another 2.1 miles init....

Yeahbutt I was well past that before I realised I'd shit the bed on this one.

Wind the mileage back using a cordless drill on reverse. It's got a cable speedo, hasn't it?

[Skub]

Wind the mileage back using a cordless drill on reverse. It's got a cable speedo, hasn't it?

Might interfere with the time/space continuum.

[Skub]

A grand day out with the stinkwheel contingent. After sitting behind 3 H2s for about 70 odd miles,I smell like a proper biker.

[Skub]

A couple more from the day.

Island classics BSA and Enfield.jpeg (619.11 KiB) Viewed 1908 times

Island classics waterbuckets.jpeg (733.25 KiB) Viewed 1908 times

[Yorick]

A couple more from the day.

I had that same red Kettle at 19 in 1978. With same mag wheels.

[Skub]

The H1 has been playing up the last few days. It's always been an easy starter from cold or hot. Hot is usually one boot and we're away,but lately when I stop for fuel it shows no inclination to kickstart. I've had to resort to the indignities of a bump start,then it fires easily enough and runs like nothing ever happened. Strangely,this has happened twice at the same pump in the same BP station,but nowhere else.

Being a huge fan of 'simple things first',I changed the plugs and everything seems back to normal. Time will tell.

[JackyJoll]

Weren’t they so hard on plugs that there was a holder for spare plugs?

[Skub]

Weren’t they so hard on plugs that there was a holder for spare plugs?

I missed that! The later models had a plug holder under the seat. Early model H1s 69 - 71 used surface discharge jobbies,but don't seem to be as hard on any type of plugs.

[Skub]

All the twos today. Nearly got the tenth on the trip too.

H1a part 2 - Imgur (13).jpg (2.51 MiB) Viewed 1910 times

[Ian]

I missed that! The later models had a plug holder under the seat. Early model H1s 69 - 71 used surface discharge jobbies,but don't seem to be as hard on any type of plugs.

Are you using surface discharge plugs?
I used normal plugs in my B, never actually seen an SD plug.

[Skub]

Are you using surface discharge plugs?
I used normal plugs in my B, never actually seen an SD plug.

Nah,B9-HS in mine,Ian. I did toy with the idea of SD plugs as they can still be had,but the 9s work well enough so far.

[cheb]

Some outboards also used SD plugs. Curious looking things, my Mariner 90 had them.

[Skub]

Some outboards also used SD plugs. Curious looking things, my Mariner 90 had them.

Yeah,they kind of look...broken.

[Skub]

It's been a year now since the H1 arrived and took me back to 1971. I've clocked over 3k miles going nowhere in particular,just enjoying the wheels turning,the smoke and the noise.

I bought the bike with the intention of punting it on if I found I wasn't having fun of any kind,but the whole experience of riding and maintaining a 53 year old bike has been most pleasurable. This has been helped,no doubt,by the H1 being very reliable to date,I daresay my feelings may have been different if I'd bought a troublesome one. Pete built a good bike.

During the first year of ownership I've encountered some great people,some in real life and some as pixels. I've never been much of a one for biker gatherings,but I still get plenty of time to ride on my own and I'm finding I enjoy the company of other classic bike owners too. It has inadvertently added a new colour to the biking palette for me. Perhaps I'm mellowing in my old age,not being such an asocial twunt all the time.

I have toyed with the idea of selling the Zed and buying another triple,but I think I'd miss a modern machine for those longer trips and not wondering when 50+ y/o electrics may shit the bed at a less than convenient moment. So the Zed stays for now. I also thought about buying another triple and keeping the Zed,but 3 bikes would start to be crowded in my garage,especially if I needed to do any work,so unless something tempting falls in my lap,I'll stick with 2 bikes in the meantime.

I've yet to fully understand why I love the bike,it has pretty much all the attributes of a machine anyone in their right mind would want to trade in for something better asap. Favourite daughter was of the opinion my ownership wouldn't last 6 months.

Folk ask me what I like about the H1 and I end up talking random bollox without actually answering the question,because I don't honestly know the answer.

Is it fast?..it was in 1971,but now? Nope
Does it handle well?...nope
Are the brakes adequate?...barely to nope.
Is it easy on the juice?....mostly nope.
Does it make me smile? I can't help myself ffs.

Zed and H1 2024 runs - Imgur (19).jpg (1.94 MiB) Viewed 1907 times

[JackyJoll]

Are you using surface discharge plugs?
I used normal plugs in my B, never actually seen an SD plug.

Nah,B9-HS in mine,Ian. I did toy with the idea of SD plugs as they can still be had,but the 9s work well enough so far.

B9HS is too hard for a 1955 Triumph T110, so that must mean your bike is racier than mine.

[Skub]

B9HS is too hard for a 1955 Triumph T110, so that must mean your bike is racier than mine.

Or the H1 is more likely to melt.

[Druid]

Folk ask me what I like about the H1 and I end up talking random bollox without actually answering the question,because I don't honestly know the answer.

...

Does it make me smile? I can't help myself ffs.

That is the best reason for having a bike, and outweighs all the negatives.

I've really enjoyed your posts about your experiences with the H1, hope it continues to keep you smiling for a long time to come.

[Skub]

A camera dude was taking pics on a classic run a week ago and I clocked this. Oddly in 50+ years of riding I have one other pic of me riding a bike and that was at Ron Haslam's race school thingy.

Bike Runs in 2025 - Imgur (7) 2.jpg (920.27 KiB) Viewed 1906 times

[KungFooBob]

This just popped up local to me on t'bay, could be twins!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204858841158

[Skub]

This just popped up local to me on t'bay, could be twins!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204858841158

He/she has no mission of getting that money.

Wrong clocks (72 H1B)

Chainguard should be black,not chrome.

Those minor details aside,it looks a good un. Any crank built by Gary Clark will be done right,he did mine too.