What the heck made you want a Kawi Triple?

[biker Don]

I'll go first. When I was 17 (1978-9ish)I saved up and was buying Mark Hammils
H2. Then my cousin got nailed and killed by a drunk driver, pushing
a broke down BSA. Dad ended my dreams then and there. So I blew my
cash on a 1 year old RM125 MotoX bike.......

then around 2003 I was driving down hiway 2 and I seen what I could
have sworn was a kawi triple for sale, I turned my car around. Two days later I had me a 76KH 500. 13 triples later I am down to my KH500, my 72 H1B and
a stock pile of CDI Boxes, regulators and stators, all for me and my kid. My son has
an S3 (75). Since my H1B came to be, there is no other triple for me.
In fact as long as it remains rideable I doubt I'll ever own anything else
but the 2 I have.
My H1B, not the fastest, but probably one of the most eye catching toys I
ever had. I have logged over 13000 K so far, it's getting tired but
still seems to be very reliable. My board name came from my best friend
Wray "biker Don" ever since I got my first HD at around 21. To this day
my friends still use it, some like "Mini-me" and "Wrazor"have truncated
it to just plain "biker"

So what made you get your first triple? How about your board name, where
did it come from?

I think I asked this a long time ago, but so many new members... I'd like
to hear how you became "Triple Obsessed"

[JA-Moo]

Actually it was a total accident for me. It was 1977 and I was working at Holloman AFB (just outside) Alamagordo NM. I lived 70 miles away and commuted. A couple of guys that were stationed there were talking about getting bikes to commute in the summer. I thought that was a cool idea, so I headed into Alamagordo and stopped at the first bike shop I saw. Which happened to be a Honda shop. I went in and headed over to the used bike section, and there was a super cherry 1973 Kawi 500. I don't remember the miles, but it was barely used it seemed. I had read all about the triples, and they wanted 600.00, so it was a deal.

That started my 2 stroke triple downhill spiral to where I am now........ ;D

And BTW, NONE of the other guys got bikes..........

AS far as screen name, JA just are my initials, and MOO came from me and my buddies calling our bikes Kaws (cows) and of course, they go MOO!

[zambia]

My first street bike was a Honda CL350 in 1976, I loved it but was getting whooped by RD 350's. I figured a 350 was a 350, but guys kept saying two-strokes were the bomb. I had a CZ 175 MX bike so I knew about power bands. When I walked to school (grade 10) a guy (one of the grade 13's) passed me everyday on a blue '72 H2. There was a little grade and he wheelied that thing for about a 1/4 mile. I wanted one! A year later I got me a modded '72 -- one of, if not the fastest bike in town, $900. Rode the crap out of it until I needed dough to finish University in 1982, got $400 and a crappy Grand Marquis with a 460 V8. Worst deal of my life -- Jonesed for another H2 until I got one in 2006.

[mervin]

In Alberta we could get a MC license at 14 so by 12 we had all motorcycle specs memorized. I always found the 4 strokes to be more reliable until the R5 came out, but when ever I tried a 2 stroke and especially the kawi 3 cylinders I felt they were to peaky and to unreliable and uncomfortable for me because I liked riding long distances. But godamn it there was no cooler sound than a 3 cylinder kawi on the move, well a Ducati was as good a sound. So from 1969 until this year I always had big 4 cylinder 4 strokes or V Twin, sportbikes, finally I said screw it I want to collect 3 cylinder 2 strokes, its the sound and the reputation they once had. I really love riding this bike even though its the smallest bike I have owned since 1974. I love it when some one who remembers these bikes comes up and BS's about the glory days of these bikes. It seems like people either remember them well or have no clue what they are.

