Kawasaki 500 H1

Kawasaki
500 H1 MACH III from 1969
Kawasaki 500 H1
Manufacturer	Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd
Production period	1968 to 1976
class	motorcycle
design type	Sports Tourer
Motor data
air-cooled three-cylinder two-stroke engine with separate lubrication
Displacement  (cm³)	498
Power  (kW / PS )	44/60 at 7,500 min -1
Torque  ( N m )	57.3 at 7,000 min -1
Top speed (  km / h)	201
transmission	5-speed
drive	Chain
Brakes	Drum brakes at the front Ø 206 mm, at the rear Ø 180 mm
Wheelbase  (mm)	1400
Dimensions (L × W × H, mm):	2095 × 840 × 1080
Seat height (cm)	approx. 78
Empty weight  (kg)	174

The Kawasaki 500 H1 was a motorcycle from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki , also called MACH III and built from 1968 to 1976. The Kawasaki H1 was the fastest production machine when it was released, with a top speed of 201 km / h. The Kawasaki H1R , a commercially available racing machine, was derived from the H1 .

Kawasaki 500 H-1A

Kawasaki 500 H-1B

History and technology

The H1 appeared on the market at the end of 1968. It was powered by an air-cooled three-cylinder in-line engine that had been developed in 1967 under the direction of Yikio Otsuki and was only slightly more weight than a twin engine. The piston edges controlled the inlet. To prevent the central cylinder from overheating, the outer cooling fins were shaped so that additional air could reach it. The engine had contactless electronic ignition and three 28mm Mikuni carburetors. A narrow tubular backbone frame with two beams formed the basis of the motorcycle, a - from today's perspective - undersized telescopic fork and a two-armed rear swing arm accommodated the wheels with tires measuring 3.25–19 (front) and 4.00–18 (rear). The front wheel was decelerated with a 206 mm duplex drum brake , and the rear with a 180 mm simplex brake. In 1972 a 292 mm disc brake was introduced at the front.

Inspired by the success of the 500 H1 , Kawasaki developed the 750 H2 Mach IV as a new top model, which from 1972 set standards in acceleration and top speed. In the smaller classes, too, the range was rounded off in 1972 with the 250 S1 Mach I and 350 S2 Mach II (350-SS), and in 1974 with the 400 S3 Mach II (400-SS). Stricter emissions regulations marked the end of production of the Kawasaki Mach III, of which around 110,000 were made. Well-preserved copies are now on sale for over 7,000 euros, the entry-level price at that time (1969) was 4,200  DM .

Model versions

• 1969 H-1 (color: midnight white with blue stripes, later also peacock gray with black stripes on the tank), drum brake (front), the peacock-gray version had the tank mounted horizontally.
• 1970 H-1 (color: candyrot with white stripes on the tank)
• 1971 H-1A (color: candy blue with light blue surface and stripes on the tank), chrome-plated lamp shell
• 1972 H-1B (color: pearl candy orange with white stripes on the tank), disc brake (front)
• 1973 H-1D (color: Candylime with white / black stripes or Candy Green with light green side surface on the tank), 58 HP (47 kW) at 8000 min ^-1
• 1974 H-1E (color: Candylime with white / black stripes or Candyrot with white stripes), design based on the Kawasaki Z1
• 1975 H-1F (color: Candysky (blue) with light blue side or candy gold (brown) with yellow side)
• 1976 KH-500 (A8) (color: Deepburgundy or copper with yellow stripes on the tank), the motorcycles wear from this time, the designation KH 500 ( K awasaki H ighway), power reduced to 52 hp (38 kW) at 7000 min ⁻¹ . This model was still offered in 1977 at a price of DM 5,200.

Myth and Legend

With its appearance, the H1 made the manufacturer Kawasaki a "synonym for performance". The Mach III had a “certain brutality and fascinating untamedness,” which the manufacturer emphasized, especially in the marketing. The chassis was not able to cope with the engine power: The Kawasaki was described as a “top quality jelly”. The high center of gravity and the unfavorable weight distribution of 57 percent on the rear wheel contributed to the fact that at full acceleration (4.2 seconds from 0 to 100 km / h; the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds) the front wheel could lift off the ground. This is why the name "Rodeo-Bike" originated in the Anglo-Saxon-speaking area. Urban legends are “ widow makers ” and “ the middle cylinder got less airflow cooling due to its position behind the front wheel, which is why it tended to seize up ”.

Production summary table

year	number of pieces
1968	2.211
1969	15,230
1970	20,591
1971	22,132
1972	19,521
1973	15,389
1974	15,764
1975	4,903
1976	1,768
total	117.509

literature

• Ian Falloon: The Kawasaki Story. Racing and street models from 1963 until today. Heel Verlag, 1st edition, Königswinter 2001, ISBN 3-89365-924-2 .
• Andi Seiler: Kawasaki, motorcycles since 1965 , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-613-02727-5 (type compass)

Web links

Commons : Kawasaki H1  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Model history
• Driving report from 1972

Individual evidence

1. ^ Test of the magazine "Cycle" from April 1969
2. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 164.
3. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 24.
4. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 26.
5. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 27.
6. ↑ Oldtimer Markt : Motorrad-Spezial No. 8, 2014 , p. 75.
7. ↑ Motorcycle Catalog 1977, p. 165.
8. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 24.
9. ↑ Mach III advertisement (1971)
10. ↑ Mach-III-Werbung (1969) ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ Werner Koch: motorradonline.de , Kawasaki 500 Mach III (accessed on August 5, 2015)
12. ↑ Falloon (2001), p. 24.
13. ↑ Kawasaki MACH , MIKI PRESS, 2008, ISBN 978-4-89522-520-5 , p. 140, Japanese