Thinking of Buying a Kawak triple - Advice needed !
Discussion
Rev,
Which one in particular? KH400, H1, H2?
Had a H2 a while ago - the handling was pretty scary then and compared with modern bikes it would be terrifying. Expect 12 - 18 mpg and always remember to keep three spare plugs in the holder under the seat, as they don't last long.
Parts shouldn't be impossible to find, but you'll probably need to hunt a bit further than you local kwak dealer. The engine is a doddle to strip and rebuld, although it is a pain getting it out of / into the frame.
Dave
Which one in particular? KH400, H1, H2?
Had a H2 a while ago - the handling was pretty scary then and compared with modern bikes it would be terrifying. Expect 12 - 18 mpg and always remember to keep three spare plugs in the holder under the seat, as they don't last long.
Parts shouldn't be impossible to find, but you'll probably need to hunt a bit further than you local kwak dealer. The engine is a doddle to strip and rebuld, although it is a pain getting it out of / into the frame.
Dave
Owned a H2 for a few years back in the seventies, i had problems with gear selector fork's which required me to have a gearbox rebuild, also the clutch used to slip [ i did drag race it locally ] this was finally cured by 'Barnett' friction plates from America.
Regarding plugs it was only the middle cylinder that gave me any problems, other things to look for would be the black ignition boxes under the seat, i would imagine they could be difficult to source if you get any problems.
As for handling the H2 was not so bad at the time,but will be laughable by today's standard,a couple of my mates at the time had H1's and they where very poor handling wise, one of which threw him off in a straight line at over 90mph after being unsettled by some white lines!
Had a mate at the time who also had a S3 and this was a sweet little bike without the handling 'quirks'
and with decent straight line speed for that time, however they all have a thirst like oliver reed
60 miles on the H2 before going on to reserve.
Regarding plugs it was only the middle cylinder that gave me any problems, other things to look for would be the black ignition boxes under the seat, i would imagine they could be difficult to source if you get any problems.
As for handling the H2 was not so bad at the time,but will be laughable by today's standard,a couple of my mates at the time had H1's and they where very poor handling wise, one of which threw him off in a straight line at over 90mph after being unsettled by some white lines!
Had a mate at the time who also had a S3 and this was a sweet little bike without the handling 'quirks'
and with decent straight line speed for that time, however they all have a thirst like oliver reed60 miles on the H2 before going on to reserve.
telecat said:
I remember the KH250 had a very good reputation, it just was not as powerful as it should have been!! Using modern two stroke oil should help though as the old stuff was crap!!
The KH's were watered down versions of the earlier triples and having owned a KH 400 30 years ago (when I was 10, lol)I can speak from experience when I say they looked and sounded nice but were a pile of poo performance and reliability wise. If I were to go on a nostalgia trip I would seek out a yam RD350 or 400, at least they were the ones to own back then.Edited by telecat on Saturday 17th November 23:11
rev-erend said:
Yes - I owned a Suzuki X7 at the time .. the RD250/350 LC was not out at the time.
I worked at Honda - so I was a little rebel parking my Suzuki out front .. but hey would you have owned a 250 super dream..
Oh no...
WHat were they thinking of when they brought out the "round" tank one! Looked awful. The X7 seemed to be the catalyst that made Yamaha bring out the "LC"'s. I always liked the Little RD125 myself. Just wild enough for seventeen year olds.I worked at Honda - so I was a little rebel parking my Suzuki out front .. but hey would you have owned a 250 super dream..
Oh no...
but he did do a good job on them and made good money when he sold them [quote=Silver993tt]Here are a couple of pics:
quote]
That looks superb..
I knew I've seen the picture somewhere today :
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/model/1974.htm
quote]
That looks superb..
I knew I've seen the picture somewhere today :
http://kawtriple.com/mraxl/model/1974.htm
Huh? I didn't know my pic was lifted by that site!
The other set of bodywork is in this colour:
http://www.project-h2.com/works/ws_mod07e.html
The other set of bodywork is in this colour:
http://www.project-h2.com/works/ws_mod07e.html
Edited by Silver993tt on Monday 19th November 16:17
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