[wheeliehappy]

Way back in 72 73 or something My oldest brother, his buddies all had these Kawies, I loved them from when I was 7yrs on, my first 2 bikes were RD 400, then got an RZ500. I think I got the RD's because the KH400's used were expensive, not in my budget at the time. but I wanted a KH400, I still do and I will get one as soon as my Girl friend will let me ;-), but it was not the bike I was after as much as I was after 2 stroke street bikes, it could have been a Derbi for all I cared.. Recently in the last few yrs I have been searching to satisfy my motorcycle thurst, had GSXR, bought my VTR fire storm, I always wanted another 2 stroke but boyos, I never thought 2 stroke motorcycles is what I was missing. I got my S2 last november and have been tinkering with it since, every week I learn somthig about the bike or learn how to do something with the bike, honestly guys I never gaped a plug before joining this site :-) no joke.
My point is, other then one minor plug problem that WE will resolve the bike is so horny and I so love that bike, My thurst for bikes is quenched. I was not looking for a motorcycle, I was looking for a 2 stroke city ripper. Now that I have the timming right, I think my S2 is faster then my Daytona RD400. (Anyone got an RD 400 so we can have a race and see)
as for my name, I just like poping little wheelies, nothing major, just little snappers just for fun I loved the rush and the feel of wheel coming off the ground and gernerally I'm a miserable bastard , well you get it, wheeliehappy, Really happy, :-). but I"m miserable :-).

[biker Don]

this is cool, thanks. For many this becomes a
Love Triangle.... Just me, my wife and my Kawi Trippple.

keep em coming

[Walms]

My background in motorcycles was mainly 2 stroke dirt bikes other then a brief stint with a XT500 that I used for ice racing and street riding.... It confirmed my love for 2 strokes when my brother's Suzuki TS250 was every bit as fast as my Yami XT500. Shortly after going to college, I realized I needed a car more then my bikes and sold them for basic transportation.
22 years go by with me more interested in my mustang then getting back into bikes but I had this itch to design and build a kick a$$ off road go-cart using a 750 gixer motor as a power plant, 4 wheel independent suspension... blah blah blah... I told all my buddies to keep their eyes open for me if one happened to come up.
I get a call a few months later from a friend and he tells me he found one for me... He said "it's a 400 not a 750"... "Not interested", I told him. "But it's a 2 stroke" OK I said, what's the price? "Free for the taking" OK, sold! Even to make it better, he tells me that he'll drop it off because the owner is sick of looking at it in his garage and he has to pass through Orangeville on the weekend... Beauty, I'll have the pints cold for ya!
So Saturday comes and my buddy John rolls up with this green meanie on the trailer... I say damn, you never told me it was a triple! A buddy of mine had the S2 in high school and these things scream!!!
Then and there my plans changed in a hurry!!! It was complete and was too nice to only tear down to use the motor. I asked about the registration and he told me the bike was free but to get the previous owner off his butt to go down to the license office to get a replacement, it was going to cost me $300.... I seriously think the guy didn't want to go there for what ever reason and was quite surprised to find out I was more then willing to cough up the coin.... The rest is history!

[wheeliehappy]

Great topic Biker

[biker Don]

thanks, I borrowed the idea

[givr]

Saw an ad in the Barrie Supershopper onine, spring 2005, just got my tax return cheque.

"500 Kawasaki, extra parts, open to offers"

Call the guy up and visit him since I was looking for a non-descript project bike of any sort.
I see the bike, H1D and fall in love at first site, no exhausts on even, but the spoked rims, and sporty look extracted the cash from my wallet.
Got it home, and sat on it. I was doing membershipless lurking on triples, first site was Tomcat's site I checked out, then all the links through there. I was unable to do anything with it, cash strapped, and had to sell it to my boss. Had to pull up stakes and move to the city for moolah.
2 years later I have a correspondence from my old boss, I ask how the bike is working out, and he says it's sitting in the same spot in the garage when he got it from my place.
I offer to buy it back, and he jumps on it. The next week I got it delivered to my place with the extra frame (current zombie) and extra motors. ;D

[H2 Dude]

