Kawasaki triple

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Kawasaki Triple is a generic nickname for a range for motorcycles Kawasaki produced from 1969 to 1976 in the United States and up to 1980 elsewhere. The name comes from the motorcycle's unconventional engine layout, an air cooled three cylinder two stroke with two exhaust pipes exiting on the right side of the bike and one on the left.

The first Kawasaki Triple was the H-1 Mach III, introduced in 1969. The original H-1 was unique for using a CDI ignition which operated through an automotive style distributor. The H-1 offered a high power to weight ratio for the time period, but generally poor handling and weak drum brakes front and rear. A common nickname for the H-1 was "The Widowmaker", a name disputed by any true aficionado of the H series.

In 1972, the 750 Mach IV was introduced.Updated with more horsepower and better front disc brakes, the 750 became the undisputed king of the streets, even beating legendary muscles cars of the era such as the Hemi Cuda or Big Block Chevy.

The ability to cheaply modify the engines for higher performance by porting the cylinders, milling the cylinder heads, and installing expansion chamber exhausts maintained their popularity for some time in drag racing. A 750 H-2 still holds the record for the fastest normally aspirated 750cc motorcycle, with a standing quarter-mile of 7.777 seconds at 170 mph by Brian Pretzel of Redline Motorsports.

In 1974, the 350cc S-2 was expanded to a 400cc S-3. In addition, the model range was toned down in performance. The H-2 ceased production in 1975, and the model line became the KH series in 1976. United States production stopped in 1976, while the 250cc KH-250 and 400C KH-400 continued in Europe and elsewhere until 1980.

The S-1 was popular for some time as a budget performance bike in England because of its small size. The entire S series of motorcycles used breaker point ignition, which was more reliable than the early CDI ignition and much cheaper to repair or replace.

An interesting offshoot of the Kawasaki Triples was that since they were air cooled and the crankshafts were pressed together, it was possible to literally cut an engine apart, press up extra sections of the crankshaft, re-weld different sections of the cases, and make multi-cylindered motorcycles. The ignition system had to be redone, as well as the carburetors. Four cylinder 1000cc H-2's were known to exist, but the most common bikes to be modified were the S series, with 5 to 7 cylinder models being built, and at least one "V-6" (two three cylinder banks feeding into a common transmission). More of a machinist's skill exercise than a practical development, they were still a popular modification in Europe. They were impractical because the engine was made much wider and the clutch and gearbox were put under more strain. Another modification was a liquid cooled H-2, which was done in the late seventies in either Australia or New Zealand.

Brief model summary:

1969
H-1 500cc white w/blue stripes, distributor CDI ignition, drum front brake, "Mach III 500" badge on side cover and "electronic ignition" decal on oil tank.

1970
H-1 500cc red w/white stripes on the fuel tank (a charcoal gray w/black fuel tank stripes existed as a mid-year model).

1971
H-1A 500cc, style redesign without the Mach "III" badge, blue with stylized stripes on the fuel tank.
(A 750cc H-2 gold colored model, with the 1972 style stripes and a unique "Mach III" badge was introduced as a test model in northern Europe, but is not officially listed or recognized).

1972
Entire line introduced, intended to be similar in style, with the "swooping" racing stripes on the tank that distinguished the triples.
S-1 250cc, white w/green stripes. S-2 350cc, blue, drum front brake
H-1B 500cc, orange, disc front brake, CDI dropped for breaker points (only year for the 500), and a front disc brake.

          The H-1C was never produced, it may have simply been an H-1B with CDI.

H-2 750cc, blue, front disc brake, CDI ignition with one igniter unit per cylinder.

1973
S-1A 250CC Gold(?)
S-2A 350cc Purple.
H-1D 500cc Adopted H2's CDI ignition and the styling that would be used on the later 1974 models.
H-2A 750cc Purple/gold.

1974
All models restyled with a new cleaner design that resembled the Kawasaki Z-1, with an instrument "pod" rather than separate instruments. All models revised for more civilized performance at the expense of raw horsepower.
S-1B 250cc green, front drum brake.
S-3 400cc green, disc front brake, restyled cylinder head design for better cooling.
H-1E 500cc green.
H-2B 750cc brown/green.

1975
S-1C 250cc brown.
S-3A 400cc brown.
H-1F 500cc brown.
H-2C 750cc red/purple.

1976
H-2 dropped from line, models renamed "KH" to match the "KZ" line of four strokes. U.S. Production ceases
KH-250 250cc.
KH-400 400cc.
KH-500 500cc.

1977-1980
Only surviving models are the KH-250 and KH-400.
KH-250 250cc.