There are two quite distinct breeds of motorcyclists - those who love strokers and those who can't abide them. I obviously fall into the former category, having owned a whole string of the wild beasts over the last ten years. The latest is my Kawasaki KH400 - a wailing triple that has seen too many rebuilds, done too many miles and even spent some time on the race track in earlier days.
The motor is more or less in stock form, these days, though not in particularly good fettle if you went by the noises it makes. The engine rattled even when rebored, laid down an anti-social smoke-screen and made an awful racket out of the rusty silencers - I did run on expansion chambers for a while but they made the mill go dead below 5000rpm; too much hassle during the daily commute in town.
As a reliable means of transport it leaves a lot to be desired. There's the problem of the spark plugs fouling up, turning the engine into a twin or single. Most disturbing to be screaming along only to have half the engine going dead, the power abruptly cut off like it'd hit a brick wall. Brings tears to the eyes when it happens just as I'm in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre. Figure spark plug life in hundreds rather than thousands of miles.
I usually change them every 250 miles as this is when the engine requires a major service, the carbs going so far out that the already quite fierce vibes turn amazingly intense. I've had minor brackets fracture and footrests fall off! The vibes are never entirely absent but least annoying when the bike is cruised in the 75 to 90mph range, the engine able to hold the latter speed with surprising ease. There's even a bit of acceleration on hand to the ton.
The chassis was never as bad as the bigger H1's reputation suggested, although the bike sported a GPz550 front end and a pair of Girling shocks, along with a heavily braced swinging arm and some very expensive Metz tyres. I've seen one stock H1 bounce right off a country road, so I know that these mods are necessary - few bikes that have not had some essential alterations will have avoided writing themselves off by now.
Not that the KH could ever be called perfect. The steering geometry and flimsy frame made sure of that. It didn't weave too much on a straight, smooth road but in bumpy bends the handlebars twitched in my grip and the bike would wander way off the required line with a mind of its own.
It was safer than the bigger triples in that power could be backed off when banked over with none of the usual nastiness. An H1 could be a real shocker in that department, the novice rider doing the obvious thing to stop all the shaking and weaving - backing off the throttle - only to find that the amplitude of the shakes was thus increased!
For a bike that weighed only 400lbs and could be wheelied with ease, throwing the 400 through a series of bends was hard work indeed, the triple taking on the feel of a 500lb four. I'd fitted clip-ons which obviously didn't help with the leverage, but even when the stock cow-horns were fitted it was still difficult going.
With stock air-filter and pipes, there is enough torque to run along at commuting speeds, although this is a recipe for oiling up the plugs if it isn't given a bit of throttle every five minutes. Unless the engine is revved hard, when gear whine dominates, the rattles and pinging noises from the engine makes it sound as if all the ball bearings are falling apart and the piston rings are breaking up.
Commuting speeds improves fuel economy to nearly 40mpg, something it'll maintain at 60 to 70mph cruising speeds. Normally, though, I don't manage better than 30mpg and it's quite easy to go down to 25mpg. Together with an insatiable appetite for oil, this makes the 250 miles a week of commuting more expensive than taking the car.
That's okay, I save a huge amount of time using the Kawa and have lots more fun. It's not every machine that lets you start the day with a 200 yard wheelie, or lets you cut the ton on a bit of dual carriageway, or allows a wild blast of acceleration once 6000 revs are hit. Stomach churning, grin inducing stuff!
The braking from the GPz front end is brilliant, the twin discs able to stop the meagre mass instantly. With the slightly dubious nature of the chassis and still fervent bursts of acceleration, it pays to have a decent set of brakes out front. The rear drum is but rarely used hard, but when it has been did not produce any traumatic surprises.
One sign of age is the gearbox, which would put a BMW to shame. Very much an acquired art to successfully negotiate a path through the false neutrals and horrendous noises when the incorrect pressure or speed are used. Most of my friends who have tried the Kawa returned full of horror at the nature of the box. Third has become very precarious, often not engaging and sometimes slipping out of gear. The motor can cope with a second to fourth change without becoming bogged down but the gap is such that it slows down the acceleration to a level where many a rat 250 sails past until I am able to work up to the power band again.
The clutch doesn't help matters, the plates not lasting more than 5000 miles, the whole action very grabby and direct. I once had a cable break whilst waiting at a pedestrian crossing. The bike leapt forward about a yard, whacking some old dear in the leg. She toppled over on top of a young infant who immediately started wailing like the whole world was about to end. The Kawa had locked itself into first gear, only movable by lifting the back wheel off the ground - there were few in the assaulted group of peds who were willing to lend a hand. I had to take the chain off before I could push the bike home.
It was a waste of time trying to buy parts from the local dealer - they either took months to arrive or cost more than I'd originally paid for the bike. Much better to buy a machine for spares, scour breakers for suitable, not necessarily KH, parts or use car bits where possible. I made up my own cables, a quite profitable side-line as I supplied a number of friends as well, at much cheaper prices than stock.
The vibes do in the electrics on these triples, all that was left of the KH's original equipment was the alternator. Bits from later Kawa's fitted when the OE stuff gave trouble and the bike rewired by my own hands - not something I want to repeat as it took days to make everything work okay.
Overall appearance is much nearer to rat than pristine. The paint finish is terrible, nothing much can be done to stop the endemic rot. When rust rules every surface I am assailed by guilt, but a quick clean and paint up doesn't last more than a few months. I think in about a month a couple of the silencers will fall off.
Despite all the problems, the KH has kept running for the past year and 14,500 miles without needing an engine strip (except for the clutch). As it had obviously led a hard life, I found this impressive enough to overcome its many defects. The fun factor is high if you like living a little on the wild side.
The 400 might well be the best of the bunch, without the madness of the bigger bikes nor the poor longevity of the 250. I paid 400 notes for mine, off a friend who I knew had done a good job on the engine rebuild.
There might be the odd one around still on the original motor but most have had lots of rebuilds by now. Sensible chassis mods plus original carb and exhausts are important if it's going to be used for the daily jaunt to work. I've seen lots of old dogs with high prices, but also bought a seized one for spares for only £75. There's plenty of room to cut a good deal.
A.S.R.