The worst fuel consumption I ever managed from my Kawasaki H1E was 14mpg! Incredible as it might seem, I didn't really mind. The ride had been absolutely exhilarating. Thrashing the bike for all it was worth up and down a series of small hills. Throwing the machine off the crest of each, the whole chassis giving a huge twitch as it lost contact with mother earth. Charging along in the lower gears with the front wheel up in the air and that tremendous accelerative surge when the wailing triple hit its power band.
More normally, 20 to 25mpg could be expected. On the odd occasion as much as 30mpg was achieved. The bike was difficult to ride slowly. Not just that its power delivery was so addictive, slow running caused both the plugs and the silencers to clog up.
Engine noise, a series of annoying rattling, slapping and ringing sounds that made you think the end was nigh (it wasn't, they sound like that from new), overcame the exhaust note at low revs, the discordant row echoing about in my crash helmet as if it was made out of steel and someone was using it to bounce ball bearings off.
The delicious wail did not really appear until 5000 revs were up, which coincided with a startling diminution of vibration. The engine noises lost to the wind and exhaust howl, the engine as smooth as silk and the power flowing like nothing else I've had the pleasure of experiencing.
The sharpness of this power is shown up after playing around with the induction system. It takes very little to knock the edge off it, leaving the engine recalcitrant, backfiring and ever so slow. Despite repeated attempts at becoming one of the boys, there was no way I could get a set of K&N air filters to work with the engine however many jet combinations I tried. Kawasaki knew what they were doing and it was beyond my abilities to improve upon their induction system.
This should be borne in mind when looking at a bike for sale - stock is best. Which goes for the silencers as well, you won't achieve better performance and you’ll ruin the absolutely delightful wail after five grand. However, such are youth's efforts at improving the appearance of these delicious triples that few are available in stock condition. The best that can be hoped for is that they will throw in the old components which can then be fitted after purchase.
The H1E is not just famous for its massive, 60hp dollop of power. It’s also famous for preferring to run off the road rather than go around corners. It goes without saying that almost every bike by now will have better shocks and uprated forks. Put it this way, if they haven’t been improved the chances are they ended up a tangled mess of steel and alloy!
Not that mere suspension changes are sufficient to cure the triple of its head shaking, speed wobbles and apparent inherent twitchiness. A lot of this can be successfully reduced by, fitting a decent steering damper, tightened up so the bars can just be turned under reasonable pressure. Avon Roadrunners work well with the chassis, or as well as any tyres can be expected to work in the H1E environment.
Even after these mods I was not happy with my machine. Backing off the throttle in bends still produced a chassis with a passing resemblance to a crocodile threshing about in death throes. I stripped all the stuff off the frame and persuaded a friend that it would be a good idea if he spent an afternoon bracing the steering head and swinging arm with some thick steel plate. By the time he had finished he had probably doubled the weight of the flimsy frame but it seemed to work. Much improved stability was noticed under the extreme manoeuvres often necessitated by the sudden application of massive power to the back wheel.
Which brings me neatly enough to wet weather riding. The quick and simple answer to that one is don't ride a H1E in the wet. However, I’ve never been one to take good advice, if I had I would probably have a safe job and nice car instead of the H1E. There are several problems about riding in the rain. Not least the fact that the engine often turns into a twin or a single. This amplifies the power effect. Struggling along on maximum throttle on a 167cc single I'd suddenly find it's switched on to a full triple with a tyre shredding dose of power suddenly hitting the wheel. The feeling of extreme panic overtakes as the back wheel hurls around to meet the front. Hurried closing of the throttle leaves the Kawasaki all over the place, snaking around in full suicide mode.
I have fallen off the bike several times. Fitment of crash bars around the lower engine is compulsory unless you want to pay out for a new crankshaft. A tough item, by the way, that unless run with no oil should last a good 40000 miles. A lot more than can be said for the pistons and bores which are lucky to survive a quarter of that. Don't ask me how I know. Please! Other niceties includes brakes that refuse to work in the wet and chrome that turns to instant rust. Oh well, I never expected perfection!
Another small idiosyncrasy of the Quack is the way, when hurtling along without a care in the world, the aged, rotted wiring will suddenly decide to ignite. The first time it happened I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t just that there was this strong smell of burning, the wires to the ignition were affected. Having the motor turn itself off just as I wanted to cut up in front of a huge lorry was a bit trying. The lorry driver was very understanding, he slowed down with me, leaving me in the wrong lane suddenly plunged into playing chicken with cars coming the other way.
I will admit I was thinking about trading in the bike for something newer at that time, so I should have expected some form of revenge. The Kawasaki did not turn itself into a raging inferno, much to my distress. I tried to explain what had happened to the bike as I helped this ancient pensioner out of his Marina. It was the least I could do, to avoid knocking me off he had run off the road into a stone wall and written off the nearside of his car. The lorry had naturally disappeared up the road, the driver probably drinking out on the tale for the rest of the week.
The other electrical problem is the CDI unit which in triple circles is famous for blowing up. These items are, like, extremely expensive and impossible to find in breakers (at least in working order). There is no known solution but life can be extended by making sure all the connections are perfectly clean and mounting the black box on about twenty layers of rubber. The first time it went was the usual miles from nowhere trick. I’m sure the evil bitch enjoyed herself immensely watching me push her six miles before I came across a phone box and aid could be summoned. The second time it was in the middle of London traffic. I had to push her through three lanes of absolutely psychotic, crazy, homicidal cagers before the safety of the pavement could be gained. Bloody bitch.
The other trick is to blow the cylinder head gaskets. There are three of these to chose from, they usually last about 4 to 5000 miles a throw. The bike is still rideable with a blown gasket if you can accept all the oil that's blown out, the sluggardly performance and the fact that the extra strain on the other cylinders usually causes their gaskets to blow as well. I carry a spare set of head gaskets, it's not a long job to whip off the cylinder heads, as long as you don't wreck a stud, as has sometimes happened in the past. Several boxes of spark plugs are also carried as these have been known to last less than 500 miles! As well as a full set of bulbs, which blow because of the vibes.
Running one of these triples is a quick way to go bankrupt. Fuel, tyres, chains, pads, plugs, gaskets, electrics, etc all require a frequent infusion of cash. I bought the bike for £600 five years ago and it's worth at least twice that now, so it hasn’t all been a nightmare. They start easily, run wickedly and sound gorgeous. I am going to buy a modern bike but will probably keep the H1 for sunny afternoons when I want to do nothing more than experience the glorious power rush. H1E really spells FUN, in foot high letters. And damn the cost!
N. K. L. M.