First bike was a 2 stroke . A Kawasaki 250 twin.
I have had Rd 350. Suzuki GT 750 BUT wanted a triple .
When I was a kid I remember reading the road test ( SuperCycle) on the 1972 H1B ..OOOOOO I loved that bike BUT who could afford one
at 15 or even hold a license.
Then at T&Y motors I saw my first H2 .The Blue 750 ..WOW
At this years Quinte vintage Rally I got to meet the guy that sold that H2 .
In 1979 I browsed the ads in the Toronto Paper and found my H2c .
Years go by and I long for a Triple BUT where are they? All gone .
Then in 2007 the lad picks up a 350 Honda and we take home a rough 71 H1A.
A short time later while browsing E Bay I spot the H1B I have now for a whopping $ 230..The rest is history.
Well H2 Dude came from Walms stating I should change my name from arielman to ? because I sold my ariel.
Since I had bought the H2B H2dude it became .

[browney]

My 1st bike was a 75 350 RD. My brother bought it new in 1975 and put 1500 miles on it. I bought it in 76 and destroyed it by 78. I use to love too wheelie through intersections when the light turned yellow. Man that was fun. With the RD I could write a book about all my travels with that bike. I bought the RD instead of a 55 Chev thinking it would be cheaper. But after a couple of grand worth of tickets with the RD I think the 55 chev woulda’ been cheaper. Dooh!!! Anyhow enough with the RD shit this is a Triples site Right!!!

So here’s the H2 Story. A buddy of mine had a 72 h2 and we were sitting around shootin’ the shit and he asked me if I wanted to take the H2 for a ride. I says sure and he says while your at it go get a brake light because its burnt out I says OK. That H2 was a gas man at about 50MPH and 5K you could just crack that thing open and the wheel was off the ground as you head into power band heaven. Needless to say after about 6 gas stations later and 3 hours I came back. With no brake light, buddy wasn’t too pleased. After that I was hooked, but it wasn’t until 2003 that I finally bought a H2 and another one and another one and another one.

browney out

[North]

For me it was a no brainer as I saw the H1D the same day my brother bought it new in 1973 and had [have] wanted it ever since. As most know it took a combination of 25 years of asking and my wife Cheryl passing away last year to finally pry it from brother's death grip.

I spent my cash before I was able to drive cars on a KM 100 and then got my "fix" driving other peoples bikes when I could but it took decades before that night late last year when my nephew dropped the D at my place... I was both estatic and flabbergasted by the amount of neglect it had suffered

Currently drving the D daily [just over 1400 miles driven around Winnipeg since June] and will pick up the H1A sometime this fall for this coming winter's project [to go along with rotor rebuild one ], and I have one long long term one lined up as well but will spill those details as I get closer to starting it.

North I have used forever [also use Northstar, Polaris, North49, etc] just because of all the chats, forums, etc. I have belonged to in the past had a majority of yanks in them who never knew where Minnesota was never mind Winnipeg Lmao ;D ;D

[ronno]

When I was a kid me and my bro had mini-bikes ( you remember those keystone ones ) lol. and my brother moved up to a kawi KE100. Lots of fun on that. He than moved up to a Yamaha DT400 and I got the 100 ( I`m lower on the tree you know!! ). Well after a couple more years we were driving somewhere out past Smithville and I seen this bike at the end of someones driveway and I got my brother to stop. It was a 72 500. Don`t know anything else about the bike since I had never seen one up til this point. The owner came out and asked me if I wanted to take her for a quick spin.......sure I said. Well let me tell you holy shyte!!....I was hooked immediately....I never bought the bike but bought the 400 about a year later. When I brought the 400 home my brother said `` Lovely!!!.....I should be an only son in no time!!!``. Everytime I came home on it he would have a grin on his face and said he could hear me from about 5 miles away.

[biker Don]

very good to hear from the new members, thanks. And the old
ones too. that was neat Givr how you got your D, sold it, bought
it back. Never heard that one before.
Looking forward to reading more tomorrow!! Going home
to fire up the H1B and go for supper with my daughter now.
Enjoy the night. Ronno, I'll have to drop in, I am just out in
Paris, work in Hamilton, Soup is just down the road from ya
in Brantford